More Conversion Tips – The Power of Predictability and the Science of Scale -

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(or how I made $1950 profit in 26 days with no list, no PPC, no social networking, no affiliates, no blog, no name and for less than a dollar….and how you can too!)

Before I launch into todays little insight….I want to make ONE thing perfectly clear. (lest this comes off as yet another IM’er preaching the power of percentages)

I’m not a very statistics oriented person.

I’m not a "tester" by nature, either. As a matter of fact…in my humble opinion, a lot of those people you hear talking about "test….test…..test….." are probably just saying that because it sounds pretty smart.

And scientific. Because honestly…… it is.

But I doubt that there are as many fanatical "testers" out there as we are all led to believe, simply because swapping out lots of stuff on a pretty frequent basis can bore just about anyone to tears. (including the guy with the test test test t-shirt who is on staff at Stomper net – who can’t be bored with much) 

Anyway, to be honest with you – maybe like you……..my strengths are NOT of the actuarial variety.

My brain simply bumps and jumps and moves around in muddled and befuddled leaps and lurches far too frequently to stare at statistics, and bar graphs and all of that sort of stuff……so I tend NOT to overdue the analysis if I can help it. (because it makes my head hurt)

I’m only telling you that because I know that lots of people get overwhelmed at the idea of paying attention. Or the "math" of marketing.

Or thinking that to be super successful online you need some sort of lab – or multiple machines motoring at once……calculating, analyzing and spitting out successful stratagems for super success.

If there is such a lab – I haven’t seen it. (although in fairness I haven’t left my house in 3 days – so I’m probably not the best person to know)

What I DO want to talk about today is conversion. And to improve your conversion you DO need to know the numbers. And the sort of numbers you need to know……at least in this example, everyone reading this has access to – and can easily improve.

Now – here is a wee bit of background.

I am working with someone on a one on one basis this month who was CONVINCED you need a big list to make money.

Or you need a pay per click budget. Or an army of affiliates. Or some sort of secret, salacious strategy that she didn’t yet have…….or couldn’t figure out on her own without attending a whole bunch of guru seminars, or high priced product launches, or had insider access to the "gurus" who had these secrets.

Of course I said otherwise.

So we made a little bet.

And the best was – in 30 days – with NO list – no paid traffic – no affiliates – no NAME recognition – no cloaking, spam or funny stuff - even no WEB SITE - and no anything other than a willingness to work hard……we could make 2 Thousand dollars in affiliate commissions, from scratch with a brand new site, all with completely FREE traffic.

She said no way. I said Yes way.

She said – Uh-uh. I said – uh-huh.

And so it went.

Now…the ONLY caveat was this:

I get to pick the market.

Why?

First of all – I’m bigger. And second – because she never tested anything.

She had no numbers to fall back on….to even GUESSTIMATE what may, or may not work well. what she DID have was a well stocked library of bullshit IM product that haven’t made her a penny.

I do have numbers to fall back on…and the only library I’ve got, is the public one I write half my posts on these days 1/2 block from the beach.

So even going into a "NEW" market with a brand new site is not really new for me….or brand new at all.

Because I can refer back to what I know has worked before…….and applying the very simple power of predictability, and the science of scale, I can replicate that fairly easy straight out the gate.

So I picked a market that I already knew converted well based on my own previous stuff. But the truth is……EVEN if you are brand spanking new at all of this, if you look at EPC numbers on CJ for example (like I’ve been recommending for well over 2 years on the posts) you know the VERY same thing…..as they’ll TELL you how much the "average" affiliate earns for every 100 visitors you send their way…..PERIOD.

And even if those numbers are a bit less..which in my experience they often are…..you have a pretty good BASELINE, and a firm foundation for figuring out a philosophy for PICKING a market...and getting to work.

So I have the experience of history on my side.

And maybe a wee bit more important than an EPC history….I have my OWN numbers to look at, which I know are true.

So basically….our little bet can down to this:

Using NOTHING but free traffic and a ONE DOLLAR domain (a .info) – and a ONE PAGE site – I was confident we could make 2 thousand dollars in 30 days.  (I wanted 45….she insisted on 30 – she won)

And when I say we……I really mean me.

Because I’m keeping the cash. (and hopefully that’s NOT a newsflash to one of today’s readers..:-)

But the fundamental lesson was one we shared…and I’m going to share with you as well..:-)

Here it is:

What you can measure, you can improve.

