The six hallmarks of high-quality solo ads

Let’s get one thing out of the way. The word “quality” is used so much in so many contexts that it runs the risk of being worthless. That’s right. The word “quality” is used almost as often as the word “love.” As you probably already know, when people use the word “love,” a lot of times different people can come to different conclusions. It seems that the word “quality” is suffering from the same issues. People say the word “quality” all the time and until you reach the point where two different people are using the same words, but they actually mean two totally different things.

The bottom line is that quality is subjective. It’s too easy to spend too much money on ads that some people someway think is “quality.” The problem is if you’re going to hang your hat on somebody else’s definition, you are playing the online advertising game to lose. You have to always keep your agenda front and center. You always have to keep your own particular set of needs and your particular circumstances as the primary guidance to your ad-buying decisions. Doing things in any other way can lead to either simply breaking even or losing money. Neither of these situations are profitable.

You have to play the online advertising game to win. Otherwise, you would be better off not playing it at all. If you’re serious about nailing the definition of “quality” as far as high quality solo ads go, pay attention to the following six hallmarks. They are objective enough to give you the concrete guidance you need to make the right informed decision.

Hallmark No. 1 – They deliver the highest ROI

People can say that their traffic is the best. People can claim that they have the best solo ads. Other people can claim that they have high-quality traffic. People are well within their rights to make all these claims. Everybody has an opinion. We can all differ regarding these opinions, but we cannot differ when it comes to ROI.

ROI is numbers-driven, either you made money or not, either you added extra dollars to your bank account or not. This is why I love the concept of ROI. It’s very hard to lie with ROI. It’s very hard to trick people with fake returns on investments. You’re either pregnant or you’re not. So, if you’re serious about defining what high-quality solo ads are, focus on ROI, not just any ROI, mind you, but the highest ROI in terms of the other options available to you. The cream will always rise to the top. Keep that in mind.

Hallmark No. 2 – You paid per placement instead of per click

Another key hallmark of high-quality solo ad sources is that you are able to pay per placement. I cannot insist on this enough. I’ve been burned too many times with per-click deals. You see, when you pay per click, the only person you’re helping to get rich is the ad seller, seriously. You’re not doing yourself any favors. The good news is that there is no shortage of small-time bloggers with mailing lists. They would be ready, willing and eager to sell you solo ad placements on a per-placement basis. Take advantage of that opportunity.

Hallmark No. 3 – They deliver scalable traffic

What’s the point of getting a huge amount of sales one day and zero sales for the rest of the year? It doesn’t make any sense. Even if you run into a really good traffic source if you cannot scale up that traffic, then it’s value to you is quite limited. Sure, most people wouldn’t argue about making a few thousand dollars here and there, but in the big scheme of things, adding a few thousand dollars to your bank account is not going to move the needle as far as your business is concerned.

You need to take things to the next level. What this requires, of course, is scalable traffic sources. I’m not at all saying that you should avoid these sources. What I’m saying is that you need to focus more of your energy on traffic sources that would enable you to scale up.

Hallmark No. 4 – They accommodate a wide range of promotions

As long as you have a laser focus on a tight range of niches, you would be able to make money. This is a key hallmark of high-quality solo ads. The people that sign up to these mailing lists have a wide enough range of predictable interests. This enables you to send marketing materials in such a way that if you don’t convert them in one directly related niche, you can convert them eventually to a related sub-niche. You see, when people look for products and services on line, a lot of the times they actually have subsidiary or supplemental needs. Smart marketers know this. This is why when they’re looking for solo ads, they make sure that these lists can accommodate a wide range of promotions targeting a range of needs.

Hallmark No. 5 – You can run small tests with their providers

Another key hallmark of great provider of solo ad traffic is that you can buy small tests from them. You have to understand that you cannot just put out an ad and expect it to convert at a high rate. While you can get lucky from time to time, that’s not the way to go. The best way is to run small tests, optimize your ad and then scale up once you achieve a high enough conversion rate. That’s how you play the game to win. Partner only with providers that will enable you to do this.

Hallmark No. 6 – There are providers that give excellent advertiser support

In a perfect world, the moment you put out an ad, things will go according to plan. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. Things go wrong. In many cases, the best-laid plans often go south. In this situation, it pays off tremendously if the source of the high-quality solo ads you’re buying from practices excellent advertiser support. Insist on this. I’m not just talking about refunds or running your campaign. Again, I’m also talking about traffic providers that are responsive to your needs at a broader level.