More Than a Few Words (What Went Wrong) - Lorraine Ball

Marketing isn't always smooth sailing, even for seasoned professionals. In a candid episode of More Than a Few Words, host Lorraine Ball sat down with Robin Waite - business coach, author of The Fearless Business Blueprint, and experienced podcaster—to unpack a campaign misstep that cost thousands and changed his approach to marketing forever.

Lorraine Ball is an entrepreneur, author, professional speaker, and host of More than a Few Words, a podcast where she shares powerful insights and practical strategies for small business success. With a background as both a business owner and corporate executive, she blends decades of real-world experience with engaging storytelling to deliver content that sparks action. Her presentations on marketing, management, and creativity are known for their clarity and impact, covering topics such as turning strangers into raving fans, using childlike curiosity to solve problems, mapping out business journeys, and leveraging other people’s content to grow online presence.

What We Discussed on the More Than a Few Words Podcast

1. Audience fatigue is real: Constantly replenish your warm audience with new leads.
2. Understand your tools: Don’t delegate ad spend without understanding how platforms work.
3. Top-of-funnel matters: Always have a strategy for bringing in cold leads.
4. Marketing involves failure: Every strategy is an experiment. Embrace the learning curve.
5. Budgets should match strategy: Don’t overspend on warm audiences without a refill plan.
6. Go back to basics if needed: Organic channels can be powerful rebuild tools.
7. Success can also break systems: A sudden spike in leads can overwhelm an unprepared backend.

The Costly Facebook Ads Misadventure

Background: A Coach with Marketing Credentials

Robin Waite isn't new to marketing. Before becoming a business coach, he ran a successful marketing agency for 12 years. After transitioning into coaching, he embraced digital advertising—particularly Facebook ads—as a way to scale.

“I come from a marketing background... but I got swept up in the idea of scaling quickly,” Robin admitted.

Initial Success

For the first eight months, things looked promising. He was investing around £3,000 per month (~$4,500) and seeing a steady stream of leads and enquiries from a warm audience nurtured over time via email lists and social media groups.

Sudden Decline

Without warning, the results tanked.

• No new leads were coming in.
• Multiple ad experts couldn’t identify the issue.
• An additional three months of ad spend brought no recovery.
• The total loss amounted to over £9,000 (~$12,000).

Robin was left bewildered until a few conversations revealed the root cause: he had exhausted his warm audience. His ads were no longer being shown to new prospects—just the same people, repeatedly.

Key Takeaways from the Campaign Breakdown

What Went Wrong?

• Audience Fatigue: Robin had unknowingly maxed out his existing audience pool.
• Over-Reliance on Experts: He outsourced campaign management without fully understanding how it worked.
• No Top-of-Funnel Strategy: There was no plan in place to bring in cold leads and warm them up over time.

Lessons Learned

Robin's experience underscores a few crucial marketing principles:

• Understand Your Funnel: Ensure a constant flow of new prospects entering your ecosystem.
• Don’t Rely Solely on Outsourcing: Know where your money is going and how it works.
• Be Ready to Pivot: When something stops working, switch strategies quickly.
• Marketing is Experimental: View every tactic as a test, not a guarantee.

Rebuilding from Rock Bottom

With the campaign shut down and the budget exhausted, Robin had to rebuild. But this time, he focused on fundamentals:

Going Back to Basics

• Podcasts and Speaking Gigs: Leveraged free visibility platforms to reach new audiences.
• Books and Content: Continued publishing helpful content to re-establish his authority.
• Email and Community Building: Restarted his funnel from scratch, nurturing a new warm audience.

Smart Re-Entry into Ads

Instead of abandoning paid ads altogether, Robin restarted with:

• Lower Budgets: To avoid burning cash too quickly.
• Focused Strategy: Ads aimed at bringing in cold leads with long-term nurturing.
• Balanced Funnel Management: Ensured new prospects were consistently entering at the top while others moved down toward conversion.

The Bigger Picture: Marketing as an Ongoing Experiment

Robin and Lorraine agreed on a core insight—marketing is experimental by nature. You will make mistakes, and that’s part of the process.

“Sometimes you want things to go wrong… It forces you to get creative and rebuild better,” Robin shared.

Final Thoughts

Robin's story is a powerful reminder that even experts can get caught out by avoidable mistakes. His transparency offers a learning opportunity for business owners at any stage.