Demand Harvesting
Demand harvesting refers to marketing activities that capture existing intent. These channels (Brand Search, Retargeting, Affiliate) convert users who are already in the market for your product. They have high ROAS but low incrementality because the demand was already there.
The Short Version
IPicking the fruit that grew on its own.
Visual Explanation
SpendSignal vs GA4
GA4 tracks events. SpendSignal measures incremental revenue. See the difference.
Scaling the Harvest, Starving the Seeds
It's tempting to put all budget into Harvesting because the ROAS looks amazing (10x+).
But you cannot harvest more than you grow. Eventually, you tap out the existing demand, and growth stalls completely.
How it works
Targeting: 'People searching for my brand' or 'People who visited my cart'
Metric: Extremely high Conversion Rate, High ROAS, Low Incremental Lift
Role: Efficiency and closing
Common Misconceptions
Confusing Harvesting with Growth
Giving Harvesting channels 100% of the budget
Thinking you are a genius because your Brand Search ROAS is 50x
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
QShould I stop harvesting?
No! You should harvest efficiently. But don't mistake it for growing the business. It is just collecting the revenue you earned earlier.
QWhat is the right split?
Typically 60/40 or 70/30 in favor of Demand Creation. If you are 90% Harvesting, you are in trouble.