Jun 1 in Marketing Strategy
The Real Cost of "Free" Marketing Activities for Startups
Many entrepreneurs gravitate towards so-called "free" marketing activities like posting on social media and optimizing their website for search engines (SEO). But are these methods truly free?
In my opinion, especially with SEO and uncertain platforms like social media, these are often not the best choices for most startups.
⏰Consider the True Cost of Your Time
First, these activities are only "free" if you don't count your time. Your time is valuable. You could be focusing on other activities that directly earn money, rather than spending hours on social media or SEO. This isn’t to say these methods are wrong, but it's crucial to consider the cost of your time.
✖︎The Exception
If you are an expert in SEO or social media, then you know what you’re doing and can have the right expectations. For everyone else, here’s why these activities might not be the best use of your time.
▶︎SEO: A Long-Term Investment
SEO is typically one of the least important activities for a startup at the beginning:
- Time-Consuming: It takes a lot of time to rank for keywords. New websites can take 6-12 months just to start ranking, and that's if you're doing everything correctly.
- Uncertain Results: For startups, 12 months is a long time, especially when there’s a lot of uncertainty about your business direction and offer.
- Algorithm Changes: SEO is unpredictable due to frequent algorithm updates. You may not achieve the desired rankings even after significant effort.
►Social Media: A Slow Build
Social media can be more effective than SEO, but it also has its challenges:
- Slow Growth: Building a following takes time. Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn often limit the visibility of your page posts unless you pay for ads.
- Personal Profiles: Using personal profiles might achieve better reach, but even then, it takes time to build an audience that converts into sales.
- Effort-Intensive: You need many followers to generate sales, which usually requires a year or more of consistent effort.
▶︎When to Use Ads
If you want to push your startup idea quickly, paid ads are usually a better solution:
- Targeting: Ads allow precise targeting of your ideal audience.
- Control and Scalability: You can start with a small budget, test the waters, and scale up if it works.
- Immediate Results: Unlike SEO or organic social media, ads can produce quicker results.
✖︎Exceptions to Consider
The only exception is if your niche doesn’t allow advertisements, such as CBD, cannabis, gambling, etc.
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The Real Cost of "Free" Marketing Activities for Startups
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