Experimenting is probably my favorite method. Once you’ve tested, however, you need to know what you’ve concluded. That’s when I follow one simple rule: Duck or Shoot.
Duck or Shoot is the rule we’re going to talk about today. The word “Or” is capitalized for a reason—it’s the key here. Either you peek out, aim, and shoot, or you stay hidden behind the rock. You don’t do both at the same time. If you don’t aim, you’ll never hit the target, and when you need to duck it makes no sense to stick out a body part. It’s exactly the same in search marketing.
Let’s take Google Ads as an example. If you have a profitable campaign, then you shoot. If it’s not profitable, then it’s time to duck. Shooting in this case means pushing the pedal to the floor and pouring as much money into it as possible, until you either run out of budget or lose profitability. If it’s not profitable, then it’s time to duck. And when you duck, you really duck—no money in at all.
Of course, you need to test, and you have to keep both these thoughts in your head at the same time. But remember, these are different kinds of money. Test money is what you spend to learn what’s profitable and where you should allocate your budget. That can be a continuous process, but once you’ve identified what works and what doesn’t, it’s time to either step on the gas or slam on the brakes—nothing half-hearted.
Magnus Bråth
Consultant & Adviser
Magnus is one of the world's most prominent search marketing specialists and primarily works with management and strategy at his agency Brath AB.