Every day people get discouraged by a failing campaign and quit the affiliate marketing scene. That’s great news for those of us staying on board because they aren’t driving up the price of a click, but what do we know that they don’t? If you’re interested in the world of banner advertising, and have yet to choose your first campaign, these tips should help you choose a winning ad to help grow your business.

Desktop or Mobile?

Newbies fall victim to over analyzing. They read a lot of blogs trying to gain some insight into direct marketing, but bloggers cover trends and trends come and go. Mobile isn’t your average trend, but the amount of attention paid to it can seem overwhelming if you’re new to this industry. The message starts to sound like “mobile is where the money is at.”

That’s not wrong, but it might not be the best place for a newbie to start. Targeting on desktop doesn’t present as many complications, like hyper-localizing your offers. You can target by demographic, keyword and interest to start.

Getting Started

Do some basic research on the blogs that talk about the products you’re marketing. Read comment sections and investigate Facebook or Twitter. Start two campaigns with small budgets and bid on placements.

Let the campaigns run for a few days to a week, unless both tank immediately. If you see negative results quickly, try readjusting some of your targeting settings. Don’t just target the obvious ones . Always consider a few groups of consumers who might want your product.

Bio: Ted Dhanik is a passionate digital advertiser from Los Angeles. Ted Dhanik is the co-founder and CEO of engage:BDR, and a frequent guest blogger for VentureBeat and AdAge. Ted Dhanik and engage:BDR help businesses grow through targeted display advertising on mobile and desktop.