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Beginner - need some help

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kalim82548

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Hey affiliates :)

I have been working for about 2 years as a Facebook advertiser for an EU based ecommerce company. I generated about 3M in revenue in this time, making FB ads for all kinds of trendy everyday-use products.

Now I am in the process of searching for a new job and wanting to get into affiliate marketing. Since I have a lot of free time, I am trying out some free traffic methods, but noting is really moving after a month of consistently doing it. I dont spend a lot of time every day on free traffic, but I just do it on regularly.

I would also like to get good with Microsoft ads, I have been running a few campaigns, but only 1 shown some promise, made me about $1500 in revenue which was also profitable, but then came a week without a sale so I lost it all.

My problem now is that I dont know how to run profitable MS ads. Like I said, I had 1 campaign that was showing some promise, but it then went negative. Here is a short explanation of what I was doing on a daily basis. I would check search terms on microsoft ads for a previous day, and I would add keywords and terms that I would deem nonrelated to negative keywords. If I made a sale, I would add that query string into its own separate ad group and write an ad specific to that query string. And thats pretty much it... I got some sales like that but overall, I lost more then I made.

Now I would be very thankful for any suggestions :)
 

joeybabbs

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Hi it seems like it started out well then went downhill after you started making changes. Were you using automated bidding like TCPA or were you using enhanced bidding?

Maybe you need to go back to square one and figure out what worked and focus on only that for a while...let it gather a lot of data and then start considering adding new ad groups. But if one is profitable leave it and let Microsoft do its thing.

Ill have to admit the TCPA bidding is much better one Google than on Microsoft, so I have been sticking with enhanced for the most part.
 

kalim82548

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Hi it seems like it started out well then went downhill after you started making changes. Were you using automated bidding like TCPA or were you using enhanced bidding?

Maybe you need to go back to square one and figure out what worked and focus on only that for a while...let it gather a lot of data and then start considering adding new ad groups. But if one is profitable leave it and let Microsoft do its thing.

Ill have to admit the TCPA bidding is much better one Google than on Microsoft, so I have been sticking with enhanced for the most part.
Hey, thanks for the reply.

I am using enhanced bidding.

Since then, I stopped that campaign and decided to try again, promoting the same product but direct linking to VSL this time.

I started the campaign on 25th May, got my first sale of a little over $215 on 27th, and another sale of just under $50 on 30th of May.

I have the budget set on $20 per day, and so far it has spent about $110, got 1727 impressions with 209 clicks (12% CTR). On Clickbank, I got 212 hops, 2 initial order from impressions.

So what should I do in this case? I think some stats are pretty good, but the initial order form impressions is very low... I would expect many more on 212 hops, or am I missing something? Because in this case it seems that the 2 sales I got are kinda "lucky"...

I have added about 300 keywords to negative so far.
 

joeybabbs

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Hey, thanks for the reply.

I am using enhanced bidding.

Since then, I stopped that campaign and decided to try again, promoting the same product but direct linking to VSL this time.

I started the campaign on 25th May, got my first sale of a little over $215 on 27th, and another sale of just under $50 on 30th of May.

I have the budget set on $20 per day, and so far it has spent about $110, got 1727 impressions with 209 clicks (12% CTR). On Clickbank, I got 212 hops, 2 initial order from impressions.

So what should I do in this case? I think some stats are pretty good, but the initial order form impressions is very low... I would expect many more on 212 hops, or am I missing something? Because in this case it seems that the 2 sales I got are kinda "lucky"...

I have added about 300 keywords to negative so far.
I find cold traffic to video VSL is like this. It really helps to have access to the funnel pages so you can pixel people and retarget people or optimize for people who watch videos. Problem here I think is the cold traffic directly to a VSL. I have not had much success with this method. I know others have though so don't just assume I am right.
 

kalim82548

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I find cold traffic to video VSL is like this. It really helps to have access to the funnel pages so you can pixel people and retarget people or optimize for people who watch videos. Problem here I think is the cold traffic directly to a VSL. I have not had much success with this method. I know others have though so don't just assume I am right.
Hey, yea I have been doing that when I worked with FB ads for the ecommerce companies, but I have watched Ivan Mana and Dave Mac on youtube showing the method that I am doing right now, and I really like it. MS ads directly to a product page. I know I could build a list or use a landing page and what not, but I really like this the most direct way of doing it.

