Last week I sent my subscribers an email to let them know that for the next several months, I’ll be taking on a few clients to create and run their ads for them. The response I got worried me.
The emails poured in over the next few days from excited entrepreneurs who are eager to get help with their ads. Many said something like this:
- I’ve just finished my new opt-in and I’m going to launch a course in 4 weeks. I need to grow my list before then.
- I’ve tried to use Facebook ads before and gotten no results. Now I have a launch in 2 weeks and no one to sell to.
- I have a new product that I want to sell. I would love your help with that ads part.
Here’s why I’m concerned: all the buzz about Facebook ads (which I am partly responsible for creating) has a lot of people thinking that investing in advertising is all they need to do to sell out their course or fill up a membership site.
Except that’s the equivalent of believing that Viagra will make you good in bed.
Remember your first time? For lots of people (AHEM), it was not the incredible, earth-shattering experience that you read about in romance novels. It’s typically awkward, maybe painful, maybe romantic, but not exactly the good time that we’re hoping sex can be once we’re not total rookies.
Imagine if you had added Viagra into that mix. Would it have improved your first time? If everything about that sex was fantastic, and the only problem was the short duration, then yes, it probably would have helped. But not in most cases.
Now think about another time in your life when you and your partner simply didn’t connect sexually. Maybe she just lied there or he didn’t have the first idea about foreplay. Or maybe the chemistry simply wasn’t there.
Would Viagra have helped in that situation? I’m pretty sure those “magic pills” don’t come with any instructions on exactly how to please your specific partner, so if the sex is bad, an especially hard penis isn’t exactly going to help.
I want you to think about Facebook ads as Viagra: they can give your traffic and possibly your revenue a lift (pun intended), but they can’t woo those brand new visitors into signing up for your list or buying your product. That’s on YOU.
This happens ALL the time:
- You set up ads, they start running, and people click on them. Hooray!
- But you don’t see any (or many) conversions. People aren’t opting in on your landing page.
- Or maybe they’re signing up but then they’re not buying your products or inquiring about your services. You’re not making the money back that you spent on your ads.
- You invest a TON of money into a launch, everything seems to be going well with your ads, but then sales are surprisingly low. You overestimated the power of ads, but depended on them entirely for getting people into your sales funnel.
This is what I wish you would do instead:
- Once you have your opt-in created, test it out on organic traffic. Does it convert well on the people who visit your page from social media, guest posts, Facebook group networking, or people coming from Google? If not, you need to fix something (or several things) before you start using Facebook ads.
- Try selling your course or product to people who get on your list from those organic sources. If it does well, then you can think about using Facebook ads to bring new people in before you launch again.
- Test out Facebook ads long before you want to use them to sell something. Figure out the right audience for you by promoting some blog posts. (Instructions here.)
- Do not depend on Facebook ads, even if you’ve had success in the past. I keep hearing about launches that do well for a while until they don’t. Make sure that you’re bringing new people into your world by other means, such as podcast interviews, guest posts, and content that’s optimized for Google.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “But I wanted to use Facebook ads because I don’t know how to build things organically,” you’re not alone. There is one resource that can benefit every entrepreneur in the beginning and middle phases of their businesses: Fizzle.
Fizzle is a membership site and unparalleled community of people who are all there for the same reason: they want to create something that people want and are willing to pay for. There’s no bullshit and no formulas, but there IS a fantastic roadmap to help you figure out what to do next in order to create something that’s actually sustainable. You can listen to Barrett from Fizzle talk more about it in this interview on The Get Paid Podcast.
I’m a proud Fizzler myself, and the forums are literally the most welcoming and encouraging community I’ve seen online.
Check it out for free here. The links in this post are my referral link; if you sign up for your free month and then end up sticking around, I get a small discount on my own membership, but that’s the only kind of “commission” I receive.
So before you reach for the Viagra, do the work to find out how to seduce your partner, or, in this case, your ideal customers.
It won’t be easy, and it WILL take some time. But if you can find the right buttons to push, then the Viagra – and Facebook ads – will come in handy only when you need a little boost. :)
Claire, I’ve got one question with two parts. Are your services geared exclusively to businesses that are “online-oriented” and is that also true of Fizzle?
Hi Allen, all of my clients do have to have some kind of online element, since Facebook ads reach people who are online and then often send those people to a website, blog, etc. Fizzle is the same way: there are people with physical products in there too, but they tend to be selling them online. This might make things simpler: what kind of business do you run?
My question was in reference to being a Mortgage Broker. There certainly is an online component to my marketing and lead generation but no one is walking through a payment gateway to get a mortgage.
LoL, great metaphor and very well said! Thanks for the post. My other favorite post of yours that I refer people to often is the one about lkr and writing bullet points that are specific and mysterious. Thanks for all you share! ?
Aww, thanks Wendy! LKR taught me lots of great gems like that one. :)
I’ve been enjoying all your content on FB ads–thank you! What do you think about running a simple “Like” ad to get more fans of my page? I’m in a health-related niche (so non b2b; I help people menu plan and want to offer coaching; I’m not selling anything right now) and I network a lot in FB groups, so people know and like me. But I’d love them to Like my page so they’ll see my posts. Do you think it would be off-putting to non-b2b prospects to see my sponsored Like ad in their newfeeds? I don’t want anyone to think I’m going to take advantage of them with some kind of hard sell.
Hey Julie! I don’t think non B2B people will be put off by ads, I’ve worked with lots of people in the health and wellness arenas and many have gotten fantastic results! But here’s more info about how I feel about running like ads: clairepells.com/pay-for-likes
Thanks for your response, Claire! I’m about to watch that video in your post.
Love this post Claire. It’s so true. It’s also the same problem I face when my clients create their first info product or course. The first time is always a little awkward (pun intended).
HA! Great pun. :) Do you find that you often have to set very clear expectations before the project can begin?