Organic or Paid on Search and Social?
You have seemingly endless options when distributing content and getting your brand in front of audiences. Not only do you have dozens of platforms to choose from, but you also have the option of using organic or paid approaches for placing and boosting content.
With so many options, it can be difficult to determine what will work best — so let’s break it down.
Let’s look at the difference between organic and paid distribution for search and social to help you decide what’s right for your brand and goals.
Organic Search & Social
Organic search and social refers to publishing free content in its native environment. Organic content is discoverable by audiences via search engines and social media feeds controlled by algorithms, which choose which content to display based on hundreds of factors (including content relevance, quality, and authority, among many other factors).
Organic search refers to a web page that ranks on search engine results pages (SERPs) without paying to appear. Audiences search for a keyword, see the organic result, and click on it at no cost to the publisher.
Organic social refers to posts shared on social media feeds without paid promotion. These posts may be visible when a user follows your account, a user follows another account that shared your content, or your content is featured in a discovery or hashtag feed.
Organic Goals & Outcomes
There is no cost to the distribution platform for posting organic social content, and you are not charged when a user clicks on an organic search result, which offers benefits unique from paid search and social.
Long-term brand authority and trust. Because organic content earns its visibility (rather than pays for it), content may be seen as more high-quality, authoritative, and trustworthy.
Free sustained, high-quality traffic. When content ranks in search and regularly appears in social media feeds without paying for placement, it leads to free, consistent, and reliable traffic from interested and engaged audiences.
Enhanced user engagement and community building. Consistently posting high-quality content on social media doesn’t just promote your brand, it also helps build a community with a loyal following eager to hear from you.
Achieve Results in Organic Search & Social
Organic search and social are long-term strategies that require sustained efforts. To drive the best results, you should follow best practices.
Content Quality: Produce valuable content that drives engagement, as high-quality content is more likely to be displayed in social media feeds and rank on SERPs.
Keyword Research & SEO: Use keyword research and SEO to target relevant search terms and implement approaches that appeal to search engine algorithms.
Content Strategy: Follow a content strategy rather than engage in intermittent posting. An organic strategy should incorporate a brand messaging guide, content calendar, themes, sales and promotional alignment, and regular content audits.
Related: 9 Ways to Take Your B2B Social Media to the Next Level
Paid Search and Social
Paid search and social refers to publishing content and paying to promote it. Instead of relying on algorithms to choose your content and make it visible to audiences, you pay for placement. You pay to appear higher on SERPs or more frequently in social media feeds. Paid search and social content typically include a notation telling audiences the post is paid for.
Paid search, also known as pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, is an advertising effort related to search engines. You choose and bid on keywords you want to show up for when someone searches. For example, a spa may pay to appear when someone searches for “spa near me.”
Paid social refers to content shared on social media and then promoted to get in front of a defined and targeted audience.
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Paid Goals & Outcomes
Paid content requires an advertising budget. You pay each time a user clicks on a search engine result or to boost your social post to get it in front of your ideal audience. It requires thoughtful planning and budgeting, but it can lead to powerful outcomes.
Immediate visibility and faster results. Unlike organic search and social which take time to produce results, paid can help you get an immediate boost in traffic and potential conversions.
Precise audience targeting. The targeting options of paid search and social are rather sophisticated allowing more control over who sees your content. With PPC search marketing, you can choose exact or broad keywords users are searching for. With social media ads, you can target audiences using demographic, psychographic, and behavioral segmentation.
Time-sensitive campaign promotions. Due to the immediacy of paid ads, they are a better way to promote time-sensitive campaigns and promotions than organic content which can take time to gain traction.
Accelerated data collection. Paying for ad placement in social media gives you a trove of data that can inform both paid and organic efforts. You can quickly gain engagement and conversion data to help you optimize future content and promotional efforts.
To Achieve Best Results in Paid Search & Social
Paid search and social requires an up-front financial investment. Ensure you get the most out of your ad spend by following these best practices:
Know your audience. Develop clear buyer personas and audience segments that improve targeting.
Align with the buyer’s journey. Tie your paid ad strategy to the buyer’s journey and focus on the stages that are most important to your brand.
Adjust based on what you learn. Continuously test new strategies to improve and iterate based on the data you gain from campaigns - Headlines, imagery, CTAs, targeting segments, days of the week, etc. A/B testing should never end.
Related: When and How to Use Online Advertising to Amplify Your Marketing
What’s Right for You? Organic or Paid?
Organic and paid search and social have pros and cons. One is not better than the other in every case. Which strategy is right for your brand will depend on factors such as goals, budget, timelines, competition, and brand authority.
If you aren’t sure which approach will help you achieve your desired outcome, get some advice.
SpotOn Digital has a team of search and social experts who know what works in both paid and organic strategies. They can assess your goals and help you determine what is right for you. Contact us today to get started.