I lost hundreds of dollars on ads and learned important lessons. Aka, how to run ads better than me

[ttander32]

I tried cheating my way to growth with ads. And it didn’t end well. And I know it wouldn't go well because I've seen dozens of my clients do the same. But something is just so alluring about the idea of $1 in = +$1 out with ads.

I ran $650 worth of ads when I first started my latest project and my ROI was about $150.

I should know better…

Ads success depends on so many factors - your targeting, funnels, sales copy, and above all your product and offer

Get any of these wrong and your ads won’t work. Don’t have to make the same mistake I made.

So, before throwing your money at your ad account, focus on perfecting these core elements first. Make sure your product is SOLID (people want it), your targeting is laser-focused, your funnel’s optimized and your landing page is persuasive.

Unless, of course, you have millions of dollars in funding to spend on ads. Then yeah, ads are probably the fastest and easiest ways to validate, grow and scale.

The bottom line? Follow the checklist below to make sure you’re ready for ads.

Checklist for successful ads:

1. Targeted audience: Laser-focused on ideal customers
2. Optimized product: SOLID, solves real problems
3. Persuasive landing page: Clear call-to-action, compelling benefits
4. Funnel: Streamlined flow to convert visitors into customers.
5. Sales copy: Irresistible offer and messaging
6. Budget: Enough funding for adequate ad spend and testing. $650 is not enough.
7. Metrics: Track ROI, conversions, and engagement to optimize
8. Testing: Try different ads, creatives, placements and audiences •Patience: Building an ad-driven business takes time and consistency

P.S. please don't call for all the instagram ads that promise to give you crazy Ad ROI while you only spend a few bucks. It ain't true.

 

[beauty86]

@ttander32 An annoying but understandable thing about most ad platforms is that it takes some serious investment for the platform to truly understand who they should be showing the ads too.

I work for a company that spends hundreds of thousands a year on Google Ads and every time we set up a new website or campaign, it can take us thousands of dollars before we're even breaking even, this is just as Google's fancy AI figures out exactly what our ideal customer might look like.

You've done a pretty good job of covering the biggest mistakes I see people making

 

[ttander32]

@beauty86 Right on. Agreed. That’s one thing I didn’t realize

 

[esmith76]

@ttander32 That's how we learn and evolve.

Would you mind telling about the product or service you sold ? As lots of products are profitable when run correctly in their relevant regions and times.