Organic Social: The 10-Second Social Platform Check with Carolyn Zick, Bad Axe Enterprises (episode 175)

by April Buencamino-dy

Carolyn Zick has been helping brands use organic content marketing to get in front of their ideal customers since 2015! She’s the founder of Bad Axe Enterprises, helping small businesses and community groups get online and social with their ideal clients.

Carolyn Zick Bad Axe Enterprises Organic Social

Listen now for free:

Subscribe to Keep Optimising on your favourite Podcast App

Dive in:

[04:44] Demographics are not important for platform selection.
[06:40] Disclaimers, goals, and audience are crucial.
[10:34] TikTok and YouTube are important for content.
[14:31] Meaningful conversations and organic marketing goals.
[17:02] Management: Consider team bandwidth for new platform.
[20:36] Know the audience intimately for effective organic marketing.
[25:26] Social media giants redefine in community era.

About Carolyn Zick

Carolyn got into organic social media by accident when a friend asked for help managing her Facebook page. It started as a barter deal that turned into a business.

Over the years, Carolyn’s self-taught journey involved lots of experimenting, learning from data, and, most importantly, having fun.

Platform Checks

When deciding which social media platform to use for your business, Carolyn says you need to make these considerations:

  • Content fit. When deciding which social media platform to use for your business, consider the type of content that performs well on the platform. For example, if you struggle to create video content, platforms like TikTok or YouTube may not be the best fit.
  • Engagement fit. Assess the kind of engagement that typically occurs on a platform. Ensure that the engagement aligns with your brand’s goals and values. Different platforms may encourage different types of interactions, so choose accordingly.
  • Management capacity. Before diving into a new platform, assess your team’s bandwidth and capacity to manage it effectively. Estimate the time investment required, especially considering the learning curve for a new platform.

Quick Gut Check

Perform a quick gut check to see if you have a positive feeling about the platform. See if you genuinely enjoy using the platform as a regular user. She also suggests aligning with the platform’s ethos and considering any security or compliance rules within your company. 

Finally, she says to keep it simple and not overthink when you do your gut check.

Insider Tips

If we’ve inspired someone to take their first step with organic social media – what do they need to know to give themselves the best chance of success?

Carolyn emphasizes two key points:

  • Know your target audience well. This will help you create relevant content and a successful strategy.
  • Set clear business goals. Setting and aligning goals will simplify your job and ensure that your social efforts contribute to the company’s success.

Once you’ve started of course you’ve got to ‘keep optimising’! So what’s your favourite way to improve organic social media performance?

Carolyn’s preferred approach is to do quarterly check-ins. This will provide you with a better perspective on the data that you gather.

Additionally, social media metrics often need about two weeks to provide meaningful insights. Conducting reviews on a quarterly basis enables better-informed decision-making.

If someone listening wants to learn more about organic social media is there one cheap/free resource you’d recommend?

Carolyn gives two recommendations:

Crystal ball time – what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months that we should be getting ready for in organic social media?

Carolyn anticipates platform shifts and changes from existing social media giants. Yet she says that one of the most significant trends will be a renewed appreciation for verifiably human content. As AI and automation improve, people will return to more authentic, less polished, and obviously human-generated content. This is as opposed to the impersonal and polished AI-generated content that has become prevalent recently.

Interview Links

Carolyn on Social media:

Sponsored by…

Have you used eCommerce Tech?

It’s a website all about helping you find the next addition to your eCommerce tech stack.

Do you have a problem only an awesome piece of eCommerce tech can solve?

Is your eCommerce Tech Stack not quite fit for purpose anymore?

Then you should explore the latest technology on offer at eCommerce Tech – click here to find out more

Full transcript to read & download:

Click to access

Related