Growth & Strategy
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
When I started working with an e-commerce client who was completely dependent on Facebook Ads for growth, I thought we just needed to optimize their campaigns. They had a decent 2.5 ROAS, steady revenue, and what looked like a solid foundation. But there was a hidden vulnerability that most businesses don't see until it's too late.
The moment Facebook's algorithm shifted or ad costs increased, their entire growth engine would collapse. They were essentially renting their customer acquisition instead of owning it. Sound familiar?
After spending three months building what I call "efficient distribution models" - multiple pathways for customers to discover the business - I learned something that completely changed how I approach growth for any company.
Here's what you'll discover in this playbook:
Why single-channel dependency is the silent killer of sustainable growth
The distribution overhaul framework I used to build multiple traffic sources
How attribution lies hide your best performing channels (and what to track instead)
The "dark funnel" reality that most marketers refuse to acknowledge
Practical steps to build antifragile distribution that gets stronger under pressure
This isn't about spreading yourself thin across every channel. It's about building a strategic distribution ecosystem that compound on each other.
Industry Reality
What every growth marketer already knows about distribution
Ask any growth marketer about distribution strategy, and you'll hear the same textbook advice. "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." "Diversify your channels." "Test everything and double down on what works." On the surface, this sounds logical.
The conventional wisdom follows a predictable pattern:
Start with paid acquisition - Facebook Ads, Google Ads, whatever gets immediate results
Optimize for better ROAS - squeeze more efficiency out of your winning channels
Scale successful campaigns - increase budgets on high-performing ads
Test new platforms - TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, whatever's trending
Build "omnichannel presence" - be everywhere your customers are
This approach exists because it's simple to understand and easy to measure. Each channel has clear metrics, attribution is straightforward, and you can quickly see what's "working." Marketing teams love it because it fits neatly into spreadsheets and quarterly reviews.
But here's the problem: this thinking treats distribution like a portfolio of independent investments rather than an interconnected system. Most businesses end up with a collection of isolated campaigns rather than a cohesive distribution strategy.
The reality? Your customers don't live in channel silos. They discover you on Instagram, research you on Google, get retargeted on Facebook, read reviews on third-party sites, and finally convert through email. The customer journey is messy, multi-touch, and largely invisible to most attribution models.
When you optimize each channel independently, you miss the compound effects of having multiple touchpoints working together. This leads to the dangerous illusion that you've "diversified" when you've actually just created multiple single points of failure.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
My client came to me because their Facebook Ads were "working" - at least according to Facebook's attribution. They were spending about €15K monthly with a reported 2.5 ROAS and generating steady revenue. But the margins were thin, and they were constantly fighting rising ad costs.
The business was an e-commerce store with over 1,000 SKUs - a wide variety of quality products across multiple categories. Their strength wasn't in having one flagship product that converted amazingly in ads. Their strength was variety and discovery. Customers needed time to browse, compare, and find the right product for their specific needs.
But Facebook Ads demands instant decisions. The platform is built for impulse purchases, not thoughtful consideration. We were forcing a square peg into a round hole.
When I dug into their analytics, I discovered something that changed everything. The "direct" traffic was growing month over month, but nobody could explain why. There were conversions showing up with no clear attribution - people who somehow found the site and bought without clicking an ad.
The first thing I tried was optimizing the Facebook campaigns. Better audiences, improved creative, different campaign structures. We managed to bump the ROAS to 2.8, but it wasn't sustainable. The platform was getting more competitive, and ad costs kept climbing. We were essentially running in place.
That's when I realized we needed to completely rethink their distribution strategy. Instead of optimizing for Facebook's rules, we needed to play by the rules of their actual customer behavior.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Instead of continuing to optimize paid ads, I proposed something that initially made my client nervous: we were going to build a complete SEO and content distribution system from scratch. This wasn't about adding another channel - it was about creating a foundation that could support all future growth.
The Three-Month Distribution Overhaul:
Month 1: Website Architecture for Discovery
The first step was restructuring their website for SEO, not just conversion. We optimized every product page, created category-specific content, and built a site architecture that Google could understand. This wasn't just technical SEO - we were creating multiple entry points for organic discovery.
