The 4 Cs of Effective Organic Marketing

Organic marketing is authentic, real-time, and people-centered. It is filled with value and directed to a specific target audience. It is less about you as the organization and more about the ideal client you are hoping to attract. By leveraging organic strategies in your marketing, you commit to becoming the expert and trusted guide within your industry. Social media and your website play a huge part in that.

Before I get into what makes a strong organic marketing strategy, I want to challenge your relationship with social media. From now on, anything you post should be with your ideal client in mind. From this point on, you are focused on building a strategy that attracts, nurtures, and converts your ICP (ideal customer profile), and in order to establish this new thinking, you must understand the 4 Cs of social media marketing.

Say goodbye to the days when you “posted and ghosted” - sharing content without later interacting with everyone who is commenting or liking it. Social media algorithms and users, will always favor accounts that leverage Content, Community, Consistency, and Conversion - the 4 Cs.

1. Content

Create content that is rich in value and in line with your organization’s why, what, and who. The more your content does this, the more you will attract people who are right for you and you for them.

I recently got to work with a social media manager on their content strategy. Their main struggle was finding content that stood out to the right audience. Throughout our time together, I found myself constantly reminding them that marketing is not about being clever, nor is it about hacking into your ICP’s brain. I had to help reframe her approach to content creation by teaching her the importance of clear and authentic marketing that is relatable and valuable. Being clever has its place but not at the expense of potential clients feeling confused about your messaging.

To simplify this concept, it is crucial to always think about how you can best serve your ICP and what results you want it to bring for your business.

It is also important to understand that everyone consumes content differently. Some prefer videos over blogs, or blogs over podcasts. Content comes in various forms, and it is important for your team to get comfortable using every one of them while leveraging all the features social media offers to ensure that you relate to everyone within your ICP in a way that resonates with them.

2. Community

I want you to imagine being face-to-face with every person that stops by your social media pages or your website. YES, EVERY person. Behind every comment, like, view, and follow is a human being choosing to stop and engage with your content and they MUST hear back from you. Imagine if this was a physical store or office they were walking into, you would want to greet them and offer them an opportunity to come back or stay connected with your brand.

Practical ways to do this is through:

• Newsletter subscriptions
• Consistently engaging with people who comment on your social media activity
• Planning events that benefit them
• Invite them to join an exclusive online group

By creating opportunities for community and conversation, you bridge the internet gap between your organization and your ICP and create opportunities for closer organic relationships. 

3. Consistency

You might hear marketers talk about how the success to a good social media strategy is consistency... it's true!

What consistency isn't: One post a week about your recent discounts, an email that wishes everyone happy holidays.

Your marketing team needs to find a schedule that involves many types of content and touch points that are valuable and remain consistent to that! Growth does not happen overnight but with consistency you can see results quickly.

4. Conversion

Are you looking for more clickthrough, opt-ins, or followers? Each piece of content you post should have a conversion metric associated with it. Conversions are a testament to the effectiveness of your content. If your posts are not being converted, then you are not creating the content that your ICP wants to see, or you have built a community that does not reflect your goals.

A good way to know if your posts are doing well is by paying attention to Key Performance Indicators also known as KPIs.

Beware of vanity metrics. Likes and followers are the most obvious vanity metrics. They truly say nothing about how well your organization is doing. You can have millions of followers/likes but if no one is reaching out for your help, those followers and likes are meaningless!

Get help getting started

If you paid attention to each of the 4Cs described above, you realize they all have something in common and that’s having a deep understanding of your ideal client profile. That’s where it all starts.

If you are a marketer reading this and still struggling with any of the 4 Cs within your marketing strategy, reach out to our team and let’s get you started!