10 Step Guide to Kickstarting Your Organic Social Media Strategy

Kickstart a Successful Organic Social Media Strategy for Your Small Business

Whether you’re just getting your business off the ground or you’ve been running a successful operation for years, building an organic social media presence can take your growth to the next level. No matter where you are in your journey as a business owner, if your brand isn’t showing up online you’re leaving opportunity on the table.

The good news: you don’t have to be a tech expert or have a million followers to succeed on social media. Organic (unpaid) social media is one of the most powerful tools small businesses can use to connect with their community, grow brand awareness, and turn customers into brand loyalists - and even brand advocates.

This guide will walk you through how to build a strong, sustainable organic social media strategy, without adding too much effort to your already very full plate.

Step 1: Set Clear Goals for Social Media

Start with your "why."

Why do you want to use social media for your business? The answer shouldn’t be "because everyone else is doing it."

Common organic social media goals include:

·       Increasing brand visibility

·       Driving traffic to your website

·       Educating customers about your products or services

·       Building a loyal community

·       Supporting customer service or feedback

Pro Tip: Pick two or three goals to start. Be specific (e.g., "Grow Instagram followers by 20% in 3 months" or "Post three educational videos per week"). This keeps things actionable and less overwhelming.

Step 2: Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is critical to creating the type of content they’ll care about. Whether you're just identifying your target customers or have years of data on hand, getting clear on who you're talking to (and what THEY care about) helps your content work harder for you.

Questions to ask yourself:

·       Who are your current customers?

·       What problems do they face that your product/service solves?

·       What type of content would help, entertain, or inspire them?

·       What information are they looking for (and if possible – what information are they looking for on social media specifically)?

Pro Tip 1: Use your customer insights (from reviews, conversations, or surveys) to create 1-2 customer personas. Give them names and write down their interests, habits, and goals. This makes your content more focused and effective.

Pro Tip 2: What your ideal customer cares about isn’t always what you think is most important, or you are most interested in talking about. Make sure that you take the time to really understand your customer so you can put out the right content for them. You can create the most visually appealing, on-trend content in the world, but if it doesn’t focus on the right topics, you’re not going to get the results you want.  

Step 3: Choose the Right Platform(s)

You don’t need to be on every platform. Start with one or two that align with your audience and your content style.

Popular platforms for small businesses:

·       Instagram: Great for visual content, behind-the-scenes, product demos, and stories.

·       Facebook: Ideal for community building, events, review generation/management, and longer-form posts. May skew to an older demographic.

·       LinkedIn: Excellent for B2B, service-based businesses, or thought leadership.

·       TikTok: Perfect for creative, short-form video content (especially for a younger audience).

Pro Tip: If you’re not sure where your audience spends their time online, look at your competitors or similar businesses. Where do they post most frequently and get the most engagement?

Step 4: Create a Content Pillar System

Now that you know your goals and platforms, it’s time to plan your content.

Content pillars are 3 to 5 main themes you’ll post about consistently. These should be based on what your audience cares about and how you deliver value to them.

Example content pillars for a wellness coach:

1.     Healthy lifestyle tips

2.     Client success stories

3.     Behind-the-scenes of your business

4.     Daily motivation or affirmations

5.     Educational content about nutrition or fitness

6.     Event promotion

7.     Interactive conversations/Q&A

Pro Tip: Map out a handful of post ideas under each content pillar. This makes content planning much easier and gives you a good starting point for your content calendar.

Step 5: Develop a Simple Posting Schedule

A posting schedule, AKA a content calendar, is a tool to plan out your social posts in advance. This helps you keep a consistent schedule and stay on-topic with the content pillars you developed above. Consistency is more important here than frequency. You don’t need to post every day to be successful.

Start small:

·       2 to 3 posts per week

·       1 story per day (if using Instagram or Facebook)

·       Weekly check-in with your audience (via poll, Q&A, or tip)

Pro Tip: Use free scheduling tools like Meta Business Suite (for Facebook/Instagram), Later, or Buffer to plan your posts in advance. Even easier? Just create a content calendar in Excel or Google Sheets. Batch-creating content for the week ahead saves time and reduces overwhelm.

Step 6: Create Engaging, Valuable Content

Organic social media thrives on value, not volume. Whether you’re introducing your business for the first time or have a loyal customer base already, your content should reflect your expertise and personality.

High-performing content types include:

·       Tips or how-tos (educate your audience)

·       Customer testimonials or reviews (build trust)

·       Behind-the-scenes videos or photos (humanize your brand)

·       FAQs (reduce friction for new customers)

·       Day-in-the-life or process content (build interest and transparency)

Pro Tip 1: Use simple, clear visuals and write captions that sound like you. Don’t be afraid to show personality. You don’t need to be polished, but you do need to be real. Online users can spot inauthenticity a mile away.

Pro Tip 2: Keep your brand tone/voice consistent. Use a design style for your posts that aligns with your brand and is recognizable as ‘you’.

Step 7: Focus on Quality, Authentic Engagement – No Posting Just to Post

Social media is a two-way conversation. Authentic content and quality interaction is key, no matter what your end goal is.

Engagement tips:

·       Respond to every comment and message

·       Ask questions in your posts to spark interaction

·       Use polls and stickers in stories

·       Comment on other local or industry accounts

·       Host giveaways, if it is an option for you

Pro Tip: Spend 10–15 minutes per day engaging on your platform(s). You’ll start to build momentum and grow organically by showing up and being active.

Step 8: Track What’s Working

Analytics help you understand what’s resonating with your audience so you can do more of it.

Basic metrics to monitor:

·       Reach (how many people saw your post)

·       Engagement (likes, comments, shares, saves)

·       Follower growth

·       Click-through rate (if linking to your website)

Pro Tip: Review your analytics monthly. Identify your top 3 posts and ask, "Why did these work?". And don’t forget to look at your lowest performing posts and ask why they didn’t work. Use those insights to shape future content.

Step 9: Collaborate and Build Community

Organic growth isn’t just about pushing content—it’s about building relationships.

Community-building ideas:

·       Partner with other small businesses for cross-promotion

·       Feature customers or clients in your posts

·       Run a giveaway or contest

·       Share user-generated content (with permission)

Pro Tip: Reach out to a local business or loyal customer and propose a simple collaboration this month. It builds exposure for both of you. For example, if you’re a restaurant invite a local foodie content creator to visit your location and post about their experience.

Step 10: Keep Going (Even When It Feels Slow)

Organic social media takes time to grow, but it pays off. And remember that consistency and authenticity will set you apart. That content calendar will be your best friend!

Pro Tip: Set a 90-day goal and commit to showing up consistently during that time. You’ll be amazed at how much momentum you build.

Bonus: When to Call in Help

Running a business is hard enough. If you’re short on time or just want to get better results faster, partnering with a digital marketing consultant can be a smart move.

At AMJ Digital Marketing & Consulting, we help small businesses like yours:

·       Build custom organic social strategies

·       Create consistent, branded content

·       Analyze results and adjust campaigns

·       Grow an engaged, loyal online community

Let’s make social media work for you. Contact us to get started with a tailored strategy that fits your goals and your schedule.