<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa124836d85f3b9f64ba71_651d3d5bb5c61236025b7e9e_64ac38e11f8c9b9a6aa0d2c3_Investing%252520in%252520organic%252520(1).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Growth</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Round-up: Organic Marketing – Getting the Best out of your Channel Strategy</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>11 August 2023</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>6 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">Combine Organic Search being voted as the marketing channel that <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/digital-marketing-channel-highest-roi/263757/#close" target="_blank"><strong>holds the highest ROI</strong></a>, with the introduction of several new social platforms that carry an extensive following – the opportunities for organic growth in 2023 are clear, <strong>but how do you get the most out of your strategy?</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal">In our latest workshop, 'Investing in Organic – Maximising your Channels in 2023', our experts discussed the common misconceptions – and challenges – around <strong>SEO, organic social, and content marketing</strong>, how to frame these channels within a wider marketing strategy, along with practical advice for building an <strong>effective, return-generating strategy</strong> across your channels.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Our experts:</strong></p> <ul class="gn-reveal"> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-whyles-0a16a031/" target="_blank"><strong>Alex Whyles</strong></a>, Head of SEO, <a href="https://www.visualsoft.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>Visualsoft Ltd</strong></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaleis-montgomery/" target="_blank"><strong>Annaleis Montgomery</strong></a>, Senior Search Manager, <a href="https://www.verkeer.co/" target="_blank"><strong>Verkeer</strong></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ines-casas/" target="_blank"><strong>Ines Casas</strong></a>, Social Director, <a href="https://www.eightandfour.com/" target="_blank"><strong>eight&amp;four</strong></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethlegge/" target="_blank"><strong>Lizi Legge</strong></a>, Social Media Account Director, <a href="https://imahome.global/" target="_blank"><strong>IMA-HOME</strong></a></li> </ul> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>Why does organic growth matter right now?</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">With several statistics highlighting the importance of prioritising organic activity to avoid falling behind competitors, such as over <a href="https://serpwatch.io/blog/seo-statistics/" target="_blank"><strong>65% of all clicks</strong></a> on SERPs go to the first five un-paid results.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>audiences are attracted to authenticity</strong>, to whatever is real and doesn't disrupt their journey or social experience. This has fuelled the rapid growth of platforms such as <strong>BeReal</strong> or <strong>Threads</strong> – these are purely organic spaces that have boomed in popularity as audiences have a thirst for it. So, for businesses that focus on organic growth, <strong>there will be long-lasting success</strong>, because you can be sure those attracted by organic content are genuinely interested."<cite>Ines Casas · Social Director, eight&amp;four</cite></blockquote> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>Common challenges with organic marketing – and how to overcome them</h2> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Adapting your Brand Voice for Authenticity</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"when brands are starting to get involved in newer platforms like <strong>TikTok</strong>, they must adapt their brand tone of voice, so it feels native in the platform. It's a very different space and it does require that <strong>more bespoke content to make it feel authentic</strong>. Ten years ago, it was about being disruptive on social because you were interrupting a newsfeed but now there's just <strong>so much content</strong> that you really need to blend in to feel authentic."<cite>Lizi Legge · Social Media Account Director, IMA-HOME</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Producing Authoritative Content</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Google is pushing towards the production and visibility of <strong>authoritative and relevant content on your site.</strong> So, from that point of view, you must make sure that you're producing content that is relevant and catered to your audience – which is where that authorship aspect comes into play. We're seeing a <strong>shift between AI generated content and having an author associated to that piece</strong> to signal a sense of trust to users when they visit a site or reading an article."<cite>Annaleis Montgomery · Senior Search Manager, Verkeer</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Dealing with the Pace of content</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"In relation to the challenge of pace, <strong>in-house social teams often consist of content producers or video content producers</strong> to ensure that they have a dynamic approach. But this could also be a one-man band, as <strong>there's lots of tools out there that they can utilise for support</strong>. For example, as an agency, we have invested heavily in building a video production function for social content."<cite>Ines Casas · Social Director, eight&amp;four</cite></blockquote> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>Overlooked opportunities with organic strategies</h2> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Carry out a Website Crawl for Quick, Tangible Results</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"there are avenues you can explore, that can deliver something quick as a tangible result. We always look at Tech first, so for example if there are certain pages that are blocked or not appearing on your site – this is something that can be resolved very quickly and <strong>will improve the overall user experience.</strong> You can also look at <strong>Site Speed</strong> and other quick changes to make your site <strong>a little bit more user friendly</strong>, which can benefit other channels."<cite>Alex Whyles · Head of SEO, Visualsoft Ltd</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Explore new Channels</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"new platforms like <strong>Threads</strong> presents a real opportunity to curate a large audience that are genuinely invested, as they've taken the time to download the app, and they've already got a following on <strong>Instagram</strong>. There's also an opportunity to start conversations, bring through your brand tone of voice and <strong>start to build those connections that people start to remember.