Quick Wins vs. Lasting Growth: Striking the Right Balance
Running a small or midsize business (SMB) often feels like balancing on a tightrope. On one side, you’ve got the pressure to bring in revenue quickly — keeping cash flow steady and doors open. On the other, you know you should be investing in strategies that will carry your business forward in the long run.
So, which is more important — quick wins or lasting growth? The truth is, you need both. The real challenge lies in striking the right balance.
In this post, we’ll break down what quick wins and lasting growth look like in marketing, the dangers of leaning too heavily in either direction, and how you can find the “sweet spot” for your business.
What Are Quick Wins?
Quick wins are short-term marketing activities designed to generate immediate results. They’re often campaign-based and directly tied to sales. Think of them as the sugar rush of marketing: they give you energy fast, but they don’t last forever.
Examples of quick wins for SMBs include:
Running a limited-time promotion or discount
Investing in pay-per-click ads to drive traffic
Partnering with another business on a holiday special
Boosting a Facebook or Instagram post
Launching a flash sale email campaign
These activities are fantastic for creating urgency and sparking revenue. But once the promo ends or the ad budget runs out, the results usually stop too.
What Does Lasting Growth Look Like?
Lasting growth comes from strategies that take more time and consistency but build a strong foundation. Unlike quick wins, they compound — the longer you invest, the stronger the return.
Examples of long-term growth strategies include:
Search engine optimization (SEO) to increase organic visibility
Building a consistent brand identity and reputation
Growing your email subscriber list and nurturing it
Developing a content strategy (blogs, videos, customer stories)
Creating customer loyalty programs
Building a social community around your brand
These efforts don’t deliver overnight results, but they create sustainable growth. For example, a blog post optimized for search can bring in traffic for years, long after you’ve hit “publish.”
The Danger of Extremes
The mistake many SMBs make is going all-in on one approach and neglecting the other.
Too much focus on quick wins:
Creates a cycle of constant promotions and discounts, which can cheapen your brand.
Leads to marketing burnout as you chase campaign after campaign.
Makes revenue unpredictable — great one month, slow the next.
Too much focus on lasting growth:
Means waiting too long for results, which can hurt cash flow.
Risks missing out on easy revenue opportunities.
Can feel frustrating for owners who need to “see” immediate ROI.
Neither extreme works. The best results come from weaving both approaches together.
The 60/40 Rule: A Balanced Approach
A practical way to think about balance is the 60/40 rule:
60% of your time, money, and energy should go toward long-term growth.
40% should go toward short-term, quick-win activities.
This ratio ensures you’re building for the future while still bringing in the revenue you need today.
For example, if you have a $2,500 monthly marketing budget:
$1,500 goes toward SEO, blogging, email list growth, and brand-building.
$1,000 goes toward seasonal ads, social promotions, and short-term campaigns.
The exact split may look different depending on your industry, but the point is clear: you need both sides working together.
A Real-World Example
Let’s say you own a local landscaping business.
Quick wins: Running Google Ads for “lawn care near me” in the spring, offering a seasonal package, or sending a “refer a friend” discount email.
Lasting growth: Writing blog posts like “5 Ways to Keep Your Lawn Healthy Year-Round,” building a YouTube channel with how-to videos, and creating a customer loyalty program.
The quick wins keep your schedule full this season. The long-term strategies build trust, rank on Google, and ensure your phone keeps ringing next year — without relying only on ads.
How to Find Your Balance
Here’s a simple way to evaluate where you are now and where you might need to adjust:
Look at your spend. Pull up your marketing budget from the last 3–6 months. How much went to ads and promotions vs. long-term investments like SEO, website upgrades, or content?
Check your time. Are you spending most of your week reacting to sales opportunities, or carving out time to build sustainable marketing assets?
Track your results. Where are leads actually coming from? Do you know which efforts are driving sales today vs. which are building your brand for tomorrow?
Small Adjustments Make a Big Difference
Striking the balance doesn’t mean making huge changes overnight. It’s about small adjustments.
If you’ve been running ad-heavy campaigns, dedicate one afternoon a month to content creation or SEO.
If you’ve been heads-down on branding, carve out a budget for a short-term promo to bring in cash flow.
If you don’t have a split in mind, start with 60/40 and adjust after a few months.
Final Thought
Quick wins keep your business moving forward in the short term. Lasting growth ensures you’ll still be around and thriving five years from now. You don’t have to choose one or the other — the secret is learning how to balance both.
Action Step:
Take 15 minutes this week to audit your marketing. Write down what percentage of your budget and time goes to quick wins vs. long-term growth. If you find yourself lopsided, make a plan to rebalance before the new year.
Your business will thank you — today and tomorrow.