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Hedging Your Bets
I loved the show "Billions"...but betting on luck is kinda dumb
Tim Kilroy
13 May • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
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In This Weeks' Episode:
The Show Billions WAS Great
The tail end of Billions sputtered during the post Damian Lewis days (and that dude is a great actor - he played the antagonist in the early years of Homeland - and I had no idea he was Welsh…) Anyhow, Billions was a great show about a daring (and perhaps unscrupulous) hedge fund CEO. Think of Ray Dalio on acid or something.
When I started watching it, I didn’t know, really how hedge funds work, so I nerded out a bit. And hedge finds are basically ways to “hedge” against things not going your way. You bet that a stock or asset goes up or down - and you counter that bet with a a smaller bet that the opposite will happen. It’s kind of a “heads I will, tails you lose” kind of thing. On some level you don’t care which thing happens, you just care that A thing happens.
Lead Gen for Agencies Is Sort of a Hedge Fund Exercise
It’s not quite the same as doing calls and puts on the same stock (I don’t even know what that really means - you are betting fake money that some sort of thing will happen…and if you are right you get a puppy? Who knows?), but you ought to think about your lead gen like a portfolio. Sometimes, outreach will be killer. Other times it is ads. Other times it will be content or partnerships. Each lead channel (including referrals) goes up and down in efficacy at different times.
(I made a quick video about it over on the You Tube)
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We’ve Got You Covered In A Lot Of Ways
GTM OS can help you build a strong and repeatable outreach solution. GEN+ is a terrific content-mining first approach to building marketing motion that your team can run. But there is something that I’ve really avoided for a long time…but I think that it is time for agencies to be armed with every modality to build their businesses.
I’ve really preached caution around ads and funnels over the last 7 years of coaching agencies…and it isn’t because I don’t think they work…they do. It is the learning curve that is so high…at a CPL of $100 and a CPA of $500+, ads are an amazing way for smaller agencies to ruin their cashflow. Moreover, the true heavy lift of the ad structure - the landing page and funnel - is something that agencies have a hard time with…
For organizations full of talented marketing folks, agencies have a really hard time marketing themselves effectively. It’s like they forget EVERYTHING that they know about marketing…
Not sure that I am all in on ads for agencies (subtle value props aren’t great for ads) and ad targeting is definitely better for 1 size fits many offers which isn’t what I think is the best expression of value for agencies…BUT…after some real thinking and a long chat with the folks at Perspective, I am going to give y’all permission to start slow with ads - I want you to try building some funnels via Perspective and send some email or social traffic there to prove out your messaging, and then tip toe very carefully into the world of ads. (And if you use my Perspective links, you get a 30 day trial, rather than the 14 day trial & yes these are affiliate links…)
Over the next 60 days, I am going to invite you behind the scenes as I roll out ads to a Perspective funnel for my own biz…because it’s time to add another hedge (because I want to be really good at this before I tell you to go for it…)
(A NOTE: I do not recommend ads for anyone who doesn’t have a clear ICP, doesn’t close at least 30% of your sales calls, and who doesn't have at least 90 days of runway in the bank…(preferably 180 days))
Nifty Relevant Content From The Interwebs
🎙️Podcast: “Reliable Lead Generation” – Elevated Marketing Solutions
Link: Reliable Lead Generation: Still banking on referrals like it’s 1999? This episode breaks down why diversifying your lead sources isn’t just smart—it’s survival.
📝 Article: “Diversifying Content: From Blog to Podcast” – Ranking Articles Link: Diversifying Content: From Blog to Podcast: Turning your blog into a podcast? Because your audience’s attention span is as short as a TikTok video, and you need to meet them where they are.
🎙️Podcast: “From Posts to Podcasts: Why Influencers Are Diversifying Their Content” – CoHost Podcasting Link: From Posts to Podcasts: Influencers are spreading their content wings—because relying solely on Instagram is so last year.
📝 Article: “The Art of Content Repurposing: Content Diversification Made Easy” – Axon Garside Link: The Art of Content Repurposing: Why create new content when you can recycle? Repurpose like a pro and keep your content strategy green and lean.
📝 Article: “Diversification 101: 19 Marketing Channels to Try Out” – Medium Link: Diversification 101: Sticking to one marketing channel is like putting all your eggs in one basket—prepare for an omelet disaster.
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