HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPEND ON PAID ADS?

rom a high level, digital marketing strategy can be discussed in two distinct arenas: organic and paid.

Organic marketing refers to traffic acquired naturally over time without directly spending money to attract your audience. Paid refers to the paid ads - the dollars spent to drive internet users to your social media pages and website.

EXAMPLES OF ORGANIC STRATEGY INCLUDE:

• Blog posts
• Social media posts
• Email newsletters

EXAMPLES OF A PAID STRATEGY INCLUDE:

• Google ads to blog posts or website pages
• Paid social media ads for audience growth or post engagement
• Ads to attract traffic that converts to newsletter subscribers

Organic and paid marketing efforts each play a specific role in an effective strategy, and the two need to work together for the most success. We’ve already discussed how much budget a company should spend on marketing as a whole - but just how much should be on paid advertising?

The honest answer is going to be: it depends. The best starting point is to have clear goals defined for your marketing strategy (learn more about SMART goals). Then, you’ll develop an ad budget that will realistically help you to meet these goals.

HOW MUCH YOU SPEND ON PAID ADS DEPENDS …

… On the specific goal and its timeline. Depending what this is, organic marketing may get you there without ever spending a dime. On the other hand, paid advertising can accelerate your pace as well as audience size.

… On the platform you’re using. A budget for Google Ads is going to look different than a budget for Facebook or Instagram ads, for example.

Before you start spending money on ads, its important to create a strategic marketing plan so you know the direction your efforts will take you.

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