The 3 Easiest Wins to Kickstart Paid Ads
I want to start doing paid advertising, but I’m not sure where to begin?
One of the most common questions I get from clients and people I consult with is:
“I want to start doing paid advertising, but I’m not sure where to begin.”
Paid ads can feel overwhelming, and the wrong move can burn through your budget fast.
But the good news? There’s a simple way to get started, see results, and avoid the common pitfalls that make people give up on paid ads too soon.
Start Where Interest Already Exists
If you’re just dipping your toes into paid advertising, the worst thing you can do is go after broad, high-level category keywords that don’t convert. Instead, the key is to start with the easy wins—where people are already showing interest.
Here’s where I always recommend starting:
1. Targeting Campaigns: Capture Existing Interest
The first and easiest place to start is with people already visiting your website. You’ve worked hard to drive traffic through organic search, content, and social efforts—now, paid ads can help you re-engage and convert those visitors.
This means:
Running retargeting ads to people who have visited high-intent pages (pricing, product, demo request).
Using dynamic retargeting to show visitors the exact products or services they browsed.
Setting up email list targeting to reach people who have engaged with you but haven’t converted.
Why this works: These people already know you, so they’re far more likely to convert than someone hearing about your brand for the first time.
2. Competitive Campaigns: Steal Market Share
The second spot to start? Target people searching for your competitors.
Let’s say someone is Googling “[Your Competitor] alternative” or “[Your Competitor] pricing.” These people are actively in buying mode, weighing their options. Why wouldn’t you want to be part of that conversation?
Ways to execute this:
Bid on competitor brand names and “alternative” keywords.
Use ad copy that highlights what makes you different (or better) than the competitor.
Offer a compelling incentive (free trial, discount, better feature set) to sway their decision.
Why this works: These are high-intent searches—people who are already looking for a solution, just deciding which one to choose.
3. High-Intent Search Keywords: Go After People Ready to Buy
Finally, the third priority should be high-intent keywords—the ones that signal someone is ready to make a decision.
Avoid broad, top-of-funnel keywords like “marketing software” (too vague, too expensive, too low-intent). Instead, focus on:
• Product-specific searches (“best B2B email automation software”).
• Pain-point searches (“how to improve lead conversion rates”).
• Action-oriented searches (“best project management tool for agencies”).
Why this works: These people are actively looking for a solution, and if your product fits, they’re much more likely to convert.
The Biggest Mistake? Going Too Broad Too Soon
The #1 mistake I see when people start with paid search is targeting broad category keywords that don’t convert.
Yes, getting your brand in front of more eyeballs sounds great. But if those eyeballs aren’t turning into leads or pipeline? Your paid ad budget will dry up fast.
When you start paid ads, the first questions you’ll get from leadership or investors are:
What’s our return on ad spend?
How many leads are we driving?
How much pipeline are we generating?
If you can’t show those results early, people will quickly write off the channel as a failure. Starting with these three high-intent strategies ensures you get traction, prove results, and then scale from there.
So if you’re looking to start running paid ads? Start where people are already interested. That’s where the easiest wins are.
Thanks for reading,
Adam
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