Combining Organic and Paid Social Media is the Next Step

Kristy Bonner, VP Digital Services

Social media is a must for businesses to be seen, and to reach and engage their target audiences. But, as with all things, nothing is ever free – at least for long. Social media has become a pay-to-play game, mainly because of algorithm changes by social channels and increasing competition.

If you have noticed your reach and engagement stats dropping using only organic social posts, you are not alone. Many companies are in the same boat as social channels are giving preference and broader access to newsfeeds to those using paid social methods. But, all is not lost. A combined paid and organic social media marketing effort can offer wins, leads, higher engagement numbers and the capability to reach those targets you’ve previously missed.

What We Know … But Don’t Like to Think About

Social media channels are run by companies who want to make money – and your attention is what they are selling. Yes, that’s right, you are someone’s product and are being monetized every day. But don’t jump off the grid yet.

Does this mean your privacy goes by the wayside? No, but social media channels are categorizing you or your company by using your data to lump you into buckets based on geography, job title, industry segment, age, interests and more.

In theory, this is a plus for users. If you aren’t a pet owner and don’t have a baby at home, you likely won’t be served up content about dog food and formula; however, it is a fact that your personal interests and other data are being leveraged so social media companies can make a profit.

Changing Algorithms

You build a social following, post some snazzy content and that’s it, right? Not anymore. According to reports on Facebook’s algorithm changes, only about 6% of your fans will see your post without using paid advertising. This clearly explains why reach and engagement numbers on many business pages are down. By clicking the boost button on Facebook and spending a few bucks, you can knock out some of Facebook’s restrictions to reach more of your target audience.

And, to be fair, Facebook isn’t the only one doing this – they all are. So, social media spends should be a line item in your marketing budget.

Can’t I Just Walk Away?

There are those who just don’t want to pay for attention on social media or don’t believe in the value of social media at all. One U.K. cosmetics company actually announced that it was calling it quits: Lush U.K. Quits Social Media Because It’s ‘Tired of Fighting With Algorithms’.

FACT: According to a Smart Insights 2019 report, there are 4.388 billion Internet users worldwide and 3.484 billion social media users.

Social media users are on the rise. No matter what market you are in, can you afford to ignore nearly 3.5 billion potential buyers? Making the decision to ignore or leave social media is pretty much burying your head in the sand and hoping it will go away. It won’t work! And, your competitors will continue attracting your potential buyers. See how joining the party late has impacted big brands like Irish Spring.

You Still Have to Earn Your Followers’ Love

You can’t just buy your audiences’ affection, even if you spend a ton each month on social media advertising. Quality content is more important than ever. What budgeting for social media spends can do is help you reach more of your target audience (shed some of the algorithm restrictions), and reach new audiences and super target audiences (LinkedIn is great for this). Paid social spends also offer some unique format options, whether LinkedIn InMails or a Facebook video ad is the way you want to go.

TIP: Based on B2B Content Marketing Trends, the top channels for B2B companies to jump into paid social efforts are: LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

How Do I Start?

The first step in jumping into paid social is deciding what you’d like to accomplish: Get leads, build awareness, drive traffic to your site, etc. With this in mind, you can select the right social channel for your social spend.

Next, be very clear on who you want to reach (engineers, oil and gas C-suite, people within 50 miles of Houston, etc.) and set a time period for your campaign and a budget.

Then, create the perfect content to share with this audience that fits your goal of building awareness, getting leads, driving traffic to your site, etc.

And, you’re off! Monitor and adjust as needed once you get a better feel for what is working for your specific target, subject and call to action.

How Much of a Win?

Your spend and results highly depend on your target market, goal and content/offer; however, here are a few examples from oil and gas companies:

Facebook Wins

Organic Post

Paid Post – $25 Spend

Paid Video Post – $100 Spend

LinkedIn Wins

Organic Social Post

Paid Post – $150 Total Budget

The biggest wins we are hearing from our clients is their ability to target by geography, company names and job titles. Our advice for the oil and gas segment is to jump in and test the waters.

The team at Foster Marketing is here to help get you started to ensure you are maximizing your spend, creating great content and accurately defining your target audience. Contact us today to discuss taking your social media efforts to a new level.