As a business owner, it’s no secret that social media is key for interacting with your customers, building brand loyalty and boosting visibility. But there are a few different aspects of a social media strategy that you may be considering and it can be hard to know which avenue is going to work best for you.
Whether you’re considering investing your time into organic social, paid social or a combination of both the decision you make can really impact the success of your strategy.
But how do you know which is going to be best for your business? And what are the advantages or drawbacks of each?
Organic social media, in short, is a strategy that leverages content you create without having to pay any money to get it in your customers’ social media feeds. In short, organic social media rests on building a following naturally through regular posting and community management and it focuses heavily on creating and building real connections with your community of followers.
If you’re planning on implementing organic social media, there’s a bit of groundwork you have to cover first including the type of social media platform you’re going to leverage. Different audiences spend different times on different platforms so knowing where your content is going to work best is half the battle with organic social.
You also need to consider how you track your metrics when you opt for organic social media. Many of your favourite businesses that have built organic social media presences typically focus on reach, engagement, follower growth and click-through-rates. Focusing on these metrics can make it easier for you to see which content is working well on which platform. Using metrics to monitor your content and tailor content to specific audiences is key for updating your strategy for the best results.
What About Paid Social Media?
Unlike organic social, paid social strategies involve investing in sponsored content or advertising on your chosen platforms in order to reach a wider or more specific audience. If you’re a complete newbie to paid social media and you’re wanting to post on Meta, we recommend working with a Facebook ads agency London to ensure that your strategy is aligned with best practices from the get go.
A paid social media strategy allows you to simplify your reach beyond just your existing followers to target individuals who might not follow you, but have potential to be a customer.
Paid social media is done on a range of platforms like X, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok – just about every social media platform you can think of has the capacity for paid social media.
The success metrics for paid social differ slightly from organic social, whilst you may still be looking for overall impressions and click-through-rates, you’ll also be wanting to focus on conversions, cost-per-click and return on ad spend to ensure your strategy is successful. Having these insights allows you to see exactly what works and focus your money into the strategies and types of ad that is going to convert the most customers.
The Pros & Cons
Pros of Organic Social
- It’s cost effective
- Build an authentic platform
- Focus on loyal followers and long-term customer relationships
- Makes for sustainable growth over time with a following built on trust and genuine relationships
Cons of Organic Social
- Slow results
- Algorithm limitations especially when algorithms are updated
- Requires resources to create engaging and high-quality content, graphics, copy and videos
Pros of Paid Social
- Quick results
- Ability for more advanced and specific audience targeting
- Detailed tracking metrics to showcase the strategies that are working best
Cons of Paid Social
- It can become expensive
- You might suffer from ad fatigue – something that occurs when your audience becomes desensitised to your ads that can lead to decreased engagement
How Do I Decide Which Is Best For My Business?
When it comes to which strategy you should choose, it is completely unique to your brand. However, some of your favourite businesses are probably using a hybrid strategy that combines both organic and paid social media for the best results.
Taking a hybrid approach means you can really get the best of both worlds by taking advantage of the pros, and minimising their weaknesses in the process. Integrating both organic and paid has the potential to save you money (compared to just opting for a paid strategy), whilst also driving short-term results and simultaneously building your brand in the long run.
Both organic and paid social media have unique advantages (and disadvantages) that make them popular with a range of successful businesses. Your favourite businesses use organic social media to build long-term loyalty and authentic relationships with customers whilst bolstering paid ads for quick sales.
As you develop your strategy, make sure you’re keeping things balanced and creating a social presence that aligns with your brand, attracts new customers and also helps you to build lasting relationships with returning customers for long term growth.
A hybrid strategy of both organic and paid social could be just what you need to reach your unique business goals!