The BEST Advertising Tutorial For Beginners (Step By Step)

The Expensive Marketing Mistakes Killing Your Business Growth

Most businesses are making the same expensive mistakes with their marketing right now.

They're burning through ad budgets with nothing to show for it. They're invisible when potential customers search on ChatGPT, Google's AI, or other AI-powered platforms. And they have no idea why their "marketing strategy" isn't working.

I'm Brad Smith, founder of AutomationLinks. I've spent 10 years fixing these exact problems for over 2,500 brands. And I'm going to show you exactly what's going wrong – and how to fix it.

The Hard Truth About Online Advertising in 2024

Here's what I see every single day:

Business owners throw $2,000-$5,000 per month at Facebook ads, Google ads, or whatever platform some

"guru" told them to use. They create pretty pictures, write clever copy, and pray something sticks.

It doesn't.

After 60-90 days of bleeding money, they shut everything off and declare "ads don't work."

But ads DO work – when you stop making these critical mistakes:

Mistake #1: Putting All Your Eggs in One Platform

Your customers aren't just on Facebook. They're not just on Google. They're everywhere.

They're checking Facebook to see family photos. They're on LinkedIn for work. They're scrolling TikTok at night. They're asking ChatGPT questions about your industry.

If you're only advertising on one platform, you're missing 80% of your potential customers.

The Fix: Use the 50/30/20 Rule Across Multiple Platforms

50% of your budget goes to top-of-funnel (bringing new people in), 30% to middle-of-funnel (nurturing), and 20% to bottom-of-funnel (converting).

Mistake #2: Expecting Instant Results (The 90-Day Reality Check)

Here's what nobody tells you about advertising: Month 1 might give you zero conversions. Month 2 is where people start paying attention. Month 3 is where the magic happens.

I had a client who complained for two months straight: "This isn't working! This isn't working!"

Month 3? He got enough sales to pay for everything and then some. Now we're scaling.

Why the 3-Month Rule Exists

It takes 24 touchpoints across 3 different platforms for someone to trust you enough to buy. Your potential customers need to see you everywhere before they believe you're legitimate.

Most businesses quit at month 2. Don't be most businesses.

Mistake #3: Trying to Sell on the First Touch

This is the biggest mistake I see: businesses create ads that scream "BUY NOW!" to people who've never heard of them.

Would you buy from a stranger who walked up to you on the street and immediately started pitching? Neither will your customers.

The Right Way to Structure Your Funnel

1. Top of Funnel (50% of budget): Educate. Provide value. Don't ask for anything except their attention.
2. Middle of Funnel (30% of budget): Build relationships. Share your story. Still don't ask them to buy.
3. Bottom of Funnel (20% of budget): Now you can make an offer. But make it irresistible and low-risk.

The AI Search Problem Nobody's Talking About

While you're struggling with traditional advertising, there's an even bigger problem: AI search is changing everything.

When someone asks ChatGPT "What's the best marketing agency in [your city]?" or "How do I improve my website's SEO?" – does your business show up?

Probably not.

Why Traditional SEO Is Dead

Google's AI, ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI platforms don't rank websites the same way Google used to. They prioritize:

• Conversational, natural language content
• Businesses with strong online authority signals
• Companies that appear across multiple platforms consistently
• Brands with genuine customer reviews and testimonials

If you're still optimizing for "SEO keywords" from 2020, you're invisible in 2024.