How RIVA Organically Grew Our LinkedIn Community to 10,000 Followers

Originally posted on LinkedIn

When I joined RIVA Solutions in September 2020 our LinkedIn community had roughly 1,400 followers. Last week we surpassed 10,000. The coolest thing about our community growth is we did it the hardest way possible, we did organically. In today's age of digital marketing, the allure of paid advertising is strong, but the reality is many small and mid-size business simply don’t have the budget, nor does the quality of followers gained by paid acquisition compare to those earned organically.

My team has proudly demonstrated that genuine and organic growth is not only possible but also immensely rewarding. Reaching the milestone of 10,000 followers in our LinkedIn community without spending money on ads was difficult, we learned a lot and experienced our fair share of failures. LinkedIn is an amazing tool for engaging with potential clients, customers, hires, and decision makers. We’re excited to share our journey and ten lessons we learned to help fuel your organization’s organic community growth on LinkedIn.

Lessons For Growing Organic LinkedIn Communities

1. Consistent, Quality Content

Our primary focus is creating and sharing content that is:

• Relevant to our audience

• Engaging to provoke discussions and shares

• Informative and value-driven

• Memorable and unique in the GovCon space 

Regular posting kept our audience engaged and encouraged newcomers to join.

2. Engage, Engage, Engage

Simply posting content isn't enough. We made it a priority to engage with our community. From responding to comments to initiating discussions, engagement ensured that our audience felt seen, heard, and valued.

3. Leverage Employee Advocacy

Our team was our biggest asset. Encouraging employees to share and engage with company posts increased our reach organically. Their networks became our networks, amplifying our voice in the LinkedIn community.

4. Take Risks

One of our most successful campaigns to date is our #Bosses4BOSS series which included a parody video of The Office. We never intended for the video to be published externally but given the internal reception we said let’s do it! Releasing that video was a risk but it paid off. I still have people bring it up at industry events years later. It also got us a main stage speaking role at a conference AND a marketing award. You must be willing to try something new and see how your community reacts! If they hate it, pivot! If they love it, give them more.

5. Collaborate with Partners & Thought Leaders

By partnering with technology vendors, partner organizations, and thought leaders for videos and articles, we were able to tap into their follower base. This expanded our visibility and presented RIVA as a well-connected thought leader. We are always happy to share our platform with organizations big and small if it means producing value content for our community. 

6. Be Authentic

GovCon is a risk-averse industry, it makes sense why so many organizations opt to play it safe on social. We believe in being authentically RIVA and that means our content includes parody videos, trending memes, and trending TikTok audio. Our content reflects the fun atmosphere of our company and the important work we do with the federal government. We’ve found a way to balance the serious nature of our work with our authentic, vibrant company culture that works for us. 

7. Encourage Employee-Generated Content

Team RIVA is always on the road, and our #MarCom team can’t cover it all. We host regular trainings and sessions with our most visible employees (open to all staff) to help coach, educate, and build their online presence. This translates to more content for us and the ability to seem like we’re everywhere! 

8. Monitor Analytics & Adjust

Using LinkedIn’s analytics tools, we closely monitored our engagement rates, post reach, and community growth. These insights allow us to understand what works and what needs tweaking.

9. Celebrate Milestones & Recognize Employees

People engage with people, not faceless organizations. We believe in putting our employees out there as much as possible. We openly celebrate milestones, recognize employee contributions and achievements, and always tag as many contributors as possible. 

10. Patience & Persistence

Organic growth doesn’t happen overnight. It took patience, persistence, and a lot of learning from trial and error. We believed in our strategy, remained consistent, and adapted when necessary. Each year we’ve seen our growth accelerate; I can’t wait to see how fast we can hit the next 10,000!

RIVA’s journey to 10,000 is a testament to the power of organic growth. It reinforces the idea that with genuine efforts, consistent engagement, and a focus on community, organizations can achieve significant milestones without heavy ad spend. To all our followers and supporters, thank you. To those just beginning their organic growth journey, stay the course, and believe in your community. The rewards, as we've found, are well worth the effort! Reach out if you have any questions or want to swap strategy. Always happy to collaborate with over #MarCom leaders looking to accelerate growth.