The fog of organic growth (and how to see through it)
If there is a single mandate that hangs over the field of content marketing, it’s historically been to “achieve organic growth.” We’ve been sold this idea as the ultimate goal, a magical force that will solve all our problems. But this simplistic mantra creates a thick fog of “best practices” and conflicting advice, forcing us to chase a thousand different tactics at once. The pressure to “just grow organically” is suffocating, and it’s why so many of us feel completely lost.
The assumption is that the problem is execution, not the goal itself. But what if that’s wrong? What if the relentless pursuit of organic growth is the very thing leading you down the wrong path?
The magnifying glass
The solution isn’t another 100-page playbook. It’s a magnifying glass. 🔬
It’s a simple tool designed to do one thing: focus on the few essential questions that actually matter. It cuts through the fog by ignoring the noise and zeroing in on the fundamental truths of the business. For years, we’ve been sold ever-more-complex systems when what we really needed was a tool for radical clarity. (I’m talking to you, HubSpot!)
The relief comes when we name the problem correctly. The problem isn’t a lack of tactics; it’s a lack of diagnosis. Once you can clearly see the real issue, the path forward becomes surprisingly simple.
The cost of misalignment
The cost of getting this diagnosis wrong is immense. It’s why you see B2B service firms burning money on SEO strategies that attract students instead of CEOs. It’s why you see SaaS companies with a simple, transactional tool writing vague “thought leadership” about the future of their category, when their customers just want to know the price and if it integrates with Slack. This strategic misalignment is the single biggest source of wasted marketing budget.
I developed the following tool for my own practice—to quickly evaluate the alignment of potential roles and clients. It’s my first-pass filter to determine if a business understands its own engine, or if it’s driving with one foot on the gas and one on the brake.
Your diagnostic tool: three questions to replace the playbook
This three-question sequence will guide any business to its ideal marketing playbook.
Question 1: Does your business model include both a self-serve/transactional motion AND a high-touch/enterprise sales motion?
If YES: Your diagnosis is immediate. You are a hybrid.
Your Playbook is D: The Full Theater Production 🎭. (Your analysis is complete. You must run two distinct engines at once.)
If NO: Your business has one dominant motion. Proceed to Question 2.
Question 2 (if you answered NO to Q1): How do your ideal customers primarily discover and validate solutions?
A) Through direct channels like Google Search. They are actively looking for a known solution.
Your Playbook is A: The Stage Light 🔦. (Your analysis is complete. Your focus is on capturing existing demand.)
B) Through reputation, peer recommendations, and expert content in the "dark funnel." They need to build trust and be convinced of a point of view.
Proceed to Question 3.
Question 3 (if you answered B to Q2): What is your primary strategic position in the market?
A) We are the established market leader. Our goal is to defend our position by being the most comprehensive, stable, and trusted resource.
Your Playbook is B: The Lighthouse 💡.
B) We are a challenger or disruptor. Our goal is to win by proving our new, provocative point of view is superior to the old way.
Your Playbook is C: The Catalyst ⚡️.
Decoding your prescription
The Stage Light 🔦: A strategy of precision demand capture. Your world is high-intent SEO, PPC, and aggressive conversion rate optimization focused on users who are ready to act now.
The Lighthouse 💡: An authority strategy for market leaders. Your world is creating a massive library of comprehensive, trusted content to defend your position and answer every question.
The Catalyst ⚡️: An authority strategy for challengers. Your world is creating insightful, provocative, conversation-starting content that changes minds and builds a brand around a unique philosophy.
The Full Theater Production 🎭: The most complex model, often called Product-Led Growth (PLG). You must run both a Stage Light engine for user acquisition and a Lighthouse/Catalyst engine for enterprise sales, often with dedicated teams for each.
Putting the playbooks into practice
Prescription A (The Capture Engine)
STAGE LIGHT 🔦
A Stage Light’s job is to capture existing demand with precision. This strategy doesn’t rely on building a brand around a new philosophy but on being the most visible, trusted, and easy-to-use option for customers who are actively looking for a known solution. This is done through high-intent SEO, PPC, and aggressive conversion rate optimization—channels where you can most effectively capture buyers who are ready to act now.
Gusto is a perfect example. Their entire business is built to serve SMBs who are actively searching for payroll solutions. They win by dominating search results and converting that traffic with a seamless user experience.
Prescription B/C (The Authority Engine)
CATALYST ⚡️
A Catalyst’s job is to create a new, provocative conversation. This strategy doesn’t rely on being the most visible on Google Search but on building a brand around a unique philosophy that challenges the status quo. This is done through podcasts, targeted social media, and expert commentary—channels where Catalysts are most likely to connect with new buyers in a crowded market.
For example, Refine Labs built their B2B firm on a provocative point of view about the “dark funnel,” using podcasts and LinkedIn to create a new market conversation instead of chasing existing search demand.
LIGHTHOUSE 💡
A Lighthouse’s job is to defend its position as an established market leader. This strategy doesn’t rely on being a disruptor but on being the most comprehensive, stable, and trusted resource in its category. This is done by creating a vast ecosystem of content, reports, and community platforms—channels where a market leader is most likely to reinforce its authority and answer every possible question for its diverse customer base.
Collibra, for example, acts as a Lighthouse, defending its position as a market leader with a comprehensive ecosystem of reports, community, and expert content.
Prescription D (The Hybrid Engine)
FULL THEATER PRODUCTION 🎭
A Full Theater Production’s job is to run a complex, dual-engine growth model. This strategy operates two distinct sales motions at once: one for high-volume, transactional customers and another for high-touch, enterprise buyers. This is done by running a Stage Light engine (high-intent SEO and tutorials) to capture existing demand while simultaneously running a Lighthouse engine (executive-level thought leadership and polished case studies) to build trust and authority with enterprise clients.
Workato is the ideal “Full Theater Production.” They need a massive Stage Light engine with endless tutorials to attract developers, and a sophisticated Lighthouse strategy to sell massive automation contracts to CIOs.
Conclusion: The 4 P’s are your new magnifying glass
In the fog of modern marketing, we’re obsessed with the fourth P: Promotion. We chase new tactics and channels—AI, demand gen, organic growth—hoping to find a silver bullet. But the noise and complexity are the direct result of ignoring the three P’s that must come first.
Look back at the diagnostic tool. It doesn’t ask about your content calendar; it forces you to answer the foundational questions about your Product, Price, and Place.
Only after you have the unvarnished truth about those fundamentals can you choose the right Promotion (your Stage Light, Lighthouse, or Catalyst playbook). The 4 P’s aren’t an outdated concept. In an era of infinite tactics, they are the simple, powerful tool you need to diagnose what actually works.
