Week 5: Analyzing Conversion Ad Results (Sept 23 | 32m)

Ad Analysis

  • Got 140 clicks on the ads but 0 conversions (button clicks) on the landing page
  • No increase in sales or page reads on Drop Dead, no improvement in rank
  • Not sure if this is an admin problem with pixel setup (test events not showing up as firing on TikTok, but the “view content” event has attributions on the dashboard) or just the case of ineffective audiences / best practices / creatives. Likely the case that the creative isn’t resonating well since that was getting poor CPCs with the traffic ads, too.
  • Switched to Google Tag Manager (GTM) to troubleshoot this; haven’t tested any ads yet, since need a new creative.

Mindset

  • Stumbling around in the dark is normal at the beginning; going to accumulate some nicks and bruises (e.g., wasted ad spend) as you figure out what works.
  • Being interested in / drawn to a particular ad platform helps you make it through this process and execute the testing volume required to not only learn the platform, but get good at it and then, later on, stay on top of changes.
  • This interest can be spurred by initial success or sales, but often times it’s difficult to pin down why a particular ad platform or traffic technique resonates. If you lean into these preferences, however, especially ones where you have preexisting strengths to draw on, you can massively accelerate progress and will usually be much more successful than someone who is forcing themselves to do something.
  • Necessity (hard deadlines, accountability) can force you to learn something, and is potentially the most powerful motivator of all. Out of all the platforms I’ve tried, I know the most about (and am best at) Amazon Ads not because of intrinsic interest but because of necessity. However, something being truly necessary (or even close to it) in a solopreneur venture or small business is extremely rare. It’s unlikely there will be a scenario where you have to learn a specific ads platform, which makes focusing on things that are of interest a better learning bet.
  • Naturally, there are skills and tasks in this business that are uninteresting but mandatory. Only doing things that grab your attention is not a recipe for success. However, long-term, if most of your day is spent gritting your teeth through the hours and checking the clock, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to put in the amount of practice reps and time required to compete with someone for whom that time flies by.