When Should You Start Running Paid Ads?

Every Shark Tank pitch eventually gets the same question: what’s your cost of getting a customer? Paid ads are where that number gets real. Money goes in, and results (hopefully) come out. But paying for reach doesn’t fix a shaky foundation, it just shows it to more people. This blog is a readiness guide. It won’t teach you to run ads, only whether you’re ready to consider performance marketing.

1. Are you clear on who you’re selling to?

There’s a difference between who you’re selling to and who actually wants your product. Ads let you target precisely, but only if you know who to aim at. If you can’t describe your audience in a sentence, wait.

2. What is your message?

An ad has a few seconds to say one thing. If you can’t say what you offer, for whom and why it matters, no budget will fix that. Test your message organically first and see what resonates.

3. What stage is your social media at?

• Awareness: People are just discovering you.
• Consideration: They know you and are weighing their options.
• Conversion: They’re ready to take action.

Know which stage you’re at, because each needs a different kind of ad.

4. Is your funnel in place?

Ask yourself:

• Where do your leads go after clicking your ad?
• Are your landing pages ready?
• Are your contact informations in the right place?
• Do you have a good feedback channel set up?

If someone clicks and lands on a dead end, you’ve paid for nothing.

5. Are your creatives ready?

Paying for ads doesn’t mean people are compelled to buy, especially with a bad creative design. The creative is what stops the scroll and carries your message. If it doesn’t look right, it won’t work. Our blogs on viral video hooks and the AIDA principle are a good place to start.

6. Do you know your quality score metrics?

Quality score metrics tell you how relevant and well built your ads and landing pages are. If you know them like the back of your palm, you’re in good shape. Even then, the support of a performance marketer is always advised.

Quick readiness checklist

• I know who I’m selling to.
• I know my message.
• I know my social media stage.
• My funnel, landing pages and contact points are ready.
• I have a feedback channel.
• My creatives are ready.
• I understand my quality score metrics.

If you can’t tick most of these, wait and build the foundation first.

Conclusion

Paid ads aren’t a shortcut, they’re an amplifier. When your audience, message, funnel and creatives are ready, ads multiply what works. When they aren’t, they multiply the problem. Use this as a guide, and bring in a performance marketer when you’re ready.

FAQs

• When should I start running paid ads? When you have a clear audience and message, a working funnel and creatives you’re confident in.
• Do I need a performance marketer? It’s always advised, even if you understand quality score metrics yourself.
• Can bad creatives ruin my ads? Paying for ads doesn’t compel anyone to buy, and a poor creative design won’t convert.
• What should I have ready before spending? A landing page, a place for leads to go and a feedback channel.
• Do I need organic content first? It helps you test your message before you pay to promote it.

Read next: marketing buzzwords decoded (for CTR, CPM and ROAS), and how to tell whether social media is working.