A 6× return can still lose money. Here is the number we report instead.
By the Reachwise team
Return on ad spend is the number everyone quotes...
Start with the buyer, not the channel
Most brands pick a channel first ("we need TikTok") and then look for a reason to be there. Flip it. Write down who buys from you, what they type into Google the week before they buy, and which feeds they scroll at night. The right channels fall out of that list.
- Pull your last 20 customers and note how each one found you.
- Search the three phrases they would type and look at who ranks today.
- Check which platforms those buyers actually use, not the ones your team likes.
Pick one number per channel
Reach, clicks and likes are easy to grow and easy to fake. Every channel should answer to one number that ends in money: calls booked from search, leads from ads, sales from email. Report it every week, in the same place, even when the week was bad.
If a channel can't be tied to a number that pays the rent, it is a hobby, not a channel.
Test small, then pour
We never launch a big campaign cold. We run three to five small tests (two headlines, two audiences, one offer) with a fixed budget and a fixed end date. The winner gets more money; the losers get switched off without a meeting.
- Keep each test to one change, so you know what actually worked.
- Give it enough spend to reach at least 1,000 of the right people.
- Write the result down, including the tests that failed.
Make the website earn the click
Ads and posts only buy attention; the page decides whether that attention becomes a lead. Before you raise any budget, make sure the landing page loads in under two seconds on a phone, says what you do in the first line, shows real proof from real clients, and asks for one thing only.
Stay consistent for 90 days
Growth online is mostly compound interest. The brands that win keep posting, publishing and optimising every week for months, long after the first rush of ideas is gone. Set a rhythm your team can keep (one article, three posts and one test a week is plenty) and protect it on the calendar like a client meeting.
What to do this week
- List your buyers' top five search phrases.
- Choose one number per channel and start a simple weekly report.
- Launch one small test with a clear budget and end date.
