Last week, I took the family to Napa Valley. We booked the Beringer Vineyards wine tasting (last minute walk-in, thanks Grok). The trip included a historic cave tour too. Sounds fancy, right?
The Beringer Vineyards is one of the oldest wineries in California. Stone buildings. Hillside vineyards. A 2-hour drive from the Bay Area. The full experience.
We got there. We sipped. We smiled. We left.
And the only thing we could all agree on?
Meh.
Table of Contents
The Overhype Trap
Napa is like that movie everyone told you was amazing – until you watch it and think, That’s it?
It’s not bad. Just… not for you.
That got me thinking about Meta ads.
Everyone hypes them. You hear the same advice on every podcast:
- “Just set up a killer creative”
- “Use lookalike audiences”
- “Hook, offer, call to action”
I did all of it. Ran split tests. Rewrote the copy. Re-shot videos. Even created what I thought was the perfect pitch. Still? Mostly unqualified leads — and a bunch of people asking for quotes they’d never pay for.
Your Mileage May Vary
I’ve seen this again and again in business.
What works for one person fails miserably for another.
- My friend runs a house cleaning business. Meta ads get him 3 recurring clients a week.
- Another friend? Spends $1000 a month + free $300 credit on Yelp ads – and swears it’s the best ROI he’s ever seen.
- For my cleaning business? Google Local Service Ads dominate. It’s not even close.
Just like that Beringer wine tour — one person’s 5-star is another’s forgettable.
The Universe Is Complex. Test Everything.
We want formulas. Playbooks. “Do this and get that.”
But the truth is… you don’t know until you try yourself.
Marketing isn’t math. It’s more like cooking without a recipe — you throw things together, adjust the seasoning, and hope something great comes out.
Instead of asking:
“Is Facebook overhyped?”
Ask:
“Have I tested enough channels to find the one that works for me?”
Because your Sonoma might be someone else’s Napa. And vice versa. Sonoma offers exceptional bottles at wallet-friendly prices after driving 30 miles crossing Mayacamas Mountains.
Final Thought: Be a Taster, Not a Tourist
Napa isn’t bad. But maybe it’s not your thing.
Same with Meta ads. Yelp. Or even Google.
Try them all. See what works. Then double down.
In both wine and marketing — tasting beats touring.