Before You Run Any Ad

By Pat Rigsby

Before you invest in any form of paid advertising there are some things you should do first.

First…Know Your Desired Outcome.

If you’re going to invest in marketing…you need to have a specific objective.

What outcome do you want from that step in the process?

For me, most of my ads are designed to give something of value away for free to get the prospects I want to connect with to ‘raise their hand.’

I’m not often trying to sell with my ads. Just make an initial connection.

Beyond that…I have a pretty good idea of how many clients I want to serve…so I approach my advertising accordingly.

So think about what outcome you want…and what the ad specifically is designed to do so you can set the ad to sales system up accordingly.

Next…Know Your Ideal Prospect.

One of the best things you can do is know what the ideal prospect looks like for you so you’ll know what they look like when you find them.

When you start running ads you’ll get all sorts of leads…but over time you want to set up your whole advertising system around finding that ideal person.

Then…Set Up Your Lead Conversion System.

The biggest complaint I hear when people first start experimenting with paid advertising is that they get leads that don’t turn into clients.

But once you get an ad that actually converts and produces leads…it’s job is done.

Then the next step in the system takes over…but often there isn’t a next step.

• Do you have a follow-up system in place?
• Do you blend emails, texts and calls?
• Maybe even direct mail?
• Do you make it easy for the prospect to engage?
• Do you get them in to experience what you have to offer if they are ready?
• Do you have a great nurture plan in place if they aren’t?

Only a small percentage of leads will join immediately…but at least half will join somewhere over the next year or two.

Make sure it’s with you.

Be Sure To Start Inside-Out.

Most of the time we put a simple referral offer in place…and expect it to stay top of mind.

It won’t.

Blend a variety of offers and make it easy for your clients to connect you to their friends, family, co-workers, etc.

For me, the hands down best option to do that would be to write a small book and make that easy for clients to share with their network.

Tell them you’ll give their friends a copy…hard copy or digital. Just connect you and you’ll take care of the rest.

Mix that with the regular bring a friend day, charity event and periodic referral promotion and you’ll create a steady flow of leads.

Finally…talk to the people you know.

I never get it.

People will run ads to people they’ve never met but fail to invite those they know to experience what they do.

Ask everyone you know to come in for a week. Two. Even a month if you want.

Get them on your email list.

Ask them to download your book.

Put all your new offers in front of them.

Only after you do all of that should you run ads.

You’ll be poised to convert the leads you get.

Now you’ve had some experience in handling the process.

You probably even have more cash flow to invest in the ads from the other things you’ve done.

So before you spend your money on ads looking for new prospects, go through these steps first and you’ll multiply the cost effectiveness of your lead generation program.