Jim Banks and Rob Adler unravel the complexities of seasonality in digital marketing, sharing proven strategies for weathering both the high and low cycles in paid traffic and affiliate offers.
Discover how to future-proof your media buying with robust workload planning, strategic pivots, and by always having a backup buyer for your leads.
They break down the crucial difference between targeting offers and targeting audiences, and why monetizing by demographic unlocks lucrative cross-sell and upsell opportunities.
Rob and Jim also demystify industry acronyms (IOs, pay terms), and share hard-won lessons on negotiating payout bumps, payment terms, and managing offer shutdowns or sudden pauses.
Hear real-world tactics on:
Navigating advertiser restrictions on bidding and overcoming competitive challenges
Email marketing monetization, including smart segmentation & suppression list strategies
Attribution in post-iOS 14.5 environments: modeling, data integrity, and practical workarounds
Affiliate pivots: From paid search to organic, and why knowledge of your target user journey can turn a failing campaign into a winner
Little-known funnel tweaks (offer walls, upsells, insurance add-ons) that make a big difference to your bottom line
Using screen recordings and heatmaps to uncover hidden friction points and fine-tune your landing pages
The “Trojan horse” quiz funnel approach for gray or restricted verticals
Whether you’re seeking affiliate marketing tips, need help with seasonality in paid media, or want advanced media buying growth hacks, this episode arms you with actionable takeaways to improve your daily campaigns and long-term strategy.
How This Episode Can Benefit You
Stay Profitable Through Every Cycle & Understand how to plan and adapt to cyclical industry swings, reducing downtime and maximizing every marketing dollar.
Cross-Market Like a Pro - Learn how to monetize user demographics creatively for higher lifetime value and greater affiliate income.
Negotiate Smart - Get insider tips on negotiating better payout terms and avoiding common affiliate pitfalls.
Optimize Sustainably - Master data-driven insights (like tracking funnels and leveraging attribution models) to keep your campaigns lean and effective.
Future-Proof Your Strategy - Build the network and systems you need to pivot quickly and profitably when offers or platforms change overnight.
🔔 Ready for more actionable media buying tips?
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⏰ Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction
01:19 – Seasonality in Media Buying
04:11 – Affiliate Mindset
07:25 – Dealing with Offer Shutdowns
10:49 – Monetizing Audiences & Target Demographics
13:20 – Acronyms in Media Buying
17:29 – Affiliate Restrictions & Navigating Advertiser Rules
20:48 – Competitive Bidding
22:35 – Suppression Files & Email List Monetization Tips
29:17 – Attribution, Analytics & The Probabilistic/Deterministic Shift
33:58 – Scaling with Intent
38:30 – Creative Approaches to 'Gray Hat' Industries
41:53 – Offer Walls, Upsells & Ancillary Revenue
42:40 – Media Buying Across the Summer Lull
45:42 – Timing, Sales Cycles, and Considered Purchases
48:52 – Using Recency, Frequency, and Other Triggers
51:08 – Smart Qualification Questions & Segmentation
55:04 – The Power of Heatmaps & Screen Recordings For Funnel Optimization
56:52 – Outro & Call for Guest Suggestions
