February 26, 2026
It’s time for a reality check on what organic B2B social is delivering for you and your followers. Is it worth the time and effort you’re putting in? Chances are, it’s not. But there is a way to counter this…
The reality check
We recently did a presentation to one of our clients about their organic B2B content performance. They had a post go out to 88,000 UK users via organic targeting by region; it was seen by 1,000 of those people and 50% of the viewers were their own staff…very few of which engaged with the content.
By the time you work out how long that post took to create and the impact it actually made, it’s hard to measure it in a positive light.
Reach suppression – even for those top influencers on LinkedIn – has every user scratching their heads as to why their reach is good one day but not the next. Or why their engagements are through the roof today, when last week’s content got very little traction.
We’re not in the habit of teaching marketing teams how to sing; but we certainly do notice a lack of understanding when it comes to organic B2B social and what it truly is achieving for your business.
Rarely is the issue content alone. It’s a shame that some brilliant ideas and great creative concepts don’t get the visibility they deserve. But perhaps even more stressful for agencies and in-house marketers is the time being spent to create this content in the first place…only for the awareness impact to be almost negligible.
Another reality check
Two things here; your content is no longer working hard enough for you organically, and if your own staff aren’t going to help boost the awareness and engagement on content, then you’re really pushing water uphill.
“But I don’t have the budget for paid”
This is a problem in the longer term for marketers. As platforms like Meta and LinkedIn crush organic, more businesses turn to paid for awareness, consideration and conversion. If you’re not among them, then you’re unlikely to be seen.
It’s not an easy conversation to approach with CMOs or CFOs but it’s always worth reminding them that up to 5% of your audience is going to see your organic content. And that’s if you’re lucky!
A reminder on organic:
- You cannot properly target audiences
- You cannot time it perfectly – optimal posting time guides can be a useful, but they aren’t a sure thing
Can’t I lean on my SMEs for support?
This is the golden ticket to organic B2B success, but even this isn’t going to be free if you want to really succeed in it. LinkedIn’s recent report into B2B marketing trends has identified that user generated content is winning.
- 4 in 5 engage with this content at least once a month
- 87% say they prefer credible content from industry influencers to brand-only messaging
Trust is built through people, not brand. So having a very consistent social-savvy and knowledgeable SME is going be the difference maker. Personal profiles get stronger impression lifts per post compared to company pages, but early traction is key.
LinkedIn has also shared that thought-leader ads receive 2.5x higher click-through rates and around 60% lower cost-per-clicks than standard single-image ads.
It’s convenient that they’ve chosen static image ads to make their point – given this is typically the lowest performing ad type on LinkedIn…but anyway, this does show much paid does push the boundaries. Social has never been more pay to play.
Quick recap
Organic B2B content production is not really a strategy. You don’t have enough control of visibility. Organic is your content that is digested when your profile is visited – this is rare, even with social search going up, most of you content won’t get scrolled down to.
Strategy for organic starts with messaging and branding! True cut through and measurable audience impact is done with paid.
If you need some tips or ideas for organic – or want more home truths for paid media – contact us!