Many companies feel they are doing things right in marketing. Campaigns are active, metrics seem stable, and optimizations are constant. Yet, despite all these efforts, growth slows or plateaus.
In most cases, the problem isn't execution. It's the confusion between optimizing and actually growing.
Optimizing and growing are not the same thing
What it means to optimize
Optimizing means improving the efficiency of what already exists: reducing a cost per click, improving a conversion rate, adjusting a message or a creative.
What it means to grow
Growth involves expanding the system: creating new demand, opening new channels, increasing the organization's capacity to support more volume.
You can optimize for a long time without ever truly growing.
Why optimization always reaches a plateau
The law of diminishing returns
The more optimized a channel is, the more difficult and costly each additional gain becomes. Initial gains are often easy, but they quickly become scarce.
An already exploited audience
When the same audiences are continuously targeted, performance stabilizes, then declines.
An illusion of control
Optimizations give the impression of taking action, but they sometimes mask the absence of new growth levers.
Signs that your marketing is in permanent optimization mode
KPIs are improving, but revenues are stagnating
Increased click-through or conversion rates do not guarantee real growth.
Budgets are increasing without a proportional effect.
Injecting more money into an unchanged system rarely amplifies results.
The discussions always focus on the same levers.
When marketing meetings always revolve around the same channels, the system is probably mature.
Why growth requires a system change
Create new demand
Sustainable growth depends on the ability to reach new audiences who are not yet familiar with the brand.
Building brand awareness and reputation
A stronger brand makes future acquisition more efficient and less expensive.
Expanding the marketing ecosystem
SEO, content, advertising, sales, and customer service must work together to support growth.
The role of leadership in marketing growth
CEO Perspective
Growth requires structural decisions, not just tactical adjustments.
VP perspective and marketing departments
You need to know when to stop optimizing a channel and invest in new levers.
Teams and specialists' perspective
Teams need to be equipped to test, learn, and think outside the box.
Why more budget isn't always the solution
An inefficient system amplified
Increasing the budget without reviewing the system amplifies existing weaknesses.
Growth rarely comes from a single lever
It stems from the alignment between the offering, the brand, the channels, and the customer experience.
The financial risk
Burning through budgets hoping for automatic growth.
Why Bofu doesn't believe in compensation models based on a percentage of media spending
At Bofu, we have chosen not to adopt a compensation model based on a percentage of advertising spend. Not for ideological reasons, but because this model is rarely aligned with the client's true interests.
The level of effort, thought, and complexity required in marketing is not proportional to the amount spent on media. Rather, it depends on the structure of the sales funnels, the diversity of products or services, the maturity of the company, and the complexity of the target personas.
An extra dollar invested in advertising doesn't automatically mean more strategic work or more value created. On the contrary, some situations require a great deal of thought, optimization, and coordination, even with modest budgets.
That's why our approach focuses on optimizing our clients' annual sales cycle through marketing. We work to intelligently coordinate search volume, message relevance, and business results, rather than simply increasing spending.
Our role is not to encourage spending for the sake of spending, but to build a system where every marketing investment contributes consistently to long-term growth, predictability, and profitability.
When should we stop optimizing and start thinking about growth?
When gains become marginal
If every improvement requires disproportionate effort, the ceiling is near.
When the market evolves
Behaviors change, platforms evolve, and systems must follow.
When the company is ready to support more volume
Marketing growth must be supported by operations and sales.
Conclusion: optimization is necessary, growth is strategic
Optimization is essential to remain efficient. But it is not enough to create sustainable growth.
Growth requires a broader vision, a questioning of the system, and the courage to invest in levers that do not deliver immediate returns.
Marketing that only focuses on optimization eventually reaches a plateau.
Frequently asked questions about marketing optimization and growth
Why is my marketing no longer progressing despite optimizations?
Because you are probably optimizing a system that has reached maturity.
Should we stop optimizing in order to grow?
No. We need to optimize what already exists while building new levers.
Is marketing growth always linked to budget?
No. It is mainly related to the structure of the system and the company's ability to support higher volumes.
