We’re pouring one out for Rand Fishkin today as he teaches us how to not pour money into paid ads that were built to fail. We’re tearfully wondering, “Will this be Rand’s last Whiteboard Friday?” After 17 years, the wizard of Moz has left the building. You can read more about that here.
Well, guess we should get to it then… But a big shout out to Rand for making Moz such a reliable resource.
In this latest Whiteboard Friday, Rand identifies the vicious cycle brands get stuck in and outlines a solution to make those paid ads worth the dough you put into them.
Companies breaking into online ads don’t see success due to the same issue: their audiences don’t know them. When there’s no recognition, there’s no trust, and then the cost per click remains high.
Say no one engages with your Facebook and Instagram ads, AdWords, or display ads. The cost to show more people is gonna go way up. Then your exposure to the audience you want to reach is smaller and the cost to reach the next person goes up. A vicious and expensive cycle indeed.
The solution? Seems pretty obvious. You have to get known to your audience before you spend tons on advertising.
- Invest in organic channels—content or SEO or press and PR or sponsorships or events, anything to give your brand name/product names exposure.
- Advertising primarily or exclusively to an audience that already has experience with you will also help. Utilize Google’s retargeting and remarketing platforms. In your social media channels, target people who specifically only follow the accounts that you already own and control.
Get the full scoop below.
