What Am I Doing Wrong as a Digital Marketer Despite Running Paid Ads?

First, thank you for explaining your situation so clearly. What you’ve described is not unusual in affiliate marketing, but it is painful—especially when you’ve invested two years, spent money on ads, and watched people you taught surpass you.
From what you’ve shared, I don’t think the biggest problem is that you haven’t worked hard enough. I think the problem is likely where your effort is going.
Here are the patterns I notice.
1. You’re trying to buy sales before you’ve built trust.
You mentioned:
Running Facebook ads.
Paying influencers.
Using Facebook automation.
Targeting prospective buyers.
What I didn’t hear was:
An audience that knows you.
Case studies.
Testimonials.
A personal brand.
A content system that consistently builds trust.
People don’t usually buy a ₦10,000 digital product from someone they met five minutes ago through an ad.
2. Your numbers may not work.
Let’s assume:
Product price = ₦10,000
Your commission = ₦6,000
If it costs ₦4,500–₦6,500 in advertising to make one sale, you’re either barely breaking even or losing money.
Many beginners focus on making sales, but experienced marketers focus on customer acquisition cost (CAC) and return on ad spend (ROAS).
3. You may be selling what people don’t urgently need.
Ask yourself:
Does this product solve a painful problem?
Or is it another “make money online” course competing with thousands of others?
Products tied to urgent needs often convert more easily than products people see as optional.
4. You’re relying too much on paid ads.
Paid ads amplify what already works. If an offer doesn’t convert organically, ads often just make you lose money faster.
5. You may not be testing enough.
Many campaigns fail not because the marketer is bad, but because they stop after testing only a few:
headlines,
creatives,
audiences,
landing pages,
offers.
Successful campaigns often come after many iterations.
If I were in your shoes today
Since you’re broke, I would stop paid ads completely for now.
Instead, for the next 90 days I would:
Create one helpful video every day answering a real problem in my niche.
Build an email list or WhatsApp community.
Share useful content before making any offer.
Collect testimonials from anyone I’ve genuinely helped.
Focus on conversations with potential buyers rather than chasing large numbers.
I also want to ask you something difficult.
You said:
“The people I taught are far ahead but me no.”
That suggests you understand the theory.
So the question becomes:
Are they selling a different product, targeting a different audience, communicating differently, or are they simply more consistent?
The answer to that question may reveal more than another marketing course.
I want to help you diagnose this properly.
Please answer these questions as specifically as you can:
What exactly is the product you’re promoting? (Not just “a digital product”—what does it help people achieve?)
Who is the ideal customer? (Students, job seekers, business owners, parents, etc.)
Where do you send people after they click? (WhatsApp, Telegram, website, landing page?)
How many people have clicked your ads?
How many actually bought?
Can you show me one of the ad copies or creatives you used?
Which affiliate platform or company are you promoting through?
If you answer those seven questions, I’ll analyze your funnel step by step and point out where people are dropping off. My goal won’t be to sell you another strategy—it will be to identify the specific bottleneck that’s costing you sales.