Who puts up with this crap? May 5, 2010
Posted by Andrew Wee in : traffic generation , trackbackIn testing new traffic sources, I’m amazed that many PPV networks, alternative CPM/PPC networks lack features that longtime Google AdWords advertisers would be used to. Reliable conversion tracking, A/B split testing, accurate and reliable stats that don’t differ from your affiliate network stats with a variation of 50% (equivalent to shooting in the dark in my books).
Which might lead some to throw a Chris Crocker style hissy fit. (revisit the goodness here (NSFW)).
What’s worse is the poor user interfaces that some of these networks have created. Poor documentation and even worse site navigation means checking out your stats might require five mouse clicks and setting up a new campaign via their web interface might take an hour or more. (Think the FB Ads submission/re-submission/re-submission/re-submission goodness even before the FB slap).
So after you get over your “Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?” moment, just sit for a moment. If you think about it, probably 90% of the wannabee affiliates and internet marketers are going to give up. A smaller percentage will trawl through their 4,000-plus entry poorly organized “support database” to figure out how the system works. Not to mention some will just set up their campaign just plain wrong, because they didn’t go through all the steps because they decided to say “screw the documentation” and are just winging it.
If you take the effort and muck around in the dark and actually make some of these weird traffic sources work for you, you’ll find very cheap traffic (keep an eye on the lead quality) and low or no competition.
/end rant.
Now go check out this month’s Internet Marketing Cookbook update: Profiting from Tier-2 PPC Networks.
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Hallelujah! Amen brother. I hear ya!
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I’m dealing with that same crap right now. But I’ll put up with it because you are 100% right. If it’s not easy, it’s probably not crowded.
Customer support for some of these ad networks is terrible. Of course they leave it up to the affiliates to learn how to use the system and find all the tips and tricks. If it was easy, then everyone would do it, right? Keep trawling through, Wee, and you will have that one campaign that will jump out and hit you in the face! =)
I’m a metrics person too, I remember a documentary on Lance Armstrong saying metrics being a huge difference, I agree seeing what works and what doesn’t is critical.