Case Study: How we used organic content to generate 700+ new leads and boost paid ads performance in just two months

As a Paid Ads Strategist and Media Buyer, I never saw the logic and the potential behind organic content. I even used to smile when someone mentioned organic content or organic growth.

"Why struggling to create content when we can pay to put an offer in front of the right audience at the right time? It's enough to have better media buying skills and a bigger ad budget, and we can outcompete everyone in a niche." Unfortunately, this was only partially true. Just because it works most of the time doesn't mean it is the only way.

Sticking to what works is one of my principles. For more than six years, our focus at Gloma Pro was exclusively on paid traffic. Facebook, Instagram, Google, Pinterest, TikTok, Microsoft, Taboola...we tried them all. In all these years, we stuck to Meta & Google Ads. These are by far the most effective paid traffic sources for our clients.

I heard so many business owners & CEOs complaining (and were so right): "The influencer with millions of followers we paid thousands of Euro generated almost no sales..."

On the other hand, many influencers blamed Meta: "The reach is getting lower and lower. I post daily, and almost nobody sees my content anymore..."

To be very transparent, I like controlling the results we generate for our clients. I choose paid ads because of the opportunity to spend less to test what works and buy data fast. Hoping for results from a story post does not make me feel comfortable. Hearing excuses after it didn't work is also something I can not tolerate.

For a long time, I thought the only proper way to scale a business was through paid ads. With clear Goals and the right KPIs, we could build the right media buying system to grow a business. I hate to admit it, but I was wrong not trying to look outside of the box.

I cannot believe I say this...but I have to... since it's true: Organic short video content is working and unbelievably powerful. Combined with properly managed paid ads, a business will not only thrive in these challenging times but flourish.

Enough with the intro...I'll tell you how I finally changed my mind after the first test project.

We started at the end of November 2023 using a similar process when building paid ads systems.

The results look like this:

• 70+ videos posted (tik-tok & reels)
• 25K followers generated on TikTok
• 15K+ followers on Instagram, 700+ leads generated (from organic only)
• 700+ Qualified Leads in our CRM

How we did it:

First of all, we defined the ideal clients we wanted. Our focus was identifying their biggest challenges, frustrations, fears & desires.

After listing all their struggles, we also built a list of things we can do to help them. Then, we started to plan the content accordingly.

Secondly, we defined the Goal: To get 2000 followers and at least 100 leads in 14 days. Before planning long-term, we wanted to figure out what works in terms of content. And we wanted it fast.

So, we wrote the script for 28 videos to be posted in 14 days. 2/day. We prepared different types of content:

• entertainment
• presenting the problems
• addressing issues (agitate)
• advice on ways to solve the issues
• no information about our product - just about their struggles and showing them there is hope

Consistency is Key

During the first 14 days, we closely monitored what worked and created the following type of content based on the best-performing videos.?

We monitored not only the number of views but also the number of new followers & and, very importantly, the number of clicks on the link in the Bio.

Interaction & and listening to customers?

We responded as fast as possible to comments or messages. We used their questions to build more content based on their interests.?

Free Lead Magnet?We tested multiple options: 1 free e-book, one free mini-course, and one free quiz. We used?Taplink.cc?(linktree) to check the most attractive free lead magnet for those who click on the links in the Bio & monitor daily the number of clicks on each material.

Once we had enough leads, we sent a survey to understand them better. The new content was created based on their responses.?

Lessons:?

TikTok started to work on day one. The first video was excellent; every two likes brought us one new follower.?

We struggled with Instagram but got a "reward" after we posted around 55 videos. 2 of them went viral, and we got over 9k followers in just 3-4 days.

Considering the cost of the video creation and social media management, we got a high cost per lead in the first two months.

Organic marketing is not controllable and unpredictable. You can suddenly become overwhelmed by an "overnight" success or lose motivation along the way since it seems impossible to make it work…you have to be patient.?

At the same time, we had ads running. The cost per lead is three times lower than organic (if we calculate how much is paid for the content creator).?

Why was the lead cost lower for paid ads than the lead cost from organic posts??

Because we use the organic posts as ads & we only used the ones that went viral. It helped us drive direct traffic to the landing page. The organic posts didn't have a call to action to enter the link in the Bio - at least those that went viral. So, we added a different call to action for the ads. (The content creator needs to be very open and available to make changes - we luckily found a good one)?

Paid Ads represent the tool we can use to control the audience, the amount of traffic, and ultimately, the number of leads generated daily.?

Organic posts help us find the best-performing content more effectively and cheaper than testing them as ads.?

Once we determine winners, we can build multiple ads. It is a long-term game that can become profitable once a few of the videos posted go viral.?

In our case, the number of leads increases weekly, and our organic reach expands faster than expected.?

Last but not least, the team managing the organic post needs to be professional, dedicated & very responsive. I luckily had this.?

• content creator - understood precisely how we want to position ourselves?
• social media manager - knew when and what to respond to make sure we were congruent in our messaging
• media buying - seeing the opportunities and boosting the right content (not to go viral but to attract qualified leads)

They all need to work together and share their thoughts to achieve the objective.?

The same principles apply to organic content and paid ads. Both need to work together to help a company survive in the online jungle.

Let me know what you think. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

Best wishes,

Mihai?- Gloma Pro