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How to find inspiration when your campaigns die out? (15)

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Hi,
It has probably happened to a lot of us. You run a few campaigns on a level that need just a bit of maintenance and pull in consistent money, month after month. Then all of sudden - nothing works!
You end up trying to resurrect your campaigns, but they are dried out. New creatives won't work, offers don't convert the same and you're just bleeding money at this point. This has basically been the last few months for me, or almost everything that worked in 2021, doesn't work in 2022 for me anymore.

Now I am a bit in crisis mode, thinking what traffic source to try or what to do. TikTok seems interesting but I think the biggest hurdle for me there is the creative part. Paying people to get videos made is easy, but coming up with a script and angle is much different than running SMS/Push campaigns with 1-2 sentences of ad-copy and a few landers in rotation. I also don't see many people pulling in big numbers with TikTok, or I have overlooked it. ScottyG clearly does, but other than him I haven't read about anyone pulling in $1k/day++ in profit. Besides the creative part, TikTok seems mostly leadgen which isn't something I am very familiar with. I have always been running CPA (Nutra, CC Submits, FTDs..).

To make a long story short, I am pretty much confused as in which direction to take or what road to go down now. How did most of you navigate out of the pit I find myself in right now? I am literally a click away to say fuck it lets run TikTok, the next second I think I should give Facebook another shot.

Any tips or ideas on how to get my hustle back on and in which direction to go?

Thanks,
Dave

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Sorry to hear your woes Dave! Were you mainly running on push? What vertical(s)? Any other traffic type? Let's see if you could get some suggestions on how to fix what stopped working. Or maybe other offer types to test for the same traffic.

As for Tiktok:

Making tiktok creatives doesn't need to be difficult. Do a TON of spying on tiktok scrolling through your feed, and also on spy tools, and make a note of types of videos that can be done easily by yourself.

Heck - if you don't want to, you don't even need to show your face.

You can show a computer screen, text on sticky notes, text/image on a whiteboard...

Even something as simple as a moving background (e.g. of your computer screen) with a wall of text in the foreground can work well, if you get the message right.

Test different angles/messages with different audiences. Once you find promising message+audience combinations, you can always outsource for better creatives.

And lead gen certainly isn't the only thing succeeding on tiktok. Ecom for example is huge as well.

There actually aren't THAT many threads in the Tiktok subforum - I would suggest that you set aside an afternoon to read over them all and take notes.

As for profits potential:

@ScottyG you've already mentioned.

@cassshy reached $12k/day: https://stmforum.com/forum/showthrea...k-profit-a-day

@iwanttofly reached $2k/day a while back: https://stmforum.com/forum/showthrea...00-Revenue-Day

@ianternet reached green with auto insurance offers: https://stmforum.com/forum/showthrea...Campaign-Setup

Seeing as Tiktok is new and there aren't that many members that have posted about this traffic source, and considering the fact that most members tend to lurk, I'd say this is a good indication that Tiktok is a promising traffic source!

As for FB: What were you running successfully over there when you last ran? And was it pre or post-IOS14 updates?


When one door closes, another one opens. There will ALWAYS be new opportunities in affiliate marketing. Being "forced" to test something new and outside of your comfort zone, can be a blessing in disguise.



Amy

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hi

Have you downloaded the app and tried to make a video?

Take your 1-2 lines of ad copy, use it as a caption or AI voice, rip an existing video as a background to keep attention and you're good to go, it should take less than 5 minutes.

- - -

There's a handful of people that make a lot of money with TikTok, they all took the time to actually use the app though which I believe is essential for learning the TikTok ecosystem and much more importantly, memes.

You need to realize little things like a lot of the common popular songs 3 months ago are now overused and a clear sign someone is an 'outsider' so to speak.
God forbid you run an ad with spinning monkeys music, it's suddenly too mainstream and now, hated.
Also little event-based memes such as the "go little rockstar", that dumb song with a simple ad made thousands by simply being aware of the current landscape and taking advantage of it.

It's a weird game to play but it's fun if you learn the in-and-outs.
I'd recommend trying it over Facebook but if you truly are indifferent, Google/Native is a easier step from SMS/Push though.

TikTok requires a lot of creativity, you won't make nearly as much when spying and copying.
That being said, my business partner makes a lot more than I do by spying and copying almost exclusively on Google/FB.

Also you're going to want to clear your mental if you want to take on a new traffic source, you sound (understandably) pissed that nothing is working and you're bleeding money, I assure you it will be worse when switching to a new source so make sure you expect that going in.

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"Are you OK?" and every remix of "Simple Dimple" will never get old.

But they don't work for ads in my experience.

Better off just using nothing and the generic girl voice over.

Or grab one of the hot songs from the web editor for BGM.

I will say that Tiktok seems an exception to the rule in most traffic sources: Funny doesn't sell.

Tiktokers are expecting to see stupid, funny shit, quickly. That's why they're there.

If you can hook them in the first second doing something stupid/funny. You're on to something. Once you have their very limited attention, then you sell and CTA as soon as possible.

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Good thing is that you have plenty of knowledge and skills to make serious numbers again. 1k/day profit over months could not have been just luck.

That is one thing you should always keep in mind no matter how miserable you may feel.

There are probably many other things that you have mastered in life. Somehow we remember our successes but tend to forget all the struggles we had to overcome.

So when the next crisis comes we feel lost because we don't remember the strength we have shown in the past.

Anyhow...

What you need is clarity.

With this I don't mean which direction to go. Rather I mean clarity about your initial motivation and what you want to do now with your life.

If making money was the only thing that kept you going for so long... then you might need some additional goals to feel content and powerful.

Doesn't need to be complicated. Sometimes (child like) curiosity and the desire to crack a nut is all you need to get back to your powers. Take money out of the equation for a while.

