Lost, Confused !!! - Resisting The Shiny Object Syndrome. (15)
Hi All,
Would love some inputs from experienced affiliates and others.
I am a newbie to AM. Been in it for just over 2 months with a few non profitable Mobile Pop campaigns working with a few networks and promoted sweeps. Will be testing some more soon.
And like all experienced affiliates have mentioned in various posts on STM, AM can sure seem very confusing, and as a newbie we can get lost in the labyrinth of AM, even though we have STM to our rescue.
I completely agree Mobile Pop is great for a newbie. Since we can learn the ropes of AM like Tracking, making LPs, Angles, LP optimisation, Server/Speed optimisation, campaign optimisation, offer, GEO and TS selection and other skills required to succeed at AM. With various verticals and traffic sources-
What is the next step for a newbie as he/she learns Pop Traffic- given the fact that Pop is becoming harder.
Should the Newbie focus on Pop for a while to build the skills and get profitable campaigns before moving to other sources. ( Budget 5K-8K )
If so what is recommended? - I understand that all affiliates have their favorites and have their expertise in the vertical/traffic source.
1. Facebook - Offers
2. Facebook - Ecommerce
3. Display
4. Search - Google and Others
5. Native
6. Continue with mobile pops. What vertical is working given that sweeps and Av are becoming harder.
7. Dating/Adult - What type of traffic source.
9. In App
10. Any other I am missing.
Before I started with AM, a year ago dabbled in
But seeing that ecom is being recommended here at STM, I wanted the experts views before jumping ship again.
The goal is to Resist The Shiny Object Syndrome. Knowing what path to take helps in concentrating the efforts.
How should a Newbie plan and work to place themselves for success in the long term.
Seriously looking for some feedback.
Thanks in advance. If this has been discussed elsewhere in the forum, kindly direct me there.
Hi,
You should certainly gather a few opinions before deciding and also looking at the pros and cons of each option.
What I like to do in these situations where there's no clear winning option is setup a spreadsheet or another document of pros and cons and go through them. You will notice what makes more sense because you will feel positive about the pros, and you will also likely listed it earlier.
You will also keep in mind your existing skills if you do that - something that translates well will be a pro, something which is totally new will often be a con.
As for what works, I think you listed them in a pretty decent order for what makes sense in your case. Facebook always good, maybe native would be 3rd if I were to suggest it, more similar to pops, AdPlexity is pretty good there.
Will jump in with more comments once I see more replies and maybe your answer to this pros and cons list idea, if you tried it and what came out of it.
Cheers.
Facebook + eComm seems like a good next step seeing as you've already got some experience there and it is hot right now. I think @caurmen is still in the process of releasing more guides so that should help too.
Are there any niches you specialise in, or at least have more knowledge in? Or in other words, any past/current interests or work experience in particular niches?
People are making money with all the options you listed, so it's pretty hard to say : "let's pick this one" 
In my opinion, it is a lot about what you are good at and what you feel comfortable with ... I'm pushing lot's of adult offers, for example, but for some people this is a no-go - from one reason or another. Some setups, ecommerce for example, require more work as it's more complicated to run a store, compared to simple carrier billing campaigns on POPs...
So what is it that you are after - quick run for some results, with as less work involved as possible ... or are you looking to build a team and lead a solid ecommerce company? These were two extremes, obviously you could find yourself somewhere in the middle.
Do you care about what you will be doing, like pursuing some dream and sticking to some niche that you love ... or do you only care about money, and would push techsupport offers on to your mother if the pay was good?
How about your past experience and skills ... would you say that they could fit some part of AM more than the rest?
Finding answers to your questions should help you pick the next step
Let's see what others suggest...
Matej.
@ thanks manu_adefy, rolandb & Matuloo. And Amy's input from my follow alongs.
Is the Mobile Pops -> Mobile Display - > Facebook route suggested.
The reason I am doing this is to be focused once and for all and remove any questions and doubts on the path to follow.
I am open to all sources except for very shady offers(tech-support).
