Forum Moderators: skibum
I've added some affiliate links. My first 'test run' with advertising yielded me a whopping $15 :) - so that got me thinking 'if I can do $15 with this few users, imagine what I can do with 10-100-1000 more?'. So I've started working on this big marketing campaign poised to start making some serious money. So, here I am, contacting some potential marketing and business partners trying to establish some relationships. - it's holiday season, so no replies yet - and I'm sitting here at home, and everything just screams at me - you've got a bomb ass site, with a bomb ass marketing plan, users need a service like yours, you're gonna be rich, buddy! - I don't think this is a 'get rich quick scheme' - there's a lot of hard work to be done - but I keep playing the numbers in my head and it's like, how can I possibly NOT make money(and quite possibly, a lot!) out of this?
Can you tell that I'm excited? Do I need a reality check?
Anyone doing this type of thing?
I am trying it out...but not getting anywhere.
Anyone doing this type of thing?
Do they know you are doing this? Alot of companies are coming down hard on their affiliates that are using the PPC. If they don't know, you may find yourself shut out when they do find out.
I naive question probably, but why would they care. It isn't an unethical SEO technique.
Why are companies coming down hard on affiliates using PPC?
Merchants want incremental traffic generated by generic PPC means. They do not want to pay for traffic that they would get anyway as a result of brand awareness.
Ted
Why are companies coming down hard on affiliates using PPC?
They have also figured out that they can do the PPC stuff themselves. I suppose I shouldn't say that they always come down hard, just if you are doing it without them knowing. Some merchants let a select few affiliates handle their PPC stuff.
Letting all your affiliates have full run at PPC is dangerous. As was commented earlier, it's easy and a lazy way to do it (your words). A merchant could end up getting their brand slapped hard b/c forty different affiliates put up crappy PPC ads on the same word.
If you are doing a good job with the PPC and you havn't told the merchant, it's probably a good idea to give them a heads up. "Hey, I'm doing this and I'm doing it well. Wouldn't you rather I handle this stuff for you than for you to have to hire or find an outside party to do it for you?"
It is also a great way to make sure other affiliates in the program wouldn't be competing with you if you nail down an exclusive agreement with the merchant.
Being a PPC Affiliate Marketer (If that's what you want to call it) doesn't neccisarily take advantage of brand names. If you think about it, the customer is ALREADY searching for the term on a search engine. This tells me that:
1.)They didn't bother going to www.brandname.com because they either thought it didn't exsist or wasn't sure about it
or
2.)They were already at the brandname's website and decided they were looking for something cheaper or different; and if this is the case, they wouldn't click on that sponsored link anyway.
or
3.) They know a ton of companies that do this/make this product but can't think of them all, so they're looking for ideas.
That's just the way I see it. If a customer has to search for it in an engine, the name isn't large enough to begin with, I see the marketer as doing them a big favor moving interested traffic to their website, working off their brandname, yes, but who knows if they would have ever gotten there otherwise? They probabaly would have spilled over to mysimon to ebay in the meantime :P
That's just my thoughts on the subject.
If a customer has to search for it in an engine, the name isn't large enough to begin with
Accoriding to OV's search suggestion tool for last month
14062739 searches for yahoo
9988941 searches for ebay
15821359 searches for google
864006 searches for amazon
You don't get much bigger than them
Many, many people do not understand that the internet, a browser and a search engine are different things. Lots of people type in the URL into a search engine because they don't know how to use their browser.
I don't see a problem with a GOOD PPC affiliate. But there is a difference and lots of companies are finding this out. Many are shutting their affiliates out of PPC and are penalizing them for doing it. If your merchant isn't yet, I will garuntee they are thinking hard about it.
Even if it's not on their name, their brand is still affected. We sell lots of ASOTV type items. If/when our affiliate program is launched, if I let any affiliate place PPC ads, how's it going to look if someone searching sees 10 really bad adwords ads with my URL on it. It looks spammy and unprofessional and it hurts my brand. I would much rather have half a dozen affiliates that I know can do nice ads handleing the whole thing.
You might benifit by opening their eyes to why you should be allowed and others not.
I would be careful about affiliate stuff full time:
- it's highly competitive
- free search stuff can be decimated with one push of the 'red button'
- ppc feeds can be killed by an affiliate manager who realizes aff's are just driving up ppc costs.
In the end, it all depends on your personal situation. If you are willing to live off of $15,000 a year, then I say do it without hesitation. If you have a job that pays you $50k or more, I'd say do it in your part time. Aff Marketing is VERY volatile, so if you find yourself making big money, better squirrel it away and not count on it paying the mortgage long term.
