When investing in social media marketing, there are several elements included in the strategy planning process. As a business, you will need to discuss and decide how each feature and implementation will impact the business and customers and how to achieve the highest, most successful results from the channel. From deciding which platforms you want to use to your company budget, one of the first things you will need to finalise is whether or not you want to work with organic media, paid, or a mix of both.

Here is a comprehensive guide to the difference between organic and paid social media and how to figure out which one is right for you!

What is organic social media? 

Organic social media refers to free, non-paid content that is shared through platforms either personally or professionally. This can include text posts, imagery, videos, stories or graphics and simply means these are posted with no paid advertisements. 

This type of social media marketing relies heavily on engagement and the natural exposure of an online business, typically as a result of high-quality content, consistency, communication and thorough audience research.

Benefits of an organic social media strategy

Negatives of organic social

What is paid media? 

In contrast to organic media, paid social includes the use of paid advertising on any social media platform, typically used to target specific audiences and help pages or profiles to appear in users' feeds, sponsored posts or display ads. These ads are ideal for targeting more specific demographics, hobbies, interests and customer behaviours. 

Read more on the basics of running social ads.

Most social media platforms have their own methods of paid social, for example, Facebook ads or Instagram ads, meaning that businesses can create them for many different themes such as products, services or events. 

Benefits of paid social

  • Instant visibility – Ads can quickly reach large audiences and generate immediate results
  • Advanced targeting – Platforms allow businesses to target users based on demographics, interests and behaviours
  • Scalable campaigns – Budgets can be adjusted to increase reach and performance
  • Measurable results – Detailed analytics make it easier to track ROI and optimise campaigns
  • Supports business goals – Paid campaigns can be tailored for specific objectives such as sales, leads or brand awareness

Negatives of paid social media strategies

  • Ongoing costs – Continuous investment is required to maintain visibility and results
  • Short-term impact – Performance typically stops once the budget runs out.
    Ad fatigue – Audiences may become disengaged if they see the same ads repeatedly
  • Increased competition – Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are highly saturated, driving up costs
  • Complex setup – Effective campaigns require knowledge of targeting, bidding and creative strategy
  • Lower trust levels – Some users may be less likely to engage with content labelled as “sponsored.”