Seeking Help Does my marketing plan have any merit?

[RATATAT]

I have always been of the idea that one should stretch marketing dollars as far as possible; large marketing spend doesn't seem to equate to high or for that matter,decent and consistent profits.

I decided to cap myself to a budget of $2000 for marketing a few digital products I have.

With that budget, I can either:

1. Give it all to a 1 influencer/youtuber with a large following. Some of their rates are eye poppingly large. ($1500 for a newsletter shoutout? really?)
2. divide it among smaller youtubers e.g. 500 for 4 different guys and guage the results
3. run a contest

I have never run a contest and this is how I am thinking of running it:

1. Spend the budget on giftcards and various electronics like used gaming consoles, kitchen appliances and whatever I can get on FB marketplace that has utility
2. Run said contest where people download one of my apps/ebooks etc and enter their email addresses
3. Use said email address for upselling down the line.

I have limited experience with influencer marketing and none at all with running contests.

Can you guys help me decide with one I should go for? Maybe point out the pros and cons of either one or maybe write from experience?

Thanks!

 

[steveone86]

Try all three you dont really know what will work til you try

 

[proxycove]

Start with option 2 - several medium influencers. This reduces risk and provides comparison data. Contests attract people for prizes, not the product. Email lists from contests typically convert 3-5x worse than organic ones.

 

[Flashid]

Your three strategies have pros/cons. Single influencer offers wide reach but high risk, test multiple , while contest creates direct user interaction. Experience shows contest+combo works best: use 1000forcontesttobuildtargetedemaillist,remaining1000 for contest to build targeted email list, remaining 1000forcontesttobuildtargetedemaillist,remaining500 to mid-tier influencers for testing. You can use antidetect browsers (FlashID, multilogin, genlogin ) to helps isolate accounts across marketing campaigns, track each channel's performance, avoid platform detection of linked activities, ensuring accurate data and maximizing ROI.

 

[Ariel-ActiveRevenue]

hey ratatat — your instinct to stretch a $2k budget instead of throwing it all into one bucket is solid. let’s look at your options from a marketing return and data-collection standpoint:

Give it all to a 1 influencer/youtuber with a large following. Some of their rates are eye poppingly large. ($1500 for a newsletter shoutout? really?)

option 1 (one big influencer):
high risk, high reach, low control. if that influencer flops, your budget’s gone with zero feedback loop. unless it’s a hyper-niche match with a proven track record of converting, i’d skip this.

divide it among smaller youtubers e.g. 500 for 4 different guys and guage the results

option 2 (smaller influencers):
this one wins on data. you get multiple traffic streams, A/B testing across audiences, and far better insights. if one bombs, you’ve still got others running. also easier to negotiate deliverables and link placements.

run a contest

option 3 (contest):
contests can bring tons of engagement—but often the wrong kind. people enter for the prize, not the product. that means poor lifetime value unless your offer has built-in stickiness or virality. your email list will grow, but quality matters more than quantity here.

here’s a tested hybrid that works well:
$1000 toward contest + email capture (but only if your ebook/app has real perceived value)
$1000 toward 2-3 micro-influencers to promote the contest and your product (leverage their audience trust + expand reach)

also — make sure your landing page is clean, your upsell path is clear, and your follow-up emails are automated. otherwise, you’ll be collecting leads that leak out the other side.
you’re on the right track—just make sure you're buying data with your $2k, not just traffic. that'll help you iterate, not guess.

dm me if you want to look at funnels or influencer outreach templates.