Sometimes the questions people ask on this blog hit the ball out of the park. Here’s one:
Hi Perry.
I’m sorry if this is not the best place to post this comment, but i didn’t know where.
I bought your Definitive Guide some months ago, and i did learn a lot about PPC.
After that i joined a popular ppc course in order to have the opportunity to get feedback from the coaches and the people on that forum for the moments where i get stucked and don’t know how to continue with the campaigns.
The problem with this course (and others), in my opinion, is that they are very oriented to the affiliate marketing. Although very tempting, i’ve come to the conclusion that it’s kind of a fake activity.
I mean, most affiliates research the products with the most gravity in ClickBank or EPC in CJ, take a look at the competition, do keyword research and start a campaign. But, do they know a thing about that product/market? NO. Do they buy the product in order to make a honest review? The majority NO.
That’s what i mean by a fake way to earn money: having to create content/websites/blogsâ… about something you don’t know a thing about.
And i don’t feel very well doing that.
That’s why i wanted to ask something to you:
How can one get experience with ppc campaigns, in order to help real brick-and-mortar companies afterward, if you don’t have your own product to promote?
I already have the knowledge about Adwords, but i need where to apply it. I live in Spain, and here the ppc market is still to explode. Most companies don’t do it yet.
Thank you for your time.
Carlos
Carlos,
I agree about the fake affiliate sites etc. They’re smarmy. Which is why Google takes a dim view of affiliate marketing. If you create an affiliate review site, buy the product and give a straight-up honest review.
Anywayâ… If you want to gain real-world experience the most direct way I know is to do it as a consultant. Some business owner who has a product, where you can dig into his campaigns and do some work. Most peoples’ Google campaigns are so screwed up that any reasonably intelligent student who reads my courses can make substantial improvements in a few weeks. Or you could approach an existing business that should have a presence online but doesn’t.
If you have no access to such a person [surely most people know a handful of people who are advertising on Google…?!] then my best suggestion would be to do an EXPERIMENTAL campaign where the intent is only to learn AdWords.
There are all kinds of non-commercial keywords that cost 3-10 cents (like “anthropology” or “greenhouse gases”, preferably a topic you know something about and are passionate about) where you can just practice collecting opt-ins and learn a LOT about Google. Perhaps some cause or idea you want to promote in the world.
My site http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com is a great example of that – I get very inexpensive clicks on a non-commercial topic. That site continues to be a laboratory for my Google AdWords ideas now, even though I’ve never had the slightest intention of making money from it. I have used this for all kinds of experiments and I actually mention it from time to time in my books.
Your definition of a “conversion” could be getting someone to sign up for a free white paper. Or just posting a comment on your blog. How about a blog on a non-commercial controversial topic where the goal is to get people to speak up? Simple, easy, instructive. You write different ads and you notice how a different ad changes the traffic you get. It’s a poor man’s survey, actually.
I promise you that whatever you do, so long as it is “real,” will teach you a great deal about marketing, psychology, traffic, and AdWords.
A project like that would teach you an enormous amount about AdWords for a few hundred bucks a month. It’s one of the ways that I learned. Also it gave me experience in a market that was 100% completely different from my main commercial market. I can’t tell you how many things I learned by doing this.
Remember, the easy days of AdWords are over. Nobody should expect it to reveal its secrets to them without an exchange of blood.
I would like to suggest that most people greatly underestimate the value of doing such a thing. Think how much more you can learn from an exercise like that than, say, taking a college class. It’s real-world, hands-on experience. That experience is priceless, it’s totally deliberate on your part and the tuition is cheap.
When your education is based on experience rather than theory, then you are never at the mercy of anybody. It’s the best preparation you can get for managing clients campaigns. Also I think that if you’re going to manage client campaigns, you should practice in as many different markets as you can so you begin to see the idiosyncrasies of different markets.
Perry Marshall
P.S.: I’ve recently been having a LOT of fun experimenting with banner ads (“image ads”) on Google for the Cosmic site. Image ads are currently the most un-tapped aspect of AdWords advertising. The competition for banner ads is only 10% as thick as for text ads. I’m literally getting thousands of 2-3 cent clicks every day. I’ve learned a lot and I will be sharing my latest discoveries on the next Mastermind call which will be on Friday June 26. I am also sharing this with the AdWords Boot Camp members and attendees of the 4 Man Intensive.
