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What tools are an absolute MUST to run first campaign? (8)

04-03-2017 02:14 PM #1 jmcrist (Member)
What tools are an absolute MUST to run first campaign?

Hi folks

I have experience with Adwords, Facebook Ads, building landing pages that convert, direct response copywriting, etc. I'm not a total newbie in the space, but I've never gone "all in" to affiliate marketing.

I've got about $1,000 and am going to set aside $500/mo specifically for affiliate marketing. I'm starting with a small budget until I learn the ropes. The recommended software stack for affiliate marketing adds up quick: just Voluum and Adplexity alone run $299, not to mention my STM subscription.

What is the minimum required toolset to get my feet wet and increase my odds of running a successful campaign?

Thank you!
Michael

04-03-2017 03:04 PM #2 foussama (Member)

Hi,

As you have mentionned, Voluum & Adplexity are both very important to start your first campaign. In addition to STM that will really help you improve your level. I think that you will also need a VPS to host your landing pages. That's the minimum I can think of!

04-03-2017 03:26 PM #3 jmcrist (Member)

Thanks for your response. Gotta say, it's a bit disheartening that most of my $500/mo budget will be eaten by a software stack. I guess that means I need to wait a few months until I've got a few grand ready to go (maybe $2k - $3k).

Is it possible to manually spy without Adplexity?

04-03-2017 03:48 PM #4 foussama (Member)

Yes, there are lot of ways to spy manually. Hint: Advanced Google search is your friend


Youjust need to find the appropriate terms to look for, and you'll need some VPNs or Proxys to access some cloaked landing pages.

04-03-2017 09:37 PM #5 matuloo (Legendary Moderator)

There are some tool thats you MUST have and some that will just help you, but you can do without having access to them all the time.

You do need a tracker (Voluum for example) and you need some place to host your LPs (VPS or CDN - CDN is cheaper and can work fine). This is the minimum to start running campaigns. You could also try directlinking, so the host wouldn't be needed, but that's not the best idea.

Then there are tools like adplexity ... it will definitely help you and I would strongly advice to get it, if even for a month for now. Just make sure you use the month wisely and download all LPs and other creatives that you can. You can definitely stock enough stuff in a month, then you can spend weeks or months to test it and then get the subscription again and download a new batch.

When it comes to STM - I think you should know the answer by now. The sheer value of the archived content here is definitely worth the monthly price and the advice you can get here, can save you a fuckload of money. Not even mentioning how much it can shorten your learning curve. I know it helped me a lot when I started with paid traffic, and pretty much everyone else I talked to, had the same view on this.

So, to sum it up :

1. You only need a tracker and spend the rest on traffic. You can start with a free plan from Adsbridge.

2. However, if you are serious about AM, you also need to use LPs. So add a host or CDN... and spend the rest on traffic...

3. However, without well working LPs, you will loose all the initial investment. So consider getting adplexity at least for the initial month... and spend the rest on traffic ...

4. However, without STM membership ... you wouldn't get this advice and you would start piling up one mistake after another and you would still loose all your money

You can start with almost $0, but to stand a chance, you need to invest a few bucks ... like with ANY other business.

04-04-2017 07:39 PM #6 jmcrist (Member)

Thanks for the detailed reply. I can see how cutting Voluum, adplexity, CDN, or STM is just unwise. It really does seem like those tools are a minimum requirement.

I thought about playing around with ZeroPark + Afflow tutorial from Payne for a while. I figured it would be a cheap way to learn my way around Voluum, get used to statistical analysis/campaign optimization, and it would have a lower learning curve since I wouldn't need landers and such. Do you think this is wise or should I jump in with more complex campaigns?

I have a business I run on the side that will fund my AM endeavors. I run AdWords to landing pages for a local service that I own. It's low volume but I've learned how to optimize for CTR and conversions. I'm not concerned about investing in AM, I just want to do it wisely.

Thanks!

04-04-2017 07:58 PM #7 matuloo (Legendary Moderator)

Quote Originally Posted by jmcrist View Post
Thanks for the detailed reply. I can see how cutting Voluum, adplexity, CDN, or STM is just unwise. It really does seem like those tools are a minimum requirement.

I thought about playing around with ZeroPark + Afflow tutorial from Payne for a while. I figured it would be a cheap way to learn my way around Voluum, get used to statistical analysis/campaign optimization, and it would have a lower learning curve since I wouldn't need landers and such. Do you think this is wise or should I jump in with more complex campaigns?

I have a business I run on the side that will fund my AM endeavors. I run AdWords to landing pages for a local service that I own. It's low volume but I've learned how to optimize for CTR and conversions. I'm not concerned about investing in AM, I just want to do it wisely.

Thanks!
Zeropark+afflow is a good choice for learning indeed, you can do that without LPs so even without a CDN or host and also without a spytool - pretty much the cheapest initial setup you can start with.

04-11-2017 03:35 PM #8 miss_bridge (Member)

You may be interested in the Adsbridge free trial. We offer 14 days of access to all of our features, and can offer you a discount on your first month's subscription (just because you're on STM ).
Let me know if you have any questions regarding tracking/tracking softwares, and I'll be happy to help!
-Zach

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