Do you think paid ads are worth it for early-stage startups?

Question

I've been on the fence about whether paid ads are worth the investment for early-stage startups. We did a small experiment with G Ads without luck. Have paid ads worked for you, or would you recommend focusing elsewhere in the beginning?

AnnaHo · Accepted Answer

Yes, paid ads can be worth it for early-stage startups if targeted well, but budget constraints and organic growth strategies should also be considered.

Milan Kovacevic · Answer

I am personally fan of organic marketing at the begining. But, from my experience, ads can also work very well if managed in the right way. I used Instagram ads when I used to have a clothing brand and it generated leads everytime I used it.

Simon🍋 · Answer

Probably not worth it, unless you've got cash to burn:) Focus on organic growth and product-market fit first. You'll find your ideal customer and will be able to launch more effective ads.

Business Marketing with Nika · Answer

If you have funding, let's give it a try. But when you are tight on the budget, I would bet on organic marketing first and WOM.

Timothy Bramlett · Answer

Yes, but you need an existing working organic funnel before you start investing in paid ads.

Ashit Vora · Answer

@busmark_w_nika 
We a bootstrapped startup and always frugal on our spendings.

We have the following strategies for organic traffic at Draftly.
- SEO
- Micro Tools
- Spreading word on Socials

Do you recommend anything else?

Ace Apolonio · Answer

Paid ads must be done only when you're ready to scale. Find PMF so that you can confirm your product solves a real problem, iterate, then expand your audience.

Ashit Vora · Answer

@timothybramlett Makes sense. We have the following strategies for organic traffic at Draftly.
- SEO
- Micro Tools
- Socials

do you recommend anything else?

Janak Patel · Answer

Paid ads can be worth it for early-stage startups if they target the right audience and generate measurable ROI.

Nigel Yong · Answer

I think the rule of thumb is to get organic sales first, then you know better your target user. Then you know who to target.

But if it's cheap, it's great for validation and checking initial traction!

Ashit Vora · Answer

@milan369kovacevic likewise. currently we are focusing on organic. What activities do you focus on for organic traffic?

We are working on
- SEO
- Social activities
- micro tools

Ulrica Storset · Answer

No. Focus on building your community with early adpoters and users through your network and traditional mail, phone and meetings. When you have found product market fit it's time to get investors on board and scale through paid channels.

elfa sapta · Answer

Probably no, paid ads might not be worth it for early-stage startups. They can be expensive and slow to show results. It's usually better to use free methods like social media and building customer relationships to grow your brand.

Business Marketing with Nika · Answer

@ashitvora Reviews, sharing it on socials, possibly cold mailing. But organic first :)

Answer

Paid ads can be valuable for early-stage startups, but they need careful targeting. If your Google Ads experiment didn’t work, consider focusing on organic strategies like content marketing and social media first.

Do you think paid ads are worth it for early-stage startups?

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