Pushing My First Affiliate Offer..

[GriD]

Traffic Network: EZmob
Traffic type: Push-mobile only to start...
Affiliate Network: Zeydoo
Vertical: Sweepstakes - voucher
Country: UK
Tracker: BeMob

I struggled in finding a valid(to my standard) Affiliate network...
As a starter we will all struggle with this, but know things get better going onwards... (Do not make assumptions, this network is not the one I mentioned recently...)
My AM at Zeydoo has been extremely helpful in proposing different offers... Very curious to see if I can reach the announced CR...

I initially expected to use another push traffic source but even though they accept Paypal when I tried to send my funds yesterday I got the message it takes them a few days to accept my Paypal... So I searched the forum to locate another push source accepting Paypal... I will anyway add more push traffic sources if the offer converts so my application to the initial network stays a good thing...

As the offer has its own prelander (questionaire style) I will direct link.
If it converts I will ask the AM if I can use my own prelander to see if that improves over the standard one... (there is is no direct link to the offer available to me right now)

Anyway,
I've set up the traffic source in the tracker... (following these BeMob instructions)
I've set-up the network in the tracker... (following these BeMob instructions)
Offer and Campaign created in the tracker...
Campaign is ready in EZmob, 5 different creatives...
Waiting for approval... ( @SuryaJ walked me through the setup of the campaign on Skype, thanks, much appreciated!)

It took me way too long to get here but I'm happy, taking the first step of the long staircase... Once you start climbing it, it does not get easier but some routine starts to build in the muscles so you can start concentrating on the real work

 

[Honeybadger]

Once you start climbing it, it does not get easier

"Everything gets easier when you stop expecting it to be easy" - Tim S. Grover

 

[CPADomi]

I wish you luck, do you have already make leads with the Push-Mobile Campaigns on EZmob?

 

[GriD]

First stats, I still have some setup work to do...
EZmob stats:

Impressions evenly spread over the creatives... CTR's 0.4 to 0.5 % Only 100 to 130 clicks per creative so far...
I need to check the BeMob-EZmob setup, it looks like conversions are not being passed through from the tracker to the ad network...

BeMob stats:

Not counting clicks as this is a direct link to the offers prelander (questionaire style, 4 questions)
The empty click is my mistake as I accidentally clicked the offer link before the start of the campaign.
The BeMob-Zeydoo setup seems better, conversions are passed to the tracker...

Zeydoo stats:

Not much to see here so I guess I won't be posting these anymore, one conversion, $1.6 revenue... But this info is passed on to the tracker so that's working as expected...

I notice a discrepancy in the number of clicks reported by EZmob (587), BeMob (525) and Zeydoo (472)
(one less in the offer and tracker as that was my bad click before the campaign started)
Not sure if this is something I need to look at as it the correct numbers could be delayed?

I'll let this run for a least another day to gather a little more data... Will talk to my affiliate manager to see if I am allowed to use the brand name in my push thumbnail and/or in my images... This was not explicitly listed but I expect not (as I did see the offer elsewhere and there it was stipulated as not permitted).

@CPADomi Yes, first lead in the first day of testing...

 

[SuryaJ]

Welcome @GriD and Good Luck with the testing

 

[GriD]

Quick update... No additional conversion yet, just additional impressions and clicks... Total spend about $25, only one conversion so far... I will post stats later on...
But I want to point out a good relation with all involved parties is essential...
Received exceptional support from BeMob when researching the fact that the conversion was not passed back to the traffic source. Together with EZmob they diagnosed and worked on solving the issue... Conversion is now showing as well in the EZmob stats! All should be fine... We'll see on the next conversion...
EZMob is also very helpful in providing newbies guidance... They looked into my campaign, suggested to cut down a traffic Subid that ate up 30% of the total budget without result... Also suggested me to slim down the creatives from five to three.
After talking to my AM at Zeydoo regarding the creatives I decided to add in two new creatives with the offer brand showing in the creative. Once these are approved I will also let them run for a few days to see how they perform, I expect a lower CTR but the clicks should be higher quality do might lead to improved CR...
I know this will bring the creatives back to five but after a while I will reoptimise the # of creatives anyway.

Even though I have no monetary results yet and I don't have enough data yet to decide anything about any outcome of this campaign... I must say I am very happy so far, learned a few things, the essential one being that I feel good being in this business. I like the fact of interacting with the involved parties and trying to glue all the parts of the puzzle in the right position! trying to gather as much intelligence as I can and work with it... I know I still have long way to go but starting this first campaign was a great decision... So many people say that you have to start and learn from your experiences.. I would add to that that it is equally important to get a feel of the job, you will only know if you like it once you tried... And you can only be in for the long run if you like it... So now I am even more convinced I want to make this work, crossing my fingers I will be capable... (because I don't believe in luck...)

