Each year, I revisit the topic of Solo Ad Feasibility because there’s an over abundance of hype and ballyhoo in the world of Solo Ads (lol).
So, in this day in age, in 2018, are Solo Ads still working well?
Well, that really depends upon what your intentions are.
If you have intentions of generating leads in a mainstream niche, adding subscribers to your email newsletter, or promoting one of your lead magnets, then heck yes, Solo Ads are still working great.
Solo Ads Are Simply A Method To Buy Advertising From An Existing Email Newsletter.
So, Solo Ads are a form of advertising.
Solo Ads are best utilized, in my opinion, as a means to build your own email newsletter subscription base.
The truth is that Solo Ads are awesome. As long as you have something awesome that you want to promote.
But, there are many more nuances than this. Because, the majority of Solo Ad Vendors have an email newsletter in a relatively mainstream niche.
So if your offer, your newsletter, or your lead magnet is reliant upon location, or is in a strange niche, then Solo Ads are DEFINITELY not for you.
If you are, for example, a baker who lives in Manhattan and you want to advertise in order to get more foot traffic, then Solo Ads are absolutely not for you.
If you’re an advertising agency who works out of Austin Texas and you want to help generate leads for local businesses, then Solo Ads are still not really for you.
Who Are Solo Ads For, Then?
Well, Solo Ads are for you if you want to generate email leads in a mainstream niche. And I mean very mainstream!
For example, if you’re in the internet marketing niche, the self-help niche, or the weight loss niche, then Solo Ads might be a great avenue of consideration.
Maybe you have an email newsletter in a very popular niche that you want to advertise.
So, in other words, maybe you have your own email newsletter in a very mainstream niche and you want to promote that and add subscribers.
Then, and only then, are Solo Ads even worth considering.
Also remember, that in order to get the best results from any Solo Ad campaign, you really need to have an amazing email funnel, and a solid followup plan strategized before you engage.
My Two Cents About Your Email Marketing Funnel
My honest advice, is to have an email marketing funnel that offers an immediate one time offer upsell. My opinion is that you require this at bare minimum.
This way, you can statistically increase your odds of earning back some of the revenue spent on your initial Solo Ad purchase as soon as possible.
Why is this so important? Because if you strive to earn your ad spend back as soon as possible, then you may endeavor to buy even more advertising, thereby adding even more subscribers for your awesome newsletter.
A lot of people feel bad when offering a one time offer immediately after your end user subscribes, but my advice, is to always try to recoup your advertising spend as soon as possible.
That doesn’t mean you have to sell like a jerk (lol).
Maybe you could have a “welcome page” video that introduces yourself, provides access to your promised lead magnet, and then promotes one of your favorite offers.
Or, you as soon as your end user subscribes, you could teach them something cool, and perhaps promote something as an affiliate that was an integral part of your tutorial. (Maybe a piece of marketing software, an app, or maybe even another course that goes into more detail about whatever topic you’re teaching).
This could occur immediately after your end users subscribe.
That way you’ll be branding yourself, giving away good stuff, delivering helpful content, building your email newsletter base, and hopefully, with luck, you’ll be able to sell your leads something in one fell swoop.
More About Your Email Followup Plan
If you have any intention of buying Solo Ads, then it’s imperative that you have email followups planned.
Because, it would be a foolhardy endeavor to build your email list, to then never email them any cool content, right?
So ask yourself, what’s your email followup plan?
How frequently do you intend on emailing your subscribers, and what type of content are you going to send them?
My Personally Favorite Email Marketing Content These Days, Revealed!
My personal favorite email followup content, after managing an awesome email newsletter for a super long time now, is to provide awesome content that helps my end users.
Maybe I can write a cool tutorial, give away one of my courses (or books) for free, or even review a product that a subscriber asks about.
I feel the need to honestly help people before I ever sell anything.
I have a strong desire to connect, to help, and to genuinely be valuable. I also believe, that this is the best personal philosophy to have for any entrepreneur, email newsletter owners especially.
I don’t like selling up front, and I always try to deliver massive value before I pitch anything.
This is just my personal preference, and as an online instructor, I honestly love to help others.
In my opinion, if you go out of your way to HELP your email newsletter subscribers, then they’ll have good reason to open your emails, and at least consider clicking on the stuff that you recommend, right?
Solo Ads Aren’t All Unicorns And Butterflies.
I have to be honest.
There’s an ugly history of some Solo Ad Vendors selling junk clicks.
That’s because, back in the day, (maybe 5-6 years ago), everyone was talking about Solo Ads. In the marketing world, at least.
