NSA Communications

Social media marketing has become an essential component of any successful go-to-market strategy. However, businesses often face the dilemma of choosing between organic social media marketing and lead generation sourced from social media advertising.

Aren’t these two things the same? Social media is social media, right?

Here’s how they are different.

Organic social media: a brand awareness tool

Organic social media marketing focuses on building brand awareness, engaging with the target audience, and fostering community relationships. This refers to the content shared on your social media pages, with or without budget added. While this form of content promotes brand awareness, leads can also come from organic social media tactics. These leads, however, might be a longer-term play than direct, social media lead generation.

According to a study by Sprout Social, 57% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands they follow on social media. For example, Starbucks leverages its organic social media presence by sharing visually appealing content, encouraging user-generated content, and actively responding to customer comments. This approach creates a sense of community and loyalty among followers.

“57% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands they follow on social media.”

Organic social media is therefore the longer-term play which builds trust and customer loyalty.

Lead generation: drives conversions

Lead generation social media marketing aims to capture potential customers’ information and drive conversions. According to Ruler Analytics, 91% of marketers believe that lead generation is the most important objective for their social media efforts. Furthermore, 53% of marketing gurus spend at least half of their budget on lead generation tactics. For example, HubSpot effectively uses lead generation social media marketing by offering valuable resources, such as e-books and webinars, in exchange for contact information.

91% of marketers believe that lead generation is the most important objective for their social media effort

Lead generation social media marketing therefore directly impacts business growth by driving conversions and increasing revenue. By capturing leads, businesses can nurture them through targeted email campaigns and other marketing efforts, leading to higher conversion rates and increased sales.

However, it’s important to note that lead generation tactics can become costly. Marketers need to constantly edit targeting parameters and content in order to maximize return-on-investment (ROI).

How to find the right balance

Finding the right balance between organic and lead generation social media marketing is crucial for a well-rounded strategy. Whilst users trust organic content more than they would trust paid ads, achieving organic reach can be challenging because of all the other brands vying for the audience’s attention. According to Forbes, the best way to do this is to ensure your content is designed based on what your audience engages with.

Some examples include:

• Real-person stories: team profiles, case studies, testimonials about your product or service
• Useful resources: free guides and tools that would be helpful for customers
• Newsworthy/timely content: relevant to your product or service that is relatable for audiences

By striking the right balance between the two, businesses can achieve comprehensive success in their social media efforts.

Paid social media marketing can become expensive over time. In order to optimize your ROI, it is very important to be consistently making tweaks to your copy, creative and overall messaging to ensure it targets your audience correctly in any given campaign.

So, is one more important than the other?

Not quite.

Companies need to invest in both organic and paid strategies to maximize their social media efforts. Businesses can leverage organic social media marketing to build brand awareness and engage with their audience while incorporating lead generation tactics to capture valuable leads. By striking the right balance between the two, businesses can achieve comprehensive success in their social media efforts.

Are you trying to optimize you marketing spend for organic social media and lead generation tactics? NSA Communications can help you find the right balance and hit your goals.

Contact us for tailored support:

E: noha@nsacomms.com

M: 0405 383 190