An organic vs paid decision worksheet for small firms

Key takeaways

This one-page worksheet turns the organic vs paid question into numbers. Fill in your goal and deadline, what a customer is worth, your affordable cost per enquiry, current organic results, available time and budget. The answers point to organic first, a paid test, or both, and give you a budget figure to start with.

• Section 1: goal, deadline and audience.
• Section 2: customer value and affordable cost per enquiry.
• Section 3: current organic results and time available.
• Section 4: budget and decision.

Section 1: what is your goal?

Write your goal, deadline and audience in one line each. This decides whether speed matters.

• Goal: for example, 10 more enquiries a month.
• Deadline: the date results are needed.
• Audience: who and where.
• Type: new customers or repeat customers.

• Organic social media vs paid advertising: which to choose?
• Organic or paid social? Five questions that decide it

Section 2: what can you afford per enquiry?

Work out customer value and the most you can pay per enquiry.

• Average gross profit per customer: £___.
• Share of enquiries that become customers: ___%.
• Affordable cost per enquiry = profit × share.
• Example: £600 × 25% = £150.

• Organic vs paid cost per lead: comparing like with like

Section 3: what is organic producing now?

Record current organic results and time. Value time using your hourly cost or typical earnings from ONS ASHE data.

• Organic enquiries last month: ___.
• Hours spent on social a week: ___.
• Organic cost per enquiry: ___.
• Best post or offer: ___.

• How much time does organic social media take each week?

Section 4: what budget and decision?

Choose a path from the answers.

• Deadline under 6 weeks and proof exists: paid test.
• No proof yet: organic first for 3 months.
• Proof and budget of £300 or more a month: both.
• Organic cost per enquiry already low: protect organic time.

• Earn, prove, buy: the GBL organic and paid social model
• A small budget: put it into organic content or ads?

How do you review the worksheet?

Revisit the worksheet every quarter with updated numbers from your records and GA4 key events. Meta's budget tools let you set the figure you chose as a cap so spending stays within it.

• How long before you judge organic or paid results?

What does a completed worksheet look like?

A worked example: a dog groomer wants eight more bookings a month by spring. Average profit per customer is £120 and half of enquiries book, so she can afford £60 per enquiry. Organic brings six enquiries a month from four hours a week. Two Reels have brought bookings. Answer: both, with a £300 monthly ad test behind those Reels.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Worksheet checklist

• Write the goal and deadline.
• Calculate affordable cost per enquiry.
• Record organic enquiries and hours.
• Name your best post or offer.
• Choose the path from section 4.
• Set a quarterly review date.

• Organic vs paid checklist: 20 checks before you choose
• Organic vs paid social examples from UK small businesses

Next step

Fill in all four sections this week using last month's numbers. Use the answer to set next quarter's plan and budget.