However I dont know what should I be looking for. Are my stats good, what would someone do in this case with the campaign, and so on... its really hard to know just starting out. For example, when I was working with FB ads I knew a lot about the campaign after 2 days, will I run it more, will I scale it, will I turn it off and so on..
 

joeybabbs

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Hey, yea I have been doing that when I worked with FB ads for the ecommerce companies, but I have watched Ivan Mana and Dave Mac on youtube showing the method that I am doing right now, and I really like it. MS ads directly to a product page. I know I could build a list or use a landing page and what not, but I really like this the most direct way of doing it.

However I dont know what should I be looking for. Are my stats good, what would someone do in this case with the campaign, and so on... its really hard to know just starting out. For example, when I was working with FB ads I knew a lot about the campaign after 2 days, will I run it more, will I scale it, will I turn it off and so on..
Yeah, that's one challenge with Microsoft ads is the data is limited vs FB and it also takes a lot of time to get data.

I tend to do things a bit differently on Bing than say Dave Mac who I believe uses only a few keywords and focuses more on branding KWs.

My method is broader and I collect a lot of data first then analyze the search terms report to find ideas for new angles etc. I also have been separating the partners vs owned and have found recently some really cheap and converting traffic in the partners traffic.

As for your particular case it is hard to know what is happening - that's a lot of traffic for only 2 order form impressions. That to me means they are dropping off somewhere but with the direct link strategy it's difficult to know where/why they drop.
 

kalim82548

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Yeah, that's one challenge with Microsoft ads is the data is limited vs FB and it also takes a lot of time to get data.

I tend to do things a bit differently on Bing than say Dave Mac who I believe uses only a few keywords and focuses more on branding KWs.

My method is broader and I collect a lot of data first then analyze the search terms report to find ideas for new angles etc. I also have been separating the partners vs owned and have found recently some really cheap and converting traffic in the partners traffic.

As for your particular case it is hard to know what is happening - that's a lot of traffic for only 2 order form impressions. That to me means they are dropping off somewhere but with the direct link strategy it's difficult to know where/why they drop.
Yea, Dave is mostly focusing on band bidding which I dont want to go. Its too limited and its not really a skill or something you can take and move on.

I think I will test out one more clickbank product that I found today and seems to be doing well.

Sorry, but I have a few questions again. I know Im asking a lot, but I really want to do affiliate marketing full time and succeed :)

1. What would you actually recommend to a beginner on a limited budget? Stick with MS ads and make that work first? Push ads? Facebook ads? CPA or affiliate?
2. How do you start your MS campaigns if I may ask. What is your daily budget, how much you spend on data as you mentioned in the above post, do you direct link or build landing pages? When would you consider turning off the campaign?

Thanks again for your time and all the support.
 

joeybabbs

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Yea, Dave is mostly focusing on band bidding which I dont want to go. Its too limited and its not really a skill or something you can take and move on.

I think I will test out one more clickbank product that I found today and seems to be doing well.

Sorry, but I have a few questions again. I know Im asking a lot, but I really want to do affiliate marketing full time and succeed :)

1. What would you actually recommend to a beginner on a limited budget? Stick with MS ads and make that work first? Push ads? Facebook ads? CPA or affiliate?
2. How do you start your MS campaigns if I may ask. What is your daily budget, how much you spend on data as you mentioned in the above post, do you direct link or build landing pages? When would you consider turning off the campaign?

Thanks again for your time and all the support.
The purpose of this community is to allow you to ask as many questions as you want - so don't feel like you are putting anyone out by asking questions that most people around here are probably scared to ask. :)

1. For a low budget definitely stick to Microsoft search. While some traffic sources may have cheaper traffic it doesn't convert and requires a ton of money to optimize.

2. I usually start with a maximum of 100 KWs if I am impatient and less than 50 if I want to save money on testing. I start with all networks (Microsoft owned combined with Partners) but with the intention of splitting them later if partners convert. If partners don't convert I just turn them off in the original campaign. As for a budget I have found profitable campaigns with a $20 a day budget, but again it comes down to patience. If I feel impatient and confident it will be worth it I will start at $200 - $400 a day. When I start I use all BROAD match types until I can see which actual search terms people are using, then I start to make changes. Changes could include pausing KWs, adding negative KWs, switching a KW from broad to Phrase and exact match, or leaving it as braid if it keeps converting. As for turning it off I will admit I can be stubborn sometimes and lose more than I should. That is one of the things we never really learn even as seasoned pros. Knowing when to throw in the towel on a campaign is one of the hardest skills to master. :)

I ALWAYS USE A LANDING PAGE!
 