If this sounds all a bit too abstract, then the following might help:

- do some things you really love for no other reason than the passion / love of it
- go hiking for 6 weeks --> being in nature works wonders
- travel in order to be in totally different environments (will change the thoughts you have)

In other words... detach yourself from your current problems. Once you have a bit distance your vision will broaden. Then much easier to get traction again.

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@david-cc

I don't share this with you lightly. I have been hanging out with the man in this video (watching his stuff listening to him talk etc, not literally) quite often listening to him since I was about 14. My dad was profoundly effected by it, and so was I. This is a small snippet from a much larger series of tapes and books he recorded in the 1950s. His info is relevant as ever, and here he is still helping people (like me constantly) beyond the grave. Give it a listen, and maybe it will help you. It's only 10 minute of your time and maybe it will help your mindset.

I have been in many ruts in life in and out of affiliate marketing. Sometimes broader prospective, that is, pulling yourself OUT of the thing specifically and looking at your life as alien might do could help you adjust. Anyway here you go...My life has been greatly impacted by these lessons but this one in particular helps course correct you when you get lost. A champion rises from the ashes of defeat. And its often the crucible of defeat and pain that great warriors must pass through to be born.

I haven't had tons of affiliate success yet, but the last thing I will ever lose is my self confidence. You inherently know the answers to your problems, only you. You already know them, you just need to "discover" them. Don't let your self confidence get sapped.

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Thanks for all your replies! Some great input!!
Getting some distance and a birds eye view seems to be a great way to start!
I have caught myself up in reading a bunch of books throughout the day but it's almost making me even more confused. Bit like information overload. Time to take a step back

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One day, when you have a bit more free time (not having to juggle a job + running campaigns in addition to taking care of a family), I want to interview you about mindset. You're an inspiration.



Amy

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In a small test I already made about $540 profit on Tiktok in only few hours in Hungary, then my network asked me to stop the offer.

When I could have kept it running I could probably spend few k $ in such a small geo already so I can absolutely see how people make $xx.xxx a day on Tiktok.

Don´t forget, many people go silent once they hit a jackpot and often people who tell about huge numbers all the time are more interested in selling their next course

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@david-cc

Here a little bit more advice and prospective on things. Remember, I am always working to self improve as well so these are just simple recommendations as what has worked for me. Maybe it will spark something that will help you as well. I often find prospective to be the MOST IMPORTANT thing to change my attitude of mind. If you find yourself trying to figure out WHAT to do next, or HOW to accomplish what you want, try this instead...

Take a pen and paper, NOT DIGITAL. Do it for real with your hands, your brain will remember it better. On this list, write the most important next 6 items you need to accomplish. They can be anything that you think YOU NEED to do to move forward. Research, build campaign, assess data, or even general life items. Order them from 1 - 6 based on their level of importance to you. Then, start on 1 . DO NOT LOOK at item 2 ever until item number 1 is complete. Finish all of your items in order 1 by 1, and create a new list. CARRY THE LIST WITH YOU EVERYWHERE. This is meant to get rid of the gnawing lump of anxiety that comes from being unsure or lost...It removes confusion and gets you moving while staying focused. It removes self doubt, like Shakespeare put it...

"Our Doubts Are Traitors And Make Us Lose The Good We Oft Might Win By Fearing To Attempt."

More importantly, here is lesson I am still learning RIGHT NOW myself, to which my dad is teaching me. How much time do you put into THINKING about your problems and coming up with solutions? I mean sitting in a room with pen and paper writing out what you want and how to get it or improve. Remember, even 1 hour per day, 5 days a week (you don't even have to do weekends) equals 20 hours a month. 12 months later that's 240 hours of thought into improving your life in the ways you want. That's 6 FULL WORKING WEEKS A YEAR of self improvement, and all it costs is 1 hour a day of time placed into thinking about your problems.

You got this man. Think hard about it and you will find the answers are there waiting for you to find them already. Forgot all your fears, cast doubt aside. And strangle the shit out of your personal demons. We are all rooting for you.

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Taking a step back once in a while can be a really great way to gain some new perspectives!

And when you're ready to take some action, the thread below may help you. I'm not suggesting you're suffering from Analysis Paralysis, but the thread contains some awesome tips on how to start new projects - if I say so myself:

https://stmforum.com/forum/showthrea...-are-some-tips

(The 2nd post of the thread is especially relevant to your situation I think - you may want to just skip to that directly.)

Have fun!



Amy

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This is a great approach!
What you describe is mostly NLP related by scoring the relevance of certain things in your life.
This is really golden advice as it has helped me in some other parts of my life to see things much more clear.

Thanks to all of you for your great advice by the way! That's what makes STM, STM!

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@david-cc , hey man, thanks for sharing. It's totally normal in your state since aff marketing a real beaych. No, really! My best results for TikTok was 7k in profit a day. It was a leadgen insurance. But I think the best vertical you can run is eCommerce.
Hope you have already used TikTok app - it's super important to follow the trends (especially sound theme trends), it will allow you to make a proper task for actors. And yes, ofc, you need unique creatives, it's a must.

Do not spend a lot of $$$ for testing. If it's interesting for TT audience - it should work here & now. Ask your manager about latest eComm offers to test. Then go to TikTok ads acollection and monitor ads - you need to find the product.
Then test it, do not spend a lot - if the payout is $30 - I would not spend more than $300 for all the campaigns. You need to start with video engagement ads to check the CTR. For the US it must be higher than 1%. If it's lower - your product )or video) sucks.
Then if the the CTR is high - collect custom audience from Viewed videos and launch Conversion ads. Let me know if you need more details

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Thanks @casshy !! I will be in touch

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As an Idea you can try new vertical. If you decide, let me know and we'll talk.

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