Do you pay to promote your brand on social media, or do you leave it all up to chance with organic likes and sharing?
It’s the question that every business with a presence on social networks asks at one point or another. It’s a toss-up, and each strategy of social media marketing comes with its own set of pluses and minuses. If you’ve left this decision up to a coin toss, or aren’t entirely happy with the route you’ve taken, we’ve got one word for you.
Integration.
There’s absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t be using both paid and organic search for social media optimization. In fact, two is better than one, and integrating the strategies can get results for your business.
Social Media and Organic Search in 2018
The buzz around town is all about Facebook and how they’re prioritizing content from friends in feeds. The idea is that users get to see what they really want, rather than what’s pushed through from advertising. This has some businesses wincing at what it will do to with their paid campaigns.
Stop worrying. This is a good thing.
The reality is that it doesn’t matter if you’re on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social platform, organic reach has been on the decline. The reason is that paid ads have made it near impossible to compete through organic reach alone. Plus, the onslaught of ads has contributed to the downfall of the user experience with social media, and some users are turning away.
Social media platforms are responding by changing the way they work, focusing on the user, which ends up being great for their bottom line. For you, this means that your audience will be able to reach you organically, and they’ll be more receptive to organic content over paid, especially when you pull out your social media marketing tool box of winning organic strategies.
In short, organic content is your foundation. It generates engagement, and everything else is icing on the cake.
Paid and Promoted Content Hits the Target
The point of paid campaigns on social is to zero in on your target. Let organic reach take care of widening your audience. You want to hit your target and increase your ROI with paid and promoted content.
This means getting fierce with your ad content. You want to create a demand and drive conversions by capturing their attention. Now is the time to step out of the box in social advertising. If you’ve used text and banners, get creative with video or carousel ads. Go with sponsored content that feels organic and drives home your purpose.
Better Together
The reason you should be using both strategies together is simple. You need organic content to reach out and expand your audience. Organic content gives you validity, and it provides an enjoyable experience for your audience. In other words, it makes you real and likeable.
But organic search rarely can do the job alone. Paid ads are the offer you put on the table to seal the deal. They pick up where organic reach leaves off. Organic reach and paid content are like partners in a relay race, with an amazing ROI being the finish line.
Ready to learn more about how you should be using a combination of strategies in your social media marketing campaign? Contact the experienced team at Inquisitek to learn how we can help your small business succeed.
