The Digital Marketing Media Showdown: Organic Growth or Paid Campaigns—Which Wins?

To pay, or not to pay. That is the question.

When clients ask us how to grow their audience, it usually boils down to one key question: 'Do I invest in a paid strategy or work on building organic reach?'  If you’re an OG in digital marketing, you know that the strategy makes the  man woman, but a Jill of all trades is a master of none. Being indecisive about your campaign strategy is the easiest way to ensure your marketing is dead in the water. 

We’re settling the score once and for all. Lace up your boots, ladies—it’s it’s time for the marketing’s final face-off: Paid marketing vs. Organic growth.

IN THIS CORNER: ORGANIC MARKETING

Organic marketing campaigns are all about building genuine relationships. You’re putting in the work and building a community brick by brick. 
Pros:

You can Do You Boo
In a world where people crave realness, organic content comes off as more authentic. You and your brand are encouraged to come as you are, flaws and all. Often, embracing the parts that are less-than-perfect parts can boost your engagement. Unrealistic, glamorous portrayals of life and business can be off-putting in this day and age. Organic social shows the audience what it’s like to be a real person doing real things. By doing that you build trust, and in digital marketing, trust is worth its weight in gold. 

Mind Your Money.

If you’re a small business owner or running a solo operation, organic marketing is your budget’s best friend. Hustle is free, hun. Instead of investing your money, you invest your time. The key is consistency, hard work, and an intentional engagement strategy. If you’re patient and strategic, organic is worth the effort.

Cons:

Slow Burn

You think watching paint dry is bad? Try building an audience with organic marketing. With you planting seeds one at a time. It’s crucial to remember that for those seeds to grow into something real, it will take time. Admittedly, organic campaigns often result in higher retention; people feel connected to your brand because of the time it took. This strategy is a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re looking for fast results, you should probably head back to the paint store.

Limited Reach

Organic posts rely a little too heavily on engagement. Unfortunately, this means that if the algorithm switches up with our warning, your strategy can be null and void overnight.  All it takes is one surprise update and suddenly your posts aren't even showing up in chronological order (no we’re still not over that.). When this happens, you’ll have to revamp your entire strategy. Organic marketing has way too many “if” factors that can stall your growth, so you’ve got to be prepared to pivot at any time. Fool me once, as the saying goes.

THE CHALLENGER: PAID MARKETING

Paid advertising is like hopping in the digital marketing fast lane. Paid ads guarantee some level of visibility right out of the gate. But does that mean it’s the better option?

Pros: 

Branding Blitz

If you need eyes on your content like, yesterday, you can really get in your bag with paid marketing. There’s no better way to put your money where your mouth is than online promo. Paid social works fast and is universal, so no matter what you are promoting, you’ll be able to get in front of your target audience quickly. You can get a promotion for a new product, a webinar, or a limited-time offer up and running without waiting for the algorithm to decide if you’re worthy. Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s paid marketing.

Pinpoint Your People

Targeting is paid marketing’s biggest flex. You can zero in on exactly who you want to see your ads very effectively. Want to sell puppy treats to middle-aged women living in the Midwest who play Candy Crush? Done. Paid social will get your ad where it needs to be. This is major for attracting customers if you have a shop or e-commerce store. Instead of fishing for followers, you can focus on running your business while your ads run themselves. 

Cons:

Pay What You Owe

With this tactic, you get what you pay for. You don’t have to spend a fortune to see results, but running ads regularly can run up your costs. You don’t have to spend a fortune to see results, but running ads regularly can add up. This is a huge consideration, especially if you’re in the early phases of building a brand. ROI is key, so if you don’t have the capital to keep pushing paid ads, you might want to think twice before jumping in.

Easy Come, Easy Go

While paid social can give you a quick boost in visibility, the results tend to be temporary. Once your campaign ends, customers tend to move on quickly. Unlike organic growth, which builds long-term loyalty, paid campaigns fizzle out the second your tank is empty. To excel with paid social, your creatives have to captivate. Staying on top of your visuals, and your messaging, and constantly updating targeting may help you avoid burning out your audience, but it’s not a guarantee.

Porque No Los Dos? 

(Don’t worry, we’ve got a winner in mind. Just give us a sec.)

You’ve got to find a balance that fits your brand. We’ve been around long enough to know that it’s hard for most to choose one strategy over the other because campaign strategies are not one size fits all. You have to take stock of where you are in your business, and your goals, and be realistic about the resources you can invest in your marketing – namely, look at your time vs your dime. Which do you have more of? Answer these crucial questions to see what works best for you.

 🎉The Winner: PAID SOCIAL: 🎉

In our opinion, paid marketing just hits differently. We *always* recommend throwing a little salt bae sprinkle of organic marketing in the mix, but we’re big on delegation. At the end of the day, you’re running a business. Your marketing shouldn’t be your focus,  your brand should be. Getting paid marketing or a brand manager can help you free up your time and do what you do best, without the hassle of scraping the bottom of the social media barrel on a Friday night just to get a few likes. If you’ve got the money to do so, we always recommend putting in the work to get some paid marketing on the books behind your product. 
Lucky for you, we know a girl.

We’re always in your corner queen. 

-The Team at TCQ