Study finds paid social media’s future is bright

The state of paid social media is strong and getting stronger.

More than half of companies—52 percent—have a separate budget for sponsored social media posts, according to the IZEA study.

The study, conducted with Halverson Group and The Right Brain Consumer Consulting, looked at the state of sponsored social media content. It also found that 54 percent of marketers feel better about paid social than they did a year ago.

Why? Probably because it’s effective.

In fact, the study found that marketers find sponsored social media posts as effective as, or more effective than TV commercials.

IZEA chairman and CEO Ted Murphy issued the following statement in a press release:

For the second year in a row, marketers are seeing the value in leveraging content creators to reach their target audiences in authentic and original ways. We have created the creator economy, a place where content has real power. Sponsored content has the ability to dramatically change the trajectory of conversations and sentiment for and about brands; we have the power to send products flying off of shelves.

OK, we get it—everybody plays, everybody wins. But how much cash are these companies dishing out to make a splash in social?