One of the most common questions business owners has is whether they should focus their social media marketing efforts on organic or paid strategies. If you’re unsure what those terms mean, don’t worry—we’ve covered you.
In this article, we’ll talk about the difference between organic and paid social media so that you can determine which one is right for your business.
1. Organic Social Media
Organic social media content is any free content shared on social media profiles including posts, videos, stories and more.
Organic social media is becoming more critical for businesses because it allows them to connect with their customers in real-time and build relationships over time.
1.1 Advantages of Organic Content
Organic content shows your audience that you are in it for more than the money
You should be doing organic content as a part of your marketing strategy, no matter what.
Organic content is a way to connect with your audience and help them find what they are looking for without being pushy or sales-y.
When someone searches for something on the internet, they want an answer, not a sales pitch. Organic content can provide those answers so that you can connect with your audience and form a relationship with them.
Organic content helps you show off your brand personality
Organic content is the most effective way to show your brand’s personality.
It helps you connect with your customers and gives them a reason to return.
You can tell them what you’re all about, what you’re passionate about, and how they can get involved with that passion.
1.2 Disadvantages of Organic Content
Organic content is harder to track
Organic content is harder to track because it’s usually not as highly visible on the page. If you’re looking at your analytics dashboard, you’ll have to dig a little deeper to find out how much organic traffic your site gets.
This means that while you can create and optimize your organic content to perform better, it will take more work to see how well it’s doing compared to paid results.
2. Paid Social Media
Paid social media is the best option for businesses that want to reach a large audience faster.
Paid social media allows you to target your ideal customer in a way that organic posts can’t. The targeting options are endless: you can target customers by age, location, gender, interests, and more. You can even choose which posts they see—for example, if someone is a dog lover, they could see ads for dog food or treats on their feed.
2.1 Advantages of Paid Social Media
You Can Target a Specific Audience
The most significant advantage of paid social media is targeting a specific audience. You can determine whom you want to advertise your product or service to and create a campaign that speaks directly to that demographic. This also allows you to reach an audience that may not otherwise be available.
You’ll Get Fast Results
With paid social ads, you’ll get fast results. As soon as your ad is approved, it will show up on the social media platform of your choice and start earning impressions—and then sales!
You don’t have to wait around for content to build momentum; with paid social ads, you can have results immediately.
2.2 Disadvantages of Paid Social Media
You are competing with paid competitors
One of the most significant disadvantages of paid social media is that you are competing with other businesses paying for their posts to be seen on these platforms. So, getting noticed could be challenging and your campaign management is not reactive enough.
Understanding Your Target Audience
If you don’t know whom you’re trying to reach, you can’t expect to be able to reach them.
Organic social media is a great way to get started with your research. You can see what kind of content resonates with your audience, what language they use, and which platforms are most famous for sharing information about your brand.
Paid social media allows you to take this research one step further by targeting a specific group of people who are most likely to share information about your business with their friends and family members to increase brand awareness. For example, if you’re selling dog food, paid ads on Facebook may show up in the news feeds when someone views photos of cats or dogs online.
Takeaway
Organic and paid social media are excellent ways to reach your target audience, and you can use both to create a balanced approach to your marketing strategy.
As you consider which type of advertising is right for you, remember that the best results come from creating a cohesive plan that uses both marketing tactics.
