Organic vs Paid Social media: Which is better for Small businesses in 2025?
Social Media is changing, constantly.
Running a business is already hard enough.. then you add in the extra stresses of trying to successfully create content and post on social media.. and it’s completely overwhelming.
Your time is limited and so is your budget. So what do we do?
Do we pour money into ads, or just double down on organic social media content?
The Answer?
There isn’t really a one-size fits all, but in 2025, organic is more powerful than most realize, especially when it’s done strategically.
And it also doesn’t have to be complicated..
Batch shooting content solves a huge problem for clients who are already running a business, but want to be present on Social Media.
What is Organic Social Media?
Definition: Social Media Posts, Videos, Instagram Reels, TikTok Videos that are created and shared to platforms without any paid promotional efforts.
Strengths: Organic Social Media builds trust with your audience. It can help grow your community and it highlights the personality and values behind your brand.
Limitations: Because Organic Content isn’t backed by ad spend, it can be a slower path to growth. This approach also requires a strategy and an effort to be consistently posting to your audience (more on that later).
What is Paid Social Media?
Definition: Paid Social Media is like the ads that you see brands use on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Strengths: Measurable Return on Investment(ROI), Quickly Reach multiple people, Hyper Focused Targeting
Limitations: Ads cost money, so the cost per day can add up and there’s no guarantee that they’ll work. Which means you may have wasted actual money to learn that.
How Social Media has Changed in 2025
The Algorithm.. It doesn’t hate you.. but it is what controls the way content is distributed to the viewers these days.
Here’s the good news. Algorithms favor authentic engagement. One of the best ways to do this is through short-form video (Skits, humor, educational) and community interaction.
Paid Ads have been facing rising costs as well as more strict privacy rules. In some cases, this can result in less targeting power than in “the old days” of paid social media ads.
The amount of followers that you have isn’t as much of a bottleneck due to these new individual recommendation style feeds. What this means for your business is that it’s never been easier to be discovered by new audiences than it is today.
Behind the scenes: BTS content is a GREAT way to share part of the process that makes you unique. Share this with your social media audience!
The Case for Organic: (Why it still wins in 2025)
Cost Effectiveness: Organic content still requires time, but it doesn’t require a constant ad spend to be effective.
Longevity: A Strong Organic presence has a compounding effect because the content continues to work for you.
Trust: Organic content feels more authentic to users because the user doesn’t feel like a targeted pupil.
Local Advantage: For small businesses, a community focused organic content strategy often beats generic paid ads.
When Paid Ads make sense
Paid ads on Social Media can still be VERY effective for businesses in 2025.
Here are a few GREAT uses of Paid Ads:
When launching a brand new product or service
Running a limited-time promotion
Retargeting a warm audience (someone who already engaged with your organic content.)
Supplementing your Organic Strategy (not replacing)
Which is Better for small businesses in 2025?
Think of Paid Ads on Social Media as a short-term sprint.
Organic Social Media Content is more like a marathon that builds genuine trust with your audience over time.
For most small businesses, it’s best to have a good foundation of organic content. Once you have that, then you can start using paid ads to promote your products and services.
Think about it. Most people don’t get married after the first date. Genuine connection and trust takes time.
Let your audience get to know you first, then you can propose.. or run ads
How to get started with organic content
We all know… You eat the elephant one bite at a time.. but nobody tells you where to take the first bite, do they?
Start with a super simple content calendar. Plan 2-4 weeks at a time.
Utilize Batch Shooting to save you time on creation. You can create weeks worth of content in a single creation session.
Mix Up the content types. Show what you’re already doing in your job. Think Educational, Entertaining, Behind The Scenes, Testimonials.
Aim for consistency. 2-3 times per week is a great goal. If that’s still too daunting, aim for 1 good post per week.
1 Post per week is still better than 0 posts and it’s also better than a social media user seeing a major gap in your posts. This leaves them wondering… are they still in business??
To Summarize
In 2025 and beyond, small businesses shouldn’t have to rely on paid ads to win on social media.
With the right approach, organic content can still be a major asset to growing your business on social media.
That’s where we come in. We’re here to help.
At Motion Creative, we specialize in organic social media content creation for businesses. By helping businesses batch shoot their content, we create weeks (and sometimes months) of content in a single session.
👉Learn more about our Content Creation for Social Media Services.👈
Social Media doesn’t have to be a guessing game in which you’re left to throw content at the wall and see what sticks.
If your posts aren’t working, it’s probably not the algorithm’s fault, it’s the approach.
With a plan, the right content strategy, and consistent posting, your social media can start attracting the right customers by gaining their trust as you continue to provide value for them to consume.
