Busting My Chops to Convert Cold Traffic...

by rimam1
15 replies
Hey guys,

I'm on a mission to convert cold PPC traffic to my site. I have a fitness product geared towards men. It's not on Clickbank but I'm considering offering it there.

I'm split testing price, headlines, and landing pages (optin page vs. sales letter) I don't have a backend funnel (yet) but will develop it as I get more front-end sales.

I think my copy is good, but in fitness, it all comes down to proof and believability. I know I need to get more pictures and testimonials (I'm aggressively working on it) I try to offer a TON of free info right on the sales page to build more trust and good will with my readers.

I'm not asking for a critique of the sales page because when I test paid traffic to it, the market will give me plenty of feedback in terms of sales (or lack thereof) I'm sure my copy and design could be tightened up, but again, the market will tell me that.

More than anything I'm coming here to vent and seek support from other copywriters/entrepreneurs.

I'm spending a lot of time on this and just wondering if I should focus on building my list, or sending traffic straight to my sales page w/ a very low price and building an actual customer list.

Thanks,
Raza
#busting #chops #cold #convert #traffic
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    As a general rule (true most of the time but not always), front-end sales are a break-even proposition at best.

    That being the case, building a list of buyers is a good strategy.

    And while you're developing your own back-end products, promote affiliate products in the meantime.

    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author RickDuris
    Originally Posted by rimam1 View Post

    I'm on a mission to convert cold PPC traffic to my site.
    You say that as if cold traffic could be lumped into one big bucket.

    The big dogs don't look at it like that.

    For instance, I'm sure you figured out search traffic converts differently than network traffic.

    There are many, many different sources. As well as six different ways you can target traffic.

    Your first task is develop/find a reliable source of affordable cold traffic you can test against.

    #2. The other thing you must understand is your offer may do well with one source of traffic and poorly with another. It's not necessarily your offer that sucks. It could be the source of traffic.

    For instance, there's a piece I am partners on. We specifically wrote it for media buys (banner ads). When it came time to launch, banner ads were not only expensive, they converted very poorly.

    However, the silver lining was when tested against Facebook, the offer performed far better. At a fifth the cost.

    I'm still scratching my head why that happened.

    The third thing that'll mess with your brain is that even with a general market like men's fitness, some sub-niches will be more receptive to your offer than others. That's good news if you have the analytical patience and staying power to exploit.

    Bottom line? You have to test both the offer and the traffic source.

    - Rick Duris

    PS: I'm no traffic expert. I just hang around guys that are.
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  • Profile picture of the author davemiz
    hate to break the news to ya... if you dont have a backend, you're not going to be doing ppc for too long...

    you wont be able to spend enough $$ for the traffic and customers.

    you have no upsells?

    so youre just making $$ on the front end.

    you're in a VERY competitive niche, most, if not all the competition has big and tight backends... meaning, they can spend more $$ to get a customer than you can.

    game over, you lose.

    About the copy, like you said, it doesn't matter if you think your copy is good, the MARKET will tell you... with their WALLETS. If you're not converting, then your copy and offer suck (for now, till your tests improve things).

    to answer your main question...

    DO BOTH.

    split test.

    see which funnel type brings in the biggest ROI.

    thats the only way you'll know for sure.

    more work? yeah.

    but well worth it.
    Signature

    “Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.”
    ― Dalai Lama XIV

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  • Profile picture of the author employthepeople
    Well atleast youre getting salesand i hope you figure it out.. My issue is i have 3 websites from godaddy with hosting, and seo optimized on fiver under fitness, gaming,and employment. I took multiple clickbank offers and offered them on my website that matched the offers niche. i made facebook fan pages and linked them to the sites. I made ads and got alot of traffic and page likes, but only 2 sales in 4 months. my ads lead the buyer to facebook tab which sends them to the my site, which have automatic blog post rss feeds being posted on all sites which is the free info then they get the option to click on the offer. I was told that the problem might be i need to send them to a squeeze, which will get there info then opt them in or something like that. yes im new to this but doing alot of reading and videos. I also found out that alot of the info i received is outdated, please help
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    • Originally Posted by employthepeople View Post

