For nearly five years, I’ve worked in small business digital marketing, and one thing I see again and again is this: business owners often believe that “if I build it, they will come…for free.”
It’s an appealing idea. You put up a website, start an Instagram, post a few videos, and wait for customers to roll in. But the truth is, that’s not how visibility has ever really worked.
A Look Back: When Advertising Was Always a Cost
Before digital marketing, visibility was never free. Businesses budgeted for it. They bought mailers, newspaper ads, radio spots, billboards, or even local TV commercials. They expected to spend real money to get attention.
And the numbers weren’t small. In the 1980s, a suburban Philadelphia business might spend the 2025 equivalent of $10,000–$17,000 per month just on a shoestring campaign—local paper ads, light radio, and some direct mail. A “standard” campaign? More like $20,000–$40,000. And if you wanted to “own the month” with big reach across newspapers, radio, and billboards, you’d be looking at $40,000–$85,000+ in today’s dollars.
Small businesses understood that visibility required investment.
The Digital Illusion of Free
Today, the mindset is different. Business owners see that Facebook is free to use, Google is free to search, and websites are relatively cheap to host. So why should visibility cost money?
Maybe it worked once—back in the early days of social media or SEO when competition was light and organic reach was high. But today the digital landscape is crowded. Thousands of businesses are posting, publishing, and producing content every day. That “free reach” is now a trickle.
What happens instead? Owners spend hours making videos, writing blogs, or creating posts… only to reach a few hundred people before the content disappears into the endless scroll.
The Paid Reality Check
Here’s the hard truth: if you want consistent, meaningful results, you have to pay for visibility.
When I work with clients, we often spend the first few months stuck in a cycle. They hire me, I help them strategize & create content, but they resist putting money behind ads. They wonder why “it’s not working.” I explain (again) that organic alone isn’t enough. Eventually, some agree to try paid ads—and that’s when the change happens.
One service-based client was on the verge of shutting down after cycles of feast and famine. They were terrified to invest significantly in ads. But I showed them the math: even if each lead cost $150, their revenue per client would still make it worthwhile. We ran a stronger Meta + Google campaign, and they gained 30 new leads in one month—triple what they had been generating organically.
The investment saved their business.
Why Marketing Spend Isn’t “Wasted”
There’s a persistent fear among business owners that ad spend is “throwing money away.” But here’s the thing: the point of ads is to make you more money than you spend.
- If your ads get reach, clicks, and engagement but still don’t result in sales? That’s not wasted ad spend—it’s a business problem. The offer, pricing, or messaging might need adjustment.
- If your ads do convert, then you’ve created a scalable, predictable way to generate new customers.
Either way, ads give you clarity and data—something organic posts rarely provide.
Where Organic Fits In
This doesn’t mean organic social media or SEO isn’t important. They are—but they play different roles.
- SEO is a long game. The work you put in today might not pay off for 6–12 months, but it builds a foundation that carries you through downturns.
- Organic content builds credibility and brand personality. It gives people something to engage with once they’ve already seen your ads.
The key is balance. Paid ads give you reach and momentum now. Organic + SEO set you up for resilience later.
The Takeaway
Small businesses in the 1980s understood what many have forgotten today: visibility costs money. Whether you buy a newspaper ad in 1988 or a Facebook ad in 2025, the principle is the same.
Experts recommend businesses allocate 5–10% of revenue to marketing. For local businesses, that doesn’t mean tens of thousands of dollars a month—but it does mean going beyond “free.” Even modest budgets can break past the limits of organic reach and bring in steady customers.
If you’re stuck waiting around for results, it’s time to ask: am I actually investing in visibility—or just hoping for it?
If you’re ready to move past the “wait and see” approach and want clarity on what marketing really costs, let’s talk. I help small businesses build smart strategies, review budgets, and create realistic ad spend plans so you know exactly what to expect—and what results you can aim for.
Contact me here to schedule a strategy session and get an honest estimate of what it will take to get meaningful results for your business.