Solo Ads is one of the best traffic sources many marketers use to build an email list. But will solo ads for e-commerce work in 2024?
Can you return a good, positive result by using solo ads for eCommerce while there are many misconceptions about solo ad traffic?
Well, in this guide, I will uncover untold truths about using solo ad traffic for eCommerce products.
<Landing Pages Collection for Solo Ads>
What are solo ads?
Solo ads are email advertisements that you purchase from someone else’s email list. Since email marketing has gotten the highest ROI, Solo Ads have become so popular among marketers because of four main reasons.
- Solo ads are cost-effective
- Solo ads are targeted (warmed-up traffic)
- Achieve a better CPL and CPS than most other traffic sources
- Scalable
Another reason why many people prefer solo advertising is because of its privacy. If you do Facebook ads, there are many Facebook ad spy tools like AdPlexity. The same goes for Google ads. You can find running Google ads by using PPC ad spy tools like the Semrush Banner Advertising tool.
However, it is difficult to spy on successful solo ad campaigns in the Solo Advertising space. In fact, there aren’t any prebuilt tools for it. If someone wants to know how others use solo ad traffic in their business, they must go through the sales funnel manually!
How do you buy solo ads for eCommerce products?
Before buying solo ads for any eCom product, you need to understand several key aspects.
The nature of solo ads
Solo ads traffic is email traffic. That means people are coming after reading an email from his/her device, not browsing social feeds or searching for something on Google.
Since solo ads are targeted advertisements, the subscriber is looking for solutions.
- Provide what to do on the next page (after clicking CTA in the email message)
- Make sure you are selling something interested
- Offer irresistible discounts, etc.,
Capture email address
When you are using solo ads to promote eCom offers, you will ultimately collect people’s or customers’ email addresses. But not 100% of people will buy your offers first. According to many studies, it takes at least seven contacts a person to become a customer.
Therefore, pop-ups, spin-to-wheels, and scratch cards boost eCom sales. I recommend using Convertful as it allows you to create widgets and A/B test variations and fire custom scripts based on many criteria. Learn more.
Another critical step is creating an excellent email follow-up series where you send details about your offer. It could contain anything like:
- Frequently asked questions (like shipping fees, multiple orders, restrictions, customization, etc.)
- Testimonials from previous customers
- Special discounts and promo codes
- Buy products worth over $XXX from your eCom store and get free shipping, bonus offers, etc.,
If you are not sure which email marketing platform to use to create perfect follow-up emails, etc., give Aweber or GetResponse a try. (Both offer free trials)
Track everything
Tracking how each visitor behaves on your eCommerce store is essential not only to know the ROI you get from each traffic buy campaign but also to scale them.
One of the best click tracking tools for solo ads is undoubtedly ClickMagick — It’s filled with many features that are useful for solo ads traffic, like web traffic rotation software, and click quality checker (tier 1, tier 2, etc.), tracking sales across cross devices, and more.
ClickMagick pricing starts at $69/mo (Starter plan), and you can try it for free. Click the button below to get started now.
Where to buy solo ads for eCommerce
There are two main ways of buying solo ad traffic for eCommerce.
- From a marketplace
- From a solo ads seller directly
Previously, I talked about the differences between both methods. But I will briefly show it in a comparison table.
| Marketplace | Seller website | |
|---|---|---|
| Reliability | Systems are in place buyers get what they request at the time without any hiccups. | You have to trust the vendor that he/she is reliable |
| Email traffic | Solo ad directories have built mechanisms to filter any spam, low-quality, or useless traffic. | You need to use a quality Click tracking software |
| Options | You always have numerous sellers to choose from | Can be tricky – Getting to know sellers take time |
| Buyer Reviews | Only buyers can post | Can be faked |
| Flexibility and convenient | Better | Not so much |
I have posted a list of the best solo ad providers before, and it notes some vendors in different eCom niches. Always make sure you have set up the tracking correctly. Ask relevant questions from suppliers. Ensure you are getting email traffic, not funnel clicks, and the tier of traffic is excellent if you are buying from someone directly!
But, if you want to buy solo ads for eCommerce securely, the best way is to buy from a marketplace like Udimi.com.
Udimi is the world’s best solo ads marketplace, with thousands of sellers and buyers alike. Udimi’s solo ad pricing starts from $0.40/click, and you have many options for selecting a seller. Read the review of Udimi to learn more.
Plus, Udimi is best for your solo ads eCommerce clicks because:
- It promises you are getting traffic (or you get money back)
- It ensures you are getting real human email traffic, not spam clicks or bot traffic with spamvertising.
- Some sellers allow you to create your own ad text so you can directly start selling from the email messages.
- You can filter sellers based on performance, such as sales generated percentage, average cost per click, etc.
Go to the Udimi website from here and sign up for free. You will receive a $5 bonus when you sign up now.
