Organic Vs Paid Social Media
So your business has created its online presence on social media, but do you know the strategic distinction between organic vs paid social media?
If not, we don’t blame you. Social media is evolving so fast and it can be challenging to keep up with the latest updates and best practices! The major framework in setting you up for success lies within organic and paid posts. In this blog, you will learn that organic and paid initiatives are essential to creating an effective social media strategy.
The first step begins with understanding each of the strategies, including their pros and cons.
What is organic social media?
Organic social media refers to the content that is posted and shared for free. It is known as the basics of any digital marketing plan today because it is the best way to establish your brand identity, connect with your target audience, and share relevant information about the business. Types of content include status updates, Tweets, photos, video, and Stories.
When you post organic content on social media, you expect to target your followers, a.k.a your organic reach. There is a possibility of reaching your follower’s network as well as people who follow any hashtags that you used in a particular post.
However, there are a few downsides to organic posts. According to recent studies, Facebook posts have an average engagement rate of 3.8% and an organic reach of only 6%. This is mainly because of the algorithm system that is prevalent on various social media platforms. The content displayed on users' feeds depends on what the algorithm thinks is most relevant to the user’s interests. As such, only a small percentage of your social media followers will be able to see your organic posts.
Achieving a high organic reach is challenging as it requires a lot of experimentation, commitment, and time to develop an effective strategy. This is where paid posts enter the picture.
What is paid social media?
As the name describes, paid social media is paid advertising in the form of social media posts. Companies invest a sum of money to social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube to promote the reach of their content. Most of the time, these paid posts are targeted towards a specific audience who are most likely interested in the products or services that the company is offering. This is done through the social channels’ collected database of user’s likes and dislikes, making paid ads a lot more effective.
Paid social media is done either through “boosting” an organic post or designing unique ad placements and follower-driving campaigns. To a broader extent, sponsored influencer partnerships and sponsored posts also fall under the category of paid social media.
Advertising on social media is becoming increasingly popular. This is because paid ads have proven their effectiveness in raising brand awareness, attracting new customers, promoting business content, generating leads, and driving conversions. Facebook ads can reach over 1.95 billion of the platform’s 2.5 billion monthly users. Additionally, 928.5 million people can be reached by ads on Instagram. 27% of internet users also say that they find new products and brands through paid social ads.
Organic vs paid social media.
Now that you have a gist of what organic and paid social media is all about, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of the two strategies. Both organic and paid social posts are useful to implement in any digital marketing campaign. They help:
Attract new customers and convert them.
Establish your brand’s online presence.
Nurture customer relationships, which results in maximizing customer lifetime value.
However, apart from one being free and the other requiring money, there are other differences between organic and paid social media that are unclear. To help you clarify which strategy you should prioritize and implement, we have outlined the main drawbacks of each strategy.
Ultimately, you will realize that incorporating a balance of both techniques will give you the optimal results.
The cons of organic social media
The time it takes to reap the fruits of organic social media is often longer. While it is technically free, it requires patience and lots of experimentation and experience to get it right. Here’s what you should look out for in organic social media.
Progress can be slow.
It is no surprise that you might find your social media efforts perform at a stagnant rate. You can’t exactly expect to gain thousands of followers or shares overnight (unless your post goes viral!). Nonetheless, even with a viral post, you still need to dedicate a considerable amount of effort and time to help maintain your organic traffic. On top of being a content marketer that’s always on top of their game, you also have to engage with your followers to build a reputable brand identity.
Algorithms can work against you.
The algorithm controls the types of content displayed on your follower’s feeds. The purpose of an algorithm is to capture the user’s interest for as long as possible so that they do not leave the app. As such, posts are ranked based on relevancy and potential to entertain the user.
While you can find your best time to post on social media to counter this, the algorithm is still a roadblock that impedes your success. As we know, the success of organic posts relies on getting your content seen by your target audience.
Reach is limited.
The lifespan of an organic post can only go so far as your followers take it. Meaning, your post is mostly seen by your followers, the people that they share it with, and people who follow the hashtags you used. Unlike paid social media, you do not get the liberty to choose what type of audience or demographic gets to view your organic posts.
The cons of paid social media
Meanwhile, a paid social media strategy is probably your best bet in reaching new customers and getting your brand out there. However, there are some points that you need to take note of with paid posts.
Return on investments (ROI) is not always worthwhile.
Regardless of how epic your content may be or how much you choose to invest in advertising, you’re still spending money. The risk that comes with paid posts is there is no guarantee that consumers will purchase from your brand after seeing a post, or even follow your account. Your investments might just go to waste.
It is also very tempting to get sucked into the cycle of using paid ads to drive metrics up. However, you should never forget that your priority is the number of conversions and revenue that your business profits, not just vanity metrics.
Competition is increasing.
Just last year, social ad spending increased by 20% to $43 billion. This means that more digital marketers are jumping on the bandwagon to make use of paid ads. Indeed, sponsoring your posts is no hidden secret. Social media platforms are constantly promoting their advertising services.
As such, to ensure that your paid posts stand out from the sea of competition, you will need to provide high-quality and attention-grabbing content.
Performance needs to be monitored closely.
Unlike organic posts, paid social media generates a larger amount of data. These numbers need to be monitored and analyzed closely in order for you to make the most out of your investments. Most social platforms offer analytical tools for you to keep track of your performance. For example, there are Facebook Ads Manager and Instagram Insights.
Making the best out of both worlds
It is difficult to generalize whether organic or paid social media is the best. The truth is, both strategies complement each other and deliver the optimal result when paired together.
Consider implementing a paid social media strategy on top of your organic social media efforts. Create quality content that captures the interests of users and inspires them to share with others. Consistently interact with your followers and develop a strong business relationship. This way, other social media users will see what a tight-knit community your brand has evolved, inciting them to join as well.
Of course, if your business has the financial resources and desperate need to reach new customers quickly, focus on paid social media.
Ideally, the best social media strategy makes the best of both worlds — organic and paid. Use organic efforts to maintain strong relationships with existing customers while attracting new eyes with paid ads. You’ll find that your efforts are most rewarding when you integrate these strategies.
FAQs
Should I promote my business on social media?
Absolutely. Social media is one of the top ways to develop consumer’s trust and increase brand awareness. You get to share your products and services with the public; it’s the perfect opportunity to lure more customers to your business. Over 58% of consumers visit a brand’s social media pages before visiting their website. This is an 81% increase over last year.
By prioritizing your social media strategy, you drive conversions through helpful and appealing content. Investing in paid posts will boost your chances of expanding your reach.
What kind of content should I post on social media?
It is proven that videos are the best content. By next year, it’s estimated that 82% of the global internet traffic will come from videos.
However, the type of content you post on your social channels is entirely up to you. You can post product photos, photos of your employees, videos of your office, blogs, Polls, and Stories. This is the chance to let your creativity shine. You can even host contests and giveaways to boost engagement and gain new followers.
What metrics should I analyze when tracking the progress of my social media strategy?
It is always an excellent idea to track your progress, especially if you’ve invested in paid social media campaigns. The metrics that you should take note of are known as your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
For paid posts, the KPIs you should track are:
Conversion rate
Cost-per-click
Post reach
Number of page visits
For organic posts, the KPIs you should track are:
Engagement rate
Click-thru rate
New visitors
Followers
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