Organic reach on social media has cratered. Pay To Play has never been more true.
Yet at the same time, we need community and audiences and reach more than ever. Businesses continue to struggle, consumers trust advertising and influencers less and less, and traditional marketing tactics are getting squeezed.
What seems like eons ago, I was riding the Google+ wave. As tens of thousands of marketers and businesses joined the platform, drawn in from Google’s ever-present tie-in’s, I was one of the creators recommended to new users who expressed interest in Technology and within a short time, I’d amassed a following of over 250,000. It wasn’t uncommon for my posts to see view counts in the tens of thousands.
I was spoiled.
Not only did G+ die off, the virality of non-entertainment content on all of the other platforms was throttled. If you’ve experienced this decline first-hand like I have, you know the negative impact it can have both on your business and your psyche.
But you also may have seen other creators – even in your own industry – seeing success. Their posts appear get tons of organic reach and engagement. Why is that?
I’ve been paying attention, and here are the traits I’ve noticed:
- Quality over Quantity – It may sound trite, but it’s true. They’re focusing on giving their audience real value in every post.
- Consistency – Not only are they sharing value regularly, they’re consistent in what they’re sharing, to whom. They have a plan.
- Identified Audience – They have polished their ICP until it shines through everything they do.
- Community – They treat each and every engaged follower as a member of their community.
- Deliberate Outposts
That last one’s nuanced so let me explain.
Every successful business has to have a “home base” – typically an owned website but I know some will argue and point to their success on other platforms. That’s possible, just not advisable.
Whatever that home base is, every other platform that you build an account and audience on is an outpost. So your Facebook Page or your Instagram profile or your podcast would typically be outposts.
The trick is strategically considering all possible outposts and only selecting those whose format, user base, and other factors, align with your style and mission.
Then pick one.
The most successful creators pick one, single outpost or channel and master that medium. They learn everything there is to know about LinkedIn and spend time there every single day creating, engaging, and building community. They don’t go off to BlueSky or Mastodon or BeReal or any other shiny new channel – they don’t have time for that.
I’ll admit I haven’t done these well, and should re-focus my efforts. What about you? Do you have a deliberate outpost?
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