So what is marketing and advertising ?

Once I decided on my business and offerings, I quickly realised finding customers would be a challenge. I didn’t expect it to be so hard to get even one. So, I started by advertising on free classified sites, and eventually, I secured my first customer.

But then I asked myself: What next?

I soon realised this method wouldn’t work for every product or service. So, I decided to try advertising on social media. I thought it would be easy to do it for free and still attract customers. Here’s where I went wrong: I set up Instagram and Facebook accounts and created ads using a free online tool. The result? More followers, but not the leads and sales I was hoping for.

This led me to step back and research how to find customers more effectively. I read articles, watched videos, and attended webinars. The most valuable lesson I learned? Marketing is more complex than I originally thought.

One webinar taught me how to create short videos to promote a product or service and how to build a list of leads using a squeeze page (yes, squeeze).

As I continued learning, I realised that with a budget of around $400 per month, you can run ads five times a week for a month and significantly expand your reach. And with a great video or engaging ad, your chances of building a list or making sales could double.

The biggest revelation for me was the concept of the "advertising funnel." I learned that you can create Facebook or Instagram campaigns using pre-designed templates, which blew my mind. These templates cost less than $200, and they even offer a variety of designs. Of course you can also create your own ones by using free website and landing page tools.

Finally, I realised that SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and optimising your website for Google search is another powerful way to advertise and reach your ideal customers.

Wishing you well.

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