All posts in Ask Me

Took a video for this one.

Popularity: 4% [?]

carl asks…

How do you choose your niches/products and how many campaigns would you recommend running at once? thanks, keep up the good content!

 
1) I choose based on how the offers perform around various networks, and the potential I see in it.

2) Run as many campaigns as you can manage. If you’re running one campaign and it takes 30 minutes a day to maintain, start up a few new ones and do some testing with them. If they all start spending a lot of money etc and it’s too much to manage, cut the worst performing campaign and work on the other(s).

Alex asks…

How many ad copies and landing pages do you split test with when creating a new campaign?

 
Ad copies…around a bajillion. Not really but it takes me a loooong time and probably 50-100 ads at least before I find one that performs best. As far as landing pages, I also throw a ton of different variations up, I probably test 5-10 pages before I pick one that’s the best.

NathanT asks…

I watched this video on a strategy for breaking into tough ppc markets using a strategy of high bids low budget and keep on making new campaigns unitl you can consistently do over 2.5% ctr. I tried this strategy on a market I would like to break into and got hammerd – I was paying $10 a click for position 6 when I know the top 3 places would only be able to afford $1.5 per click max. I lost about $400 testing this offer.

You can watch the video at http://masscontrolsite.com/blog/?p=29 and there is also a free report that summarises the video whcih you can download from http://www.creativedigitalmedia.com/dominate/

Is this a strategy you employ?

 
Well on some campaigns I do over 2.5% CTR, but I don’t keep creating new campaigns until I hit it. At $10/click for position 6, you’re probably competing against big name companies that are just paying for branding? Are they affiliate sites on top of you?

I will say that I usually lose much more than $400 when first testing a campaign, and at $10/click that’s only probably around 50-60 clicks for you. Bid on some longer tail keywords so you’re not paying as much and will be able to get more clicks to test around with. Or do testing in Yahoo/MSN to find what keywords are working for you.

Tim says…

Which market in the PPC arena do you consider (1 “hot” at the moment, (2 a long-term sustainable business model, and (3 the easiest and safest to promote

1) Hot…ringtones…dating…crush offers. Nothing surprising.

2) Long-term…probably offers more in the financial field.

3) Easiest and safest…too hard to say really. Some people have a much easier time than others with completely different niches.

Aniston asks…

1. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
2. Do you like Pizza or Hamburgers?
3. How tall are you?
4. How long do you take to brush your teeth?
5. Do you prefer paper or plastic?

 
1) Eat.

2) Both, and cheeseburgers.

3) 6’0.

4) 1-2 minutes

5) Plastic.

Ross asks…

What percentage of these questions have you been asked a million times before?

 
Probably about 98%. lol

My Awesome Blog asks…

Which affiliate network do you currently think is the best?

 
I am currently digging CX Digital the most. The network is growing really fast, they’ll be up at the top soon I think. If you want to sign up, in the extra notes box write “from uberaffiliate, request fraser”. You’ll be hooked up.

Kerry asks…

I am only experienced in SEO marketing and know how long it could take trying to get top ten listings in google for a competitive keyword. But trying to learn more about PPC.

Would you rather work on a long process of SEO affiliate markerting trying to get top ten rankings in the search engine for your profitable keywords? or would you stick to PPC because of the “quick” money that you could make?

 
Definitely sticking with PPC for now. It’s what I know, I’m making good money with it, so I have no reason to stop and use my efforts and time trying to learn a totally different ball game. If I ever wanted to fully SEO out one of my PPC sites, I’d just pay a really good SEO firm to do so.

Jordan Hall asks…

I would really like to see a “best practices” (according to you) on building a landing page.

tis would be awesome. :)

 
Yeah, that would be pretty awesome. Landing Page Keys to Success.

Johny-boy asks…

How did you turn from a failing-to ordenery affilate to a super affilate?
what would you say was the action that sets super affiliates from the rest?

 
1 and 2) The Mindset Of A Millionaire
 

Popularity: 3% [?]

More questionssss…

SomeGuy asks…

1. What is a SuperAffiliate? How do you define it? When do you know that you are one?
2. What Networks do you use? Do you go only for Leads? Sales? Do you do ClickBank?

 
1) There’s no set number really, a Super Affiliate is just someone making a lot of money through affiliate marketing. To some a super affiliate could be an affiliate making $10,000 per month, to others a super affiliate is someone making over $100,000 per month. An Uber Affiliate on the other hand…

2) The networks I use can be found in my affiliate marketing guide. I usually do just lead gen, and no I don’t promote CB products.

Nick asks…

What computer setup do you run?

Looking at buying a new PC, looking for some insight as to what you think the minimum specs should be.

 
I have a MacPro with 30″ display, as well as a 15″ MacBook Pro.

Matt Bingel asks…

Are you as concerned as I am with the new Yahoo pricing?

 
Do you mean the Yahoo/Microsoft thing, or them dropping their minimum bid prices?

