How to Increase Engagement by 100% with an Organic Social Media Strategy

It’s hard to take social media seriously when it feels like everyone is doing it. Anyone can download TikTok and post a video. Anyone can log into Instagram and share a story. Anyone can create a YouTube channel and call themselves a creator.

So, if everyone can do it… is it even that special?

Not quite.

Social Media Strategists are key to digital growth because they don’t just post content. They create community. Just like CRM specialists know how to segment and target a list, a solid social strategist knows how to segment and activate social audiences without paid spend.

In this case study, I’ll walk you through how an optimized organic strategy led to a massive boost in engagement and sales for Good Deed Entertainment (GDE) and its genre-focused sub-label, Cranked Up Films.

Project Overview

GDE is an independent movie studio behind critically acclaimed films like the Oscar-nominated Loving Vincent. In 2018, they launched Cranked Up Films, a label focused on horror, sci-fi, thrillers, and all things offbeat.

The studio had no trouble attracting an audience. But they faced a major challenge:

How do you turn a passive audience into an engaged community that drives revenue?

They needed a collaborative, community-first strategy that built brand authority, inspired conversation, and converted followers into buyers.

Strategic Approach

When I stepped into the role full-time, my first move was simple:

Center the community.

We built our strategy around the real questions, interests, and emotions of genre fans. Then we paired that with consistent, responsive community management.

That combination laid the foundation for an organic content strategy that didn’t just perform well but drove real business outcomes.

Project Breakdown

So where do you start?

We aligned our social media campaigns with the larger brand marketing calendar. This made sure our content supported business goals while still feeling native to each platform.

Here’s the reality: social media users are smart. They scroll fast, recognize ads instantly, and expect authenticity. Translating a brand message into something that feels organic takes more than copy-pasting a press release. It takes creativity, cultural fluency, and intentional strategy.

Here’s how we brought that strategy to life, step by step.

1. Outline the Campaign

We created a central document that included:

• Campaign messaging

• Key landing and collection pages

• UTM parameters

• Social trends and sounds

• Potential partners

• Campaign goals

This gave us a clear roadmap. It made planning and execution smoother and helped us connect the dots between brand vision and day-to-day posting.

2. Lock in Partnerships

We reached out to potential collaborators early to understand their availability, interest, and capacity to create or share content.

Once we had a clear read on who was in and what they could contribute, we integrated them into our campaign timeline strategically.

3. Create the Content

With the outline locked and partners confirmed, we moved into production.

As an in-house team, we created all assets for social, email, and ads. Every piece was tailored to match brand guidelines while remaining flexible for different platforms.

4. Curate and Schedule

Roughly two weeks before each film launch, we compiled visuals, wrote captions, added tags and UTM links, and submitted everything for review.

Once approved, we scheduled the content for sharing so we could stay ahead of the curve.

5. Share Live Content

Some content, like collaborative Reels or interactive Stories, had to be shared natively in-app.

For anything posted live, we were meticulous with timing, captions, stickers, and tagging to ensure the content hit its mark.

6. Engage with the Community

Our engagement strategy was simple and effective. We replied to comments and DMs, interacted with creators and brands in our niche, and made our presence felt in the community.

Pro tip: Use the platform like an actual user. That’s how you get rewarded in the algorithm.

7. Report and Analyze

At the end of each campaign, we reviewed our performance against the original goals.

We looked at what worked, what didn’t, and why. Then we developed action steps to build on wins and course-correct for the future.

8. Repeat and Refine

Using a repeatable framework made it easier to forecast results and continuously optimize without adding ad spend.

Project Impact

Over 10 months and more than 15 film campaigns, we:

• Reached over 500,000 users

• Increased our follower count by 60%, filtering out spam

• Doubled our average engagement rate from 3% to 6%

Final Thoughts

Getting real results on social isn’t about tossing up a quick TikTok and hoping it lands. It’s about consistency, community, and strategy.

When you align your brand goals with what your audience actually wants, you get more than just likes. You get real, measurable growth.

Want Results Like These?

Hey, I’m Devin Paxton — a seasoned marketing strategist with over 10 years of experience helping brands in entertainment and retail industries grow their audience, boost engagement, and turn followers into buyers.

👉 Click here to learn more about working together.