Ideally organic growth is the way to go in the world of social media. Initially, the main appeal of social media was idea that it’s a free platform where brands can grow and connect with customers. These days it’s becoming more and more of a pay-to-play situation. But it’s okay to do both, and here’s how and why.
When it comes to getting the most out of your budget, a hybrid paid and organic social media strategy provides brands the best of both worlds. The goal is to make it appear as seamless as possible.
Organic Social Media Is Still Important
Even with the boom of paid ads and the change in algorithms, organic social media is still extremely important. Having plenty of organic promotion is very important for your brand.
- It helps to raise brand awareness – Use organic posts to show who you are as a brand. These posts should be educational, motivational and entertaining your audience and potential customers. These actions are what made social media enticing in the first place, all of which cost nothing but your time.
- Customer service and community management – With over half of consumers already reaching out to brands on social, managing customers and communities is a key part of your organic presence. Offering an instant, free channel for people to get in touch will always be in-demand even as paid social media grows.
- Customer-centric content – Questions and concerns aren’t your only opportunity to connect with your customers. For example, social media is the perfect place to pick your followers’ brains for future content ideas. Ask your audience what they are looking for! (Valium) Repost photos from your customers, show them you’re listening.
How To Use Paid Social Media Strategy
Running ads allows you to go reach your target audience without them having to follow you first. Instead of getting buried beneath competing content, ads put your stuff front and center in the feeds of the right people. Here’s when to use paid ads:
- Targeting a specific demographic – Facebook and Instagram’s respective ad platforms get ultra-granular in terms of targeting. This allows you to reach relevant prospects and only relevant prospects based on their activity, location, age and so on.
- Promoting a major piece of content – Have a great piece of content such as a lead magnet or awesome in-house promotion that you want to attract new prospects? A paid campaign helps ensure that it doesn’t go unseen.
- Raising awareness beyond organic reach – Paid ads serve as yet another avenue for businesses to make an impression on their target audiences. For the sake of making yourself visible or highlighting a fresh deal, ads make those offers can’t-miss.
Using Organic & Paid Strategy Together
Do be afraid to use a mix of organic and paid strategy to really make the most of your social media.
- Determine your most popular content – If you have a particular piece of content that converts well or enters into viral territory, it might be perfect material for an ad. For example, you can quickly boost a Facebook post to quickly convert your content into a promotion in a matter of clicks.
- Post at the perfect time – Timing matters when it comes to your organic posts and paid content alike. As such, you can use the best times to post on social media to inform when you should run your ad campaigns in addition to your own data.
- Don’t be afraid to promote without ads – Much like paid and organic social media doesn’t have to be a matter of either-or, neither do promotional posts.
Develop The Right Plan
It can be a bit challenging and may seem daunting to take on while also trying to run your business. An experienced social media management agency like, Miss Ink, is your best bet to making the experience a smooth one for your followers and potential followers. We will know how to raise awareness to your audience and get the right type of content out there. Give us a call today for your free consultation.