P.P.S.: Non-English markets are ripe for the picking and are also about 10% as competitive as English. Another advantage you have, Carlos.
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About the Author
Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
15 Comments on “Super-Insightful Question from a Serious Estudiante”
Hi Perry,
This comment is about the 60 minute pod cast!
There was a wealth of knowledge that i only
skipted over because of the rapid fire delivery. For what got digested added up to a
meal unforgettable.I saved the add copie that you posted however i
failed to save the recording.
Thanks again for twisting his arm in order
for all of us to be blessed.
Brian
I like your comment about getting some real world experience and comparing that to a college program. So many people overlook the value of some real world experience. All you have to do is get out there, try it, fail and succeed. Then you are an expert too.
It is good to read about Adwords and even affiliate marketing without the usual hype created around it.
I am fortunate to test ideas for my partner’s brick and mortar fashion store. Competition is low and clicks come really cheap!
As a result business is growing when others are scrambling for customers and they can’t figure out (yet) how we do it :-)
There is definitely a huge market for consulting small businesses. I would even consider testing this on a no ‘cure no pay basis’. Your time and your customer’s Adwords budget to do some responsible testing.
Top-notch as usual Perry!
The affiliate market is despicable! (good word, no?) But it really is!
I was on a teleseminar the other day and I basically said the same thing as Carlos.
The response…
“Get over it… This IS BUSINESS!”
If I could reach through the phone and $#%@#$% I would have.
That is exactly why it took me SO MANY YEARS to figure some of this stuff out.
In fact I bought Perry’s Definitive Guide out of total desperation! (one of the MANY over the years) and I THANK GOD I DID!
I believe the “what to do” can be much more important then the “how to do it!” (Perry teaches both)
People can do whatever they want, but to pray on the ignorant is truly doing a disservice to everyone in the market!
There is so much crap that will take you in the wrong direction, and every direction, perminenty taking some people out of the game for good. What a shame!
My suggestion? Don’t go into a market UNLESS you can add REAL value. Once you have something of value to others and can notice value, only then should you market affiliate products you really believe in, and if you really know your market, you will know which ones that is.
I have nothing to sell and nothing else to say, I just really do love Marketing and am a life long learner and really don’t like the black-eye rep marketing is getting.
I like to ask myself…
“What would Claude Hopkins do?”
Thanks agian Perry for all the food for thought over the years!
I like a lot the approach of picking a non-commercial topic and using it a “playground” to learn AdWords and to test out new ideas and strategies.
Howevever, I also like a lot being an affiliate. Sure, there are drawbacks and disadvantages, but there are also lots of great advantages.
I think, what’s most important is to treat the affiliate-game as real business: Pick only a few select niches, get to know your market (what do they want, problems, desires, obstacles…), generate traffic to a squeeze page, provide great value, build a relationship, propose great products and services…
And once you really know your market (list) very well (what exactly they want), nothing should stop you from getting your own products developed and offering them to your list.
Sure, all this takes time, work, dedication…, but I guess that’s the road to success.
Get rich, quick and easy using a few cheap tricks and secrets never worked and it will never work.
Robert
Wow! Great idea Perry! That really takes the pressure off of feeling like you have to sell, sell, sell, and frees up attention for simply observing what works and doesn’t.
Thanks for the idea,
Alasdair
Thanks for this Perry! This was a great reply. I’ve been reading a lot but been stuck on where to start. There are a lot of topics I’m passionate about that I could monetize eventually. Your idea is a great way to get started without getting caught up in the money first. Thanks again Perry! Shawn.
If someone wants to experiment with my newly developed site. Please contact me. Could be a lucrative experiment.
JoAnn
Thanks for that wonderful tip on “poor man’s survey”. This is a great idea for inexpensively surveying one’s target market.
Hello Perry,
I also bought your Definitive Guide and learned a lot; thank you.
You once made a statement that I’ll never forget. It may be the most simple and profound insight about succeeding online ever written. Paraphrase:
“Find one way of generating traffic and one way of converting that traffic.”
That brings me to the point of my post regarding the Mastermind Club offer. It was your PS that really got my attention:
“Image ads are currently the most un-tapped aspect of AdWords advertising.”
I plan on joining the Mastermind Club or “rejoining” the Renaissance Club when I’m ready for it – but I’ve been focused on one way of generating traffic and mastering it before diverting my attention; Image Ads on the Content Network.
