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Should I drop this merchant?

Methods & Tips for promoting your website, or affiliate programs, on the major search engines with pay-per-click advertising. Google Adwords, Overture, FindWhat, Kanoodle & more...

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Should I drop this merchant?

Postby marlene_s » Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:47 am

Hi everyone

I've been a member of SSWT since August 2003, but took an "Internet marketing sabbatical" for several months. Anyway and anyhow, I'm back, and hard at work on a few new websites. I have been following Lynn's PPC experience/case study with great interest, and would like to ask a question related to Google Adwords...

Four days ago I purchased GoogleCash, and decided to run my very own test campaign. I selected a topic, picked keywords with the help of Wordtracker, joined an affiliate program related to this topic on Linkshare (wasn't too concerned about the not-real-time stats), and wrote two ads (in order to do a split test). I set my daily budget at $5, and launched the campaign.

The specific topic has demand numbers of over 100,000, so I thought it would be a good one to start with, and it has about five competing campaigns running on Google and Overture at the moment.

During the four days I've maintained a 4% CTR, and sent over 316 visitors to the merchant - and have not had a SINGLE sale! I am pretty upset over the $20 I've wasted - for nada, zilch, nothing. :cry:

My question is this - should I drop the merchant, and continue the campaign with another affiliate program, or should I just accept that this is perhaps not such a good topic after all, cut my losses, and move on to the next idea? I am really not sure why the merchant can't convert the visitors into buyers, because the website is pretty user-friendly, and I consider the products good value for money.

~Marlene~
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Postby Lynn Terry » Tue Mar 09, 2004 11:11 am

Hello Marlene - Welcome back :D

You said the program does not offer real-time stats - do you know how often they update the information??

I am marketing one program that does not offer real-time stats, and sometimes takes several days (as long as 4 or 5 at times) to show me the sales data...
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Postby marlene_s » Wed Mar 10, 2004 8:27 am

Hi Lynn

Well, it's Linkshare, and the report looks about right...I've send just over 316 visitors to the merchant in the past four days. Yet a 0% conversion! I was looking at Rosalind's book again this morning, and realized that the affiliate program IS probably a dud (it doesn't meet all the criteria she mentions in Super Affiliate Handbook), but I was hoping that it would generate some business, because the keywords are hot topics right now.

I've also emailed the merchant's affiliate manager, and asked him how I can presell their site better, because I am disappointed in the bad conversion rate. Will let you know what he suggests.

~Marlene~
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Postby MommyEnterprises » Wed Mar 10, 2004 6:15 pm

Good luck Marlene,

Keep us posted :)

Best Wishes

Stefani
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