A ton of trendy expert marketing gurus on every corner of the planet were talking about Solo Ads, and as a result, there were more starry-eyed-entrepreneurs looking to build their email subscription base this way.
So, what happened as a result? The Solo Ad World exploded and there were massive quantities of people buying Solo Ads.
Like any economical phenomenon, this naturally resulted in unsavory characters looking to unethically-feast (lol) upon unsuspecting victims — in other words, this lead to shady Solo Ad Vendors blatantly ripping off new Solo Ad Buyers.
Solo Ad Vendors started coming out of the woodwork, many of whom didn’t even have email lists of their own and were simply reselling Solo Ads.
That’s fine in theory, and on the surface, however, how could someone reasonably guarantee quality clicks, if they themselves did not own an email newsletter?
There’s lots of room for glitches, and chicanery here, lol.
So, in other words, there are definitely unethical and shady Solo Ad Vendors who sell junk clicks.
Just like, there are lame barbers who give bad haircuts, and lousy pizza parlors who have terrible sauce!
Unfortunately, in any free form economical climate, there are awesome vendors, and then, there are dismally poor vendors.
The sad part, is that often times it’s difficult, if not impossible to tell who is a legit vendor, and who is a bad vendor. And I’m not even talking about the Solo Ad Vendors of the world, I’m talking about ALL businesses. (Yes, I’m going on a side tangent rant).
That’s why, these days, I’ll personally only consider Solo Ad Vendors from reliable sources who have a boatload of proven testimonials.
For That Very Reason, My Favorite Solo Ad Marketplace Is Udimi
Udimi.com is the largest Solo Ad Marketplace that I’m aware of, and they have sound buyer protection policies in place to protect the Solo Ad Buyer from fake, or junk clicks.
There’s a boatload of traffic filtering, to the point where many legit Solo Ad Vendors have complained that the click tracking is too stringent (lol). In my opinion, this is a high quality problem to have, as a Solo Ad Buyer. 🙂
If the Udimi team detects fake traffic, junk clicks, or an overabundance of bot traffic, you won’t have to pay for those clicks; their policy states that you only pay for REAL human clicks.
Udimi Also Has Arguably The Largest Trusted Collection Of Solo Ad Vendor Reviews Anywhere
The reviews are super insightful, are 100% public for all to see, and you can even see if the Solo Ad Buyers reported getting any sales or not as a direct result from their advertisement.
The thing that I like the most about Udimi, is not only that there is a boatload of real reviews, but most importantly is that only verified buyers can leave reviews.
So the Solo Ad Vendors can’t just ask 50 of their best friends to leave reviews for them. (Have you ever been to a totally lousy restaurant, but then you check the reviews online and the reviews are stellar? Some things make me wonder, hehe. That’s why Udimi makes it so only verified buyers can leave reviews, which is a policy that I personally love).
Because the problem I personally have with reviews that I see in Facebook groups for example, or private websites, is that these types of reviews are so easy to fake.
There’s no vetting system if the review doesn’t come from a (relatively public) marketplace with sound policies and procedures in place to protect the integrity of the marketplace.
(As someone who has studied IT security for a lengthy interval of time, I’m naturally paranoid, which is why I would prefer a legit marketplace over an unverified review any day of the week. I’m very used to people trying to scam me. Call me a tinfoil hatter all you want hehe).
At The End Of The Day, Solo Ads Are Awesome. But Only If You Meet This Criteria!
Remember that Solo Ads are simply a means to advertise your email newsletter, or promote your lead magnet.
Nothing more, and nothing less.
But remember all of the nuances.
Solo Ads work best if you’re simply trying to build your own email newsletter subscription base.
Solo Ads are definitely not worth considering if you’re in a rare niche, or if your business is location dependent.
Solo Ads, in my opinion, require you to have an awesome email marketing funnel, and a solid followup plan. In the absence of both of these things, I honestly believe that your Solo Ad efforts will be for naught; because what’s the point of advertising your email newsletter if you have no intention of providing any content, lol.
Also remember to spend time finding an awesome Solo Ad Vendor with great reviews! Do their customers report a positive experience? Or, do they have a history of totally lame customer service? Do your homework before you take out any form of advertising, anywhere!
In any event, this is my humble two cents in the world of Solo Ads.
Solo Ads are truly fascinating to me, and I’ve been studying this world for quite some time.
If you ever have any questions about Solo Ads, then please never hesitate to drop me a line and ask, because it’s something that I love to brainstorm and freestyle about.
Until that time, please have an amazing day!
Cordially and humbly…
Mike DeVincent