Is there any way I can just buy that Special Report & Mastermind call? I would do backflips en-route to the credit card! I realize that the material in the Mastermind Club is gold, but I’m 100% focused on Image Ads on the Content Network. And $99/mo for the Special Report is a little tough.
Best Regards,
David
PS No need to post this as others may want to do this. Please advise with my email address.
David,
My suggestion: Join M-Club, get the introductory bonuses that go with it (quite valuable btw) and the call on June 26, and if you still desire to do so, cancel. Or perhaps better yet downgrade to Renaissance Club which is only $39. I believe you’ll make more money with the ongoing stream of information than you will just trying to cherry-pick the freebies. And I’m willing to make that wager with you.
Perry
I think now is the best time to start own business in AdWords Campaign Management / Coaching
Thanks for sharing this letter and your response. It’s nice to see someone like Carlos refuse to compromise his standards. It’s even nicer to see someone like you not try to take advantage of him, nor try to sell him some “quick-fix”. Your advice – invest in learning through experience with less competitive markets – was excellent and one that I, as well, benefitted from hearing. Thanks again.
I totally relate to this one! A great question and a great answer. I’ve struggled for years with the best course of action to take, either to go the “marketing” approach as Carlos commented on, or to be a genuine “business owner” with a strong sense of who and what I am, and using the appropriate marketing tools to position that, rather than the never-ending search for the next affiliate promotion.
Carlos would be very well-served to follow your guidance – build up real, solid knowledge and experience of AdWords while being in the trenches and doing it, now, today, with today’s rules which are so different to how they used to be.
Coming from a service provision and corporate background (ex IT Manager) the first thing I did when even moderately proficient with AdWords (thanks purely to the Definitive Guide which I discovered by accident) was to advertise my management capability and get paid while learning more *and* doing a better job for my advertising client than she was ever going to be capable of.
So the Analyst and Consultant role is definitely the way for Carlos to go, and being in a European environment (but not UK, which is fiercely competitive) he has the advantage of less competition, and his ability in multiple languages that he could leverage.
Good luck Carlos! (and a great post)
Perry, I also agree with the idea of “fake” affiliate sites. Affiliate marketing often comes down to someone promising a lazy, get-rich-quick scheme, and many end up becoming quite disappointed or frustrated within a short period of time.
To me, the ideal scenario is when someone buys a product, really believes in it, and then feels compelled to promote it or share it with others.
Here’s a step-by-step approach I’d recommend for affiliate marketing:
1. Identify some markets that you have a need or interest in, or choose some markets you are passionate about. The more knowledge you have about a market the better, but don’t less this stop you since you can always learn as you go along.
2. Do market and keyword research for terms related to your selected markets and make sure there is enough demand (i.e., searches, clicks, questions, buzz, etc.) in them. I’d recommend the toolbar from cashkeywords.com or using keywordsmash.com for this part.
3. Then size up the competition for each market. If you are newer to AdWords and the competition is fierce, perhaps it is better to choose a less competitive market.
4. Buy (or at least research potential products or offers) in the markets you chose. Opt into a newsletter or mini-course, if one is provided, in order to learn more about the product and the market’s needs.
5. Once you’ve found a market or two that fit the criteria above (i.e., a market you believe in, see enough traffic for, feel you can compete in, and have an idea about what is being sold and why it’s important), then you are ready to promote.
6. To promote your offer well, hit it from a variety of angles if possible (e.g., PPC, SEO, social media, Yahoo answers, replies in forums, perhaps your own autoresponder, etc.). Often this requires a lot of time, so start with PPC to find out which keywords convert or at least break even. You can then build on those keywords via SEO, social media, blogs, advertising in other networks, etc. PPC will get you answers faster and is worth it even if you only break even.
7. Consider writing a review site, a pre-sell page, etc., while hosting it on your own domain in order to avoid competing with other advertisers who are direct linking. Some people use social media/bookmarking for this part like hubpages, squidoo lenses, etc., which can also work well within SEO.
I know these steps take time, but the affiliates who are winning the game are the ones who stick with it and tend to be more thorough in their approach regarding getting traffic and converting into leads/sales. Many of them leave no stone unturned. Those who want it fast and easy, like within AdWords itself, tend to burn out fastest.
Steve