With RollerAds by your side, almost any campaign can be fixed. However, it’s easier and more efficient to plan things out in advance, to ensure high performance from the get-go.
In this article, we’ll go through the most common mistakes the affiliates make when launching campaigns. More importantly, we’ll help you not just to deal with the mistakes but to avoid them completely. Scroll down the article, and let’s boost your campaign performance together!
The Notorious Dozen
An efficient campaign is the combination of experience, creativity, and discipline. And while knowledge and divergent thinking are perfected naturally over time, discipline can prove to be a challenge to master.
Rushing toward profit, affiliates often fall for the traps, mentioned below. Get to know them and remember, slow and steady wins the race.
Audience Homogenization
Via: Freepik
True, the initial launch should be broad in terms of audience reach. However, the very first results are enough to start segmenting the audience.
Targeting goes beyond GEO-level and includes carriers, subscription age, feeds & zones, etc. A recent subscriber tends to be less ad blind, which is why the affiliate doesn’t have to break the mold for the creatives to catch one’s eye — a good reason to try out Auto-generated creatives.
Auto-generated creatives help to lower campaign setup time down to 50 seconds. They are optimized for top CTR and cost-efficiency, meaning you can shorten your campaign creation time without losing in quality.
NB! Currently, Auto-generated creatives are available for Software & Utilities — a good reason to try out this vertical!
With those, who have been subscribed for longer, the same approach might not work, simply because the user is accustomed to seeing the same type of ads over and over again. A similar logic applies to other targeting criteria.
One-Size-Fits-All Design of Creatives
Via: Freepik
This is an extreme case of audience homogenization, when the same creatives for Push notifications are constantly used. Even if it is a top-notch creative right now, in 4–5 days it is likely to start exhausting. First, the same creative ceases to evoke strong emotions over time. Second, if the media is great, it will be quickly discovered using spying tools and copy-pasted. Third, a perfect creative is rarely the case and there is always room for improvement.
Affiliate marketing is a highly dynamic sphere with audience preferences shifting daily. That’s why A/B testing is so important — what used to be optimal yesterday might not be the case today.
To stay ahead of the competition, it’s crucial to look for new approaches and experiment with creatives. Moreover, it’s not always about figuring out something new, sometimes very old creatives can infuse your campaigns with a second wind.
Vague CTA
Unless you’re doing playable ads for mobile games, no user will spend more than a few seconds on your ad. The user must be captivated within this timeframe and driven enough to click on the ad.
A good Call-To-Action (CTA) must be direct, concise, and urgent. Determine your marketing goals first and make sure your CTAs fit them like a glove.
Misleading Lander
A landing page is an integral part of your funnel. If it’s not consistent with the creatives, users might feel deceived and be quick to leave. For example, there might be a discrepancy between the size of the discount on the lander and in the ad.
Make sure all the values and special offers used are consistent across all the funnel elements. Otherwise, there is a risk of losing not only leads but brand reputation too, due to reneging on one’s promise within the funnel.
Giving Up on Data Collection
Via: Freepik
“He who rules the data, rules the world”… or affiliate marketing at least. Acquiring new data can be expensive, especially within Tier-1 countries. That’s why after initial Running On Network (RON) campaigns, it’s vital to segment the audience and specialize.
RollerAds’ dashboard offers all the essential information on your campaigns, but for more in-depth insights you need a 3rd-party tracker. Moreover, the tracker grants you access to all RollerAds features, including CPA Optimization.
Affiliate marketing is a strategic game, where every campaign is just a single brick in the foundation of your success. To build a solid house, you need to collect data and apply it for future campaigns. This is the way to save on costs, target a more engaged audience, and improve your conversion rate (CR).
Lack of Device Segregation
Via: Semrush
Mobile and desktop users behave differently. Mobiles offer quick access to the internet, while desktops allow seeing a bigger picture… literally. The former enjoy more visits, unique ones included; while the latter have more pages per visit, higher visit duration, and lower bounce rate.
Your campaigns should reflect this behavioral distinction. Mobile and desktop ad spots differ in terms of price and user engagement. That’s why creating two separate campaigns for mobile and desktop users can help you save on costs and improve performance.
Ignoring Subscription Age
Recent subscribers are valued more than the old ones among advertisers. New users tend to be less ad blind, but they are also more likely to bounce out. That’s why it’s a great idea to launch several campaign iterations for various subscription age groups.
Inadequate Bidding
Too small bids deliver few ad impressions. You gotta invest some money first, before making a profit.
However, don’t go overboard by bidding at the top of the auction level. Stick to the middle of the road, or use our SmartCPC and SmartCPM models to optimize your campaign spending. Instead of paying a fixed bid, you set up the highest threshold, and the algorithm adjusts the bid size to minimize your expenditures.
Using Pushes to Exclusively Inform
Push notifications serve more purposes than just describing a product for the audience. They are a tool to catch the user’s attention and explain why they are better off with your product.
Do not focus on the product features and highlight problem solutions. Warm the audience up just enough for them to click on your ad.
Too Much of A Teaser Spirit
Teaser ads are great… up to a certain point, beyond which the enigmatic nature becomes a nuisance. First and foremost, be honest with your audience. You don’t have to reveal all the truth — there is no physical space for that. But trying to sound mysterious at the cost of being succinct is a no-go.
Suboptimal Timing to Run Campaigns
Campaign assumptions are to be A/B tested. Some advertisers try to save on costs, by sticking to the assumptions, which haven’t been confirmed. While it’s reasonable to assume that people will fall asleep after midnight, for some GEOs this isn’t the case.
Limiting one’s ad impressions without researching the audience, exploring the GEO, and gathering field data can keep a lucrative segment hidden under the radar.
Being Frugal with A/B testing
Split-testing is like a reconnaissance: the more you invest, the more accurate decisions can be made in the future. The first launch rarely brings a stable influx of conversions. A steady ad campaign is achieved only after figuring out the most profitable approaches and perfecting the funnel elements via A/B testing.
If you manage to find the ideal combination, all your initial investments will be paid out multifold.
Conclusion
Launching a successful affiliate marketing campaign involves avoiding common pitfalls and embracing strategic approaches. The mistakes outlined in this article, from audience homogenization to neglecting A/B testing, highlight the importance of careful planning and continuous optimization.
By segmenting audiences effectively, experimenting with creatives, and refining CTAs, affiliates can enhance engagement and drive conversions. Moreover, prioritizing data collection and analysis empowers marketers to make informed decisions and maximize campaign performance over time.
Remember, success in affiliate marketing is not just about quick profits but about building a solid foundation for long-term success. Luckily, RollerAds is willing to accompany you on your journey toward profit. Register and contact us for assistance to see how we can help each other out.
