Three Content Ideas to Drive Organic Social Media Engagement

By 2025, it’s predicted that 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur on digital channels — social media included.

And for brands, social media falls into two buckets: paid and organic. Paid social includes spending money to target specific audiences. The return on investment (ROI) is sometimes instant, where ads and boosted content create additional engagements, link clicks and impressions to a targeted audience. (Not to mention, paid content can provide actionable data and results, which makes everyone happy.) 

But despite the instant gratification, we can’t forget about the importance of organic social media. 

If you were to type in your company’s name on any search engine, your social media channels will likely show up on the first page. This means they could be one of the first places potential customers go to check out your brand. To ensure you make an impactful initial impression, your social channels should include educational information about your brand’s products, services or company executives to reach new or returning customers.

When creating a social media strategy or investing in a new social channel, it’s important to consider what type of content visitors will see. Additionally, it helps to determine in advance what type of content might maximize engagement for audiences.

So where to start? There are three key considerations to make about organic social media which may potentially expand your reach, but let’s start with video.

1. Video Content Continues to Dominate Social Media

Did you know that online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic this year — 15 times higher than it was in 2017? When it comes to consumer markets, 64% of them make a purchase after watching branded social media videos. 

And the lines between consumer and B2B marketing continue to blur.

The hottest video trends on social media include TikTok and Instagram (IG) Reels, but some platforms may be better than others for your brand.

Interested in incorporating a TikTok strategy? Check out our blog from associate creative director, Jonah. 

Similarly, for B2B, LinkedIn videos offer tremendous organic reach potential. Most LinkedIn content contains a stationary image and text copy, but videos allow your audience to put a face and personality to your brand. For example, Flowserve launched a new feature to incorporate valves into their IoT solution, RedRaven. The announcement was made on LinkedIn using a video with representatives from the internal RedRaven team.

Flowserve also made an animated video to explain their new service offering.

Pro Tip: Add closed captions to your videos. Believe it or not, most users scroll with their sound off. Captions also increase accessibility to your content and can capture your audience quickly and effectively. In fact, in a survey of American consumers aged 18–54, 69% of people view video with the sound off in public places.

2. Podcasting for B2B

Having a podcast is similar to having a blog. It sounds crazy, but almost 60% of U.S. consumers listen to podcasts. They’re easily “digestible” and can be listened to while multitasking from almost anywhere. Chances are, when your customers are commuting to work, on their lunch break or working out, they’re listening to their favorite podcast. And if done right, each listener has an opportunity to build a relationship with your brand.

In B2B, podcasts can be used to raise awareness about products and services but also position your experts as the go-to resources to understand industry challenges.

Have you considered thought leadership as part of your 2022 content marketing plans?

What format works best for podcasting? Question-and-answer (Q+A) is popular with B2B brands to tackle industry challenges. Honeywell Intelligrated uses their On The Move podcast to connect listeners with the company’s subject matter experts (SMEs) on a variety of topics. Plus, sound bites can be repurposed for social media content.

How to Repurpose Audio for Social Media

To utilize podcast audio on social media, identify what questions or topics are most impactful for your audience, then convert your episodes into smaller, easy-to-consume bits using software like Adobe Audition, or even free tools like the Headliner app. 

In addition to podcasting, audio options like Facebook Live Audio Rooms enable you to discover, listen in on, and join live conversations with public figures, experts and others about a variety of topics. At this time, Live Audio Rooms are only open to a limited amount of people, but we can expect their capabilities to be expanded in the future.

Twitter has launched Twitter Spaces, their take on live audio conversations. And the best part: there’s no need for a camera; it’s all audio! Similar to podcasts, Twitter Spaces allows users to connect with their audiences directly.

If your considering podcasting or any of the other audio options mentioned, check out this podcast featuring Prospiant to hear the potential value yourself:

Pro Tip: Does your company have an SME blog? Consider converting them into podcast episodes.

3. Hashtags Can Be Effective, but They’re No Longer “Fetch” (Kind Of)

The topic of hashtags seems to generate several questions. Among them include:

• “Do hashtags work?”
• “What is the most effective strategy for utilizing them?”
• “Should they be used on every single social media platform?”

Ultimately, the answer to those questions is up to your brand. Consider the different types of hashtags:

Content hashtags – Industry-specific hashtags that relate to products and services. These can be extremely valuable in reaching your intended audience. For example, #robotics, #FlowControl or #CommercialRefrigeration.

Branded hashtags – Hashtags relating to your brand which emphasize specific topics for your audience. For example, a hashtag with the name of your brand in each post. However, branded hashtags are most effective when a company has an established following, but they are good for campaigns and events.

Trending hashtags – We all love a good, trending hashtag; they’re possibly seen by millions of people and are most likely trending because of viral fame. If the opportunity presents itself, act quickly and join the conversation. However, don’t try too hard to fit in. 

Now, on what platforms should you utilize each of these hashtags?

In 2004’s motion picture “Mean Girls,” Gretchen Wieners says, “That’s so fetch” and Regina George responds, “Stop trying to make fetch happen!” This is how most Facebook users feel about marketers trying to make hashtags happen on the platform. Facebook provides inconsistent guidance related to hashtags; thus, its users have never fully embraced them. When using hashtags on Facebook, limit them to the bottom of the post — if they truly provide value.

LinkedIn originally outlawed hashtags on their platform but then reversed course in 2016. Has it been working? The answer is yes, and it’s an effective way to reach audiences beyond your direct connections. Let’s say you’re posting something related to sustainability. It’s a popular topic being discussed and searched for online. People want to learn more about it. By incorporating the hashtag “sustainability” into your post, you can not only increase engagement but also build credibility for your brand.

Hashtags are most commonly used on Twitter and Instagram. But although they can be a fantastic tool to increase engagement and build brand awareness, proceed with caution. Limit hashtags to three to five per post (although there are specific strategies to use on platforms like Instagram) to avoid losing credibility. It’s even better if you can incorporate hashtag-relevant keywords within your social media copy.

Pro Tip: Engage with people and companies who are using the same hashtags as your brand. This can get your brand noticed by industry influencers. You can also use them as an opportunity to answer questions or position your brand as a thought leader. Who knows? You may find some content ideas, too.

Organic Social Media Is NOT Dead

Although organic social media can be challenging at times and demands a strong content strategy, understanding your audience’s behaviors and platform algorithms can increase your chances of quality engagement. But remember: If your audience is engaging with your brand, it’s up to you to respond, answer questions, and keep the momentum going. 

Looking for advice on your organic social media strategy? Feel free to reach out and contact us. We promise we’re not like a regular agency. We’re a cool agency! (Thanks, Mrs. George.)