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The Evolution of Organic Marketing: Why the Long Way is the Smart Way
We all know that optimising your organic marketing channels is essential for sustainable growth and long-term success in building standout eCommerce brands. But is the word "organic" misleading?
In the early days of online business, organic marketing meant passive growth. You planted a few SEO seeds and hoped your website grew naturally over time (and in the really early days, this might have been enough). Organic was positioned as the "easy way" compared to active paid advertising.
But here in 2024, that simplistic idea is dated. Organic marketing today still centres on owning search rankings, email subscribers, and social media followers. But passivity will only get you so far. "Organic" marketing may be less "expensive" than paid, but it is a lot more labour intensive and requires substantial effort to see a return.
True organic growth only works with an intentional, strategic approach. The brands seeing success through organic channels are laser-focused on two key elements: Producing quality content and active community building
Today's organic marketing starts with high-value, relevant content. From blog posts, to videos, to social captions, creating compelling content is essential in standing out amongst the waves and waves of the same-old, same-old content drowning the internet every single day.
Generic content farms don't cut it anymore. To rank organically, you need differentiated content that speaks to your distinct brand voice and audience needs.
Pages between 2250 and 2500 words receive the most organic traffic. We can take this to mean that in-depth, useful content not only performs better in search, but also builds trust and authority with readers. It's a win / win.
The keyword here though is quality.
There’s no magic formula to making your content “quality.” It requires time, expertise and strategic thinking to identify resonant topics and stand out from competitors. But the payoff of owning your niche with quality content is well worth the effort.
Organic marketing isn't just about driving one-time traffic from search. It's about actively building a community of brand loyalists who engage with your content and promotions, people who intentionally seek out your content before making buying decisions, because they consider you the ultimate authority. That's a serious marketing flex.
In the age of AI, anyone can whip up a keyword-stuffed article, but only true experts know how to curate the kind of content that gets noticed, and pair it with a customer experience that is unforgettable. Tactics like customer retention campaigns, loyalty programs, and personalised email marketing cultivate an audience that becomes a steady source of organic visits, social sharing, referrals, and repeat purchases. But this level of engagement doesn't happen passively. You have to keep giving people reasons to stick around long after that first click.
Segmented and personalised emails generate 58% of all email revenue. Strategic email marketing with well-written, well-researched & intentionally-timed content not only improves open and click through rates, but also increases customer lifetime value. Give people a reason to join your community, invite them in and build their trust over the long term.
Modern organic marketing is still the smart, sustainable pathway to growth. Any sharp marketer knows they need a solid organic strategy to stay relevant in 2024.
But it requires rolling up your sleeves, not sitting back passively. Organic content marketing is naturally difficult, dependent on constantly changing & updating algorithms, search engines and, well, human desire: it is, by definition, hard to master and a topic shrouded in scepticism. Regardless of how long you've been in business, your organic marketing approach will look different month to month.
The brands winning organic growth today know it's a long game that demands focus and effort. They invest in original content, value-driven engagement, and long-term community building.
This evolution is why we emphasise holistic organic growth strategies for the eCommerce brands we work with. We know reaching business goals through owned channels pays dividends for years to come.
Yes, the long way still is the smart way.
But today's organic marketing is built on staying active, putting time, love, energy and focus into building real relationships... not going passive.
What's been your experience with "organic" eCommerce growth?
Chris has been at the forefront of eCommerce and a pioneer of online retailing since the early 00s. A 5-time Drapers Award winner, Chris has extensive experience in developing fashion brands online.
Chris founded Cake in 2016. Based in Birmingham, with offices nationwide, Cake specialises in helping fashion brands understand their market online and then helps to develop appropriate strategical direction to achieve their plan, all backed by his 20 years of operating in the retail market.
