Social media marketing is no longer optional. It’s a vital part of any brand’s digital presence. But when it comes to growing your audience and driving real sales for your business, should you rely on organic social media or invest in paid (boosted) posts? The truth is, both have their place. A well-balanced social media strategy leverages the strengths of each.
With social media algorithms constantly shifting, many businesses find it harder than ever to get organic reach. In fact, some brands have seen a 30% drop in engagement within a few months due to algorithm updates. Does that mean organic social media is dead? Not at all. It just means that to succeed, you need to be intentional with your approach.
In this article, we’ll reveal the differences between paid and organic social media strategies, the importance of leveraging both within your digital marketing strategy, and what to consider investing in social media if you’re just starting up.
What is organic social media?
First, let’s start off with the basics: what is organic social media? Organic social media is a social media strategy where you post content—whether it’s an image, video, or text—without paying to promote it. It’s simply going to your social media platform of choice, writing a caption, uploading an image or video, and pressing “post.”
The upside? It’s free (aside from the time and effort you put in), it helps develop meaningful relationships with your audience, and it likely helps you attract higher-quality customers. The downside? Well, growth can be slow, and algorithm changes can limit your visibility.
Pros and cons of organic social media
One of the biggest perks of organic social is its ability to create lasting brand trust. When people engage with your content naturally, it signals authenticity. However, these efforts take time and consistency to yield results. Trust us, organic social media is a GRIND. The best analogy we can think of is body building. Organic social media is akin to lifting weights and building muscle through natural means (getting protein from meat, plant sources, etc.).
Here’s some of the pros and cons of organic social media:
Pros of organic social:
- Cost-effective and sustainable.
- Builds long-term brand loyalty.
- Encourages real, meaningful engagement.
Cons of organic social:
- Growth can be slow and unpredictable.
- Limited reach due to constantly-evolving algorithms.
- Requires ongoing effort to maintain momentum.
What is paid social media?
Paid social media, on the other hand, involves using advertising dollars to expand your reach. Whether through boosted posts, targeted ads, or sponsored influencer content, paid social ensures that your message gets in front of the right people—quickly and effectively.
Continuing with the body-building analogy, paid media is like lifting weights and then taking various muscle-building supplements to reach your goals more quickly. With a good paid social regime, your business will gain sales, revenue, and awareness in no time.
The great thing about paid social is the targeting features that you don’t quite get with organic. If you want to target specific demographics, interests, or behaviors, that’s all available to you on paid social platforms. Some even allow for retargeting, meaning you can re-engage users who have already interacted with your brand.
Pros and cons of paid social media
Paid social offers fast results, but it comes at a price. While it can significantly boost your brand’s visibility, ongoing investment is required to maintain results.
Pros of paid social:
- Accelerates audience growth and engagement.
- Allows for precise targeting and measurable results.
- Ideal for promotions, product launches, and lead generation.
Cons of paid social:
- Requires continuous budget allocation.
- Overexposure can lead to ad fatigue.
- Performance depends on ad quality and strategic execution.
Finding the balance between paid and organic social
At Redefine, we believe the best approach is a mix of both. Organic social should be your foundational strategy. Work to establish your brand’s credibility and nurture relationships with prospective customers. Then use paid social as the “amplifier” to ensure your content gets seen by a broader, but highly-targeted audience.
When to use organic vs. paid social
While we recommend leveraging both organic and paid social, if you’re just starting out, organic social media can be a great low-cost tool to help grow your brand. All you need to do is make sure you produce quality content that appeals to your audience.
Organic is great for storytelling, brand-building, and ongoing engagement with customers. Even if you’re an established brand, organic social media is a great channel to keep your brand top-of-mind for your customers.
But if you have some extra cash you’re willing to spare, paid social can be great for driving growth. Paid social media is ideal for reaching new audiences, driving traffic, and boosting conversions. Assuming you have a sound strategy and precise targeting, paid social media will be the marketing tool that helps customers drive action.
Repurposing organic content for paid campaigns
With organic social reach declining and paid social becoming more expensive, businesses have begun seeking out ways to optimize their spend across social media platforms. One growing trend is utilizing your best-performing organic posts to run paid social ads. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok allow you to “boost” your content, taking an already well-performing creative asset and putting some dollars behind it.
The assumption here is that if it’s performed well among your followers, it should do well among a broader, more targeted audience that doesn’t currently follow you or know about your product. Through this strategy, you analyze what resonates with your audience and put ad dollars behind content that’s already proven to work, effectively optimizing your spend.
Measuring success on social media
Success looks different for organic and paid social. In the organic social world, success is usually measured by follower growth and engagement, while paid social is tracked through key performance indicators like click-through rates (CTR), cost per click (CPC), and conversion rates.
While sales are ultimately the goal, you are less likely to see sales occur directly from organic social channels. That’s not to say that they don’t occur. They definitely do; however, they are difficult to track. Alternatively, sales through paid social are a bit easier to track since conversions either occur directly from your ad or not.
How much should you budget for paid social?
When determining how much you should plan to spend on paid social, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. However, a good starting point depends on your industry, goals, and platform. Here’s a rough guideline:
- Small businesses: $500–$2,500/month.
- Mid-sized companies: $5,000–$15,000/month.
- Enterprise-level: $20,000+/month.
According to some studies, platform costs also vary too. Here’s an idea of what cost-per-click looks like on different platforms:
- Facebook & Instagram: CPC ranges from $0.50–$3.50.
- LinkedIn: Higher CPC at $5–$10.
- TikTok & Twitter/X: CPC can be as low as $0.20–$2.00.
A good rule of thumb is to start small, analyze performance, and scale up as you see positive returns.
How much does organic social media cost?
If you’re thinking about outsourcing your organic social media efforts, pricing can vary based on the services offered. This is typically what you can expect to pay for organic social media services:
- Freelancers: $500–$2,000/month.
- Small agencies: $1,500–$5,000/month.
- Full-service agencies: $5,000+/month.
Most social media management packages include content creation, scheduling, engagement monitoring, and performance tracking.
If you work with a multi-service digital marketing agency like Redefine, who also provides content marketing and SEO services, you can integrate all your channels together to create a more robust marketing strategy!
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, paid and organic social media aren’t opposing forces—they’re two sides of the same coin. The smartest brands leverage both, using organic content to build relationships and paid social to expand their reach and drive conversions.
If you’re unsure where to start, consider consulting with the social media experts at Redefine. Our team can help guide you through the process and optimize your approach.
