A lot of people may seem a bit worried and hesitant when talking about paid ads, this brings up a lot of questions like “Is it worth it?” or “Is it just going to be a waste of money with little to no return of investment?”, but in reality, paid advertising can be beneficial for growing your wellness retreat business. It’s important to understand when and how to use it effectively, there are a lot of tools that can help you navigate through this.
Investing money in your retreat business can lead to a positive return on investment and help speed up growth and I’m here to guide you through this process.
We’ll need to know when it is right to advertise or who is in a prime position to invest money in paid ads.
Paid ads can be beneficial for a retreat business in three scenarios:
- When starting out. Starting fresh is a great way to fuel your business with ads. Create buzz, build visibility, and go along with that momentum. Ads are a great accompaniment to other marketing. You’re probably going to be doing a lot of different things when you’re starting out, but paying for ads, it’s going to allow you to get more eyes on you so that you get more of that initial visibility.
I think the best thing about ads is that it allows you to get in front of way more people way faster than you could for free. Now, unless you have something that goes viral, probably paying is going to get you in front of more people in a short amount of time. So when you’re first starting and you want to have that initial momentum, I think investing in a little bit of smart advertising can give you that visibility.
Not necessarily a guarantee of bookings, but just to get eyes on you, to get your name out there and get that initial momentum. It’s really great.
- When other marketing efforts are already working well organically. In the context of a retreat business, adding paid advertising can be beneficial when your organic marketing is already successful. By amplifying what’s already working well, paid ads can help you scale and expand your services. If you’re already seeing direct bookings and inquiries from channels like social media, email, or search engines, it’s a good indication that spending some money on ads will likely be effective.
- Wanting a more passive approach to marketing. If you’re looking for a more hands-off approach to your marketing strategy, paid ads could be the solution. This is especially true if you’re limited on time or simply don’t want to invest a lot of time into marketing.
While paid ads are more passive, they still require testing, tweaking, and monitoring to ensure success. With a small amount of time invested in ads, you can still increase your reach and get in front of potential customers.
If you’re not keen on regularly posting on social media or networking, then investing in ads may be the right option for you. It can expedite your growth and help automate the process.
How do you make it so you’re not wasting unnecessary money?
To achieve your advertising goals, first, you have to understand clearly what they are and to establish support systems that align with them. For instance, if you’re running an ad campaign to garner bookings or fill retreats, directing potential customers to a free lead magnet may not be enough. Although the leads generated from the lead magnet may be added to your email list, the lack of a proper conversion mechanism may lead you to believe that your ads aren’t working.
Second is nailing your message, it is very crucial to the success of your ads. While the algorithm and platform used are important, over 70% of your ad’s outcome is determined by your creative approach. This includes the written text, images, videos, and the offer or sales page that you are promoting.
All of these elements must be optimized to achieve maximum impact. Your message and the words you use are of particular significance. If your message is compelling, the technical aspects such as targeting and platform will only enhance your results. Remember, the creative aspect is what makes your ads truly effective.
Next is to commit to testing, it is a crucial element of any advertising strategy. It’s an ongoing process that requires dedication because you never know what’s going to work. Even if you believe that you have the perfect message, it may not be well-received, or it might not convert. That’s why you must be willing to invest time – a few weeks or even a couple of months – to examine and tweak the data accordingly. Remember, when you run ads, you’re purchasing data.
Consider the first month or two as data acquisition. You’re not wasting money; you’re investing in the data that you can later analyze to discover what’s working and what’s not. If you’re not willing to do the work, it’s best not to invest in ads as it’s a necessary component of achieving success.
Lastly, it is important to understand the platform. When it comes to advertising on social media. This makes up 30% of the process, while copy, creative and messaging make up 70%.
To gain a solid understanding of the platform, consider watching videos or taking online courses. You could also hire someone to manage it for you or teach you how to do it. Jumping into a platform without a proper understanding will lead to wasted money.
Regarding boosting posts, keep in mind that this approach is not ideal for testing different audiences, copy, and creatives. Boosting a post means investing a small amount of money to increase its visibility. If you want to achieve more than just getting it out to people, it is recommended to fully understand the Facebook ads platform and use it to its fullest potential.
Conclusion
Paid advertising can be a powerful tool to help grow your wellness retreat business in three key scenarios: when starting out, when other marketing efforts are working well, and when you’re looking for a more passive approach. To ensure success, it’s essential to understand your goals, message, and platform, and to commit to testing. Keep in mind that using boosted posts for testing may not be the best approach.
