The value in (and the differences between) organic and paid social media marketing

When it comes to social media marketing practices, organic and paid media are like a dynamic duo. Although they both aim to promote business services and products and increase your online presence, they go about it in different ways, ideally playing off each other and working together. Read on to find out more about the value of both approaches and the differences between them.

ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA FOR LONG-TERM GOALS

Organic media helps build long-term trust and brand awareness with customers through high-quality content and search engine optimisation. Its intent is not to sell through blatant promotion of products or services, but more to build rapport with your audience, and that’s often why it comes across as more trustworthy and reliable. The trade-off is that organic media is not a set-and-forget strategy, and it also takes some time to see tangible results as it doesn’t target specific audiences. Consider the entertainment and educational value of your content and focus on making your brand more familiar and trustworthy in the eyes and minds of your audience. For a real-life example, have a look at our organic social media strategy for the Pryvate App. 

Tip: Create hashtag challenges, educational Reels, YouTube shorts and memes to attract people to your channels.

PAID SOCIAL MEDIA FOR QUICK WINS 

Paid media can give your business a quick boost in reaching its target audience through targeted advertising. It is also great at reaching larger demographics. Thanks to its sales-led nature it drives leads and conversions a lot faster compared to a more organic approach. The caveat is that a growth strategy based solely on paid media is not sustainable, and any early gains are likely to vanish over time. If you’re interested in exploring paid media further, our case study for ActiveTravel will prove quite useful. 

 Tip: Use paid ads to feature new products, promote events, industry reports and news. 

NEXT STEPS 

Ideally, you should use an all-inclusive strategy from the get-go. However, if your business is brand new and you are unsure where to start, consider focusing primarily on organic media and add paid media to the mix when your budget allows it. Have a look at our comprehensive guide to social media marketing that you can use as a starting point for your own business! 

If this all sounds too daunting, our team will be glad to help you out. Visit our website or read through our other blog posts for more information – or shoot us a message, and we’ll get your social media presence where it needs to be.