In your Udimi dashboard, go to the ‘Find Sellers‘ section.
You can also specify a targeted audience location.
Set a maximum click price for solo ads.
Now, you can search for sellers in your eCommerce niche. For example, if you are selling something related to weight loss, enter the keyword ‘weight loss‘ in the search box. You will get a list of eCommerce solo ads sellers within the weight loss niche.
However, if you check the seller’s profile, you will notice that most niche email list owners have multiple email lists in several niches. Here is a prime example. Mike Dirnt is a niche solo ad seller.
Some of his niches are:
- Weight Loss – Fat Loss, Keto Diets, Nutrition
- Dogs – Pets
- Health – Fitness
- Dating/relationships
- Travel
Therefore, if you sell eCom products in the weight loss niche, you can actually tap into several niche email lists like Nutrition to promote your eCom offers.
How many clicks should you buy?
It depends on your offer and budget, obviously. However, according to statisticians, the minimum sample size for making any meaningful decision is 100.
So, for example, if you buy a 300-click package, your sales conversion rate is 2%, and the average order value is $50, you will make $300. If you buy a solo ad clicks for $0.75, you have spent $225 and made a $75 profit.
But it all depends on your offer, ad copy, and the quality of solo ad traffic. Since you can’t overspend to ‘test’ different solo ad vendors, you should start minimally by buying 100 clicks and gradually scale from there.
If you compare solo ad price per click versus PPC ads’ or Facebook ads in some ultra-competitive niches like weight loss and health, you will notice that having a comparative testing budget for solo ads is not bad.
Solo ads for Amazon Affiliate
Yes, it is possible to make money by sending solo ad clicks to Amazon affiliate products. If someone buys within 24 hours, you will earn a commission according to Amazon Associates Program policies.
However, I strongly recommend collecting people’s email addresses before sending traffic to the offer page.
Traffic > Your email capture page > eCom product page
Clickfunnels has everything you need to set up a successful online business, including landing page creation and email list management (ActioneticsTM). Give Clickfunnels a try if you want to build eCom sales pages and shopping carts and manage email subscribers.
If you are looking for a website builder with blogging functionality despite WordPress, I recommend Brizy. It is equipped with many functionalities, while the website builder is the most convenient one. Read this Brizy review to learn more, check Brizy’s pricing, and compare it with other costs to see if it’s worth the price.
Is using Solo ads for eCommerce worth it?
Email traffic is one of the many different traffic sources used to promote eCommerce products. Solo ads are built upon email marketing, and depending on the eCom offer, Solo ads might not be worthwhile.
Why?
Because Solo Advertising as a whole is inclined into a specific range of niches. While it dominates in niches like MMO, Biz Opps, Work from home, and Internet Marketing, you rarely come to see a seller in niches like health, fitness, cooking, pets, gardening, etc.,
So, if your product previously performed well with your email list, solo ads might be worth it. Otherwise, you need to test several sellers’ email lists and decide if using solo ads for eCommerce is worthwhile.
Solo ads alternatives for eCommerce
One of the difficulties of using solo ads for eCommerce products is finding a higher traffic volume in some niches.
If you found that solo ads traffic does not convert well with your eCommerce offers, try these sources.
- Social Traffic – Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest
- Organic Traffic – Write more in-depth descriptions about products, and integrate the reviews section and comments section. Make sure you are doing eCommerce keyword research using tools like Semrush (read Semrush keyword research tutorial to learn more) and WriterZen (review link) and add them to the product pages.
- Native ads – Native ads can be a profitable traffic source and a replacement for solo ads for eCommerce offers notably. Taboola and Content.ad are two popular native ad networks.
- Video ad traffic– Try running product showcase ads on YouTube and analyze the results. Use video ad creator tools like Offeo, Vista Create, and Canva.
- Display ads traffic – Buy ads from high-traffic websites directly or through a third-party network like BuySellads.com.
- Newsletter ad placements – Highly relevant solo ad alternative for the eCommerce niche. Some high-profile brands sell ad placements in their newsletters. Run several campaigns and see results.
Final words on using solo ads for eCommerce niche
Sometimes, the most popular way is not the perfect way. Promoting eCom products via Facebook and other social channels has been regarded as a casual way for a long time.
But that does not mean other ways of driving traffic, like solo ads, are bad for your business. Since solo ad traffic is email traffic, if your offer and audience combination are excellent, you can get a higher return on investment than most other channels.
This graphic of a chart demonstrates the ROI for some traffic channels.
The Solo Advertising space is dominated by several niches. But, if you research, you will also come across sellers in other niches. Udimi is the world’s most popular marketplace where you can tap in to buy solo ads without worrying about almost all available niches.
So, what are your thoughts on using solo ads for eCommerce offers? Share them below the comments form.