Written by Lynn Swayze
As I mentioned in my last post, I firmly believe that you should have some foundational marketing assets in place before you run paid ads. At least, before you really sink a lot of money into it.
In this post, I want to explain the why behind the what.
Why Foundations First Reason #1: You’ll Get Organic Traction
The first reason is that when you build your marketing via organic methods first, you’ll be able to learn what the algorithms (and your audience!) likes to see before you spend a dime on ads. You’ll start seeing early trends in hooks, sophistication stages, offers, types of assets, etc which you can later springboard into successful paid ads campaigns.
For example, let’s say you learn that your audience LOVES videos and carousels – so much so, that you have one or two go viral. This is data you can track and keep for your ads team down the road, who can then use your hard-won money to create ads which are more likely to work… rather than you paying money to learn what you could have learned for free.
Why Foundations First Reason #2: You’ll Have More Content for Ads
The second reason is that you’ll also have more content for your ads team to run. I’ve worked in agencies for years, and getting good content from the client is almost always a pain point. When you build your marketing foundations first, then you’ll have lots of content in the form of blog posts, lead magnets (and books!), offers, videos, interviews, proof, testimonials, case studies, etc which your team can leverage in ad campaigns.
The last thing you’ll want to do is pay 5+ figures for an ads agency only to discover that they don’t have what they need to hit the ground running with your ads… and are waiting on you to create something. No bueno.
Why Foundations First Reason #3: Your Audience Will Boost Your Results
A third benefit which ads people know about – but won’t always share – is that when you can give your ads some “love” with likes, comments, and shares, your ads will do better. When you have an audience already, you’ll find that they naturally start to boost your ads without you having to ask – often with positive comments and shares.
This makes your ad spend more effective and more likely to get you the results you want.
Why Foundations First Reason #4: You’ll Get More Algorithm Love
Now I’m not a media buyer, but I do know that the ads platforms like it when you have pages and profiles which already have likes, followers, and engagement. When you get in the habit of doing foundational marketing, you give your ads the best chance of success.
Not to mention that your consumer base WILL check you out before they take action… and if you have no reviews, few likes, and barely any content, you’re going to look like a scammer. (To go back to the “Trust Economy” concept I introduced earlier.)
Why Foundations First Reason #5: You’ll Have Revenue Runway
If it’s one thing I really regretted seeing when I worked with agencies, it’s seeing clients who should never have been sold ads to begin with. They weren’t ready, and didn’t have a proven offer that worked to warm audiences…. let alone one that would work to cold audiences. And the result, when the foundational work wasn’t done, was a client who spent their entire budget on ads which didn’t move the needle at all.
I don’t want that for YOU.
Ads can be expensive, and they really only work when you have revenue and profit to reinvest. Trying to make ads a hail mary when you don’t have revenue to begin with is a gamble that fails more often than not. Don’t do it or if you do, make damn sure you’re ALSO doing all the organic marketing and Authority marketing I teach.
Why Foundations First Reason #6: You’ll Adopt a Testing Mindset
A sixth reason? It’s that you’ll adopt a marketing mindset more readily because you’ll have been running marketing for a while: emails, blog posts, social posts, videos. There’s nothing worse for ad agencies than to have a client who doesn’t understand that not all ads are a home run and that sometimes, campaigns fail.
You’ll become a better, more patient, and more collaborative marketing partner when you will have done marketing for a while.
Why Foundations First Reason #7: It Gives You Control
Finally, when you build your Foundational Marketing Assets and run marketing the way I teach, you’ll retain control. You’ll know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to messaging and hooks. You’ll also have other marketing activities which drive sales conversations and product sales… and won’t give all your power to the agency.
And this, my friend, is freedom.
If you want someone who’ll partner with you to build the Marketing Foundations you need to scale successfully, contact me and let’s start the conversation.
Lynn Swayze is “The Expert’s Copywriter” and founder of the OfferTherapy™ System for Experts. You can check out her courses, community, and coaching at TheExpertsCopywriter.com.
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