Having analyzed as suggested by manu_adefy and without getting into Analysis Paralysis. I came up with the following sheet.
| PROS | CONS | Comment | |
| Facebook + Offers | 1. Laser targeting. 2. Massive traffic source. |
1. Possibility of Account Bans is very high. But then Account farming is the only step. 2. Limited offer types. 3. Compliant ads |
Are whithat facebook marketing doing great?? Can you only make money with blackhat? |
| Facebook + eCom ( |
1. Is Hot right now and is growing crazy right now. | 1. Don’t want to get into the customer handling, returns etc as yet. 2. When I started it the first time, I did no have the patience to wait for a product 3-4 weeks. Though I do order stuff from Aliexpress myself. It is a challenge. |
1. Could consider it later once I have some bankroll to diversify. |
| Native | 1. Offer types ating, Nutrition, BizOpps, Skin Care, Brain Stimulation |
1. High Budget required? | |
| Mobile Display/In App | Probably the next step after getting profitable at Mobile Pops. | ||
| Search | 1. Laser targeting. 2. Massive traffic source. |
||
| Mobile Pop | 1. Relatively easier to start campaigns. | 1. Getting harder with everyday. 2. Short Campaigns. |
1. Looks like I should focus on Pops, make $$ while learning another TS? |
| Dating & Adult | 1. Open to Dating and Adult | 1. High Competition. | Open to Adult and Dating. |
I would add pay per call using adwords to that list, think its secretly the best newbie friendly option for 2017
Timely question as I am pondering with the same decision.
I had an ecommerce shop selling nutra but in a highly competitive space could not differentiate my shop from others. Shut it down a couple of months ago and would also rather not deal with the customer service issues.
Curious as to comes out of this thread. Lots to consider for sure!
Every single area that you mentioned: FB offers/blackhat, FB
All the information that's required to get started is already out here in the open. It's up to you to pick one vertical/space that makes most sense to you and to stick with it until you make it work, or try and fail and at least learn why you failed, to keep you from making the same mistake over again. And then go into a different vertical/space with a wiser and informed mind to minimize the risk of failure again.
The group of people that makes money online - day in and day out - do so because of their process. So you need to reverse engineer the process that's currently working for them, add your own ingenuity to it, and master the process. And once you do that, the results will follow.
Whitehat Facebook is possible but it's slower to get going.
The pro there is that if you do it legit, you can get many ad accounts in your business manager and you actually do reach real people at Facebook, not just generic replies. The key there is to be a) a real, legit marketing company in their eyes (even if you run affiliate offers) and b) do white hat stuff. Applies to both ecommerce and other type of offers.
In terms of budget for native, I don't know if you need that much more than for Facebook. Both are vast sources and need some decent exploration budgets.
One comment to add with choosing what to do part and whether or not you want to be white hat, black hat or whatever - When you have nothing and are starting out, you have little or nothing to lose, so any riskier endeavours in terms of compliance have different considerations compared to someone who has an established business and has something to lose. As long as the financial risk is reasonable and you don't risk your health or freedom, you should feel very confident about taking risks that "the big guys" can't take.
I think a lot of people who are starting out in any business forget this part.
It really doesn't matter what you pick. With your current approach, you'll fail at whichever alternative you go for.
Like you say, you're a newbie at mobile pop campaigns. And now, you find it isn't easy.
Would you think any of the alternatives would be different?
You'll be a newbie at those as well. And again will run into problems.
What will you do then? Look at alternatives yet again?
The problem is not with the way, the problem is with the one walking it.
If you are not driven, you will not succeed. Everyone who has a level of success here, has come this far despite obstacles (or maybe thanks to them, depending on your perspective).
You have to commit and make it work. People make money with all sorts of things. Yes, it's hard. But you have to push yourself through.
You have not yet put in enough time and effort. Get back to work and yes, get profitable before even thinking about anything else.
Not being harsh, just showing you the real issue.
Originally Posted by nickpeplow
Originally Posted by manu_adefy
Thanks a lot manu_adefy, nickpeplow, pekadis, ivossss, matuloo and others for your inputs.
I completely agree the problem is not with what to choose, the problem is with my mindset. It is my mind trying to find excuses not to work hard.
I have determined to stick with Pop and make it work. I frankly do not have any excuses not to put in the work required. I know the potential is huge. But only with persistence.
Thanks for the 
Thanks again.
Excellent decision!
Good luck and let us know how things work out for you.
I believe we fail because of a lack of knowledge or the lack of the right knowledge. There are so many buzz and static on different forums and blogs that it is hard to separate the diamonds in the rough. I recommend reading Success Stories and Follow Alongs whether from STM or AffiliateFix to get inspiration and also learn from other people's mistake. (Once you feel you have failed again, just go back to the Success Stories forum to be inspired again and remember if other people are making it work, you can also make it work, emulate from others then innovate) I would also recommend Charles Ngo's blog. Read his articles from start to finish and piece the puzzle together piece by piece. There are a lot of learning to be done in affiliate marketing whether it is thru reading or applying the things you have learned on your campaigns. Just don't give up and keep pushing forward.
Home > General > Affiliate Marketing Forum