Ads are undeniably powerful, but what if you’re just starting out—no funnel, no campaign, no customers? Just vision and gumption.
Launching a brand-new product without an established audience might seem daunting, but it’s also a unique opportunity. Many would say it’s too early to advertise.
Even with zero customers, ads can be an effective means to validate your ideas, refine your messaging, and begin building your brand’s identity from the ground up.
The key? You don’t run ads for growth just yet—you run them for validation. More than just clicks and conversions, ads at this stage help you test, refine, and solidify the foundation of your future marketing and product strategies.
This version of our article will focus not only on using ads for validation but also on creating a solid brand foundation that contributes to long-term growth and credibility.
The Role of Ads in Validating Your Brand
At this early stage, ads aren’t about driving immediate revenue. Instead, they’re about gathering valuable insights to answer essential questions:
- Does your product resonate with your target market?
- Are you communicating your value proposition effectively?
- Is your messaging clear and persuasive?
- Who exactly is your audience, and what motivates them?
Advertising isn’t merely about selling—it’s about understanding your audience, building trust, and conveying a clear, compelling story. That’s Ogilvy and I stand behind that.
Ads, just like other methods, allow you to validate your assumptions, ensuring that when you scale, you’re doing so on solid ground.
Focus on Validation, Not Growth
Here’s the critical shift: You’re not trying to explode your sales on day one. Instead, you’re validating whether your product and message connect with real people.
By running ads for validation, you ensure that when you begin scaling, you’ll do so confidently—backed by data, insights, and a clearer understanding of what works.
Run Your Own Ads: Take Control of Your Brand’s Narrative
In the beginning, running your own ads is crucial. This isn’t just about controlling the budget or targeting—it’s about staying deeply involved in the learning process. When you run your ads, you control the narrative and can quickly pivot based on feedback.
A marketing expert on Twitter suggested that CPG brands should run their own ads until they reach $1-2 million in revenue. Why? Because you learn the most by being hands-on, crafting and testing messages that you can continuously refine.
- Crafting the Right Message: You’re the closest to your brand, and at this stage, only you know the true essence of your product. Use ads to explore different ways of expressing that value. Ogilvy emphasized that advertising is about bringing the truth of your product to life in a way that connects emotionally with the audience.
- Pivot Quickly: You can analyze ad performance in real-time, adjust creatives or targeting, and optimize without delays. This is about learning quickly and iterating based on what your customers tell you, not through feedback forms, but through their engagement with your ads.
Stay Close to Your Brand and Run Your Own Ads
In the early stages, running your own ads keeps you intimately connected with your audience’s reactions and feedback.
- Immediate Adjustments: Quickly refine your messaging based on real-time data.
- Authentic Voice: Ensure that your brand voice remains authentic and unfiltered.
- Cost Efficiency: Allocate resources where they matter most, investing in areas that provide the greatest return.
Brand Building Starts with Validation
Ogilvy’s legacy is clear: Ads should not just push a product but also build a brand. Even at this early stage, ads must help establish your brand identity:
- Refining Your Positioning: Use ads to test different positioning angles. What works best? Should you position your product as a premium solution or an affordable alternative? Ads help clarify what resonates with your audience.
- Identifying Your Audience: Rather than relying on guesses, let the ad data tell you who your ideal audience is. Use A/B testing to fine-tune which demographics and interests drive the most engagement.
- Understanding Consumer Motivations: Ads allow you to tap into real consumer behavior. Are people engaging because of price? Features? A unique benefit? These insights are critical as you build your brand story.