 

[Honeybadger]

Received exceptional support from BeMob when researching the fact that the conversion was not passed back to the traffic source. Together with EZmob they diagnosed and worked on solving the issue... Conversion is now showing as well in the EZmob stats! All should be fine... We'll see on the next conversion...
EZMob is also very helpful in providing newbies guidance... They looked into my campaign, suggested to cut down a traffic Subid that ate up 30% of the total budget without result... Also suggested me to slim down the creatives from five to three.
After talking to my AM at Zeydoo regarding the creatives I decided to add in two new creatives with the offer brand showing in the creative.

@GriD
If you receive great customer support I'm sure they'd appreciate a profile review
Is incredibly helpful, if you have time

 

[GriD]

@GriD
If you receive great customer support I'm sure they'd appreciate a profile review
Is incredibly helpful, if you have time

Rest assured @Honeybadger all involved parties will be getting a review!
Planning this just a little later down the road...

 

[GriD]

Creative CTR plummetted...

Yesterday I stopped creatives 502/503 who had the lowest CTR or 0.37%...
As none of the offer creative images displayed the offer brand I added two creatives 012/015 that do show the brand in the image.

I read somewhere that push creatives can die out after one week... These are only active for three days, and day three already made the CTR plummet...
Also the two new creatives hardly received any clicks...
Not sure what could be the cause... I'm asking EZmob if they have an idea... Maybe I need to raise my bid?

Regarding the low CR I am thinking adding in my own prelander anyway... I personally feel that prelander to prelander to offer makes alot of clicks but who cares about how I feel right!
Would I use my prelander to send the traffic to the offer prelander or bypass the offer prelander? (if this tactic is accepted... I would need to ask AM for the direct offer link)

 

[Dirkskep]

Maybe I need to raise my bid?

Maybe you could try another traffic source and compare the results?

Regarding the low CR I am thinking adding in my own prelander anyway... I personally feel that prelander to prelander to offer makes a lot of clicks but who cares about how I feel right!

Only one answer... Testing...

 

[GriD]

Only one answer... Testing...

Thanks @Dirkskep ! I'm on it...
If anybody has ideas on what kind of lander works with giftcard sweepstakes, I'm all ears!

 

[Graybeard]

If anybody has ideas on what kind of lander works with giftcard sweepstakes, I'm all ears!

sweepstakes landing page at DuckDuckGo

these are just ideas
what works would require testing in real-time

 

[GriD]

Hmmm next quick update...
EZmob stats list almost 2500 Clicks, CTR still low @0.24%...
BeMob Only sees 2190 clicks - 2160 Unique clicks
Zeydoo Stats say 2031 requests - 1833 impressions...
And still only 2 conversions

Yesterday was a little too silent for me but I understand I'm not alone in this business so don't read this as a complaint...
- Did not get any hint regarding the CTR drop yesterday, hard to understand what happened / how to get it back at initial level... Or maybe the low I have now is normal?
- I proposed a Landing page to my AM - No answer so I can't start testing it as it's supposed to be approved first... Or would you just start testing it? There is nothing fishy, no false claims/promises...

So I'm five days into this Today I hope to get my LP approved and possibly add in a second push traffic source as @Dirkskep suggested... (= listening to the suggestions you guys give me, thanks for thinking with me!!!)

 

[GriD]

New Update - As I've always been told, direct Linking seems a no-go, even with the offer having a 4 question prelander so this campaign has been paused after 50$ spend and only 2 conversions...
Created a simple lander for this offer - offer image and short description.
Relaunching this on EZmob Push as well as Propeller. Suggested CPC is very different (higher on Propeller so that means with the same budget there will be less clicks). Going with the suggested numbers... So testing the same offer on 2 different traffic sources...
Both campaigns are submitted simultaneously... Should have the first results tomorrow...
Would you suggest I also build a second lander - different style? Or wait and see if this test starts converting?

 

[azgold]

I also build a second lander - different style?

Typically, yes. Sometimes 3 - 5 for testing, cut the worst performers then change one thing at a time to test the best performers. Keep testing, optimizing and cutting under performers until you get the winner.

If you can create your own landers without having to pay somebody, that's great!

 

[Graybeard]

epc is the final arbitrator.
Then, what it costs to get a conversion.
So paying more if they convert better ... TBD

 

[GriD]

First stats using an LP - not much data yet - but one conversion in the first hours of running....
EZmob stats:

4 adds submitted but 1 still under approval... About 5k impressions each, ad CTR 0.8% so far - they are doing better than on the first campaign - very similar ones though... Bid was at 0.02 the, at 0.03 now, that could be the reason... Time will tell I guess... 165 clicks sent to my LP...

Propeller stats:

This campaign took a lot longer to start - has been under revision for several hours - not a negative, just what I noticed - and probably also the reason for having less impressions right now...
Here the 4 ads are running, bid, as said before, higher at the recommended 0.09. No numbers to work with yet...
Big difference in impression spread, Propeller ads algorythm is supposedly doing this (compared to the even spread on EZmob)... The creative with the highest CTR seems to be getting the most impressions...
14 clicks sent to my LP - 12 identified as engaged (2 seconds on the LP)
And one conversion, from the best performing creative...

