5 Ways to Grow Organically as a Content Creator in 2021
The year is 2021, and the social media algorithm gods have plotted once again.
Short-form video content has exploded, competition is higher than ever before on content-based platforms, and small creators are heading back to the drawing board.
Although organic growth may seem like an impossibility these days, it's far from over for small creators.
Read on for some quick tips on how to grow your online presence on a budget this year.
Set Up a Regular Posting Schedule -- And Stick To It
Throughout our own content creation journey, we've learned that the secret sauce to growing quickly with a limited budget is a lot less complicated than you'd think.
POST CONTENT CONSISTENTLY.
That's it. If you're on the right platforms and know your target market well enough, you'll see growth this way.
We were able to help one of our clients grow their YouTube subscribers list from 1,000 to 100,000 in less than 2 years by having a regular posting schedule. It really works!
One of the best ways to organize your content months in advance is by using a content calendar. A content calendar is a written schedule of all of the upcoming content you plan on publishing to your business platforms. It's a great way to plan ahead and strategize what content you want to create, when it should be created, and where it should be published. Content Calendars keep our team at Red 11 organized and laser-focused on our goals, and we highly recommend them to all of our clients.
So, why should you set aside some time to build a content calendar for your business?
Content Calendars help you:
Easily keep track of what's been done so far and what needs to be done
Save time by planning ahead
Free up your time to make stronger content
Organize the flow of your content
Meet deadlines and milestones
Make collaboration with team members easy
Stay ahead of relevant holidays and trending topics
There are multiple ways you can organize a content calendar. You can use Google Calendar, social media management apps, or excel sheets. The way you decide to set it up completely depends on you and your needs. At Red 11, we love using Google Sheets for client content calendars. It's easy to use, free, and the tab function allows us to plan months in advance.
Regardless of how you decide to plan and schedule your content, make sure to commit to it!
Your audience will expect consistent, up to date and relevant content frequently. Don't rely on one viral post to get your engagement and followers up. News flash -- most posts won't go viral.
Take some time to plan out your content in advance so you can stay ahead of the game.
Provide High-Quality, Engaging Content as Often as Possible
Posting consistently will definitely get you far on your journey, but the quality of your content is just as important. But what does high-quality content look like?
We know content marketers have beaten this definition to death. Some experts swear by quality-based best practices like the right graphics, the right copy, the right length -- you get the point. Our advice? Pay attention to the data and practice social listening. It will tell you what your audience believes adds value to their life.
Head over to Google right now and look up a question you have about anything at all. There are probably thousands of search queries attempting to answer that exact question, but few may actually give you the answer you're looking for. The search results at the top? Google thinks they've done a pretty good job at answering your question based on one key metric: engagement.
Engagement drives organic growth for everything on the internet. Although engagement is measured differently on every platform, the principle is basically the same across the board. In simple terms, any interaction an individual has with a piece of content counts as engagement.
On Google, engagement is generally measured through click-through rate and time spent on content. On social media platforms, comments, shares, and likes tend to be the key drivers.
If you've already begun sharing content with your audience, check out your engagement on each post. Is there a piece of content that has performed exceptionally well? What are your followers saying about it? Bounce off of that idea and try sharing that type of content more frequently.
If you still haven't started creating anything yet, don't fret! We recommend learning about the niche you'd like to reach with your content. What questions are they asking? What type of content do they enjoy? The more you know about the people you want your content to connect with, the better
We also suggest keeping these 4 tips in mind when data is still a work in progress:
Make content that triggers an emotional response.
Talk about something relatable or trendy that generates conversation in the comments section.
Ask a question at the end of your blog post, video, or post caption.
Answer a frequently asked question concisely, honestly, and clearly. Avoid obvious and spammy product promotion. Your goal should always be to build trust with your target audience.
High-value content doesn't have to be dissected or over-analyzed. Don't overthink it. Just give the people what they want!
Short-Form Video Is Your Friend
Today's consumer is short on time and attention. Most of us just don't have the availability to really sit down and take it all in. Tik Tok solved this problem. Known for it's bite-sized video content, Tik Tok has rapidly become a top social media player with 1 billion users worldwide. The short-form video-based platform is brand affinity heaven, and our friends at Facebook and YouTube have followed suit with their own short-form video features.
