Here’s the thing: You should use both. Social media marketing works best when you combine organic and paid tactics.

What is organic social media marketing?

Organic social media marketing is marketing that you don’t pay for, for others to see, like a Facebook newsfeed post, a tweet or Instagram post that you don’t put any money behind.

In other words, you’re at the mercy of the social media platforms’ algorithms. Your organic content might show up in your followers’ feeds, but it also might not.

For example, updates to the Facebook algorithm over the past few years have led to a decrease in organic reach, meaning fewer followers see brands’ social posts in their news feed.

What is paid social media marketing?

Paid social media marketing — a.k.a. social media advertising — refers to putting money behind social media posts to reach more people, either by running dedicated paid posts as ads or promoting existing organic posts that has already been posted to your social media pages. The biggest perk of paid social media is reaching a larger audience. With organic social, your reach is limited to your followers and who they share your posts with. Paid social media lets you target more people, often with ultra-specific targeting tools like Facebook Custom Audiences. The ability to reach your target audience is likely why over 62% of marketers say that paid social media advertising has been at least somewhat effective for their business.

Should you use organic or paid social media marketing?

To get the most out of social media, your social media marketing strategy should include a mix of both paid and organic social.

Here’s why: They accomplish two different goals.

Paid social media helps you get your website and products in front of more people in less time. Organic social, on the other hand, gives you a better chance to build relationships and interact with your customers.

At the end of the day, it’s all about doing what’s right for you and your business, not about following a strict recipe for success. Whether you do organic or paid advertising, start small and keep your head up. It might take a while to see the results you want, but you’ll get there.