What Is The Difference Between Paid And Organic Social Media Marketing?

Whether your business is brand new or you’re looking into paid and organic marketing for the first time, a strategy that includes both types will give you the best chance at success on social media (especially in the current “pay to play” landscape). The simple fact is that it’s harder now to get your content in front a new audience, but not impossible. With the right marketing strategy, your business can grow exponentially from your social media efforts. Today we’re going to dive into the differences between paid and organic social media marketing, and how you can benefit from both.

What is organic social media marketing?

When you post to Facebook or Instagram, a percentage of the people who are already following you will see your content. If you have a hashtag strategy, and you’re posting a group of niche hashtags with every new piece of content you share, your post will show up in front of new potential followers (which is why valuable content is so important). This is organic social media marketing. You aren’t paying a platform like Facebook to put your post in front of new people. Instead, you’re taking efforts into your own hands. While account growth is slower with this method, it’s still very effective at growing a highly engaged audience. Other forms of organic marketing include: collaborating with other accounts for a giveaway and sharing user-generated content.

What is paid social media marketing?

When you pay a platform like Facebook to put your content In front of new or current customers, that is paid marketing. Not only can you attract new followers, you can also promote events, target customers who didn’t finish their online checkout, place an ad in front of a potential client who fits within your niche (aka interests), and so much more. Just like organic marketing, paid advertising requires close monitoring to ensure that your content is performing well. You’ll be able to determine this by reviewing the analytics (click rates, video views, form submissions, checkouts, etc).

Why should you budget for both types of marketing?

As we mentioned earlier, accounts don’t grow as quickly with organic marketing alone. While organic really cultivates building relationships, paid marketing will expand your efforts and can match your current customer profile with others who don’t know you exist (YET!). When you work with Insight Social we’ll create a social media marketing strategy for your brand that integrates both so you can grow your business quickly, and build an audience of loyal customers who are ready to buy. For more information about working with Insight Social, click HERE to schedule a FREE consultation call or visit our page HERE for more info!