Stop playing Nerf ball

When I first started learning the marketing game I became obsessed learning how to rank on Google for that sweet sweet organic traffic.

The goal posts changed based on the algorithm so much that I quickly realized it was not sustainable to rely on as the primary source of traffic.

The former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt said:

“Brands are the solution, not the problem... Brands are how you sort out the cesspool.”

What he meant was Google would favor big brands on Google to prevent the little guys from “polluting” the first page.

After losing rankings literally overnight I was forced to do something I never though I would do.

Pay for traffic…

My first attempt generated a loss of $3000 in 3 months.

I played the blame game as had with Google.

This caused me to look at what was in my control. I looked to my offer, landing page, follow-up sequences, and entire customer journey.

I tested many variables:

• The offer angle

• Pricing

• Ad length and post editing

• Post purchase upsells

• Tweaked the product

• Many copy variations

Make It Work

The process started to work, my cost to acquire a customer went down, the average spend of a customer went up, customer retention went up, and I was working on the backed to lower my operation costs.

With each change I could see the numbers changing in my business. It was like a game.

I managed to hit 7-figures for the second time, without using SEO.

Stop Playing Nerf Ball

If you’re like me you don’t have the luxury of having a product or service that flies off the shelf.

We look at companies like Tesla who “don’t do marketing” and imagine having the same results.

Instead of relying on a god level product, luck, virality or coincidence for your business to succeed here’s what I’ve learned to crack the code to win the game:

Here are the 5 most important elements I've identified for cracking the marketing code:

Offer Optimization

Nail your positioning, packaging, and pricing to create an offer that is truly irresistible. As Hubspot's Brian Halligan says:

"The better the product, the less marketing you have to do." 

Study your competitors, survey your customers, and ruthlessly test different angles until you land on that "magic formula."

Tools like Qualaroo and Hotjar can help you get deep insights into customer pain points and buying motivations. And services like Podia make it easy to experiment with different pricing, bundles, and digital product formats.

Spend 2x the time on the offer and you’ll be able to spend 2x less on your marketing.

Funnel Optimization 

Build a seamless customer journey that guides people effortlessly towards the sale. Russell Brunson preaches the power of the "value ladder" - progressively moving customers up from low-ticket offers to high-ticket products and services.

Map out your entire funnel, from lead magnet to backend upsells, and continuously test ways to improve conversion rates at every step.

Test your assumptions with traffic and let the users tell you what they want. I start with pricing, headlines, and the promise of the offer to begin.

Copy & Creative 

Craft compelling copy and visuals that grab attention, build desire, and compel action. As marketing legend Gary Halbert said:

"The only way to sell something is to make sure the prospect gets the offer, and gets it again and again."

Study the great copywriters and ad creators. Reverse engineer winning ads and sales pages. Tools like Jasper.ai can turbocharge your writing, while Canva simplifies visual creation.

Traffic Generation 

Systematically test and scale a variety of paid and organic traffic sources. As Neil Patel advises:

"The best marketing strategy ever: Care." 

Focus on building genuine relationships and providing value on platforms like X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

For paid channels, Facebook and Google Ads remain titans, but don't overlook emerging platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, and Spotify.

Backend Optimization 

Continuously optimize your operations, fulfillment, and customer experience to maximize lifetime value. As Shopify's Harley Finkelstein says,

"Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, cash flow is reality."

Automate repetitive tasks, outsource non-core functions, and obsess over delivering an exceptional customer journey. Apps like Make and Zapier can supercharge your backend efficiency.

Persistence and Patience are Key

The journey to marketing mastery is long and winding, but the payoff can be truly transformative. As Foundr's Nathan Chan puts it,

"Mastering marketing is the single biggest lever you can pull to grow your business."

The internet game is not zero-sum. You can win at this with unlimited upside. This game is about the freedom to do what you want, when you want and with who you want.