joyce44

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@joeybabbs
For testing a MS new campaign, (payout US$20 - US$40)
1) what is your initial bid, as your keywords are Broad match type
2) if you start with 50 keywords, do you do long tail keyword like 3-4 word keyword or 2 word keyword is fine
3) do you start with any negative keyword, eg. free
4) do you increase your bid during the first few days of testing
Thanks :)
 
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joeybabbs

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@joeybabbs
For testing a MS new campaign, (payout US$20 - US$40)
1) what is your initial bid, as your keywords are Broad match type
2) if you start with 50 keywords, do you do long tail keyword like 3-4 word keyword or 2 word keyword is fine
3) do you start with any negative keyword, eg. free
4) do you increase your bid during the first few days of testing
Thanks :)

1) what is your initial bid, as your keywords are Broad match type

It depends on the niche...use google KWs planner or SEMrush to get a general sense of whether it's highly competitive.

2) if you start with 50 keywords, do you do long tail keyword like 3-4 word keyword or 2 word keyword is fine

I do both including what I think would be the most competitive KWs

3) do you start with any negative keyword, eg. free

No - believe it or not some people searching "free" will convert on many campaigns.

4) do you increase your bid during the first few days of testing
Thanks :)

If I am getting no traffic yes, or if I am showing up below page 1.
 

kalim82548

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The purpose of this community is to allow you to ask as many questions as you want - so don't feel like you are putting anyone out by asking questions that most people around here are probably scared to ask. :)

1. For a low budget definitely stick to Microsoft search. While some traffic sources may have cheaper traffic it doesn't convert and requires a ton of money to optimize.

2. I usually start with a maximum of 100 KWs if I am impatient and less than 50 if I want to save money on testing. I start with all networks (Microsoft owned combined with Partners) but with the intention of splitting them later if partners convert. If partners don't convert I just turn them off in the original campaign. As for a budget I have found profitable campaigns with a $20 a day budget, but again it comes down to patience. If I feel impatient and confident it will be worth it I will start at $200 - $400 a day. When I start I use all BROAD match types until I can see which actual search terms people are using, then I start to make changes. Changes could include pausing KWs, adding negative KWs, switching a KW from broad to Phrase and exact match, or leaving it as braid if it keeps converting. As for turning it off I will admit I can be stubborn sometimes and lose more than I should. That is one of the things we never really learn even as seasoned pros. Knowing when to throw in the towel on a campaign is one of the hardest skills to master. :)

I ALWAYS USE A LANDING PAGE!
Thank you very much :)

I have some more questions now after all the great info that you just posted.

Doesnt a landing page make more friction? Its one more click that the user needs to do before seeing the VSL, also there is always a drop off between ad clicks and VSL views (hop count)?

Also, like I said, I will be starting a new campaign and I am planning to do it like this...
1. Create a campaign with 3-4 ad groups, each ad group with about 10 phrase match keywords. Each ad group would have 2 different ads (for testing) with keywords related to that ad group and each point to a landing page with keywords from the ad group.
2. Start the campaign with no negative keywords, budget of $20 per days and I think a total budget for this would be $300 to test. The average $ sale is $150.
3. Its a weight loss niche, so I will start with a bid of $0.60 per click and see if I am getting enough impressions and clicks.
4. The landing page is a simple one with a big headline maybe a sub headline, a video with a play button that redirects to VSL, some text, and a button that also redirects to a VSL.

Why do you think of this kind of a setup? I think I didnt forget to mention anything here :)
 

joeybabbs

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Thank you very much :)

I have some more questions now after all the great info that you just posted.

Doesnt a landing page make more friction? Its one more click that the user needs to do before seeing the VSL, also there is always a drop off between ad clicks and VSL views (hop count)?

Also, like I said, I will be starting a new campaign and I am planning to do it like this...
1. Create a campaign with 3-4 ad groups, each ad group with about 10 phrase match keywords. Each ad group would have 2 different ads (for testing) with keywords related to that ad group and each point to a landing page with keywords from the ad group.
2. Start the campaign with no negative keywords, budget of $20 per days and I think a total budget for this would be $300 to test. The average $ sale is $150.
3. Its a weight loss niche, so I will start with a bid of $0.60 per click and see if I am getting enough impressions and clicks.
4. The landing page is a simple one with a big headline maybe a sub headline, a video with a play button that redirects to VSL, some text, and a button that also redirects to a VSL.

Why do you think of this kind of a setup? I think I didnt forget to mention anything here :)
Yes, it's a good setup but I would add in testing landing pages. Also, your budget will probably need to be higher. If you could also get some insights from the offer owner or other spy tools as to which country/devices would be best to target that might help.
 

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