Paid Campaigns vs. Organic Seeding

Once a business goes online, there is only one question in the owner’s mind; how to spread awareness? How will people know that this business exists?

Social media management and influencer marketing play a key role in answering this question. Whether it is Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, these two things have to be put to use. For this purpose, every digital marketing agency in Chicago and other cities is coming forward to help businesses.

There are two methods for collaboration with content creators or influencers – paid campaigns and organic seeding. Today, we will discuss these methods in detail. That will help you know which one to choose for your company.

1. A paid campaign is a contract formed between the influencer/content creator and the brand. Once this contract is signed, the social media influencer has to share the content with the brand for approval. Once it is approved, the content has to be shared on a specific date which both parties agreed upon.

2. Organic seeding is a process where the brand products are sent to the influencer on a “gift basis”. Here, the influencer promotes that gift on his/her social media handles through independent decisions.

Defining Client Goals and Budget

A brand should always consider two factors before deciding the route it wants to take – goal and budget. It should also know –

• What do they think a successful campaign looks like?
• What is the result they are expecting out of an influencer campaign?

Once these questions are answered, the brand can fix the budget for its campaign.

This allocation of the budget will help decide the number of influencers required for the campaign and the type of campaign to be created.

• If you do not have a sufficient budget for a paid campaign, organic product seeding is always an option. It acts as the perfect opportunity to deliver the products to the influencers and receive feedback. Also, there is a chance that your products will be posted on their social media at zero cost.

• In case there is a sufficient budget for paid campaigns, you can determine the number of influencers required. The cost of micro-influencers (up to 100k followers) is lower than macro-influencers (100K-1M+ followers). So, ultimately the number and type of influencers depend on your goals. What would you prefer? A couple of influencers talking about the brand continuously or a lot of influencers promoting the brand?

• The advantage of a paid marketing campaign is to gain control over the kind of images and messages an influencer posts on the social media handle. As a brand, you can position yourself in the market in whichever way you like. When you opt for paid campaigning, you have a complete right to review the post of an influencer before it goes live.

Payment to Influencers

Once the budget for your marketing campaign has been fixed, it is time to decide on the payment of influencers. For this you have to get in touch with the influencers you feel will promote your brand in the best manner. Depending on the number of followers, the charge list of a social media influencer will increase. So, choose wisely!

Are Influencers the Right Choice?

1. See if the influencers you have selected are a fan of your brand. If so, they must have used and promoted your product in the past (organic seeding). Also, there must be a swipe-up link from where the followers can check out the products and buy them themselves.

2. Make sure that the content posted by influencers aligns with the brand strategy. If your brand/product is targeted to a certain niche, check whether the influencer is targeting it or not. This helps the posts look more organic and less paid. Also, make sure that the influencer you have hired hasn’t collaborated with the competitors.

3. Last but not least, check the engagement of the influencer. If your influencer has a high engagement rate, your brand will gain more recognition. Some influencers have a lot of followers but there is no user interaction. In this case, the possibility is that the followers are “bots”.

Paid Campaigns & Organic Seedings – You Need Both

Both paid campaigns, as well as organic seedings, are essential for a brand to grow. Paid campaigns allow complete control over the goals and messages of the brand. Organic seedings help build up a relationship with influencers and make their followers aware of the brand.

A combination of both things is the key to a successful digital marketing campaign. Every digital marketing agency in Chicago will advise you to choose a combination of both. Foreignerds Inc. helps brands get in touch with influencers and their followers. If you are looking to create a lasting bond with online users, let us help you. We promise to get you the desired ROI. To know more, contact us today!