The year 2016 was a rough one for the Traffic Exchanges, with a big slap down delivered by PayPal. When PayPal banned the TEs from using their payment processing service, everyone — owners, advertisers, publishers, and affiliate marketers — felt the impact. A whole lot of ongoing subscriptions and cashflow instantly vaporized. How to handle a downturn? When earnings drop all of a sudden, what are we to do?
In addition, those of us focusing on the Paid-to-Clicks got our own special slap down. You know what I’m talking about? Two top Paid-to-Click sites lost their biggest advertiser. All of a sudden there are a whole lot less ads to click on.
[insert_php] include(‘ptc-blurb-inc.html’); [/insert_php]
At the close of 2016 the ever-flowing fountain of ads at ClixSense and NeoBux turned to a trickle. It was good while it lasted. Really good, actually. It was drawing in more participants in the earnings, lots more advertisers, and affiliate program owners. It was a lively marketplace. Until it ended. Again, a big blow to everybody’s cashflow.
:( ClixSense Running on Empty
WEATHERING THE DOWNTURN
How to handle a downturn? For some, this is the time to quit. For others it’s a window on opportunity. As I heard recently on Robert Kiysaki’s Rich Dad Radio Show, “The only people who will make money are entrepreneurs and investors.”
Entrepreneurs are people searching for problems that need solving, that they can build a business around. Investors want to put their money to work for entrepreneurs. That’s how bigger businesses are grown. While everyone is off their guard, figuring what to do next and how to fix their revenue funnels, some smart marketers are taking the opportunity to push out new advertising. Or to launch new affiliate programs.
Have you taken advantage of this downturn and started a new ad campaign? I have. I’ve done more paid advertising in these first few weeks of 2017 than all of last year. Take my money please! I want everyone to see my advertising. And I’m not the only one.
TEXT ADVERTISING
I am also venturing into SMS (texting) advertising to grow my email list. Yeah, those ads that say “text AFFILIATE to 12345 for your copy.” First I’m studying the market, doing my research. Then with some initial tests (and tracking, and A/B testing.) I’m also doing keyword research and optimizing some of my previous blog posts to make them more easily discoverable. This will help me identify keywords and phrases that attract, and that I could potentially build a paid Google Adwords campaign around in the future.
Pay attention: there are a lot of new advertisments showing up on these two PTCs, ClixSense and NeoBux. And it has a ripple effect because those new ads are also appearing on other subsidiary PTCs that were not hit by the downturn.
An abrupt change like this is often, often the instigator of significant change. Markets go down. They also go up. How to handle a downturn? A downturn is a catalyst for clever minds to find and fix problems. Solutions that solve nagging problems are the innovations that fuel an upturn after a downturn happens.
One more thing that a downturn can trigger… Deals! Watch for some really good upgrade deals and ad packages. I just purchased a really great one at StartXchange. So keep your eyes open.
AS CONDITIONS CHANGE
A strong downturn can as quickly bounce back. Be ready for it. I’m sure Payza has seen a really swift upturn in new customers in the wake of the PayPal slap down. And it’s possible the big advertiser I wrote about (several months ago) has just concluded some year-long contracts with their clients and is renegotiating and renewing them. There are actually some indications a slow trickle of these video magazine ad pages are starting to be released into the flow again, though still at a very slow drip.
If that one advertiser turns on the spiggot again like what happened all last year, then the window for anything but the most expensive ad buys closes again for the smaller businesses. Don’t waste your money on the fixed ads, hardly anyone was clicking them last year because the 1/2 penny ads were non-stop.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE A DOWNTURN?
What is your strategy for weathering this downturn, or any downturn? Summarizing my advice:
- Do more of your own advertising during the lull.
- Find a nagging problem and build a business around it.
- Watch for some great deals!
Anything else you’re doing during the downturn? What’s the opportunity in this downturn that gets you excited? Comment below.
STARTUP WEBSITES
I’ve begun advertising my Oakley Studio managed website hosting services for home-based business startups; now with a brand new affiliate program so my clients can turn their hosting cost into a new revenue stream by referring others. If you don’t yet have an established WordPress site for your online marketing business, this is your opportunity.
Tags: affiliate marketing, economic downturn, opportunity, Paid-To-Click, slap down
This was a FlashTastic blog post.
While many were whining and moaning or quitting……
Others take action and build a bigger stronger business.
Absolutely spot on with this post!