2022 was full of challenges, with oversaturation in the market making it tricky for businesses to stay ahead of the pack. With this shifting landscape, more and more male entrepreneurs are making big moves by cracking the code of paid advertising and contributing their ideas to change the digital marketing industry.
We don’t need to look far for examples of entrepreneurs helping others leverage customer attention: Gary Vaynerchuk supports Fortune 500 companies in strategizing and executing social media campaigns and gaining brand relevance, among other services; marketing guru Russell Brunson is the co-founder behind the million-dollar product ClickFunnels, an online tool that helps business owners create sales funnels; and Frank Kern founded Behavioral Dynamic Response, an automated marketing system that helps businesses accelerate sales cycles.
We asked eight experts to share their advice for entrepreneurs looking to elevate their digital marketing and take their advertising game to the next level in 2023.
Ed JC Smith: Attract high-paying clients
Having started his career as a one-to-one coach, Ed JC Smith has spent the past decade refining his marketing strategy. Today, Smith is the name behind the successful coaching and consulting business Clients on Automation, a surefire method to help coaches and consultants get clients.
According to Smith, when your advertising doesn’t attract the right clients, you end up competing with the masses and undercharging. This is why your campaigns need to be aimed at serious clients who can afford your services. Smith says, “It’s important to have one signature program that generates client results to attract more high-paying clients. You can then validate your message with sales.”
Jon Penberthy: Speak to your target audience
Jon Penberthy is the founder of Ad Clients, a marketing education company specializing in teaching clients how to build and scale their businesses by selling high-ticket offers through funnels and paid advertisements. He is the mastermind behind YouTube ads that have racked up more than 100 million views and generated millions in online revenue.
Penberthy recommends that entrepreneurs zero in on their target audience. He says, “The saying, ‘If you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one’ will ring true more than ever. You must position yourself as the obvious choice for your clients by being as specific as possible in your messaging.”
Alireza Rabar: Build trust and connection
Alireza Rabar is an adviser to digital marketers, teaching freelancers and business owners to “scale past [six to seven] figures in the next [six to] 12 months,” according to his LinkedIn, something which he has ample experience in, having built—and sold—two agencies of his own.
Rabar believes that to succeed with paid ads, you should always remember that you’re advertising to humans. “Humans need trust, connection and intimacy to buy,” he says. “To create trust, you need to identify your niche, understand your clients’ pain, craft an offer that solves that problem and [develop] a cut-through messaging that proves that you are relevant in your niche.”
Mike Draper: Understand your medium
Mike Draper is a former SWAT police officer and Air Force vet whose career took a turn when he became a viral content creator. Now, he is making his own mark in the world of online business. Using his “TikTok Business Blueprint,” Draper is sharing his social media strategy with everyone—from corporations to high-ranking executives to entrepreneurs—to teach people how to make their videos go viral and profit in the process.
Draper says that if you want your business to shine in 2023, you must take your digital creativity to the next level. “You must understand the medium in which the consumer hears your message, the mental state they’re in, and honor the platform and its culture. To make TikToks, you must deliver your content with your ‘TikTok’ voice, LinkedIn with your ‘LinkedIn’ voice and so on.”
Mat Smith: Develop your strategy
Matthew Smith, the founder of Mat Smith Consulting, helps roofing contractors generate leads with paid advertising by utilizing his unique SKT Advertising System, developed and perfected through the testing of thousands of ads.
His advice is to not hold back in figuring out your strategy. “You must get your hands dirty and test things with your money to go to the next level, and it hits you differently when you’ve got skin in the game,” he says.
Tako Adufé: Invest in human resources
Tako Adufé is the founder and CEO of BoostMyBusinessNow.org, which assists businesses in increasing profits and expanding their brands through paid advertising and social media, sales funnels and more.
For Adufé, having humans responding to social media DMs and comments, as opposed to bots, will continue to be beneficial for the long-term success of brands. “It costs more on the front end, but there’s usually an increase in customer LTV over time,” he says.
Jonas Muthoni: Align your team’s vision
Jonas Muthoni is an entrepreneur and the founder of Deviate Agency, a Los Angeles-based digital marketing and software agency that helps entrepreneurs define their vision and brands to strategically compete and win online. Muthoni draws upon years of experience, his team and skills gained working for Verizon, the second largest telecommunications company as of 2020.
According to Muthoni, creating value for your audience is only possible when your team is reaching for the same goals. “To achieve this, the leadership and entire team must align entirely with your company’s values, vision and mission,” he explains.
Branden Condy: Grow your Instagram following
Branden Condy is the brains behind Just Paid E-commerce, an e-commerce automation company. He also runs a Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) warehouse and manages 1,000 affiliate partners.
Condy believes that a robust Instagram following will continue to be important in 2023. After all, Instagram followers who are genuinely interested in your content are the main funnel for audience growth.
