Unless you see people recommending your product enough, don't jump to ads.
Anytime I say this, people think I’m simply against running ads. Or that I’m clueless — and don’t know what I’m saying.
Well, I’m not against ads. They do work. But in certain conditions and they are a perfect option for scaling an offer that’s already working.
Which is why when fellow IndieHackers runs ad campaigns, the results is 9 out of 10 times nothing to write home about. (Just ask Dagobert, Arvid Kahl et al).
Context Matters:
If you are spending other people’s money, this post won’t make sense to you. And you will be right. Go read Traction, you can afford to multiple trial and error without dying.
But for those who are spending their own savings, have quit their own day job, with a shorter runway as each day passes, and who have more time than money…
This is for you.
Please Read on.
Here’s why Ads aren’t a great choice for you now
- Lack of Trust
In marketing, particularly for Startups, the greatest barrier to cross is not the price point. It’s definitely not the product (your product is objectively better than the Status Quo)…
But Lack of Trust (Uncertainty).
Let me ask you How many times have you seen a product that interests you online, the price is good, it ticks all your purchase criteria. Yet, you don’t buy?
…And if you happen to buy the product, it’s always from a physical store nearby?
- Generic Offer
Take a look at most Startups Ads. What do you see? It’s often a generic direct-offer ad slapped with their name or logo on top.
What?!?!
You think you are Apple? Masterclass? Or Netflix?
My dude, no one knows you. So nobody trusts you. And trust is critical to making a sale. Even if your offer is legit asf, people will resist taking action because of perceived risk.
- You don’t know fully well what makes Customers tick
In the early days, you are still experimenting. Unless you see people recommending your product enough and know what makes it so good to recommend — don’t jump to Ads.
Try other methods.
But you want more customers. More money and you want to scale.
How do you build awareness that leads to sales?
And how do you do it profitably
The way forward
We know that the critical factor is trust. But there are several means to build trust.
And one way is through attention. Frequently being on people’s radar make them automatically trust you. It’s evident with Build in Public folks.
But it takes time.
Another way is by leveraging other people’s trust and credibility. Rand Fishkin calls it "Influence Marketing". But I call it The Circle of Influence.
It’s simple when you see it in action. And unlike Ads, it doesn’t stop abruptly when you stop pumping money into it. Instead, It’s a gift that keeps giving.
So basically, here’s what you do:
- Identify a Source that has an influence over your customers purchase decisions.
It’s beyond Influencer Marketing (Don’t miss it up, reason why I call it The Circle Of Influence). It could be a Blog, a Publication,
- Then, you find a way to identify yourself with them.
Could be either a series of guest posting, a sponsorship, or a Partnership. The way it can happen are countless and only limited by your creativity.
It's up to you.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
thanks for sharing : )