Digital Marketing: Paid Social Media vs Organic Social Media

What’s the difference?

Organic Social Media

Organic social media refers to the usage of free tools to promote a business online. There are many examples of this, such as:

·         Social Media Marketing

Marketing a business on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn is a highly effective way of growing an audience online by allowing you to reach thousands daily. Social media also allows businesses to connect with target audiences. Read more about social media marketing here.

·         Content Marketing

Having a steady and informative stream of content is a key factor in any successful online marketing campaign. Blogs, infographics and video content are all examples of this. Read more about content marketing here.

·         Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO is the maintenance and analysis of your website’s performance in online search results, like Google for example. Including industry relevant keywords and back links ensures your site is among the top search results, increasing traffic to your site by making it easier for potential customers to find you. You can read more about SEO here.

Paid Social Media

Paid social media refers to the usage of paid methods such as advertisements to promote a business. Examples of this include:

·         Pay-Per-Click

PPC is a business model where a host site (such as Google) is paid a certain amount of money to advertise a business or product. The advertiser has to pay a fee each time the ad is clicked. To learn more about PPC click here.

·         Post boosts

Sites such as Facebook now allow businesses to boost their own posts, this means that posts can reach an audience far beyond your followers

Paid vs. Organic social media

Paid social media is very effective when it comes to online marketing, but only when it is directing your customers to quality content. Clicks on an ad does not necessarily translate into paying customers. That being said, paid ads and boosted posts allow your business to be seen by a wide audience of people, including those who may not find your business through organic social media or SEO.

Organic social is far more cost efficient and better suited to smaller business who don’t want to splash out on advertising just yet. However, organic relies heavily on a successful content strategy to keep potential and existing customers engaged.

This is something not every business succeeds at because building up a following on social media takes time and effort – something not all business owners have! With the help of digital marketing agencies, businesses who may feel a little lost in the world of social media can definitely have an effective organic social campaign.

Overall, organic and paid are best used together. Paid advertising allows your business to be seen by a wider audience and organic allows you to keep that audience through exciting and interactive content, with added potential to reach new customers along the way.

If you would like to learn more about how digital marketing such as paid and organic social media can help your business grow online, contact us.