Is This Normal?

errodr

errodr

New member
May 27, 2009
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Hello, been attempting IM for a while and I have a few questions.

I am promoting dating on POF using direct linking. I have about 15 different ad variations (pics, copy, etc). CTR on my campaigns are terrible .03% - .05%, with no conversions. I have spent about $150 so far. I am promoting an offer that the network says is converting quite well.

Is this normal when starting out, I mean is this the point where most people quit? Do I simply keeping grinding, losing money and trying different things out until I find a winner(s)?

Thanks for any advice...
 


Pitching paid dating on free dating is an interesting concept :). Why don't you target facebook or myspace?
 
Well, just about all I see on POF is paid dating adverts. I figure somebody's making money. I thought I'd give it a try.

Guess it's back to the drawing board...
 
I am still learning, but yeah could be the ads, who you are targeting, if someone is paying for something and its not working ie still on plentyoffish they may jump ship for another to try it out. Im still trying to figure out what im doing though :(
 
15 ad variations varying everything is a shit idea. Write 1 ad copy, test 50 images. Then, with your best 10 images, test 10 headlines. And so on. Be sure to run everything at exactly the same time. Always test systematically, otherwise your data is completely randomized and meaningless.
 
EWA does a lot of dating and they have some tips for promoting dating. Contact them and see if they'll let you in.

Also, have you spoken to your affiliate manager? It's their job to help you make money. Maybe they can look at your creatives and tell you where you're fucking up.

And YES it is normal to lose money before making it. Happens all the time, you just need to learn to tell the difference between throwing money away and optimizing a campaign. If you are optimizing, you're working towards making money. If you don't know what optimizing / testing is, then you're throwing it away.
 
People aren't going to whip out their credit card for a paid dating site whilst they are on a free one unless you are able to provide them with something that is going to improve their chances of finding exactly what they are seeking.

What is the unique selling proposition of the offer you are sending them to? Think about that and then adjust the targeting of your campaign towards the people it fits with.

Make sure your creatives accurately represent exactly what they are going to see on the landing page when they click through.
 
Mike I think you touched on part of the problem, I start out systematically split testing, but there are so many variations that I usually get frustrated and abandon the systematic approach and start making random changes thus invalidating my data. I need to find a systematic approach that works and stick with it, but with so many variables how do I make sure to hit each one?

I actually got a few conversions yesterday after looking at the data and removing non-performing ads, so maybe I am making some headway.

As far as asking my AM I did not think that would be a good idea because I am not a big affiliate so I figured that they would not want to spend the time with a newbie. I suppose I need to just ask next time.

And yes, I need to improve my ad copy to accurately represent what they are going to be seeing on the LP.

Sorry for the long reply and thanks...
 
Talk to your aff manager. That's another noob mistake, thinking they have to be huge to get any attention. It's their job to help you make money. If you make more money, THEY make more money. And if your AM is a dick, ask for a new one.
 
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