I would like to become a merchant

[bbrian017]

I have a new website I'm trying to promote but I honestly don't like the outcome that I've been getting using Google ad words. I find the user registration is low and I spend too much money for too little response. I would like some help deciding the best type of advertising I should do and preferably the best response I could get for my money. At this point Google ad words is the only thing I have ever tried spending over 100 USD in advertising. Sure the response may have been a direct result in the content of the sites I was advertising but either or I was obviously not reaching my target market. Could you kindly recommend some Affiliate sites that I could possibly become a merchant with and has low costs associated with advertising. I would like to only pay out when I get registered users, that would be the best case scenario.

Thanks


bbrian017

[Larwee]

bbrian017, it sounds as if you have a few things confused.

In another thread I briefly explained what an affiliate is and what a merchant is because you asked. But what you are talking about here sounds as if you have a website and you are trying to get more traffic to come to your site and you are willing to spend money to help generate more traffic.

If that is the case, you most likely aren't talking about becoming a merchant, starting an affiliate program and recruiting affiliates, unless there is more involved than stated in your post.

There are also many good free ways to generate traffic.

[Linda Buquet]

I'm a little confused by your post as well.

But IF you are saying you want to start an affiliate program to sell your OWN products because with Google Adwords "I find the user registration is low and I spend too much money for too little response."

If thats what you mean, you would be making a big mistake.
If your conversions are too low for YOU to make a profit
then it would be a bad move to even THINK about an affiliate program at this stage.

An affiliate program will not cure a business model or site that's not done right to begin with. PPC is the fastest, easiest way to test your conversion rates. If you are not making enough sales then you need to evaluate your offer, cart, site design, prices or copy.

Once you test and tweak and get your conversion rates up to a respectable level, an affiliate program can be your highest ROI sales channel. But if you can't get conversions, how can you expect affiliates to?

Also $100 is NOTHING as far as PPC testing goes. It would cost you FAR more to set up an affiliate program (set up right). And if your conversions are bad you won't get and keep any good affiliates anyway. So fix your site 1st.

[Linda Buquet]

In re-reading this:

"Could you kindly recommend some Affiliate sites that I could possibly become a merchant with and has low costs associated with advertising."

I think I may have answered wrong because you may have terms switched around. Do you mean you want to join some merchant's affiliate programs as an affiliate?

[bbrian017]

Alright I'm really confused then. I would like to sign up at a a site, and get them to advertise for me. I would only like to pay per registered user and NOT per click

Does this help?

Sorry it took so long to respond I was at the Mattawa Voyageur Days this weekend

Merchants have products or services. Affiliates promote those products or services in ways approved by the merchants, such as with banners or links or their sites.

Alright so I would like to be a merchant

[Linda Buquet]

Ok that helps.

"I would like to sign up at a a site, and get them to advertise for me."

Well that's not how it works. You need to set up an affiliate program on YOUR site and either buy affiliate software to do it, or join an affiliate network. Then YOU need to advertise to get people to come to YOU that want to advertise for you. You cant just go to a site and ask them to advertise for you. You need to have a program set up on your end to track the traffic and sales or in your case subscriptions.

In this scenario you would have to pay to buy software OR pay to be on a network. Do all the work to get everything set up - THEN find affiliates that want to join your program THEN pay them a % or flat fee per sign up.

I'm making it sound a little intimidating because it does not sound to me like its the right way to go. Sounds like you want a simple, cheap, easy fast option, which is not what affiliate marketing is.

However if your model and resources can support setting up an affiliate program for the right reasons and doing it the right way, affiliate marketing can be the best advertising ROI out there. But it's not a "throw it up and see if it works kind of deal."

Most importantly if you are getting bad conversion with PPC now then you should not even consider an affiliate program. If you cant get your own PPC traffic to convert well on your own site, then affiliates are not the answer.

[bbrian017]

Thanks so much for the sound advice here Linda. I have read between the lines and in short it sounds like Google ad words is what I should be using for now. Even tho the sign ups aren't many it's in my budget.

Thanks again!