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Possible Downsides of Solo Ads?

by zannix
14 replies
Hi guys,

I'm just getting into this seriously right now and I want to know if any one of you has been burnt in the past by using solo ads, and if so what was it?

Could you name some of the possible downsides of solo ads, and most common mistakes people make when using them?

Thank you all so much,
Zannix
#ads #downsides #solo
  • Profile picture of the author The Beginner's Friend
    Hi Zannix

    The best bit of advice I would have with Solo Ads, is to not try and sell directly via your mail. Much better (in my opinion), is to offer a freebie to get an optin, and then over the longer term, build a relationship and offer products and services that they can invest in. This way you don't only get the one chance to sell to the potential customers.

    I'm sure you will get much more advice, and all the best whatever you decide to do.

    regards
    Andy
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    • Profile picture of the author zannix
      Yep, I was about to put a freebie in the offer anyway. But I was thinking more like...

      What if all the people that subscribe are just freebie seekers? That could be a problem with solo ads... of course, it depends on the vendor's list.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kal Sallam
        Originally Posted by zannix View Post

        Yep, I was about to put a freebie in the offer anyway. But I was thinking more like...

        What if all the people that subscribe are just freebie seekers? That could be a problem with solo ads... of course, it depends on the vendor's list.
        That's why you have to ask, how was your list built?
        Some vendors offer solos to their "Buyers List" but it usually comes pricey.

        Whoever came up with that term "freebi seekers" is just too lazy anyway
        Because if you are a Damn good marketer you should have the
        Ability to make people buy from you.
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  • Profile picture of the author hazyl lee
    This happens to everyone. Maybe 2 out of 10 are freebie seekers. You still have 8 customers. Don't worry about that
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    • Profile picture of the author ShaneBoyd
      One downside of solo ads is...no matter how you slice it, we are all just swapping the same leads around. So if your squeeze page blows...you won't get subs. And if your back end funnel blows...you won't get commissions.

      Keep in mind that on average, only about 7%-9% of the emails you send out will get opened. Even super affiliates like Ewen Chia will tell you that. So your goal will be to get to 1,000 subs as fast as you can. At least that way you'll have around 70-90 clicks (on average).

      Then you can start list swapping click for click.

      Another downside...a lead will cost you around $1 each. Yea, do the math. List building can be very expensive on the front end...so start small. Buy a solo for around $30-$50. See how it works and if your ad converts. Then simply invest $50 a week and watch your list grow.

      As far as being burned...it happens. I bought a solo from a fellow WF member and it totally sucked. I got a 50% conversion, but they unsubscribed within minutes. Which tells me that his list is full of nothing but freebie seekers and tired leads. As soon as they downloaded my product, they unsubscribed.

      So I stopped buying solos here and moved to safe-swaps and Reed Floren's site. [as a note, many warriors are also on Safe-Swaps and Reed's site]

      Other than that, buying solos is a great way to go. Just make sure your back end products and offers are good. Otherwise you'll just be wasting your money.

      Happy marketing.
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      • Profile picture of the author zannix
        Originally Posted by ShaneBoyd View Post

        One downside of solo ads is...no matter how you slice it, we are all just swapping the same leads around. So if your squeeze page blows...you won't get subs. And if your back end funnel blows...you won't get commissions.

        Keep in mind that on average, only about 7%-9% of the emails you send out will get opened. Even super affiliates like Ewen Chia will tell you that. So your goal will be to get to 1,000 subs as fast as you can. At least that way you'll have around 70-90 clicks (on average).

        Then you can start list swapping click for click.

        Another downside...a lead will cost you around $1 each. Yea, do the math. List building can be very expensive on the front end...so start small. Buy a solo for around $30-$50. See how it works and if your ad converts. Then simply invest $50 a week and watch your list grow.

        As far as being burned...it happens. I bought a solo from a fellow WF member and it totally sucked. I got a 50% conversion, but they unsubscribed within minutes. Which tells me that his list is full of nothing but freebie seekers and tired leads. As soon as they downloaded my product, they unsubscribed.

        So I stopped buying solos here and moved to safe-swaps and Reed Floren's site. [as a note, many warriors are also on Safe-Swaps and Reed's site]

        Other than that, buying solos is a great way to go. Just make sure your back end products and offers are good. Otherwise you'll just be wasting your money.

        Happy marketing.
        Thanks for the insight, Shane

        About the back end product offers, do you use clickbank/affiliate products or do you make your own? I'm asking because, if you choose a popular product (that is converting well on clickbank), and you set that as your back end offer, won't almost everybody use the same offer as a back end product on their solo ads?

