As I explained previously, in 2018, I bought a course that taught me a simple funnel strategy for affiliate marketing. It involved using Google or Microsoft Search Ads to send traffic (people) to my landing page and, from there, to the vendor’s page with the hopes of making sales. It was very straightforward, and it was also the main bread-and-butter teaching in that particular course. You can see the funnel here.
Spending money with Google Search Ads to send traffic through that particular funnel left me with a bad experience. The monetary gain I got from any sales I made was always less than the expense of placing the ads. However, for whatever strange reason, I liked using search ads. I don’t know, but it was like a “puzzle game.” I had to tweak and develop ideas to make it run profitably. Unfortunately, it was a game I always kept on losing.
To make a long story short, that simple funnel strategy didn’t work well for me. When I signed up, the course provided a structured, step-by-step recorded training plus a weekly one-hour live webinar. I still visit them occasionally to this day to gather anything that might be beneficial.
The Importance Of An Email List
During one of my random visits, I noticed they had expanded their teachings a little more. Finally, they mention the importance of building an email list and how the most successful affiliate marketers have one in place. Listening to them talk about that topic was interesting; they waited many years for them to talk about it, but I wonder why. Was it because too many of their students were not getting good results through that simple funnel they were teaching previously? It makes me wonder!
What I’m doing these days is building an email list with the help of a coaching program. Yes, it is a little more complex than the simple funnel I used in the past because it requires more components to set it up, but it is also not rocket science. If a person has basic computer skills, then he or she can set everything up with the proper step-by-step guide. Here’s a condensed list of what I’ve done thus far, although it is not necessarily the only method for building an email list.
- Create my domain name: marketalbert.com
- Connect my domain to my WordPress blog
- Designed my blog and created banners for subscribers and a book offer
- Designed a three-page funnel to collect email leads using a website builder.
- Give lead magnets (gifts of value) to subscribers who provide their email leads.
- Created several emails with valuable content to be sent to my subscribers
- Document my affiliate marketing progress on my blog
- Start bringing traffic to my blog using paid search ads
My Insecurities
The coaching program provides a solid step-by-step guide, so completing the setup is not that hard. However, I must admit that the section where my insecurities start to show up is the traffic section!
There are two ways of bringing traffic to my blog. The first method is doing it organically, which doesn’t require payments on my part but requires time. The second method is to pay for traffic. I felt like I didn’t have the patience or time to organically bring traffic to my blog, so I opted for paid traffic.
But now I’m back again with that feeling of my bad past experience. I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg to gain very little in return. In other words, I don’t want to overspend to build a tiny list of emails from people who are not fully committed to creating an affiliate marketing business for themselves.
My Pay Back Revenge Still Pending
From February to May 2024, I didn’t post anything on my blog. I was preoccupied with learning more about Microsoft Search Ads. I looked at different sources to clarify things I was confused about and learned many things on top of what I already knew. In April, I started a small test run of my ads and observed certain things I had to tweak. I cranked it up a little more in May and observed additional stuff I had to correct. I will continue in June and probably encounter other challenges I’m not even aware of right now.
There are many platforms to choose from for paid traffic, but with search ads, I still have unfinished business to take care of. As I mentioned before, I can be a little stubborn sometimes, and I might be shooting myself in the foot for not trying something different, but I want to give search ads one last try; if things don’t work out as I hoped, I will move on with a different strategy to bring traffic to my blog.
If I lose the Google/Microsoft Search Ads battle, that doesn’t mean I’ll give up altogether. Being a successful affiliate marketer is my main goal here, and other venues exist to help me reach my goal.
Warm Regard,
—Alberto
5 responses to “Bringing Traffic To My Blog With Bing Ads – I Hope It Works!”
Hi Alberto,
I really enjoyed reading your post about your journey with search ads. It’s a challenge trying to get the right balance between cost and return, especially when starting out. Your dedication and willingness to tweak and adjust your strategy shows your commitment, which is a key ingredient for success in affiliate marketing.
Building an email list is indeed a crucial step, and it’s great that you are now focusing on it. Email lists can be incredibly valuable assets, allowing you to build a relationship with your audience over time. It’s understandable to have insecurities about the traffic section; everyone wants to make sure their investment pays off. Your systematic approach to learning and testing your Microsoft Search Ads strategy is commendable.
Have you considered combining both organic and paid methods? While organic traffic does take time, it can provide a steady stream of visitors that complement your paid efforts. Content marketing, SEO, and social media can be powerful allies in growing your audience without breaking the bank.
Also, don’t hesitate to diversify your paid traffic sources if search ads don’t yield the desired results. Platforms like Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, or even influencer marketing can sometimes provide a better ROI depending on your niche and target audience.
Keep up the great work and don’t get discouraged. Your persistence and strategic thinking will pay off in the long run. Looking forward to hearing more about your progress!
Meredith
Hi Alberto,
Great blog entry! A lot of information to digest, that’s for sure. One thing that I’m only going to work on in the future – I’ve got enough on my plate these days – is anything relating to paid ads.
I’m looking forward to generating interest using organic ways – Tik Tok is my main thought and then, once I do get comfortable – and a few sales – look at using paid ads.
Great information nonetheless! All the best!
Hi Alberto,
Great post! I’ve dabbled in paid ads years ago in a different online business and not had the results I wanted so I know how frustrating it can be. Even my first attempt at FB ads when I started this affiliate biz, I used the wrong kind of FB ad and spent but no leads. This time around I just launched my first FB lead ad and after a week I have a dozen leads. We’ll see how it goes. It sounds like you’re in a better position than your last attempt. Wish you success this time around with Microsoft Search Ads!
Denny
Most of us never get it just right to begin with, but if what we’re doing works for others, it can work for us – we just have to learn from our mistakes and not make them again. We’ll probably make new ones, but hopefully, they won’t be as big, and we’ll make progress. I think just about anything can work if a person sticks to it and keeps making progress. The key is to not burn up all our resources before we figure it out.
Hi Alberto,
I’m glad the program and you realized that list-building is important. It has it’s own set of challenges, but for the most part, it is a way of growing and maintaining an audience of people who know, like, and trust you. And, as you know, that is how we and the people that follow us find financial freedom.
You call it tweaking and I call it testing. Paid advertising is all about testing and scaling winners. And it seems you have learned that’s what it takes to make paid ads work. In theory, with constant testing of your traffic source, a good offer, and congruent landing pages that resonate with your traffic, you should see positive results. Good luck on your journey.