If you have ever worked with an agency, you have probably heard them say something like, “You need to invest in your marketing before you can see results.” Or maybe it was along the lines of, “It takes some time to start seeing results – be patient.”
And certainly – you do need to invest some time and money to see results. However, the great thing about digital marketing is that you can start small, test, and scale! Your marketing plan should be structured to invest as little up-front as possible, and then to increase investment only as you see returns.
I am here to debunk the myth that you have to spend a lot of money before you know if it’s working or not. Here’s why:
Testing and Micro-budgets: With digital ads, you can test many different ad placements, copies, and creatives, each with a tiny budget. You measure how people respond, and then only spend money on what is working.
Landing Pages: Maybe you have a terrible website that isn’t converting visitors into sales. Most agencies will sell you on a big website redesign – but you can start with a simple landing page! Just make one conversion-optimized page and send your traffic there. If it works, consider rolling out the design site-wide.
Tracking: With digital marketing, you can track every single click, form fill, purchase, and phone call back to the specific ad that generated it. There is no guesswork needed – only invest in what is working.
So don’t shell out the big bucks on your best guess at a viable strategy. Start small, test, measure, optimize… THEN scale!
