Organic and paid social media both have their place in a marketing campaign. Anything that happens on social media without paid promotion is organic. Posts, shares, comments, likes, or messages are easy ways to track your organic social media efforts.

Paid social media is influenced by advertising dollars spent. If a social media post says “Sponsored”, this means any reaction to it is considered a paid reaction. Paid social media includes boosted posts, ads optimized for clicks, lead generation forms, and video ads.

A successful social media marketing strategy is one that utilizes both organic and paid social media. A mix of both organic and paid ensures a larger reach and following.