Sitedesigner asks…

Is it better to have a blog where you blog about the market as your full name or as another name? Along with that, is one’s name a good thing to brand?

 
It’s hard and can go both ways I guess, the most important thing is content. Some of the most popular blogs :

TechCrunch.com
Shoemoney.com
UberAffiliate.com (lol)
ProBlogger.net

But then you have guys like JohnChow.com with a huge blog.

Kris10 asks…

When you initially put out money to start your own affiliate site, did you worry about losing your money? or were you sure that you would be successful and were confident in putting your money on the line? In other words, do you think affiliates have to be natural risk takers?

 
Of course we do. No risk, no reward eh? I was nervous at first yeah, but my first campaign was actually profitable. Things really started to blow up when I became really aggressive with my testing and really just letting go and taking big risks. So I took a couple really big risks and was rewarded extremely well for them.

ronin asks…

Who in this industry impressed you the most in the last 3 months?

 
That’s a pretty good question. I’d probably have to say Jonathan Volk. His blog is one of the few that gives some really useful tips for affiliates here and there, and apart from that success he’s really growing in affiliate marketing; which is where the real money is at. I remember a couple months ago when he had like 100 RSS subscribers, and now he’s up to 600+, I better watch my back…

Too Much Vodka asks…

#1: How do you scale your offers?
#2: Where do you think you will be in 2 yearS?
#3: Where do you think will the affiliate business be in 2 years?

 
1) How To Scale A Campaign. C’mon man it’s even under my “Popular Posts” thing lol.

2) Same place I am, making money.

3) Bigger and better than it is now. More expansion into the video and mobile space.

TG asks…

1. How tall are you?
2. Why don’t you write a step by step guide of the process that you follow from the research stage until making a campaign profitable, along with the tools (i.e: software) that you use and how you use them? No need to share confidential details……..just enough to help newbies start earning decent income so they can reinvest it back. Pretend we are your dentist dad, and write the steps as if you were to explain affiliate marketing to your dad until he gets it profitable. (by the way has he sold his dental practice yet?)

 
1) 6’0

2) I’ve been wanting to do something like that for you guys, just need to find the time. Yeah he sold his practice last week and he’s currently “decompressing” lol that’s what he calls it at least.

Toyota Corolla asks…

-Whats your cut off on a Campaign like clicks to leads ratio before its gone?
-What do you do with your profits?

 
1) If I lose a few thousand dollars testing a bunch of different things on a campaign and it still isn’t turning a profit, I’ll cut it.

2) Bank them.

John W asks…

You had a guest post on shoemoney when facebook ads first came out. Are you still using them and have you had any luck with them?

 
Answered this one already, I’m not really using them anymore.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Keeeeep on askin’.

Chris C. asks…

You mention that you create your own landing pages. I notice most networks that run search offers have their own LP that you need to hit (via jumplink) to get the cookie set.

Do you set your LP to go to the affiliate one (essentially 2 LPs before signup) or do you set the cookie yourself and figure out a way straight to the signup/action page? How do you bypass the affiliate page?

 
You can bypass an affiliate page by either having the affiliate network get a custom link to the signup page for you, or by going direct and asking for a link directly to the signup page. Just contact your affiliate manager and tell them you want a deep link to the signup page on Offer X, and see what they can do for you.

Wayne asks…

Also, what changes do you expect to see in the future as a result of the increasing popularity of mobile devices used to access the internet? How is that going to effect affiliate marketers in your opinion?

 
I think it’s just going to open up a totally new advertising market with new opportunities. There will still be billions of searches per month on computers, we’ll just be adding billions more as people browse not only at home, but when they’re out on the road. I think it’s setting up a great future for affiliate marketing.

al asks…

you mentioned the one of the best things that you’ve done growthwise is attend conferences. What’s the next conference you’re going to so I can book a tix ….

 
Probably Affiliate Summit East in Boston. I wanted to to go ad:tech San Fran, but I’ll be gone in Florida.

PPC Coach asks…

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

 
Umm…

Tim asks…

Describe a perfect mini-site landing page to get a good QS. Privacy policy, About us etc. is understandable, but what kind of content and how much content would you put on the site? I am not sure how you can incorporate a LP with a content site.

 
Create a blog or something attached to your site where you add articles. Have content on the site so it looks like a website, but still have the big-graphic-with-call-to-action landing page feel added.

Dumbnuts asks…

Ever ask yourself — why such a big suit?

 
lol say what?

Matt Bingel asks…

I also run a 7 figure affiliate business. I am a one man show. I think I had read that you have affiliate managers. How do you trust your campaigns/keywords/methods, etc to them without thinking they will just take them for themselves?

 
Currently I don’t have any personal affiliate managers who manage everything…although it’s something I’m looking into. As far as the trust issue, there obviously are many. Have them sign contracts and think about possibly just giving them a revshare so they feel more attached than just a salary.

tantowl asks…

We can make money from adsense with low budget ($10).
Do you have a case studies make money with $10 selling affiliate product using adwords?
I wonder you make an experiment in this blog and share with your readers.