Good Luck,
-John
It's not just the AOL'r either.
I have to disagree. Obviously success will vary from one person to the other, but these numbers seem awfully low.
Most of the full time marketers I know quit their jobs because they were tired of ONLY making $50,000+ per year. Guess it depends on how hard you are willing to work and your skill level.
If you are making $15k per year as a full time affiliate marketer, you are doing many, many things wrong. That seems like it would be a reasonable monthly goal.
Bottom line - as with any business venture, there will be ups and downs. It's all about what type of person you are. Of course, it's a good idea to have some cash in the bank before striking out on your own.
so that got me thinking 'if I can do $15 with this few users, imagine what I can do with 10-100-1000 more?
You can't necessarily scale your success with a small initial test group. I think you need those 1000-5000 visitors and then measure your success. You can't know for sure if your original test was a fluke or certain sign of success.
I have noticed when adding a new product, there will be a spike in sales and then it will die down. I think the spike is due to the new factor, some people love new and will buy because it is new (at least to them). If I were to judge some of my sales based on that initial spike, I would be sorely disappointed in the long run.
If you feel you have done your market research well, your initial buyers are thrilled with it, keep throwing some more money at traffic. Maybe poll your buyers and find out why they bought, emphasize that in your marketing language and keep on it.
Best of luck. Let us know how you do.
You're absolutely right its really a small test sample. Since then, I've already established another product(and offshoot of the main site to cater to partners) and partnerships with 3 websites that have total maybe 1000 daily users who will be incorporating my link proeminently on their sites. On top of that, I've hired a SEO guy to get it out on SERPs, and after looking at the site he believes he can bring in 350 daily visitors and $1k/month, or he doesnt get paid. I am in talks with getting listed on this site that has 250,000 users for a big percent of the aff. fees. Now, if I got that, it would get my pants wet!
My product line is such that its not even a question of having to sell something the user doesn't want. The user _has_ to buy them, wether they like it or not :) kinda like everyone has to pay for electricity. Well, everyone (in my huge market anyway) has to get these. What's best the user goes to those sites looking for it (I offer an alternative source to get them widgets), so to say these are highly targeted links would be an understatement.
I work as a full time web developer doing 10 hr days, and not having much more of a life outside of it (yeah, Im sad like that :)) - To tie it back to my original post, everything seems to be building up to big money coming in soon! Of course, the next couple of months will be the ultimate proof of it, and I day dream about the day I'll be able to quit my day job and concentrate on this alone.
If everything goes well, then, let it be stated here that today I am just a regular guy who decided to try his hand at affiliate marketing. This is where it all began. A guy, an idea and the drive to take it to completion. :) Let's see whats down the road.
I rely on both. I concentrate on PPC, but have my affiliate pages optimized for Google and get a good amount of free traffic (after Florida). What you're doing is pretty much what I'm doing. To me diversity is the key. Don't go with just one affiliate company (like CJ). I'm signed up with many. If one ever goes under you need to be able to not have it affect you financially too much. I'm going to be doing it full time hopefully this year. Quitting a good paying job to work on affiliate site doesn't have me worried because I belong to so many different programs (even some mlm).
Absolutely! If you don't build a nest egg before you quit your day job you are asking for trouble.
Rfung - I am close to that point. I want to get to zero debt (except the mortgage) along with $$ in the bank. I have paid my vehicles off and other stuff mostly with money from affiliate money. Hopefully by next summer!
It's taken me about two years. I have a wife and kids and they have been VERY understanding. I set a plan to work out of the house when I started this (even tho I didn't know what I was doing at the beginning) and I'm running about 4 months behind my taget. I wanted to be doing it full time in Jan, 04. No big deal though. I'm just happy I'm on the right road. Getting ready to launch an 'online mall' with all affiliate pages. My main site is not really made for that, just worked out that way and snowballed ;)
wellzy
If a customer has to search for it in an engine, the name isn't large enough to begin with
There are tons of people out there that either type the URl in the search box instead of the address bar or just don't know how to use the net very well that end up clicking on ads instead of the top search result. In some cases buying brand names on PPC can be a gold mine. Other times it can be a huge waste of money.
IMO smart companies may ban affiliates from buying their brand names on PPC but it is to their advantage to let affiliate use PPC because they can take up more real estate on the search page. The merchant can only buy one ad and if affiliates don't or can't buyother ads onthe page you can be sure the competition will buy the spots.