And percentages become predictable. And ultimately…….if you’ve done the math right, carried the 1 and simply selected your offers around metrics you CAN (and should) be measuring before you begin, success is a pretty natural byproduct of accidently doing things right.

And as a side note, because MAN did this come up a lot in the beginning…….

STOP worrying about keywords…and keyword tools….and little itty bitty brained boneheaded bloggers who are trying two twist your panties into buying stuff y you don’t need. Yes I use keyword tools. And yes I recommend them here as well. But if you are going to become a slave to them…..do us both a favor and stay away. (although you can still send me my 9 dollar a month nichebot affiliate commissions if you want)

Look at the MARKETS themselves – pick products that LOTS AND LOTS of competition…and attack them with a ferocious fury that would make Ghengis Khan blush)

Just like Biggie Smalls said before his untimely passing many moons back.

MO COMPETITION = MO MONEY.

But you need to build a baseline to know what YOU can convert as well, and the only way to test that is to try different stuff.

Again – you can do this with ANY marketing metric you choose…..but in this case, we’re going to use Article Marketing, simply because it works.

The keys is…..you’ve got to test different copy.

I use EVERY possible resource box they allow me, and we’ve got TONS and tons of articles and authors and pen names to pick from. (I think I’m allowed 10 resource boxes per authors as a paid member…..but free gets 3 or 5 or whatever it is right now….the key thing is, you’ve got to USE them all and pay close attention)

Once you find something that WORKS…..on a conversion % basis for your needs, you simply SCALE it up, and the power of predictability kicks in.

Look at the screenshot below – and the amazing similarity in the click through rates accordingly. 2 pen name/authors, same resource box which was carefully selected as the CONTROL when these campaigns were launched….one with over 500,000 views, …….33,000-the other with only came MUCH later, but the CTR percentage is almost IDENTICAL.

What I learned months and months before……I applied anew. And the power of predictability kicked in.

 

I KNOW, without any hesitation, statistically……that these articles will click through at 22.5%…period.

Why?

Because it’s now predictable, and proven…and pretty thoroughly tested.

So if I want to PREDICT how much money these articles will generate, if I’m smart, I would be promoting an offer that has an EPC that I know as well, making the whole equation pretty easy to emulate, and scale - and sort of predict before I begin.

(again…this is why picking your affiliate offers FIRST is so important)

Okay….but that just may be a fluke, right? I mean….maybe just a luck of the draw?

THINK AGAIN!

The same thing is again below…..with one set of submissions getting north of 900,00 views…and the other, a wee bit under 150,000. Notice anything peculiar? The CTR is almost IDENTICAL again. (15.3 vs 15.4 on well over 1 Million eyeballs)

Now….while I"m not thrilled with the CTR – I know – that for every 1000 views I get – I’m going to earn about 150 visitors (15% of them click on the links)- and if I’m re-directing them , for example to an affiliate with a EPC of 100 – even if I dramatically UNDERPERFORM the average, I still should make about 100 bucks per 100 visitors. Make sense?

But you’ve GOT to Start Somewhere, right…….

You do.

So look at some of my recent tests in a new market over the last few weeks – some of the CTR are stellar – (57.9, 60%) and one or two are terrible (9.5) etc.

 

 

While we don’t yet have predictability (not enough traffic yet) we will…..and if I can keep this stuff at north of 35% – I will be one ultra happy camper.

(and I mean that literally….I’m starting sleep-away summer camp again in June)

The moral of the story is ANYONE can do this. You can do it. I can do it. It takes time….and effort – and REAL work, but it’s possible, even if you’ve got ADHD like me. (which I’m guessing ain’t gonna be a big surprise to many)

So back to our affiliate marketing bet……..

Right now, as I write this on Monday, April 26th, I’m losing the bet.

We started on roughly April 1, the first commission came in on April 6th, and as of this writing, ‘we’re up to $1950…….and because I don’t like to gloat, I’m going to post this 5 days early, and before we cross the $2000 mark..:-)

(even though $525 of the above has come in since Friday)

The only 2 advantages we had?

Lots of GOOD intelligence about the call to actions that work work.

(mostly from article submissions…and NOT from the niches I included in this post – much smaller numbers of views, and clicks…..yet I knew that they were "buyers" from previous experience)

AND…..I put the one page site on a .info domain that I had been using in the past for re-direction.

