Ever had that moment when you’re absolutely certain about a business idea… until it completely flops?
That was me last month with our new podcast studio venture. Picture this: I’m sitting at my desk, feeling like a marketing genius. “Let’s partner with the hottest gym in town, give away a free gym membership for engagement, and watch our Instagram followers skyrocket!”
Spoiler alert: It didn’t quite work out that way.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁” 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁
– Run Instagram ads
– Offer a premium gym membership if they like, follow, and tag friends
– Watch the magic happen
Simple enough, right? Well…
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 (𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲)
1. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁
Our Instagram page was the digital equivalent of a ‘Coming Soon’ sign with nothing else around it. No content, no personality, just crickets. 🦗
Pro Tip: Your social media presence is like a storefront. Would you grand-open a shop with empty shelves?
2. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗡𝗼𝘄” 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽
The engagement was so low, we could have gotten better results from posting on MySpace. But here’s the kicker — we couldn’t pivot or test because the giveaway was already running. We were stuck either pushing an underperforming ad or hectically making a new one.
3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀” 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲
Three simple steps, right? Wrong. Turns out, three steps were one step too many — like asking someone to pat their head and rub their stomach while ordering coffee. Most people did one or two steps and called it a day.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀
Here’s what I wish I’d known (and what you can do instead):
1. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄
Start with consistent posting, genuine engagement, and maybe even some local influencer collabs. Make your Instagram look alive and kicking before asking people to join the party.
2. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀
Be very pessimistic with the performance of your ad. Always assume that you will need more time — I wish we would have had not one month but three months.
3. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗜𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲
One action. That’s it. Want more followers? Ask for a follow. Want engagement? Ask for a tag. Don’t make people think — make them act.
𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲?
Here’s the funny thing — this “failure” taught me more about marketing than any success could have. It’s like getting the answers to the test… after you’ve taken it.
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻
I’ve shared my marketing blooper reel — now I want to hear yours! Have you ever had a “brilliant” business idea that went sideways?