In the world of social media marketing, there are two main types of content: organic and paid. Organic content is any content that you post on social media for free, while paid content is any content that you promote using advertising spend.

So, which is better organic or paid social?

Well, that depends on your goals. If you’re looking to build a large following and create brand awareness, then organic social can be a great way to go. But if you’re looking to drive leads, sales, or website traffic, then paid social is the way to go.

Here are some of the advantages of paid social over organic social:

• Reach. Paid social allows you to reach a much larger and wider audience than organic social. Organic reach is declining. According to a study by Sprout Social, the average organic reach on Facebook for a brand page is just 2.6%. This means that only 2.6% of your followers will see your organic posts in their newsfeeds. On Instagram, the average organic reach is even lower, at just 1.6%. A study by Social Media Examiner found that paid social posts can reach an average of 100 times more people than organic posts.
• Paid social can be more targeted. When you pay to promote your social media posts, you can target your ads to specific demographics, interests, and even behaviours. This means that your ads are more likely to be seen by people who are interested in what you have to offer.
• Paid social can be more effective at driving conversions. Studies have shown that paid social can be more effective at driving conversions than organic social. For example, a study by HubSpot found that paid social campaigns generated 10 times more leads than organic social campaigns.

Of course, deciding on a marketing strategy has never been so cut and dry, and a combination of both organic and paid social activity is well advised. If you are looking to get more value from your social media activity, then adding budget can have a significant impact.

But what kind of budget do you need?

Budget required for paid social campaigns is dependent on the amount of reach you want to achieve. The good news for Guernsey based companies is that the budget required is relatively small compared to other local media options. As well as media spend, you will need to consider creative and copywriting but given the amount of coverage a well targeted paid social advert can achieve it should still be an affordable option.

If you are looking to see how a well targeted social advertising campaign could benefit your company, then get in touch with us here at Clicksmith.