Reflection After Years in the SMM Business: Is It Worth Continuing? - HELP!

[wolf of the wallstreet]

Hello friends!

I've been working for several years selling social media services (followers, likes, views for reels, Google Maps reviews, etc.), always directly to end users to maximize profits. I have my websites in different countries (currently more than 10), where most of the traffic comes from paid ads on Google Ads.

Honestly, I’m getting tired of this situation, and I’m seriously considering leaving this business, as I’m finding the following issues cropping up more and more frequently:

• I’ve tested more than 50 panels, and they all have terrible customer service. In most cases, they’re scammers, as none of them own their services—they’re all resellers of other panels. It’s very difficult (if not impossible) to trace the origin of everything (botnet, click farm, etc.), and when there’s an issue, the responses are always: "Sir, we’re working on it" or "please wait a moment"... They never provide a truthful answer about the specific issue.
• Advertising on Google Ads to attract traffic is getting more difficult because the cost per click is outrageously high due to competition. Even though the service costs on the panels are low, the conversion rate of website visitors who end up buying doesn’t balance out the high cost per click.
• Instagram has been rolling out tons of updates lately, causing services to frequently malfunction (like follower drops), and you end up with people complaining every day.
• You can’t create content to generate organic traffic on any social media platform because you always end up banned, no matter how much you try to disguise it as “marketing” content, etc.

After all this time, I can’t complain—I’ve made a good profit and generated consistent extra income. But over the past few months, everything is becoming more complicated and tedious, and I’m finding it hard to see the point in continuing to put energy into this when there are likely other business ideas that are much more interesting.

I’d love to hear from others who have also been in this field for several years, dealing directly with end users (NOT panel owners)...

Thank you very much, and good luck to everyone!

 

[hexagonal]

You should have started another business long time ago having to depend on third party sellers for high risk services is a no no.

You already have websites and a brand so what I would do is similar to what pathsocial is doing
- Optimize your websites if they are already not, give them a professional aspect not the ones that you see on 99% of SMM panels (Check pathsocial for ideas)
- Bump prices so your ads spend don't kill you, create a referral program, increase the customer lifetime value
- As you already have more margin look for better sellers

Start looking for new business to invest on.

This might look like a lot of work but you already built a business for years it would be nonsense to throw it away

 

[V]

Build a new business. You already said you have some good ideas, why not try them out.

 

[HustleTong]

Build your own panel
Filter all recurring clients and serve them well

 

[myself123a]

Curious, what types of business(es) do you have? While initially you would (most likely) need to do a lot of marketing, I'd imagine if you had a good service, you'd have lots of repeat customers, referrals, etc making your life a bit easier... If you feel like you are pushing a rock up a hill - might be time to look at a different type of business that is not so much effort.

 

[wolf of the wallstreet]

You should have started another business long time ago having to depend on third party sellers for high risk services is a no no.

You already have websites and a brand so what I would do is similar to what pathsocial is doing
- Optimize your websites if they are already not, give them a professional aspect not the ones that you see on 99% of SMM panels (Check pathsocial for ideas)
- Bump prices so your ads spend don't kill you, create a referral program, increase the customer lifetime value
- As you already have more margin look for better sellers

Start looking for new business to invest on.

This might look like a lot of work but you already built a business for years it would be nonsense to throw it away

Thanks for the advice bro! I know Path Social, I currently live in Spain and I get their ads on social networks all the time. Although I know they sell their services as ¨real followers¨ and we know perfectly well that it is not so, the business and marketing is very well designed. I could perfectly evolve my websites to a subscription business similar to theirs. It is a good idea!

Build your own panel
Filter all recurring clients and serve them well

Hi, I think you misunderstood what I said. The business of having my own wholesale smm panel does not interest me because there is too much competition already. I have websites where I sell directly to end users in several countries at much higher prices, I don't work with resellers, that's why in my business, customer service is everything. But having so many failures and problems with the smm panels we all work with (I have tried more than 50) (delays in services, downtime in services, bad customer service, scams, etc, since they are all resellers and nobody really has their own services), is giving me a lot of headaches.

