Think Organic Posting Will Grow Your Business? Think Again.

I have been in the marketing business for about six years, navigating through what seems like countless algorithm changes. During this time, I’ve experimented with numerous strategies and best practices in both organic and paid advertising.

As a digital marketer or a small business owner, you’re likely familiar with the tightrope walk between budget constraints and the need for effective marketing. You might be wrestling with questions like: How much should I spend on ads? How often should I post? And, most crucially, how do I get the most bang for my buck in a landscape dominated by ever-changing algorithms?

From working with restaurants to public speaking figures, and managing ad budgets ranging from $200 to $1,500 per month, I’ve learned a multitude of ways things can work or fail. One key insight I’ve discovered is that organic posting is, in many instances, the biggest waste of time imaginable.

I understand that if you don’t have an ad budget, organic posting is the only way to start. However, social media can be an incredibly cruel mistress in the beginning. I have started accounts, shared reels, and have gotten zero reach. It literally showed my first 5–10 reels to no one. That’s not very encouraging, is it? But even the smallest ad budget is going to be 10 times more effective than organic posting unless you post trending content that might not align with your brand or its voice.

Debunking the Myth: It’s Not Just About Engagement, It’s About Impact

A common misconception in digital marketing is the belief that constant content leads to better engagement, and by extension, better business results. However, my experience tells a different story, one that underlines the importance of quality and strategic investment over sheer volume.

For a music venue client, we shifted from regular posting to concentrating on high-quality content solely for ads. This involved professional photoshoot sessions for the musical acts performing each Saturday. The effort was significant, but the results were even more so. We didn’t just maintain our engagement levels; we transformed them into tangible business outcomes.

Comparing a professionally shot image from one of these sessions to a high-quality but standard picture of one of the venue’s drinks revealed a stark difference. The professionally shot content didn’t just win in terms of aesthetics; it was a knockout in performance. Our sales doubled.

Interestingly, we stopped regular posting on the grid and focused only on ads. This strategic decision underlines a crucial aspect of modern digital marketing: investing in ads and the creative behind them can significantly boost your business results. In our case, it led to a 100% increase in sales. It’s a testament to the power of prioritizing quality and strategic ad spending over the quantity of organic content.

What proof do I have that organic social media posting is a waste of time? To start, the algorithm is NOT your friend, nor does it want to be. I’ve had paid posts explode and be graded 5/5/5 by Facebook Ads Manager (the highest possible rating), but the same posts organically went bust.

Another piece of evidence I have is from when I was posting 2–3 times a week to a client’s Facebook and Instagram pages. When I shifted focus to paid strategies, the client’s business became busier than ever. This brings me to another point: creating reel after reel is a waste of time if you can create one good reel and use it for months. I have one video that performed well as a reel, but after a few days, it stopped circulating on Instagram and Facebook because the algorithm is not my friend. So, I decided to use it as an ad and have been using it for about a year now. Do you want to know the outcome?

It works wonders for attracting new clients every week.

It gets me about 450 Facebook likes/follows every month.

It gets me around 150 Instagram followers every month.

The video works so well even though the Facebook objective is views and the send message objective (separately, as in two ads), all of that for around $20–50 a week. If I had left it as a reel and let the algorithm work its “magic”, it would have been the worst decision of my marketing career for that client.

Actionable Steps for Optimal Social Media Spend

If you’re ready to optimize your social media spend, start with these steps:

Plan and Test Your Content: Rather than aiming for a high volume of posts, focus on planning and creating content strategically. Film your content, then test its effectiveness with ads. If it performs well, continue running it until it loses effectiveness. Remember, you don’t need to create two high-quality posts per week; this might be overkill if they don’t gain sufficient reach.

Know Your Audience: Use insights and analytics to understand what appeals to your audience. Tailor your content to their preferences and behaviors.

Experiment and Adjust: Start with a modest ad budget, monitor the performance, and adjust your strategy based on the results. Even a small budget can make a significant impact if used wisely.

Leverage Professional Imagery: Invest in professional photography or videography for your content. The visual appeal can drastically improve engagement and conversion rates.

Want to know my secret formula?

There is NO secret formula. The closest thing to a secret formula is something very basic: create good work, not rushed or subpar work just to meet the recommended 6–9 reels a week (yes, Facebook has recommended that I upload up to 12 reels a week). The video I created over a year ago and still use as an ad is a standard video tour of my client’s place of business, all done with a pocket dolly, the available light, and a Fujifilm Xt-4.

Don’t let Facebook dictate what is a good post or isn’t a good post. If you understand the fundamentals of marketing and have a good video or photography session, your posts as ads will perform very well. That has been my experience over the last couple of years.

Here’s an extra tip: If you create a large enough audience of followers, paying for them to see your posts is much cheaper than showing them to a new audience that hasn’t liked your page or followed you. I refined an audience for one of my clients, and yes, he has spent a few thousand dollars building his audience, but he also spends very little money with huge results. Even I was amazed at the results when I tried out this strategy.

The algorithm will never be your friend unless you give it what it wants, and it wants content — content that keeps people on its platform so they can show ads. No content, no ads, no revenue for them. What did you expect from a company where 98% of its revenue comes from ads?

In summary, invest in paid distribution to reach your objectives and have fun on your social media journey. Remember, it’s not just about being seen; it’s about being seen by the right people, with the right content, at the right time. That’s the key to not just surviving, but thriving in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing.

Remember, it’s easy to get lost in the noise of countless ‘best practices’ and ‘surefire strategies.’ But as we’ve seen, the popular path isn’t always the most effective one. While organic posting has its place, it’s often not the powerhouse we’re led to believe it is, especially when it comes to driving tangible business results.

The key isn’t just to play the game; it’s to change the game. By focusing on strategic, high-quality content and smart ad spend, you can cut through the clutter and make a real impact.

So, are you ready to challenge the status quo and transform your approach to social media? Or will you continue down the well-trodden path, hoping for different results? As the saying goes, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the very definition of madness.” The choice is yours, and remember, the digital landscape waits for no one.

If you’re looking to dive deeper into effective strategies or have questions on where to start, my door is always open. Reach out, and let’s craft a game-changing strategy that works for you.

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