How I Started Trying Out Alex Ayala’s Marketing Ideas
So, I saw Alex Ayala talking about how to get better at digital marketing these days. Figured I’d try his stuff myself. Honestly? I went into this blind, like most things I try.
My “plan” looked like this at first:
- Opened my laptop, went straight to Facebook & Instagram, started throwing money at ads. Just clicked buttons, zero thought.
- Used the same boring pictures for everything. My coffee mug? Check. My desk? Double check. Whoopee.
- Wrote stuff like “Buy my thing! It’s great!” because apparently subtlety is overrated. Ugh.
- Checked the numbers maybe… twice? Saw like 3 clicks and decided it was working. Solid logic.
Of course, this went about as well as expected. Basically burned a small pile of cash for nothing. Felt pretty dumb. The numbers showed it was a disaster – people just scrolled right past my masterpiece ads. Total crickets.
Where I Messed Up Big Time
Took me a hot minute to admit I was doing it all wrong. Had to look back at what Alex actually said. Spoiler: I wasn’t doing any of it.
- Knowing Who You Talk To: Yeah, I kinda skipped that part. Just blasted “EVERYONE” with my ads. Genius move, right? Alex kept saying “Who exactly are you talking to?”. Made me stop and think – hard.
- That “Customer Journey” Thing: Sounded fancy, turned out simple. I was yelling “BUY NOW!!!” at people who never heard of me. Like proposing on a first date. Creepy and ineffective.
- Stories > Sales Pitches: My ads were dryer than week-old toast. Alex talked about telling stories, showing real people, solving problems. Me? I listed features. Yawn.
Actually Trying What Alex Said (Shocker!)
Fine. I swallowed my pride and actually tried his approach. Step by painful step.
Step 1: Picking One Group
I sat down, forced myself to pick ONE type of person I wanted to reach. Forget “everyone”. Chose “small shop owners around here”. Suddenly, writing stuff got easier.
Step 2: Making Actual Friends (Online)
Instead of ads screaming “BUY!”, I started posting stuff those shop owners might find useful.
- Shared a quick video showing a cool way to display products (filmed with my phone, shaky and everything).
- Wrote a short post about dealing with annoying suppliers. Real talk, no fluff.
Step 3: Paid Ads, But Less Dumb This Time
Created new Facebook ads. But actually put some thought in:
- Found pictures showing actual local shops I liked. Not my coffee mug!
- Ad headlines asked simple questions like, “Struggling to bring people into your store?”
- Sent people clicking the ad to that useful supplier post, NOT a “Buy Now” page. Let them learn first.
The Not-So-Instant Results (But Still Results!)
Didn’t wake up to sales raining from the sky. Took time. Weeks. But things slowly started shifting.
- That supplier post? People started commenting. Real comments! Asking follow-up questions. Even arguing a bit. Felt… alive.
- My new, targeted ads? Click cost went down. Like, actually down. Instead of $5 per click, got it closer to $1.50.
- Checkout page visits? Went from “Where is everyone?” to a slow trickle. Okay, more than before!
- Got tagged by a local shop owner who tried my product display tip. They shared a pic! Felt real.
It’s not magic. I still mess up. But focusing on one group, helping first, and finally using some decent pictures makes a world of difference. Feels less like screaming into the void and more like actually connecting. Gotta keep at it.