There are two different routes you can take when it comes to getting the word about your business out there. There’s organic marketing or paid advertising and we will take a look at both in this blog. Both have their place in the marketer’s toolbox but each has its own pros and cons.
Here’s what you should know to decide what to use for your business.
The Two Routes
Here we will take a look at both options and see what they entail.
Organic Marketing
Unlike traditional marketing, organic marketing is often free to use and usually takes place on the internet, but can also happen offline. Organic marketing entails using search engine optimization (SEO) and social media to get your name out there as opposed to paying for ad space.
Organic marketing is important because it’s free and it can help you build a strong online presence. It’s a matter of making sure the people who are looking for you can find you, because who knows what they’re looking for. If they can’t find you, they can’t buy from you. Organic marketing is the true test of a product or service since it doesn’t rely on any kind of paid advertising. If people can’t talk about your business without you paying them, then it’s not a good business. Organic marketing is, in fact, the driving force behind all of the best, most successful brands.
Paid Marketing
Paid marketing basically means getting your business or product known around by using a variety of different marketing techniques, all of which cost money. Now, before you go thinking, “these people are crazy,” think about it. You have to spend money to make money, right? That’s what they say and it really is true. If you own a business and want to get the word out, you need to spend money on advertising and marketing.
Yes, it is a risk, but in the long run, it’s worth it. There are plenty of avenues to spend your money in when it comes to paid marketing. You can use traditional marketing and advertising outlets such as TV, radio, print, and even billboards. These traditional outlets are still around and working hard for your business, even if you don’t see them.
You can also spend your money on the Internet. Online marketing can be quite a bit more effective in some cases and will most likely cost you less money. What’s not to like about that?
The Pros and Cons of Organic Marketing
Pros of Organic Marketing:
Free
It costs nothing to do with organic marketing. In fact, it is completely free. This makes it an excellent option for small businesses with limited budgets.
Builds Trust
If you’re doing something that is truly beneficial to your customers, they are going to trust you. When you start building relationships with your customers through organic marketing, you’re showing them that you care about them and that you value them.
Grows Your Business
Because you’re not spending money, you’re growing your business naturally. The key here is to keep track of how many leads you generate and how much revenue you bring in. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to tell whether or not organic marketing was actually helping your business grow.
Builds Relationships
With organic marketing, not only are you helping your business grow but you are also building thorough relationships. You aren’t forcing people to like your product or service, they are naturally growing to like it. This builds loyalty.
Cons:
Slow Growth
While this isn’t necessarily a con, it does mean that you may not be seeing immediate results. With paid marketing, you can expect to see growth almost immediately.
No Guarantees
There are no guarantees with organic marketing. While you can see positive results, you won’t always see them. However, if you continue to work on your organic marketing strategy, you should eventually start to see better results.
A Little Harder To Measure
When you’re relying solely on organic marketing, it’s harder to measure its effectiveness than other forms of marketing. For example, if you’re running ads on Facebook, you know exactly how many people clicked on those ads and how much money you spent. With organic marketing, however, there isn’t always a clear way to determine success.
Can Be Time-Consuming
When you’re focusing on organic marketing, you may find yourself having to put in extra time and effort into creating content. However, this is one of the biggest benefits of organic marketing. By putting in extra work, you’re giving your business the chance to stand out and gain attention.
The Pros and Cons of Paid Marketing
Pros:
Guaranteed Results
When it comes to paid marketing, there are guaranteed results. Whether you’re trying to sell a product or just promote your brand, there are certain things you can count on. For example, if you pay for a Facebook ad campaign, you know exactly what you’re going to get.
Cost-Effective
This is one of the biggest benefits of paid marketing. It doesn’t require a lot of initial investment, so it tends to be very cost-effective.
Promotes Social Media Engagement
This is another benefit of paid marketing. By paying for ads, you can drive traffic to your social media pages. People love to interact with brands online, so this type of interaction is definitely valuable.
Cons:
Time Constraints
One big issue that plagues all types of advertising, especially paid advertising, is time constraints. When you put up an ad and wait to see if anyone responds, you lose control over the entire process. So while you might get good results from paid marketing, it’s important to remember that you could have gotten those great results without having to invest any money.
Bottom Line
Organic marketing offers a number of advantages that paid marketing simply cannot match. However, it also has its disadvantages. If you’re looking to expand your business, you may be wondering where you stand. Is organic marketing for you? Or would you rather stick to paid marketing?
How to Use a Combination of Both Paid And Organic Marketing
If you want to use both paid and organic marketing strategies, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Be Sure Your Content is Relevant
When it comes to using paid and organic marketing together, it’s important to make sure your content is relevant. This means that when you create content, it needs to relate directly to your target audience. You don’t want to write about something that only applies to your company. Instead, try writing about a topic that will help others as well.
Focus On Quality Over Quantity
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of quantity. After all, more content usually means more exposure. But quality is more important than quantity when it comes to paid and organic marketing. The goal is to produce high-quality content that gets noticed by readers.
Use Multiple Channels
In addition to posting articles on your website, you can post similar content on other platforms like YouTube, Instagram, etc. This way, even people who aren’t reading from your blog or paid content can see it through those channels instead.
With these techniques, your company can successfully use both paid and organic marketing.
Closing With Paid Marketing vs. Organic Marketing
When it comes to marketing there are two main ways you can go. As we went over one is organic marketing, and the other is called paid marketing. Both of these are great ways to market your business but offer different pros and cons. We hope this blog post has given you a deeper insight into both so you can decide what’s right for your business!
