Collier Hammons

Honestly the best way is to go work for agency for at least 4-5 years. Agency teaches tons of skills very quickly, and you get a lot of experience from very seasoned marketers. A lot of marketing is taught on the job, and it’s hard to just learn by trial and error. It’s not impossible, but it’s definitely faster and easier to go agency. You will likely become very specialized in one type of marketing by doing this, but you will also be very capable when you go out on your own.

This is the most important step in the whole list. You have to be focused on testing in order to reach the best copy, video elements, and imagery. Start first by creating 1 ad you like and that accurately conveys your brand and service or product. Break it down by the elements, and then change the element you’re least sure about. Version A (original) and Version B (new). Utilize in-platform A/B testing to split the results equally and then wait for the results. You should never stop doing this, but only test one element at a time. If you change two or more elements it makes it harder to tell which one is driving the better performance. Make a plan on what you want to test, and rank it from most important to least!

This is the most important step in the whole list. You have to be focused on testing in order to reach the best copy, video elements, and imagery. Start first by creating 1 ad you like and that accurately conveys your brand and service or product. Break it down by the elements, and then change the element you’re least sure about. Version A (original) and Version B (new). Utilize in-platform A/B testing to split the results equally and then wait for the results. You should never stop doing this, but only test one element at a time. If you change two or more elements it makes it harder to tell which one is driving the better performance. Make a plan on what you want to test, and rank it from most important to least!

Budget should only be limited by ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) If you're making $3 in revenue for every $1 you put into ad spend, why would you not keep spending the $1? It's important to note that advertising does not immediately work. A lot of times you will need to optimize your campaigns over time to get to a revenue positive place. Start with what you could afford to spend and lose. It's like going to Las Vegas but with way better odds. Ideally you have some organic business that you can siphon a small part away from to cover this, but if not you may need to consider what will fund your ads. If you approach your advertising carefully, and spend into the tactics that work, budgets will scale with your success.

The number one mistake I see from sales people is that they are so focused on getting the sale they don't want to talk about anything else. You need to build content that is not always sales focused. You need to cover diverse topics, provide unique but helpful thought leadership, and ultimately sell the benefit of working with you. When you're teaching others and sharing your knowledge, you're selling your brain. You're showing people how valuable you can be to them, by answering their questions or giving them key insights for free. The best way to find a new lead in is to make content that is valuable to them. They know that if they start working with you, it's going to be even more valuable than the free advice you give.

Knowing your audience is key to choosing the right channels. If you're seeking 18-34 year olds they are not on Facebook. If you're trying to reach 35+ they're not on Snapchat. Really step back and think about the places your prospective client or audience spends their time. Once you have really clearly identified the person you're trying to reach and where they are, it's about creating content for that specific platform. Text posts work great on LinkedIn but don't try doing a text ad on TikTok. Don't pick many channels, just pick a couple that will do the most for you. An interior designer might be able to build her whole lead generation strategy off Instagram, but he/she needs to make reels, post stories, & engage with others to grow.