Here’s a quick game for you. Two months. Same client. Same platforms. One key difference.
We recently ran this exact test with our client, Boxford, a leading manufacturer of laser cutting machines, CNC machines & other laser solutions. The goal? To understand just how much impact a small paid social budget can have when paired with strong, consistent content.
January £250 Meta ad spend:
February £0 Meta ad spend:
Can you guess what happened?
If you’re picturing a dramatic drop in reach, impressions, and engagement… you’d be absolutely right.
In January, we supported Boxford’s content with a modest £250 paid ad budget on Meta. Nothing extravagant, but enough to put fuel behind the fire. The result?
Meta: Reach soared to over 72,000, nearly all driven by paid activity.
LinkedIn: Impressions hit close to 50,000, with engagement following suit. The content didn’t just sit there, it soared.
Now let’s look at February. Same client, still posting consistently, but with no ad spend. No boosts. No sponsored posts. No extra push.
- Facebook: Reach dropped sharply to just under 2,000.
- LinkedIn: Impressions fell from tens of thousands to under 2,000.
- Instagram: Reach also dropped significantly.
So what changed? Not the content quality. Not the consistency. Just the budget.
This is the reality of social media today:
- Organic content is essential, it keeps your brand voice active and builds trust with your audience.
- Paid social, even with a small budget like £250, acts as your wingwoman. It takes good content and puts it in front of the right people at scale.
The interesting part? Follower growth remained steady across platforms, showing that organic content still plays a crucial role in long-term brand health.
The takeaway: If you want visibility, you need both strategy and spend. Sometimes, the difference between being seen and being scrolled past… starts at just £250.
Ready to have a convo about your marketing budget? You know where to find us!
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