Paid advertising on Facebook reaches five times more consumers than organic content.

There are two ways to reach consumers on social media- paid media and earned media. Organic (earned) media is extremely valuable for any brand.  It s a way to engage consumers, enhance brand perception and build loyalty.  But a new study from Facebook and comScore indicates that paid advertising on Facebook can dramatically increase your reach. Among the top 100 brand pages on Facebook, those using paid advertising reach an audience that is 5.3 times larger on average, the study found.

As reported by Matt Kapko for ClickZ, comScore looked at how major brands used paid media to extend their audience five times over their organic audience in one week. Some brands were able to extend the reach of a single post or other piece of content by more than 100 times with paid media, according to comScore.

Paid advertising on Facebook can be used by healthcare marketers to cast a much wider net and reach a much larger audience.  Facebook ads, or paid media, will reach “slightly lighter” Facebook users than organic content, comScore concluded. Paid messages were 30 to 60 percent more likely to reach users that have liked 100 or fewer pages. Similarly, paid messages were 17 to 32 percent more likely to reach users who hadn’t posted a status update in the past 28 days, the study confirmed.

With media planning, whether its TV or print or Facebook, traditional or non-traditional advertising it’s always desirable to reach those lightweight users. You’re reaching more lightweight users when you’re paying because you’re ensuring you get in front of those users.

Ad campaigns that are focused on reach, reaching a larger number of people, are usually more desirable.  And the study from comScore indicates that paid advertising on Facebook can significantly expand our reach.

Many healthcare marketers have spent hours trying to decide the value of social media and whether it’s worth the time and effort.   And that is still being debated.  However Facebook advertising can be an excellent way to reach users of social media.  Even the light users of social media. 

A word of caution is needed.   Using Facebook advertising effectively requires significant thought and work as well.  You are very limited in what you can say in a Facebook ad.  It’s very much about like outdoor.  Words are limited.  The message must draw attention and communicate something meaningful.  And if the Facebook ad is successful piquing interest there must be more information provided by a landing page or micro site that can provide more information and close the deal.