Maybe 20 visitors a day were emanating from previous traffic at the high end ….on most days, probably more like 7 or 8. (as in 7 or 8 visitors per day – almost none)

Plus this affiliate vendor has already paid me (or now owes..:-) about 14,000 and change – so I wasn’t flying totally blind about wether he could be trusted…..or whether their copy converted as well as their promotional material promised.

But that’s really it.

1. Content.
2. Copy.
3. Scale.

And predictability. It works that easily…and if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and do the same thing, it will work as easily for you as well. (of course 2000 isn’t going to change your life…..but 4 or 5 or 8 of these sites, doing the same every month without a ton of upkeep may…and of course, that’s the point of this process..:-)

Total cost?

Time, effort and 99 cents for the domain.

(which I already had)

• No list.
• No paid traffic.
• No affiliates.
• No sneaky social networking tricks.
• Didn’t have to use my good looks, my great sense of humor, or my killer cross over then behind the back dribble move that none of the guys in the 30 + league at the YMCA inter-mural basketball league can cover. ( although I practiced it everyday just in case.)

Here is what you should do next…….(other than get started on making the ABOVE happen for you if it meets your immediate needs)

Sign Up for my Upcoming Newsletter Notification List.

If you enjoy my blog – and my copy – and my approach – I’m going to be releasing my FIRST paid product on or about the 15th of May.

It’s going to be a MONTHLY newsletter.……that will cover everything you’ve grown accustomed to reading from me…...PLUS a whole lot more you haven’t.

But CONTRARY to other paid products or launches you’ll see……it’s NOT going to be about speculative strategies….or making money as someone who has the DECK stacked in his favor going into the game.   ( I mean…..if you already had a list of 70,000 people – you probably don’t NEED to be learning how to get 20 thousand more…agreed?)

It’s going to be written for ordinary people….with one single and solitary purpose. 

To give each and every one of you who believes you deserve it…….an extraordinary advantage in the REAL entrepreneurial trenches where business’s are built and fortunes are forged. 

Reminiscent of some of really good offline marketing letters from years gone by.

(but for a decidedly online audience)

It will be very small – somewhat exclusive and very hands on, specific…and often, like what you read here…..without a filter……& without a net.

In other words – on top of the posts that you’ve hopefully come to enjoy on here…….I will ALSO be building a REAL business – in front of you – that you can watch – copy – emulate – and "steal"….with specific domains – author accounts – blogs -and very (dare I say) DIFFERENT approaches to creating a real, viable and valuable business from most.

(and by without a net…..my failures will be your success, as you’ll see what HASN’T worked as well as what has….in reasonably real time.  (month in…and month out)

In MY view?

Transparency is CRITICAL to learning new things, and I have NO problem failing in full view…..if it helps you learn how to parlay that pain……my pratfalls can be YOUR profit.

I’m going to be offering this newsletter – to the people on MY list – for a fraction of a fraction of what I’ll be selling it to the more general public. (I’m going to offer an up front, yearly subscription because I want to jump start the sales – and get some early momentum…..and first ones in will be paying a pittance for a wealth of information)

But you have to sign up for the newsletter list to get it.…there will be NO affiliates – no hype – no bullshit video – and no condescending copy used to convince you to join.  It’s going to be obscenely affordable for EVERYONE on my list alone……but it will NOT be priced the same way for "outsiders" who haven’t supported me with comments, kindness and motivation over the past few years.

Sign up here…..and I’ll fill you in on the details as we get closer to the date.

(I’m really looking forward to this….and to be totally honest – every secret – every strategy – every piece of the puzzle I can share to help you make REAL progress – REAL momentum and get real ENJOYMENT out of your business….I’m going to do with pleasure..:-)

There will be audio instructions, strategy sessions and masterminds you have access to….exclusively for subscribers.

There will be a special email address ONLY available for subscribers to send questions that will be covered in detail.…..and answered in the newsletter.

Again……if you like my style – you will REALLY benefit from this….& part of an exclusive club of entrepreneurs that WILL have fun and make money at the very same time.

If you don’t like my style…..or my stuff – you’ll probably want to pass..:-)

Again - sign UP for the notification list here….and remember, the middle of May is only a few short weeks away!

A few parting thoughts below on the post above…..enjoy!