 

[DrDuck]

Sometimes I wish I had studied and become a doctor.

 

[wolf of the wallstreet]

Curious, what types of business(es) do you have? While initially you would (most likely) need to do a lot of marketing, I'd imagine if you had a good service, you'd have lots of repeat customers, referrals, etc making your life a bit easier... If you feel like you are pushing a rock up a hill - might be time to look at a different type of business that is not so much effort.

I am trying to monetize Youtube accounts and also organic Dropshipping through TikTok.

Sometimes I wish I had studied and become a doctor.

100% agree hahaha

 

[Salamouna]

I see that type of business is just for a start to get some money to be able to start another business that is more stable and you have more control over it

 

[DerangedWolf]

SMM is a highly saturated business at this point

 

[Project Limitless]

Sometimes I wish I had studied and become a doctor.

Cracked me up.

 

[virtualize123]

Try new business.

 

[myself123a]

I am trying to monetize Youtube accounts and also organic Dropshipping through TikTok.


100% agree hahaha

Youtube is VERY competitive... (I never cared for when the changed it so you needed a min of 1000 subscribers, and in the meantime they could advertise the crap out of your videos for free)... There's a lot of people (has been for last 'x' # of years) trying to "get rich quick" from that... What "niches"? I'd probably focus on it more as a lead gen than actually trying to monetize it with adsense (that is kind of the 'lazy' mans way of making $$$).

Organic dropshipping via TikTok, huh - interesting, I suppose why not... you mean with aliexpress on the backend? Are you at least building a customer base, or just one off direct links from the vids to buy stuff?

 

[AdventureSeeker]

Try another business

 

[Jimmy Epperson]

You could try becoming a supplier yourself, so you're not dependent on others.

 

[Nikolaos]

Hello friends!

I've been working for several years selling social media services (followers, likes, views for reels, Google Maps reviews, etc.), always directly to end users to maximize profits. I have my websites in different countries (currently more than 10), where most of the traffic comes from paid ads on Google Ads.

Honestly, I’m getting tired of this situation, and I’m seriously considering leaving this business, as I’m finding the following issues cropping up more and more frequently:

• I’ve tested more than 50 panels, and they all have terrible customer service. In most cases, they’re scammers, as none of them own their services—they’re all resellers of other panels. It’s very difficult (if not impossible) to trace the origin of everything (botnet, click farm, etc.), and when there’s an issue, the responses are always: "Sir, we’re working on it" or "please wait a moment"... They never provide a truthful answer about the specific issue.
• Advertising on Google Ads to attract traffic is getting more difficult because the cost per click is outrageously high due to competition. Even though the service costs on the panels are low, the conversion rate of website visitors who end up buying doesn’t balance out the high cost per click.
• Instagram has been rolling out tons of updates lately, causing services to frequently malfunction (like follower drops), and you end up with people complaining every day.
• You can’t create content to generate organic traffic on any social media platform because you always end up banned, no matter how much you try to disguise it as “marketing” content, etc.

After all this time, I can’t complain—I’ve made a good profit and generated consistent extra income. But over the past few months, everything is becoming more complicated and tedious, and I’m finding it hard to see the point in continuing to put energy into this when there are likely other business ideas that are much more interesting.

I’d love to hear from others who have also been in this field for several years, dealing directly with end users (NOT panel owners)...

Thank you very much, and good luck to everyone!

Yes you should pursue other business endeavours. Reselling from panels is tedious. Also what other businesses are you involved in?

 

[Submatik]

Well good SEO is the way even its hard each google update. Also use more panels and good reasearch on their services. Meantime try to work on something else like SAAS or something like that.
I wonder how do you manage to do Google Ads and not be banned.

 

[bitoshi]

it is better to create your own panel, the cost will drop and