BeMob stats:

Currently EZmob traffic has a 25+% CTR on my landing page (early numbers not significative yet - but an indication)- no conversions yet... Not worried, should be better quality traffic sent to the offer, I suppose Zeydoo will appreciate this...
And Propeller shows only about 10% conversion on the LP but from the 63 visits counted, 6 clicked through and 1 converted...
To be continued...

Typically, yes. Sometimes 3 - 5 for testing, cut the worst performers then change one thing at a time to test the best performers. Keep testing, optimizing and cutting under performers until you get the winner.

I actually agree... Even though for me as a newbie it seems this adds in another level of complexity as I don't even really understand yet how tho read the stats correctly.

If you can create your own landers without having to pay somebody, that's great!

Yes probably... But doing everything yourself slows you down! A lot!!! As a perfectionist I have to force myself putting the page online... I've already spent too much time tweaking it... And i could go on forever tweaking it
But I learn... And for now this is the sole purpose of my campaign...

 

[azgold]

This campaign took a lot longer to start - has been under revision for several hours

It can happen on weekends, not all vendors work them.

for me as a newbie it seems this adds in another level of complexity

You'll get more comfortable and confident once you have a few under your belt. Taking the time to learn and understand before going full tilt is a good idea.

But doing everything yourself slows you down! A lot!!

Yes it does.

Sounds like your goals are clear and your focus is good!

 

[GriD]

Here we go... Some more numbers to show...
EZmob:

Only one conversion with EZmob traffic so on par with the direct linking attempt (which ended up with two conversions after sending 2500 clicks)...
638 clicks sent to the LP - 1 conversion - This is again not seen on EZmob stats - I would need to get them talking to BeMob again but that's lower on my priority list as I see the conversions in BeMob.

Propeller:

Three with Propeller traffic... 144 clicks sent to the LP, only 67 identified as engaged clicks... That ratio is lowering (meaning traffic quality is dropping, I must thank Propeller for providing this insight!) But three conversions, still very far from profitable !

And finally what I see on BeMob:

Never mind the green here, I set-up Propeller on Bemob following this guide, cost was not passed on to BeMob... A quick review of the settings and that is now fixed...

LP CTR has dropped 10% to about 15% for the EZmob traffic
LP CTR staid stable just under 10% for the Propeller traffic

What I read for:
EZmob traffic (0.03 bid) 638 clicks sent - 569 in Bemob - 88/85 sent to offer - 1 conversion
Propeller traffic (0.09 bid) 144 clicks sent - 173 in BeMob (difference is due to evaluation clicks when the offer was under revision with Propeller) - 19/17 sent to offer - 3 conversions

I often need to remind myself that I am going with the network suggested Bid...The different bids make me feel I am comparing Pink Ladies with Honeycrisps... Both are apples but still very different.

Need to keep this running for some more time to see where it goes...

And working on a new lander (or two) as suggested by @azgold

 

[Aiden L]

I often need to remind myself that I am going with the network suggested Bid

Why go with the recommended bid?

 

[GriD]

Why go with the recommended bid?

Elaborate your question please @AIDEN, it feels like you have your own idea behind this, help me learn what I am up against!!!
But to answer, I went with it because that is they suggested me... From what I understand lowering the bid will give you more traffic (probably but not always less quality), raising it will give you less traffic but supposedly better quality... Finding the right bid is part of finetuning... I don't feel like I have enough clicks sent to start working on that... And if I can't get to a higher conversion ratio I don't feel like spending budget on that parameter anyway...

 

[Aiden L]

Elaborate your question please @AIDEN, it feels like you have your own idea behind this, help me learn what I am up against!!!
But to answer, I went with it because that is they suggested me... From what I understand lowering the bid will give you more traffic (probably but not always less quality), raising it will give you less traffic but supposedly better quality... Finding the right bid is part of finetuning... I don't feel like I have enough clicks sent to start working on that... And if I can't get to a higher conversion ratio I don't feel like spending budget on that parameter anyway...

Never go with the rec bid, at the end of the day they're a business and they want to get the most money out of you. Most traffic is bad with push and pops because its spammy and is full of bots. If you're paying for lots of clicks on a website with no conversions blacklist immediately. Target new subs, bit expensive like 0.6 a click but higher chance of converting this is due the the fact they have not been bombarded by these notifs. I see you're spending 0.9 cpc for uk try doing 0.4 or 0.5 this will spread your budget out more and will allow for more testing. It's your money to spend but keep in mind traffic mangers etc they want to get the most cash out of you cause they probably work on a commission basis. I remember someone bidding 0.13 cpc for push but I was bidding 0.6 cpc and I still outperformed him, price of click is not the be all and end all, creatives and titles are vastly more significant when it comes to the profitablity of a campaign.