" />One of the most common objectives clients come to us with is “to build brand awareness”, however, often they have made no considerations (or allowances in their budget) for marketing activity beyond content and PR.
This blog post discusses why using paid media as part of an integrated marketing campaign is more likely to drive results that move the needle and build top-of-funnel (TOFU) awareness.
Using a paid media strategy – PPC, social ads, advertorials, e-shots, OOH – will ensure the content produced is seen by the right audience. It adds more predictability to the number and type of people your content will reach. It provides more data to be measured and analysed, and ultimately better results.
While organic marketing strategies such as SEO, social media, and other content creation are valuable, they don’t provide an immediate impact and take time to build momentum and ultimately results. We will often work with our clients on creating an integrated campaign that combines multiple elements of the PESO mix – Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned, rather than rely on just one pillar or channel.
Here’s why a paid media budget is essential for making an immediate impact among your target audience.
Organic reach is shrinking on all social media platforms
Organic reach is declining yet the number of users on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram is increasing. However, more users means more content and ultimately more competition. The average organic reach on Instagram is as little as 2-3%, LinkedIn organic reach is at a similar low, with company pages getting an average organic reach of just 3.84%.
In addition, there is more AI-generated content on social media, and many platforms are giving priority to content such as videos within feeds. Social platforms are increasingly favouring paid content – you’ve heard of ‘pay to play’ right. This is also compounded by algorithms prioritising posts that have ad spend behind them, making it tougher for organic content to cut through the noise.
Without investment, your campaign will struggle to reach a meaningful audience at scale. Paid media ensures your message gets seen by the right people, at the right time, and with regularity.
Precise targeting isn’t possible without ads
Reaching the right audience is also vital. While you might create stand-out content, without the ability to target the right demographic – by age, gender, region, industry, role, company size, etc – it can easily get lost. Paid media allows for focused targeting, so your message is delivered directly to the audience, and ultimately decision-makers who matter most, not just anyone scrolling past. Don’t leave it to chance.
Scale matters for optimisation
One of the often-overlooked benefits of a paid media strategy is the data it provides. With a wider reach, you can gather meaningful insights into what is and isn’t resonating with your audience. This allows you to tweak messaging, refine your targeting, and ultimately improve performance over time. Without enough visibility, it’s hard to gather rich and actionable data that drives better results. Typically, an organic strategy alone will not generate enough data for you to iterate your campaign and you can often remain in the dark.
Long buying cycles need ongoing exposure
In B2B industries in particular, but also with bigger ticket consumer items, sales don’t happen overnight. Buying cycles can last for years. Decision-makers often need multiple touchpoints over a prolonged period of time before they’re ready to engage. A single flurry of organic posts won’t keep your brand top-of-mind during this journey. With a paid media budget, you can maintain consistent visibility, gently nurturing awareness and trust over time until your audience is ready to take action.
Great content needs amplification
Even the most valuable piece of content won’t make an impact if it’s not reaching the right people. Relying solely on organic reach is unpredictable and limiting. Paid promotion amplifies your content’s reach, putting it in front of key stakeholders and decision-makers rather than leaving it to chance. Think of it as giving your content the spotlight it deserves.
With the level of consideration, energy, resources, and investment that you put into your content you don’t want it to fall on deaf ears or have it sit on a dark section of a company website that never gets accessed. Propelling it to the right audience makes the energy and effort you put into creating the content worth it.
I hate to break it to you but not as many people as you think are waiting on the edge of your seat for the next instalment of your video series or your next thought leadership report to land. You need to deliver it to them.
Competitors are already paying for visibility
Attention is a scarce commodity – among B2C and B2B audiences. If you’re not actively promoting your content, the chances are your competitors are. While “First Never Follows”, the reality is your competitors are probably paying to target the audience that you want to get in front of.
They’re likely putting budget behind their campaigns to ensure they’re seen by decision-makers, and in doing so, are taking up the space you could be occupying. Without paid promotion, your brand risks being overshadowed, no matter how strong your messaging is.
Time to put it out there with a paid media strategy?
In conclusion, spending time crafting quality content but not allocating a budget to get it seen can limit the results and success of your marketing campaigns. No matter how compelling the storyline is, if no one sees it, it won’t have the desired impact. If you want your content to truly deliver results, supporting it with a media budget is no longer optional – it’s essential.
To find out more about how to supplement your marketing strategy with a paid media strategy and amplify it beyond organic audiences, contact us via our web form.
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