webdev,
I am sorry to hear that your driving test ppc campaigns did not go as well as you had hoped.
This post is probably not exhaustive, but I will attempt to highlight important points for you to think about... and I apologize for my lengthy post (i already know it's gonna be long... you know how i like to babble
)
Here goes:
1) what kind of
keywords did you use?
it's great to have highly targeted keywords, such as "how to pass my driving test" - that's a great targeted keywords, because it will pick up those who theoretically would be very interested in the product... BUT (and most people in PPC miss this)... how likely will this keyword convert? Let's see... the keyword "how to pass my driving test" is rather general in the sense that the person is just looking for information, probably free, to prepare him/her before their driving test. They may or may not be reeeeeaaaaaalllllly concerned about failing their test (btw, do a lot of kids fail?).
But how desperate is this person to buy your product? Probably not very desperate, so when they see the price tag, they will probably think back button let's see what other information is out there before I spend the 20 or 30 dollars. So think about... who would be desperate to buy this product? Think like them... pretend you're extremely nervous before your test or maybe you've already failed your test and want to pass it this time... also, do not restrict yourself to the age of 16-25... some people get their license later in life (and I have heard a few times that these people tend to fail... so maybe that's another target population... but do more research on this first).
In the first scenario (extremely nervous)... think... why are you extremely nervous? Did you hear horror stories from friends? Did your best friend just fail? Are you not a very good driver yet? etc. If you've already failed once or twice, think about what kind of keywords you would use, e.g. "why do i keep failing my driving test" or "how to stop failing my driving test". These keywords may be more desperate kw and may be more likely to convert.
2)
was the landing page relevant to their specific needs?
In either case, in your landing page, touch upon their fears... In the extremely nervous scenario, add in a little statistic about how many people fail because they are nervous... or something to feed their fear (i hate saying this, because it sounds like you're playing with their emotions) but you have to relate to them... if there is something they are scared of, touching on it will only help them open up to you more, because they will feel you understand where they are coming from... AND they will begin to think that the product you will be selling to them addresses their personalized problem!
Then, by listing the benefits/how your product will help them pass their test by addressing their unique problems will probably convince them that they need your product!
I would create multiple landing pages, each one worded slightly differently to relate to and address the specific needs of the target audience.
The key point here is "
relevancy" - can you identify the right keywords that are relevant to someone who is a) desperate, and b) has already done some research on the topic, and will be ready to buy soon.
So, with most products, you have to research and think like the person who is in desperate need of your product... AND then bid on the keywords that
you would use
when you're about ready to purchase the product.
Does this make sense?
3) Did the author share some of his/her marketing strategies? If not, did he/she bid on the same keywords you bid on? How much competition was there on the keywords you bid on...
What I am getting at here... if there were supposedly a ton of conversions from other affiliates, what strategies did they use? what keywords did they use that helped them convert so well...
Another thing to consider is foul play... I don't want to get all conspiracy theory on you here, but is it possible that somehow the templates the author provided stripped away your affiliate code, perhaps through a re-direct to another page with his/her own affiliate code? - - - a bit out there, but just something to think about. Although it may be hard to prove/track, at least it would tell you to avoid working with this person. Again, hope you're not rolling your eyes at me, but you never know.
Ok, so I am sure I will have a lot more to say, but I am drawing a blank for now, so I will add more in the next couple of days, but... what I shared with you here is
crucial to success in ppc, so if you feel something is unclear or not important, please let me know.
I hope you're doing well... By the way, did you quit your job?
Sherif