Ten affiliate guidelines for working with case studies

1 November 2019
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Ten affiliate guidelines for working with case studies

Both beginner affiliates and experienced digital marketers need quality case studies for their work. However, as is well-known, anyone can write anything, but will this be worth your time and tests? In this article, we will share some tips for working with case studies the smart way.


You can find cases on official websites of affiliate networks and various media covering the industry. ZorbasMedia is no exception: you can find our case studies in the respective section of our website. 

So, what is a case study? Basically, a case study is an in-depth investigation of a particular situation, in our case, in the affiliate marketing field. A case study is supposed to have both the description of this particular situation and some detailed data, figures, and methods employed to solve the study’s problem.

Generally, a case study can be divided into three constituent parts:

  • the description of the traffic source, offer, and geo;
  • examples of creatives;
  • money spent and money earned.

Why do case studies sometimes cite outdated numbers?

Affiliates often complain that numbers cited in a certain case study prove to be outdated, while the case itself appears to be absolutely worthless. Why is it so? The answer is rather straightforward.

  • When affiliates share their case study with you, they don’t owe you to break down their targeting settings in detail.
  • The author of the case shares information that was relevant some time ago. How things are now is anyone’s guess.

To put it shortly, a case study gives you some general information, not a step-by-step guide to success. 

Learn how to use this information to your advantage and you’ll get access to valuable knowledge. Here are ten recommendations on how to do it properly. 

 

1. Look for fresh case studies

 

Remember that time doesn’t stand still and a case study that was relevant yesterday can be absolutely worthless today. Focus on the most recent case studies. Those that were written a long time ago, however, can prove to be useful reading to gain new knowledge.

 

2. Don’t copy case studies step-by-step

 

Learn from the mistakes and experiences of others. Don’t just copycat the actions described in a case study.

 

3. Learn to analyze information

 

A case study can be compared to an example of problem-solving from a math textbook. Study the logic behind a case study, use your analytical thinking skills and you will broaden your horizons.

 

4. Follow your own path

 

As we have mentioned above, the author of a case study does not necessarily want to describe the funnel in detail, and so you will have to search for a lot of things yourself. Come up with your own strategy based on the information received. A case study will give you the necessary approaches and methods that you will be able to use in your work. 

 

5. Make unique creatives

 

If you just carbon-copy someone else’s creatives, don’t expect to get the same results. If you make copies of burnt-out creatives and target the same audience, the level of trust will go down drastically. Besides, you’re not the only smart aleck over there: a lot of beginner affiliates can follow the same way and literally flood the Internet with almost identical creatives. That’s why you should either make your own unique creatives based on the examples or upgrade those that were given in a case study. 

 

6. Always double-check

 

In order not to lose money, run an A/B test to verify a case study hypothesis. You know what they say: test, test and then test some more!

 

7. Test the minimum bid

 

Be sure to test out the minimum bid. It’s obvious it won’t work in the same way it did before a case study was published. After all, there are lots of other affiliate marketers out there.

 

8. Verify all the numbers 

 

No one can say for sure that the author of a case study was 100% honest. That’s why you should always double-check all the numbers cited in a case study.

 

9. Don’t be hasty in starting driving traffic to some new offers

 

Remember that some cases can natively advertise offers, affiliate networks or traffic sources. It is evident that in such a case the results can be somewhat (or even considerably) exaggerated. So, be sure to always check offers. Talk to your colleagues who have already driven traffic to them, monitor affiliate forums and chats. And don’t you ever work with noname affiliate networks!

 

10. Talk with the author of a case study

 

If possible, ask some additional questions to the author of a case study. Very often they give their Telegram IDs or converse in various chats. When it comes to bloggers, finding their contact information is generally very easy. This will help you to find out whether the case is actually relevant and whether its author was completely honest with their audience.


So, the main thing we call for is that you shouldn’t look for ready-made solutions. Think for yourself and you will succeed!

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