        This automatically diminishes the chances of people buying the product, because they've been literally bombarded with it, isn't this right? On the other hand, it may not work that way, it could be that the more they're exposed to that same sales page, the more they're inclined to buy.
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        • Profile picture of the author ShaneBoyd
          Originally Posted by zannix View Post

          Thanks for the insight, Shane

          About the back end product offers, do you use clickbank/affiliate products or do you make your own? I'm asking because, if you choose a popular product (that is converting well on clickbank), and you set that as your back end offer, won't almost everybody use the same offer as a back end product on their solo ads?

          This automatically diminishes the chances of people buying the product, because they've been literally bombarded with it, isn't this right? On the other hand, it may not work that way, it could be that the more they're exposed to that same sales page, the more they're inclined to buy.

          I have several products that I promote on the back end, and they are not all from ClickBank. But, it's a great place to start. My freebie is an interview series with several great marketers. Then my back end is about list building, seo and general affiliate marketing products. And it seems to work well.

          Will they have seen the offers before???? Maybe. But maybe not. Something you have to get a grasp on here is that from here on out you are a commissioned sales person. And sales is a numbers game.

          Once you have a relationship with your list, they will buy from you. People buy from people they know, like and trust. So work on developing your relationship with them. (Frank Kern has taught this for years)

          1st two emails are cool freebies...3rd email soft sell...next 2 emails cool stuff with an "Oh, by the way. If you want to know more about want I've been talking about click here" type of deal. Then continue to offer cool stuff and add the ol' "Oh, by the way" deal. Good stuff.

          As for selling your own product. Yes. But if you're just starting out, get some good PLR products to start with. In fact, I have one in my sig file you can check out. (Not a shameless bribe, just an example)

          After you do some PLR, then create your own product. (I haven't got that far yet).

          At any rate, best of luck to you and keep working at it.

          Happy marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author macstop
    Hi , i treid solos on facebook and many others , lost hundreds of dollars , the only

    success i had was on a free dating site , Plenty Of Fish , i made $197 in two days

    but it cost me $170 to get it , lol , this is the only money ive ever made online ever

    in two years or trying , needless to say ive given up . Mac
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  • Profile picture of the author JKflipflop
    Making your own back end offers is not at all a bad idea. In fact, depending on the niche/sub-niche you have targeted, your own product can usually end up getting more credibility than Affiliate promotions.
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  • Profile picture of the author paul nicholls
    of course you need a free offer, most solo sellers wont send you traffic if you dont have a free offer

    some solo ads work great others are complete garbage

    you just have to know what to look for

    because ive been using solo ads for a while now ive managed to get to know a lot of the top solo ad guys so i often talk to them and sometimes ask them about a particular solo before i buy it

    this is not to say i cant work things out myself, but ive spent so much time using solo ads that ive got to know the best ones and the ones which send garbage traffic

    best bit of advice i can give you is to only use the cheapest solo ad to start with, track everything, make sure you have a good proven high converting squeeze page

    you do need to test and make tweaks but once you get a good list of solo ads together which are profitable then your on a winner

    paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Tenzho
    I just made my WORST mistake ever in my whole life last week!!

    I'm too selfish to spend a few bucks on a good Web host and use a free web host instead. Proceed to order 100 clicks for $50+ from 2 different vendors.

    I get 120+ clicks, however, on my AWEBER webform's statistic on unique display, I get 40 unique clicks only. I can't believe I threw away 80+ clicks down the drain just like that by relying on a free web host.

    I immediately change my web host to Hostgator.

    A piece of advice to those who are new to solo ads...NEVER use free web host, and always test your funnel to check that it "flows" well. You don't want any "leak" on your funnel and ended up wasting your money.

    Tenzho
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  • Profile picture of the author gcbmark20
    Yeah you have to test everything first in order to get an understanding of where you are at. Solo ads are a great way of getting pre-targeted traffic but not everyone will warm to your offer and that just comes with the territory.

    Nothing ventured, nothing gained is my motto!

    I was advised on using Reed Florens Solo ad site by another fellow warrior and Safe Swaps is also a great site to find cheap and reliable solo ads from.

    Hope this helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author hazyl lee
    Will try the Reed Florens solo soon. Thanks all
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  • Profile picture of the author zannix
    So as far as I understand, the goal is for your freebie to be something unique. Something that people haven't been offered a thousand times already - like these "build your list quickly" opt-in pages, everybody does that...

    Secondly, it is important to have a back end offer that is also not abused too much but still converts well?
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