Captured from Hyros Ad Tracking (this is an affiliate link)
Picture this: You invest $17,000 into ads and see $106,000 in revenue, all while maintaining a $217 CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost).
Would you make that trade-off?
It’s a dream scenario, right?
The kind of return that could completely transform your business. Yet, most entrepreneurs never make it to this point. And here’s the surprising part: it’s not because ads don’t work — it’s because they’re afraid to try.
If you’re like many of the business owners I’ve worked with, you’ve probably told yourself, “Ads are too expensive,” or, “What if I spend all that money and don’t see results?” These fears are common — and they’re valid. Ads do require upfront investment. They force you to confront an uncomfortable reality: you have to lose money before you make it.
At Adstra, we’ve helped over 300 appointment-based businesses launch 500+ growth campaigns. What you see above is just one of our clients.
We see this all the time.
To put it simply, they’re the product of systems built to deliver. And once you thought it couldn’t get any crazier:
Once the system is running, it works on autopilot.
So, let me ask you: Are you stuck in low-leverage strategies like cold emails and LinkedIn DMs, hoping for results that never come? Or are you ready to build something that scales — something that brings you leads, booked calls, and revenue while you focus on what you do best?
If you’ve been on the fence about advertising, this is your chance to rethink everything you’ve been told. Let’s dive into why ads aren’t just a trade-off — they’re the fastest path to reclaiming your time, scaling your revenue, and building the business you’ve always imagined.
Stay with me, because what comes next might just change how you think about growth forever.
The Real Cost of Avoiding Ads
Let’s face it: No one likes the idea of spending thousands of dollars on ads without a guarantee of immediate returns. The hesitation is real — and understandable. But what’s often overlooked is the hidden cost of sticking to “safer” strategies like cold DMs, email outreach, or cold calling.
Here’s the data:
• Cold DMs cost you time. Crafting personalized messages, following up, and managing replies is labor-intensive. On average, it takes 20–30 touchpoints to get a response, and only 3–5% of cold DMs result in meaningful engagement. That’s hours of work for minimal payoff.
• Cold callers require constant investment. A cold caller’s average salary is $40–50K annually, not including tools, training, and management. Yet, the average success rate for cold calling is just 1–3%. That’s a massive effort for a small pipeline.
• Cold email campaigns demand operational expenses. Between software subscriptions, domain setup, and email warm-up tools, the costs pile up. Even with perfect execution, open rates hover around 20–30%, and the average click-through rate is a mere 2.6%.
Now, compare this to running ads. Yes, ads require an upfront financial commitment, but what they offer is something these manual strategies can’t: scalability and predictability.
Ads don’t sleep, get tired, or need a lunch break. They run 24/7, bringing in inbound traffic while you focus on high-leverage tasks. Instead of grinding through cold lists, you’re building systems that fill your pipeline on autopilot.
The fear of investment is real, but here’s the truth: everything has a cost. Cold outreach costs you time, staff, and energy. Ads simply ask you to pay upfront — but in return, they unlock exponential growth potential.
Forget the cost of ads.
Are you willing to invest in a system that works harder and faster than any manual strategy ever could?
Why Playing it ‘Safe’ Isn’t Secure
Choosing to avoid advertising might feel like the safer route, but it often comes at a hidden cost far greater than the upfront expense of ads. By sticking to manual, “safe” methods, you’re sacrificing key resources and missing opportunities to scale.
Here’s what you’re giving up:
• Time: Manual outreach strategies, like cold DMs or emails, demand countless hours of your attention. Crafting messages, managing follow-ups, and monitoring results can easily consume 10–20 hours a week. That’s time you could be spending on strategy, innovation, or refining your core offerings.
• Scalability: Manual methods cap your growth. You can only send so many DMs or make so many calls in a day. Even with a dedicated team, the output is linear — there’s no way to multiply efforts without multiplying costs. Ads, however, allow you to scale exponentially by reaching thousands of potential customers daily without additional effort.