</strong>"<cite>Lizi Legge · Social Media Account Director, IMA-HOME</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Ines Casas, Social Director of eight&four on the importance of organic growth." src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa124836d85f3b9f64ba63_64d785ecb928cf4cb98dace8_ines.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Ines Casas, Social Director of eight&amp;four on the importance of organic growth.</figcaption> </figure> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Utilise Key Data Sources</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"go into analytics or Search Console and record your month-on-month or year-on-year performance – look at things like sessions, percentage of sessions then go further and <strong>look at your assisted conversions to see where organic fits in the overall buying cycle</strong>."<cite>Alex Whyles · Head of SEO, Visualsoft Ltd</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Align your organic activity with your wider marketing strategy</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"people are lazy, they will click on the first thing they see on SERPs so if your organic listing is already on top in session one or two, but they're just clicking on your paid ad, that's kind of a missed opportunity. In this instance you want <strong>to identify those opportunities where you can turn off paid</strong>, and organic will be able to recover. Also, whilst an end conversion might not directly be from organic, <strong>you can track back to identify where organic can generate awareness</strong> for your OOH activity, for example."<cite>Annaleis Montgomery · Senior Search Manager, Verkeer</cite></blockquote> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>Final Considerations – where and when to seek external support</h2> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"for in-house teams, a lot of time is spent on content calendars, the management of channels and community management, which leaves no space to <strong>think about</strong> <strong>what the right approach is</strong>. External support can help on strategy frameworks for channel content, influencer activation or community engagement – as we have the resources and tools, such as <strong>Meltwater</strong>, <strong>Social Listening</strong>, <strong>Rival IQ</strong> or <strong>GWI</strong> to validate the correct approach."<cite>Ines Casas · Social Director, eight&amp;four</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"in terms of what in-house teams can do themselves is look at those tools and sign up to their newsletters or <strong>tune into webinars and knowledge shares</strong> to gain a better understanding."<cite>Lizi Legge · Social Media Account Director, IMA-HOME</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"you can almost use an agency or consultant as the 'bad guy' to gain vertical expertise or <strong>reinsurance on your approach</strong>. Going forward it's a case of analysing the implementations you've made in the last six months, to see <strong>what hasn't performed so well</strong> as you don't want to waste your time and effort if it's not going anywhere."<cite>Annaleis Montgomery · Senior Search Manager, Verkeer</cite></blockquote> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>having those open, relaxed conversations with an agency can make the biggest difference, in terms of how to communicate your product and USP in a meaningful way – the rest of it is process and how you begin measuring the activity.</q><cite>Alex Whyles · Head of SEO, Visualsoft Ltd</cite></aside> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Key areas to focus your organic strategy</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Adapt your brand voice for each platform.</strong> Brands must adapt their brand tone of voice, so it feels native in the platform.</li> <li><strong>Prioritise authoritative content.</strong> You must make sure that you're producing content that is relevant and catered to your audience.</li> <li><strong>Carry out a website crawl.</strong> There are avenues you can explore, that can deliver something quick as a tangible result.</li> <li><strong>Align organic with your wider strategy.</strong> You can track back to identify where organic can generate awareness for your OOH activity, for example.</li> <li><strong>Consider external support.</strong> External support can help on strategy frameworks for channel content, influencer activation or community engagement.</li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>If you're investing in an Organic Strategy this year, make sure you're getting the most from your time. GO! offer cost-free agency recommendations, pitch management, and more,</em> <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch" target="_blank"><strong><em>get in touch</em></strong></a> <em>to get started.</em></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/investing-in-organic-maximising-your-channels-in-2023" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Investing in Organic - Maximising your Channels in 2023</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">With 48% of marketers crediting organic for most leads, this panel tackles SEO, social, and content misconceptions, plus frameworks to build</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/the-new-funnel-investing-in-an-effective-organic-content-strategy-in-2022" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">The New Funnel - Investing in an Effective Organic Content Strategy in 2022</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Expert panel covers SEO, educational content, and channel investment to help agencies build a smarter organic funnel that delivers real ROI.</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/round-up-investing-in-organic-growth-maximising-your-channels-in-2023" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Round-up: Investing in Organic Growth - Maximising your Channels in 2023</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">SEO, social, and content experts share 8 ways to boost organic performance, frame it within wider strategy, and avoid the misconceptions slo</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/investing-in-organic-growth-maximising-your-channels-in-2023" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Investing in Organic Growth - Maximising your Channels in 2023</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">48% of marketers say organic drives most leads. 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