Month 2: Content Strategy for Long-tail Traffic
We developed content targeting specific product searches and comparison queries. Instead of trying to rank for "best shoes" (impossible), we targeted "waterproof hiking boots under €200" and similar long-tail keywords that matched their inventory.
Month 3: Integration and Attribution Modeling
The final phase involved setting up proper multi-touch attribution and creating systems to track the customer journey across all touchpoints. This is where we discovered the truth about their "Facebook success."
The Attribution Reality Check:
Within a month of implementing the SEO strategy, Facebook's reported ROAS jumped from 2.5 to 8-9. Most marketers would celebrate this "improvement," but I knew what was really happening. SEO was driving significant traffic and conversions, but Facebook's attribution model was claiming credit for organic wins.
People were discovering products through organic search, researching options, getting retargeted by Facebook ads, and then converting. Facebook got the credit, but SEO did most of the work. This is what I call the "dark funnel" - the invisible customer journey that attribution tools can't track.
Building Anti-Fragile Distribution:
Once we understood this dynamic, we embraced it. Instead of trying to control and track every interaction, we focused on expanding visibility across all possible touchpoints. The goal became coverage, not control.
We optimized for situations where customers might:
Discover products through organic search
Research options on the website
Get retargeted on social media
Read reviews and comparisons
Convert through email or direct return visits
Each touchpoint reinforced the others, creating a compound effect that was stronger than the sum of its parts.
Channel Reality
Facebook's attribution was claiming credit for SEO wins - a classic case of false attribution in the dark funnel
SEO Foundation
We rebuilt the entire site architecture for discovery, not just conversion - creating multiple organic entry points
Attribution Truth
Implemented proper multi-touch tracking to understand the real customer journey across all touchpoints
Coverage Strategy
Focused on visibility across touchpoints rather than trying to control and track every interaction
The results were dramatic, but they took time to materialize fully. Within the first month, we saw organic traffic start to climb. By month three, we had achieved something most e-commerce stores struggle with: sustainable, scalable growth that didn't depend on ad spend.
Measurable Outcomes:
Organic traffic increased 300% within three months
"Direct" traffic (actually dark funnel) grew by 150%
Customer acquisition cost decreased 40% when measured properly
Overall revenue grew 85% while reducing dependence on paid ads
But the most important result wasn't visible in the metrics: resilience. When iOS 14.5 launched and Facebook attribution broke for most e-commerce stores, this client barely felt the impact. Their distribution ecosystem was anti-fragile - external shocks made it stronger.
The business had evolved from a Facebook-dependent store to a discovery-optimized brand that customers found through multiple pathways. Instead of renting attention from platforms, they owned their visibility in the market.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Building efficient distribution models taught me lessons that apply far beyond e-commerce. Here are the key insights that changed how I approach growth for any business:
Attribution lies, distribution doesn't. Don't trust platform attribution. Build systems that work regardless of what gets credited where.
Customer behavior is messy. People don't convert linearly. They discover, research, get distracted, come back, compare, and eventually buy. Optimize for this reality.
Coverage beats control. You can't track everything, but you can be present everywhere customers make decisions.
Compound effects take time. Distribution models that seem slow initially often outperform fast channels over 12+ months.
Platform dependency is a hidden tax. The moment you depend on someone else's algorithm, you're paying rent instead of building equity.
Product-channel fit matters more than optimization. Some products work better in discovery environments, others in impulse contexts. Don't force mismatched combinations.
The dark funnel is your friend. Embrace unmeasurable interactions rather than fighting them. Focus on outcomes, not attribution.
If I were starting over, I'd begin with owned distribution (SEO, email, direct) before adding rented distribution (paid ads, social platforms). Building from a foundation of owned channels creates options and reduces dependency.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS companies looking to build efficient distribution models:
Start with content-driven SEO targeting problem-aware keywords before building paid funnels
Build email lists early - your owned audience becomes your most valuable distribution channel
Focus on integration partnerships rather than trying to rank for competitive keywords
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores building distribution independence:
Optimize for product discovery through long-tail SEO rather than competing on brand terms
Embrace the dark funnel - customers research across multiple touchpoints before buying
Build retargeting systems that work across email, social, and search simultaneously