If you have heard me talk about social media than you know that I will constantly use the word “organic”. “You need to have organic posts in your newsfeed/timeline/etc” is a phrase that I use on a daily basis. Unfortunately, I have learned recently that there are two major issues with this statement. ONE – no one knows what I mean when I say organic and TWO – how would you even post anything organic when we are always on the move?
Attacking Organic
Let’s start with what I mean when I say Organic. These are posts that happen IN THE MOMENT. They are things that go on in your back room production offices, your offices, meetings, outside moments with friends or family that show you are human. Because let’s face it, no one enjoys getting anything from a no name company. They want to know who is behind the scenes and understand who you are. They want to trust you – but you need to give them a reason why. In today’s marketplace that means giving people the inside track and letting them in on your business.
It may not seem glamorous – most people will ask me “They really want to see that?” and the answer is yes, people really want to know. They want to know that your desk is just as messy as theirs. They want to know that it’s okay to work at 9am or take a break for a mid-day run at 11am. And they really want to know where your products are coming from – if you make
anything anywhere near your home center of operation (especially those companies in the US) then people want to know you really do make it there and its not just a pretty lie. If you are still unconvinced, then tell me this – why do people watch reality tv? Why do we watch shows about how things are made or read books about the inside story of businesses? People want to know – so show them!
How Do I Post from My Phone?
Now on to point two. If you are on Facebook (and really, everyone should be on Facebook in
my opinion) there are multiple apps, each for specific functions. I use three main ones. The one we all see – the Facebook app – one that is designed specifically for businesses – Facebook PAGES and one to manage just Facebook Ads. Facebook PAGES is a fancy little app lets you post from your phone to any of your Like pages. It will let you see insights, scheduled posts, allow you to schedule, publish and edit posts on the fly, as well as run promotions, do a live post and set up events.
It does have some limitations as far as what you can see, meaning it won’t give you the full insights that you can get on your desktop, but for a quick look/post and review of your page – its perfect. This is also the only way to respond to messages to your page. So if you have set up your page to be a communication tool with your fans, then this is the only way to respond if you are on your mobile most of the time. And honestly – who is really tethered to a desktop these days? I know I’m not! The Facebook Ads manager is great to check in on your ads from time to time, but honestly, I use the Pages app most of the time and will manage my ads from my laptop. Do you need both? No. But they are nice to have and definitely good to know about.
Most of the other social media platforms don’t have a business specific app for your phone. You just log in as your business user name and go from there. There are definitely third party apps that will post to your platforms from your phone – Hootsuite, Buffer and Social Sprout to only name a few. (I personally use Hootsuite.) But bottom line – when it comes to Facebook, you need the pages app if you are a business and want to share your stories organically.
I write for those small businesses just starting out on social. Who want to know the nitty gritty but don’t know where to start. What do you want to know? Shoot me a message on Facebook (@venturewrite) or hit me up in the comments below. Let’s be social!