 
I go into my campaigns expecting to spend a little more than $10, lol. That’s simply not enough to run any productive tests, unless you get extremely lucky.

Match asks…

How much do you bench press?

 
I haven’t maxed in a while, I rep around 205 for 5 reps. In November my max was like 170, so I’ve come quite a ways since then.

Kevin asks…

What do you consider the most important above the fold factor for a landing page?

 
Probably legitimacy. If people think it’s a legit website for a legit product that they’re interested in, you’re doing things right.

Popularity: 3% [?]

You know the drill. Keep asking questions. Once I hit the end I won’t answer any more, so get them in now.

Jonathan Volk asks…

How much does this blog make you?

How much a month do you save up in your bank account?

Do you have any long term investments such as stocks, CD’s, etc? Care to share?

1) I’m not even sure really, monetizing this blog still really isn’t the goal or anything. Most of my ad spaces are sold, and then any affiliate sales I don’t even really track.

2) That’s a bit too personal :). I don’t really splurge too often, especially since I’m going to be dropping close to 300k buying and furnishing my house. So pretty much I’m banking everything except what goes into my house.

3) Not yet, but probably in a few months I’ll start doing that with some of my money. I’m not sure how many ventures I’m going to go into in the next coming months, so I want to have most of my money on hand. A simple 401k is probably all I’m going to start up right now.

Georgie asks…

Do you do anything apart from PPC? Do any of your sites rank organically? Can you program in a lang like PHP and SQL and do you use this for your campaigns, so are you technical basically? Do you use the adwords API much?

 
1) Nope, I don’t do any SEO.

2) I can edit simple PHP, but can’t code it. That’s what a programmer is for :).

3) Nope not really.

Roger asks…

I’m about to launch an affiliate at my company and I’m responsible for us not getting sued. What’s the best advice you can give me to avoid the end all?

 
Launch an affiliate at your company? You mean launch it’s own affiliate program? I’m not a lawyer, so I wouldn’t take any of my legal advice other than speak with a lawyer about it, haha.

Marko Nikolic asks…

Does the Google Adwords keyword tool give you search volume for US only or entire world? Is there a tool that shows what people in other countries are searching that doesn’t mix in results from North America?

 
Yeah, just go to the tool and then towards the top you can edit what locations your results correlate with.

Geoff asks…

Do you play Smash Bros? Who’s your main?

On a more serious note, what would you recommend to someone who has read every guide he can find on PPC and landing pages, and still can’t do much more than breaking even?

 
1) I used to play it like 6 years ago lol.

2) You know the ropes then by reading so much, and know a little bit about how PPC flows. People aren’t going to give their deepest and darkest secrets in a free guide, so you have to do a bunch of testing on your own. Trust me I know it’s MUCH easier said than done, but you just have to keep brainstorming things to test, and then just keep testing them out. Sometimes the little things can take your campaign from breaking even to profiting a lot. If you’re breaking even right now, I’d say first start with trying to optimize your landing page for conversions. If you can get the conversion rate higher, you’ll start profiting instantly.

Gab Goldenberg asks…

How do you measure the value of a subscriber?
And what’s an acceptable CPA to you for getting a new subscriber?
Also, do you start pitching subscribers right away?

 
I can’t really give much advice about it as I said I just started playing around with it myself. I do start pitching them right away though, but I’ll play around with not doing that as well. Gotta test everything.

TrizNiz asks…

1. Your girlfriend is pretty hot…. How did you meet such a hot chick if you are always busy working on your campaigns in your basement?

2. Does your girlfriend know the extent of your revenue from your online businesses?

1) Yeah she is haha. I met her when I was in high school actually and wasn’t into online stuff. Good thing, because soon after that I was in my basement every day campaigning lol.

2) Yep. Money is money, that’s all I tell anybody. I make a lot yeah but I don’t really care, money isn’t everything. I’ll still ask her to borrow a couple bucks for this or that if I don’t have cash on me, I don’t really act any different so her and my friends are relatively calm with how much I make. Friends are a bit more difficult because they’re all broke and cheap, but to answer your question yeah she knows what I make.

Lisa asks…

Is Aweber really worth it?

 
If you can get it to make you some money, then yeah it’s worth it. It’s only like $20 bucks a month so you just have to make a few sales to pay that off.

Wayne asks…

How many different verticals are you in right now?
What percentage of your revenue does your top vertical bring in?

 
1) Around 3.

2) Probably 60%.

Some guy asks…

What’s best for you, landing page or actual website?
I’ve read articles where google is taking down (slapping down) affiliate sites. I’ve always been more on the website side anyways, I like to do it right but the time and work that goes into it is no joke.

 
1) I create hybrids. They look and feel more like a landing page, but content-wise they look like actual websites. If you test enough and really work things out, you can have an actual website with the same CTR as a landing page, but have increased conversion rates.

Popularity: 3% [?]