Speed is the wrong metric in marketing
Why spending more on paid media won't make you scale
I recently came across a post from a new founder that stopped me in my tracks.
They had just launched a study abroad consultancy, hired a marketer, and run paid ads on TikTok. Within a matter of days, they were alarmed that nothing was working.
This is a common unnecessary panic that most founders experience that moment after launch: constantly checking, refreshing dashboards, and questioning if they’ve made a mistake. That anxiety stems from hope without a multichannel strategy.
However, what stood out wasn’t the anxiety. It was the expectation.
The real issue is about misaligned strategy, and less about effort
The service that was marketed was guidance for studying overseas, one of the most consequential decisions a young person and their family can make.
Yet the chosen channel was short-form social ads designed for quick consumption and impulse reactions.
There was a disconnect. Platforms optimised for entertainment and rapid scrolling rarely align with decisions that involve:
family approval
financial planning
long-term life consequences
months of research and hesitation
These are long lead runways to get from cold to warm to a purchase decision. When I spoke to the founder, it was clear that their intention was sincere. They were studying abroad themselves and wanted to simplify a process they understood to be stressful and opaque.
The challenge wasn’t purpose or passion. It was not an understanding of how marketing for this specific business actually works.
The reason why marketing is often underestimated
Marketing is often treated as something you can “figure out” quickly, especially with enough resources like tools, ads, or content.
In reality, it’s a discipline that requires the same depth, practice, and patience as any technical profession.
You wouldn’t expect someone to become a competent engineer by skimming tutorials for a few weeks. Yet marketing is routinely approached with the assumption that results should be immediate, linear, and obvious.
That’s not the reality, as they rarely are.
Marketing operates in uncertainty. Data takes time to accumulate. Signals are noisy. Even experienced practitioners spend long stretches testing ideas without knowing exactly why something isn’t landing yet. Marketing is a science, and not one template fits all, even within the same industry.
At its core, marketing is about trust-building at scale, and trust does not form on demand. It takes time and consistency.
Understanding the buyer’s timeline
For study abroad services, the decision cycle is long, often six months to over a year.
A typical journey includes:
initial curiosity
extensive online research
financial anxiety
conversations with parents or guardians
repeated doubt and reassurance
delayed action
Any single ad or post is just one small touchpoint in that extended process.
Judging effectiveness after a handful of days negates the reality of how serious decisions are made, especially when it comes to a high-value investment like overseas education.
Sequence of an accurate grounded approach
A more realistic strategy would start with existing trust ecosystems.
Instead of trying to convert cold audiences immediately:
Partner with creators or educators who already speak to prospective students
Place the service within conversations that are already happening
Leverage borrowed credibility while building your own
Alongside that, direct engagement matters:
Observe where potential customers ask questions
Listen to their fears and misconceptions
Provide value consistently, without rushing conversion
This approach is slower, but it produces insight, alignment, and eventually, demand.
Key takeaways
Marketing is not a quick fix for uncertainty
Speed is not always the right success metric
Platforms must match decision complexity
Trust compounds over time, not days
Marketing isn’t mysterious, but it is demanding. It requires patience, realism, and respect for the human process behind every decision.
When you’re selling something that can change a person’s life, the timeline should reflect that weight.