Now, bite-sized videos are everywhere. We have Tik Tok, Instagram Reels, Instagram TV, and YouTube Shorts. Even Netflix launched its own short video platform, Fast Laughs, in March of this year.
Yeah, we hadn't heard of it either...
So, what does this mean for you? Short-form video content could be a big win for your organic growth right now. Not only is this type of content hot at the moment, but the benefits far outweigh the risks. It doesn't require expensive video editing software, you can film right on your phone, and the virality potential is ridiculously high. In other words, short video content is a small creator's dream come true.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, we recommend you start posting regularly on Tik Tok and Instagram Reels.
Here are some quick tips to get you on the right track:
Work smarter not harder. Repurpose your existing video content library when you can. For example, you can slice up longer videos and edit them on InShot so that they mimic the "look and feel" of the content you see on Tik Tok.
Participate in existing trends and use new features as soon as they're released. On Tik Tok, you'll see that creators who use trending audio clips or app features get pushed to the For You page more often. Take advantage of this!
As you begin to find your footing, increase your posting frequency. You should be posting 1-3 times a day once you have a clear vision.
Use relevant hashtags. This one might be an obvious, but the importance of hashtags should never be undervalued. We recommend mixing less competitive hashtags with high-value hashtags for maximum exposure.
Join Facebook Groups in Your Niche and Form Relationships
Facebook groups are now more relevant than ever before and have even become a vital growth tool for companies like The Daily Carnage, SocialMediaPro, and MarketingSolved.
Remember that thing about engagement we said earlier? Facebook groups are a goldmine for that. In 2018, Facebook released this tidbit about how their platform prioritizes the content we see on our newsfeed:
Today we use signals like how many people react to, comment on or share posts to determine how high they appear in News Feed.With this update, we will also prioritize posts that spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people. To do this, we will predict which posts you might want to interact with your friends about, and show these posts higher in feed. These are posts that inspire back-and-forth discussion in the comments and posts that you might want to share and react to – whether that’s a post from a friend seeking advice, a friend asking for recommendations for a trip, or a news article or video prompting lots of discussion.
source: about.fb.com
This update may explain why posts on Facebook groups are almost always at the top of our feeds. Groups facilitate conversation, build community, and establish a sense of belonging for members. They're a great way to connect with other creators in your industry and have a lot of eyeballs see your content!
While you may not want to start your own Facebook group right now, we do recommend you join groups related to your niche. For example, if you're a food blog writer, join some food blogging groups! Comment on posts, ask questions and share your content if the group allows it. Make friends and engage with like-minded folks who may eventually become a part of your own content community. Remember -- social media is about building relationships! Take advantage of all the content-forward communities at your disposal and start sharing.
Collaborate With Other Creators
Speaking of leveraging relationships, partnerships with other creators in your area of expertise can really push things forward when it comes to organic growth. Influencer marketing has quickly become a key tactic for many brands' social media strategy growth.
Influencers are social media content creators who are often dedicated to a niche market. We call them so because their voices are carefully listened to by their loyal followers.”
source: mention.com
Influencers can range from big celebrities with huge followings to regular people who cater to specific niche markets. For small creators and businesses, we suggest reaching out to the latter group of influencers -- also known as micro-influencers. Micro-influencers are people with smaller followings than celebrities -- 10,000 followers or less.
The benefits of connecting with micro-influencers are huge for small creators. With smaller social media stars, the trust factor tends to be higher between the creator and the audience. Authentic relationships are formed naturally and rapport with their audience is easily built due to more frequent engagement. Celebrities get paid for endorsements, promote products, and move on due to their limited schedules. Micro-influencers have more time to invest in their community and typically live average joe lives just like everyone else, albeit with more fans.
So, how do you connect with these guys? We suggest approaching these relationships the same way you would when meeting a new friend. Get to know them! Show genuine interest in the content they're sharing and build a connection. There may be a cost involved if you do decide to ask for collaboration but it should be nowhere near as expensive as a partnership with Kim Kardashian.
Final Thoughts
As a small creator, you'll face many ups and downs. Don't be afraid to take risks, get uncomfortable, and fail. Organic growth takes trial and error, so don't give up if everything isn't going how you envisioned right off the bat. Continue to step out of your comfort zone and pay attention to social trends.
Did you find this blog post helpful? Comment your thoughts below!
