Where to spend marketing budget?

[Robbie.H]

Hi everyone, I'm Robbie, the founder of a start up clothing brand called Quest. My Hero / first product is ultra comfortable Bamboo Viscose boxers shorts and the brand is aimed towards people with an active lifestyle as the product features of the boxers are perfect for activities such as running, cycling, gym etc (or any where a gentleman may need additional support).

So far sales are okay, but I am struggling to figure out where is best to utilise marketing budget. I am running paid ads on Instagram (Facebook seemed to have very little ROI). I am spending on Google Ads words, but it is getting quite expensive with cost per click. I am dabbling with micro influencers too with minor success.

If anyone has any thoughts, advice or tips I'd be very happy to hear it!

Many thanks,

Robbie

 

[Mark T Jones]

Who - exactly is your target customer?

Where do they hang out - physically or virtually? - That's where you need to be!

 

[Ozzy]

My immediate gut feel is step away from Google Ads and influencers, you've already identified that isn't profitable.
Have a look at TikTok and TikTok Shop, also have a look at Instagram (Meta) shop so people can purchase right from your posts with ease.

Exactly as @Mark T Jones says, you need to be where your target audience are, wherever that may be.

 

[Robbie.H]

Thank you Mark and Ozzie. Nailing down my exact customer is also proving a little tricky, possibly then leading to the issue around marketing. The product is for men of ages 16-80 as the fabric is very amenable to different body shapes. I’ve tried to steer clear of being a ‘gym’ brand and focus more on outdoor such as running, hiking, rugby, snowboarding etc, but this still leaves a very large customer range. Do you think it is worth me pivoting the brand to be aimed more towards one or two specific sports and therefore narrow the places to engage with the potential customers?

Thanks again,

Robbie

 

[Mark T Jones]

Thank you Mark and Ozzie. Nailing down my exact customer is also proving a little tricky, possibly then leading to the issue around marketing. The product is for men of ages 16-80 as the fabric is very amenable to different body shapes. I’ve tried to steer clear of being a ‘gym’ brand and focus more on outdoor such as running, hiking, rugby, snowboarding etc, but this still leaves a very large customer range. Do you think it is worth me pivoting the brand to be aimed more towards one or two specific sports and therefore narrow the places to engage with the potential customers?

Thanks again,

Robbie

In a nutshell- yes. Not necessarily sports (but can work) could be age, hobby or whatever else.

The point here isn't to limit your scope, but to identify more closely with a specific group, from which you can extend.

 

[marsikBirm]

Hey Robbie, sounds like you’ve got a solid product and are testing different marketing channels. Since Instagram is performing better than Facebook, doubling down on creative content there could be worthwhile—try more UGC (user-generated content), testimonials, or interactive stories. Google Ads can be expensive, so maybe refining keywords to focus on high-intent buyers (e.g., "best moisture-wicking boxers" vs. "men's underwear") might help lower costs.

You could also explore partnerships with fitness YouTubers or podcasters who have engaged audiences. Affiliate programs with commissions rather than upfront payments can also be a cost-effective way to work with influencers. Have you considered Reddit ads? Some niche subreddits (e.g., r/running, r/cycling) might have engaged users looking for premium activewear. Also, email marketing—building a list with an incentive like a discount on the first order—could be a low-cost way to drive repeat purchases.

 

[Robbie.H]

Thanks Mark, I’ll get thinking / looking at core groups that I can identify and target more effectively.

Thanks,

Robbie

 

[AmazonGeek]

As a general rule, I would avoid targeting everyone and trying to be a jack of all trades.

Speaking from an Amazon perspective, the more relevant the algorithm thinks your product is for the search term used, the better you will do. One mistake people make is trying to sell to everyone. So in your case, you have keywords/images/video for snowboarders, bikers, runners, body-builders, etc and you end up diluting the message.

Take a lesson from the paracetamol brands. Their product is broadly the same but they have it packaged differently for migraine, back-ache, headache, muscle-ache, menstrual, etc. If you have a migraine, you are more likely to buy the migraine pill than a generic one because it is dealing with your specific problem. And you are also likely to pay more for it! As long as you don't discriminate by charging more to one group than another, there is nothing wrong with that.

So again, on Amazon you would consider having different listings, each focussing on the target market. For the snowboarder market your images/video/keywords/messaging would be all about snowboarders. The same for your body-builder listing and so on. You would need different barcodes for each but that is easy.

And algorithms are getting cleverer and cleverer at thinking the same way, especially with AI. If your listing is all about snowboarders then the algo will pick up on that and give you greater relevance for snowboard-related search terms. If however you confuse the message with runners, body-builders, bikers, etc then you dilute your relevancy and sales will suffer.

 

[Robbie.H]

As a general rule, I would avoid targeting everyone and trying to be a jack of all trades.

Speaking from an Amazon perspective, the more relevant the algorithm thinks your product is for the search term used, the better you will do. One mistake people make is trying to sell to everyone. So in your case, you have keywords/images/video for snowboarders, bikers, runners, body-builders, etc and you end up diluting the message.

Take a lesson from the paracetamol brands. Their product is broadly the same but they have it packaged differently for migraine, back-ache, headache, muscle-ache, menstrual, etc. If you have a migraine, you are more likely to buy the migraine pill than a generic one because it is dealing with your specific problem. And you are also likely to pay more for it! As long as you don't discriminate by charging more to one group than another, there is nothing wrong with that.

So again, on Amazon you would consider having different listings, each focussing on the target market. For the snowboarder market your images/video/keywords/messaging would be all about snowboarders. The same for your body-builder listing and so on. You would need different barcodes for each but that is easy.

And algorithms are getting cleverer and cleverer at thinking the same way, especially with AI. If your listing is all about snowboarders then the algo will pick up on that and give you greater relevance for snowboard-related search terms. If however you confuse the message with runners, body-builders, bikers, etc then you dilute your relevancy and sales will suffer.

Thank you, that’s a good analogy about the paracetamol brands etc. I know the product is great for runners, hikers etc as this is where the boxers offer the best support and features so perhaps I need to find a creative message within this market (as it is already quite busy in the running sector).

Many thanks,

Robbie