• Revenue: By avoiding ads, you’re leaving money on the table. Ads run 24/7, delivering consistent, qualified traffic and filling your pipeline with warm leads. Instead of relying on sporadic cold outreach, you could have a steady stream of prospects ready to book calls and convert into customers.
Meanwhile, the businesses that we work with that embrace advertising are pulling ahead. They’re automating their lead generation, optimizing their campaigns, and focusing on closing deals instead of grinding through lists. This isn’t just a theoretical edge — it’s a competitive advantage that compounds over time.
Ads are an investment.
An investment in your future.
By investing in a scalable system that generates revenue predictably and consistently, you won’t be wasting money, you’ll be learning.
Learning how to make a ton of new revenue.
Can you continue to afford lost time, lack of scalability, and lack of revenue by sticking with outdated methods?
The choice is yours.
How to Turn Ad Dollars into Revenue
Solution: Turning Ad Dollars into Revenue
The idea of running ads might feel overwhelming, but the process of turning ad spend into profit is surprisingly straightforward. By focusing on a value-first approach and leveraging automation, you can create a system that generates qualified leads, fills your pipeline, and scales your business predictably.
Let’s break it down:
1. Run Ads to Offer Value
The foundation of any successful ad campaign isn’t the flashy design or catchy headline — it’s the value you offer.
Instead of trying to sell immediately, focus on promoting something your audience genuinely cares about.
This could be:
• A free report that highlights a specific problem and its solution. Here’s the one we use for our ads.
• A training video that educates your audience while showcasing your expertise. This is one we have here.
• A tool or resource that solves a small but critical pain point.
By giving first, you build trust and create a connection. Your audience will see your business as a helpful partner, not just another company trying to sell them something.
This sets the stage for easier conversions later.
2. Re-Engage Leads
Capturing leads is just the beginning. To maximize the value of your ad spend, you need a strategy to nurture those leads until they’re ready to take the next step.
Here’s how:
• Use email sequences to educate and build trust over time. Share insights, tips, and success stories that resonate with their needs.
• Text or call high-priority leads to create a personal connection and move them through your pipeline faster.
• Launch remarketing campaigns to stay top of mind with your audience. By showing them targeted ads, you reinforce your value and remind them why they engaged with you in the first place.
Don’t just try to sell them.
Maintain continuity and lead with more value.
3. Set and Close Meetings
The ultimate goal of your system is to fill your calendar with qualified sales calls. Automate this step with tools that allow leads to schedule directly into your calendar, reducing friction and eliminating back-and-forth communication.
When it’s time for the call, treat it as a discovery session, not a hard sell. Selling to ad-generated leads is different from working with referrals or outbound prospects.
You need to:
• Dig into their pains: Uncover the problems they’re struggling with and the impact on their business.
• Position yourself as a doctor: Focus on diagnosing their challenges and prescribing your solution as the fix they’ve been searching for.
This consultative approach not only increases your close rate but also creates stronger, more trusting client relationships.
4. Refine Your Discovery Process
The discovery call is where the magic happens. Focus on understanding your prospect’s unique challenges and showing them how you can help. As opposed to just trying for a sale.
• Ask deep, meaningful questions that reveal their core pain points.
• Highlight the cost of inaction to make the stakes clear.
• Show them how your solution aligns perfectly with their goals.
By refining your process, you’ll turn more calls into clients and deliver a seamless experience that reinforces your value.
Your Secret Weapon
The best part?
Most of this process can be automated.
From lead capture and nurturing to scheduling and follow-ups, automation allows you to scale without adding more workload.
Once your system is set up, it runs in the background, working for you around the clock to generate inbound traffic and qualified calls.
With the right setup, you’re no longer tied to manual effort or unpredictable results.
Instead, you have a system that delivers consistent, measurable growth while freeing up your time to focus on what truly matters — growing your business.
If you want to learn our AI Growth Funnel system, book a time here.
As always, thanks for reading.