Growth & Strategy
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
Last year, I watched a B2B SaaS client burn through €15,000 in Facebook ads with almost nothing to show for it. Great product, solid team, decent market - but their conversion rates were abysmal. The marketing team kept tweaking ad copy, testing new audiences, optimizing landing pages. Nothing worked.
Then I realized something that changed everything: they weren't dealing with a marketing problem. They had a product-channel fit problem.
Most businesses treat channel selection like throwing spaghetti at the wall. They follow "best practices" from successful companies without understanding why those channels worked for them. But here's what nobody talks about: your product's characteristics determine which channels will succeed, not the other way around.
In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why most paid ad failures aren't actually ad failures
The simple framework I use to match products with channels
Real examples of channel mismatches that cost businesses thousands
How to identify your optimal channel before spending a dollar
A step-by-step process to test channel fit efficiently
This isn't theory - it's what actually works when you stop forcing square pegs into round holes. Let's dive into how I helped that client find their perfect channel and 10x their results.
Reality Check
What the marketing gurus won't tell you
Every marketing course teaches the same playbook: "Test Facebook ads, Google ads, LinkedIn ads, then double down on what works." The growth hacking community preaches channel diversity. Marketing agencies sell you on their expertise across "all major platforms."
Here's what they typically recommend:
Start with paid ads because they're "scalable and measurable"
A/B test everything - audiences, creatives, landing pages
Follow competitor strategies - if it works for them, it'll work for you
Optimize for lower CAC - cheaper acquisition is always better
Use attribution tools to track which channels "drive results"
This conventional wisdom exists because it's simple to package and sell. Agencies can charge for managing multiple channels. Course creators can promise "universal growth strategies." Tool companies can sell attribution software.
But here's where it falls short: it treats all products as identical. A complex B2B software with a 6-month sales cycle needs completely different channels than a simple e-commerce product with impulse purchase behavior. Yet the advice stays the same.
The real problem? Most businesses never ask the fundamental question: "Is this channel inherently compatible with how our customers want to discover and evaluate our product?"
This is why my approach focuses on product-channel fit first, optimization second.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
My client ran a B2B SaaS platform that helped remote teams manage complex projects. Think Asana meets Slack with some unique workflow automation features. Great product, existing customers loved it, strong retention rates.
But they were stuck at around €50k MRR and couldn't crack the growth code. Their marketing team was convinced they had an "awareness problem" - not enough people knew about their solution.
So they did what every SaaS does: threw money at Facebook and LinkedIn ads. Professional landing pages, compelling copy, even video testimonials. The clicks came in, signups happened, but conversions to paid plans? Practically zero.
After three months of optimizing everything - audiences, ad creative, landing page copy, onboarding flows - their paid customer acquisition cost was still over €400 for a product with €49/month pricing. The math didn't work.
That's when I realized what was actually happening. Their product solved complex workflow problems that required deep evaluation. Decision-makers needed to understand the product, test it with their team, compare alternatives, and often convince stakeholders.
But Facebook ads demand instant decisions. You see an ad, click, and either buy or leave. There's no time for the careful evaluation process that B2B software purchases require.
We were forcing a complex, high-consideration product through a channel designed for impulse decisions. Like trying to sell enterprise software at a street food market - technically possible, but fundamentally mismatched.
The breakthrough came when I started analyzing their successful customers. Almost none came from paid ads. Most discovered them through industry content, word-of-mouth, or organic search when actively looking for solutions.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Instead of optimizing the broken strategy, I completely shifted our approach. First, I conducted what I call a "channel audit" - understanding our product's natural discovery and evaluation patterns.
Step 1: Customer Journey Mapping
I interviewed 20 of their best customers to understand how they actually found and evaluated the product. The pattern was clear: these weren't impulse purchases. Customers spent weeks researching, testing, and comparing before deciding.
Step 2: Product Complexity Assessment
Our product required significant setup, team onboarding, and workflow customization. This immediately ruled out channels optimized for simple, quick decisions.
Step 3: Channel-Product Matching
I mapped our product characteristics against channel requirements:
Facebook Ads: Best for simple products, impulse purchases, visual appeal - our product was none of these
SEO/Content: Perfect for high-consideration purchases where people actively research solutions
Industry Communities: Ideal for complex tools where peer recommendations matter
Step 4: Channel Testing Framework
Instead of burning cash on mismatched channels, we tested channel fit first:
Created in-depth content addressing specific workflow challenges
Engaged in industry forums where our ideal customers discussed these problems
Built comparison pages targeting "[competitor] alternative" searches
Developed use-case templates that solved real workflow problems
The Results Were Immediate
Within 2 months, organic traffic increased 300%. More importantly, these visitors converted 10x better than paid traffic because they arrived with genuine intent to solve the problems our product addressed.
We weren't interrupting people with ads anymore - we were there when they actively searched for solutions.
Customer Analysis
Interviewed 20+ customers to understand their actual discovery and evaluation journey
Channel Mapping
Matched product complexity and purchase behavior to channel characteristics
Testing Framework
Built systematic approach to test channel fit before major investment
Content Strategy
Created in-depth resources that aligned with natural research patterns
The transformation was dramatic. After shifting from paid ads to content-driven organic channels:
Acquisition Cost: Dropped from €400+ to under €50 per customer
Conversion Rate: Increased from 0.8% to 8.2% for organic traffic
Customer Quality: Higher engagement, better retention, stronger word-of-mouth
But the biggest insight wasn't the metrics - it was understanding that channel fit matters more than channel optimization. You can't optimize your way out of a fundamental mismatch between your product and your chosen channel.
Within 6 months, they hit €150k MRR primarily through organic channels. The same product, same team, same market - just the right channel approach.
This experience taught me that successful growth isn't about following best practices. It's about finding the channels that naturally align with how your customers want to discover and evaluate your solution.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons that completely changed how I approach channel strategy:
Product characteristics determine channel success - Complex products need patient channels, simple products can use interruption-based channels
Customer research beats competitor analysis - Understanding your actual customers' journey is worth more than copying what competitors do
Channel fit comes before optimization - Don't optimize the wrong channel; find the right one first
Cheap traffic isn't valuable if it doesn't convert - Quality of intent matters more than volume
Test channel assumptions quickly - Create small experiments before major investments
Attribution lies in complex sales cycles - Last-click attribution misses the full customer journey
Patience pays off in B2B - Long-term channel building beats short-term performance marketing
The biggest mistake I see is treating channel selection as an afterthought. Your channel strategy should be as carefully considered as your product strategy.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups, here's how to apply this playbook:
Map your trial-to-paid conversion timeline to identify high-consideration periods
Focus on SEO and content if your product requires evaluation and setup
Build comparison pages targeting competitor alternatives
Engage in industry communities where prospects naturally discuss challenges
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores, channel fit depends on product complexity:
Simple/impulse products: Social media ads work well
Complex/expensive products: SEO and content-driven approaches
Niche products: Community engagement and influencer partnerships
Test channel fit with small budgets before scaling