      Well atleast youre getting salesand i hope you figure it out.. My issue is i have 3 websites from godaddy with hosting, and seo optimized on fiver under fitness, gaming,and employment. I took multiple clickbank offers and offered them on my website that matched the offers niche. i made facebook fan pages and linked them to the sites. I made ads and got alot of traffic and page likes, but only 2 sales in 4 months. my ads lead the buyer to facebook tab which sends them to the my site, which have automatic blog post rss feeds being posted on all sites which is the free info then they get the option to click on the offer. I was told that the problem might be i need to send them to a squeeze, which will get there info then opt them in or something like that. yes im new to this but doing alot of reading and videos. I also found out that alot of the info i received is outdated, please help
      I'm fairly new to online marketing as well, but I have a suggestion. Try thinking of the traffic you're getting to your sites as people, first. Rather than trying to convert traffic into sales, try building relationships with people. This might give you a different perspective.

      It might take you out of your comfort zone a little but you could lead your traffic to a video opt-int page where you introduce yourself and what you have to offer. Then, do your best to build a relationship with those people while offering them products that you genuinely believe in.
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  • Profile picture of the author geegel
    There's already some great advice in here. As an additional tool, maybe you should try retargeting. That's generally a much more effective venue than cold PPC (although you still need to bring traffic from other sources).

    Regards,
    George
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  • Profile picture of the author michaelhearne
    i've got a control that's been converting at a profit on the front end to cold traffic for about 2 years now in the diet niche... and another in a health related niche that's ROI-ing very well to 1st, 2nd and 3rd party email, display, facebook and the big search engines so far - without a back end offer... and – get this – without a SINGLE testimonial…

    I say that because it is possible... but you have to keep a few things in mind... and if you miss the mark on a few critical things - even a little bit - you're hosed...

    Since this is the copywriting forum - we'll stick to the copy components and forget for a second that design and traffic quality matter so much

    First - the guy/gal landing on your page didn't wake up thinking about your product... and they weren't surfing the web looking for it either (not even search traffic)...

    They're goofing off on FaceBook... supposed to be working at their desk... or killing time on YouTube... etc. etc. etc.

    So you have to transition them from a mindless, brain-dead state of mind and make them focus on what you have to say... then constantly keep giving them a new reason to stick around...

    It’s an art – and YES – it will piss a few vocal non-buyers off… who gives a S***?!?

    Second - they don't believe you!

    You have ZERO credibility with this person… they doubt every claim you make… they suspect you may be trying to con them… and they won’t be played for a sucker again (like the last time they listened to someone “like you”)…

    If you “heard it from a friend”, found it on the internet or even asked your local priest – they don’t CARE…

    You’re going to have to overwhelm them with PROOF… proof of every kind…

    Third party, high credibility research is best… social proof is also spectacular… but everything from good old fashioned LOGIC to media appearances can build a solid case of “evidence” that you are in fact telling the truth…

    Also – if you are ever challenged in a legal battle – having your references cited properly might help… (I am not an attorney. This is not legal advice. always seek an attorney before doing anything!)

    A subtle nuance on proof I picked up from Mike Palmer (get his book Copy Logic if get a chance btw) is that credibilityis not the same as proof…

    ‘Nuff said about the cred’ if you want the rest of the details get Mike’s book!

    Let’s see… is there anything else… oh yes… a PROBLEM…

    Your prospect – who is absent-mindedly browsing the internet – has a real PROBLEM…

    You have to remind him he has one (if he’s forgot)… convince him that there is indeed HOPE of a solution… educate him on why it is the most pressing need in his life at the moment… and then persuade him that your solution will work… not for you or someone else – but for HIM/HER…

    If you try to do these out of order… or fail to accomplish any single one – you’re (what’s another word for “hosed”?) hosed…

    NOW: Once you’ve got ALL of the details figured out… you simply have to couch in striking verbiage… package your solution properly… sequence your offer to build perceived value (and create price elasticity out of thin air)… trigger powerful, guttural, primal emotions… and then use social engineering - and the classic logos, pathos and ethos to influence them to ACT NOW!

    Get all that right… and you have a shot…

    (DISCLAIMER: There’s probably more to it than just that – and i could be a lucky fool and know nothing :0 - but it’s a start lol)
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    • Profile picture of the author Rhadoo7
      I would love to see your website first...

      But in the meantime I think it's better to build a list of loyal subscribers and then sell the product to them, instead of busting your chops to convert cold traffic.
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