One of the hardest questions in business has no obvious answer:
"How much marketing do we actually need?"
Too little marketing limits growth.
Too much marketing wastes resources.
And even good marketing can become ineffective if the timing is wrong.
Most companies think about marketing as a volume problem.
In reality, it is a timing problem.
The Problem With Linear Thinking
Businesses often assume marketing works like a machine:
More budget → more leads → more revenue.
But markets don't behave linearly.
Sometimes increasing investment produces disproportionate returns.
Other times, doubling effort barely changes outcomes.
This creates a dangerous tendency.
When growth slows, companies often respond by adding more:
- more campaigns
- more content
- more channels
- more spend
But more activity does not necessarily mean more impact.
Marketing Has Three States
A useful way to think about marketing is through three states.
State 1: Absence
In this stage, the company simply doesn't exist in buyers' minds.
Awareness is low.
Trust is low.
Demand depends heavily on outbound activity or referrals.
Typical symptoms include:
- unpredictable pipeline
- constant pressure to generate leads
- heavy dependence on sales
- little brand recognition
The problem here isn't efficiency.
It's invisibility.
State 2: Momentum
Eventually, marketing starts creating familiarity.
People recognise the company.
Content compounds.
Word of mouth improves.
Sales conversations become easier.
The organisation begins to experience leverage.
Growth no longer depends entirely on constant effort.
This is where marketing becomes an asset rather than an expense.
State 3: Saturation
More is not always better.
At some point:
- audiences become overexposed
- acquisition costs rise
- content quality declines
- teams optimise activity rather than outcomes
Marketing starts producing diminishing returns.
The challenge shifts from adding more to allocating better.
Timing Matters More Than Volume
The right amount of marketing depends on context.
A startup entering a category needs visibility.
An established company may need stronger positioning.
A mature market may require differentiation rather than awareness.
The same budget can be insufficient in one situation and excessive in another.
Which is why benchmarking competitors is often misleading.
Their context is different.
Their objectives are different.
Their timing is different.
Marketing Is More Like Exercise Than Advertising
Most people think marketing works like a switch.
Turn it on.
Generate results.
Turn it off.
But marketing behaves much more like physical fitness.
Too little effort creates weakness.
Too much effort creates exhaustion.
Consistency creates resilience.
The goal is not maximum intensity.
The goal is sustainable capacity.
A Better Question
Instead of asking:
"How much marketing do we need?"
Ask:
"Where are we right now?"
Because the answer changes depending on whether the company is facing:
- absence
- momentum
- saturation
Understanding the stage matters more than increasing the volume.
Marketing Is a Matter of Balance
The best marketing systems rarely maximise activity.
They optimise timing.
They know when to accelerate.
They know when to consolidate.
And they understand that growth does not come from doing the most.
It comes from doing what the moment requires.
At InGrowth, some of the most valuable conversations we have with companies start with a surprisingly simple question:
Not "How can we do more marketing?"
But "Do we actually need more?"
