Don't spend a penny on ads until you can track them

What I learnt in a few weeks of trying paid ads for Siftware at the end of 2016.

Don't spend any money on advertising until you can track it.

If you can't tell which ad brought which person, you've paid to learn nothing.

When you can track it:

• Have a lead magnet as the incentive. Everyone knows that.
• Also have a set of follow-up emails already written that drip out more value. Write them before the traffic arrives, not after.

Early campaigns are for learning

The aim of the first campaigns isn't sales. It's to understand the market and find out what content works.

On social, aim for engagement and a referral network, not sell, sell, sell. Trust is low with a cold audience, so offer something light-touch that gives value and earns a like. Phase two sends people to a free email course.

Small finds from the same weeks

• Google's webmaster console shows the keywords people actually found you with.
• Canva is good for quick ads and infographics.
• WordPress form plugins can send event tracking and push sign-ups straight into the email tool.

Pairs with lead magnets that work.