Explore Ebooks
Categories
Explore Audiobooks
Categories
Explore Magazines
Categories
Explore Documents
Categories
Increase Conversions
by Shooting Your
Designer
By Tim Ash
Page 28
www.affiliatesummit.com
™
Table of Contents
Cover photo: Dr. Robert Cialdini
Photo by Brad Crooks
03 How to Kick the Hype Habit 12 Learning and Building 24 Understanding the Mindset
By Rosalind Gardner Through Relationships of Affiliates
By Patrick Vesperman By Joris Toonders
04 The Work-at-Home Dad:
Finding Balance 13 Affiliate Summit West 25 Your Lifestream as One Big
By Daniel M. Clark 2010 Recap Affiliate Link
By Shawn Collins By Brian Littleton
06 Behind the Scenes of
26 New Look at Affiliate
Colorado’s Affiliate Tax Fight 17 Walking the Straight
By Jeannine Crooks and Narrow Motivation
By Dush Ramachandran By Geno Prussakov
As an affiliate marketer, you’re far too smart certainty. More than a few affiliates have Use the copywriting strategies above to
to fall for a line like “Make $100 Million (Lose had their ClickBank and AdWords accounts create something better than “grab a sucker
20 Pounds, Score a Hottie, Cure Your Acne) by suspended for making false benefit claims quick” hyped-up copy that might make a
Tomorrow – Guaranteed!!!” Right? about their merchants’ products. If you’d few quick sales, yet destroys your long-term
prefer to stay out of court for deceptive business prospects.
Well, if you’re under the mistaken impression advertising – keep it real.
that your prospects are somehow less savvy Work at it. You can have a more lucrative
than you, or that the best way to promote 2. Stay away from the CAPS lock. You don’t and sustainable affiliate business when you
products online is by mimicking the copy have to SHOUT at your prospects to get strive to diffuse skepticism, forge emotional
that shows up in your spam folder, it’s time to your point across. Just one exclamation connections and create relationships with
reconsider your approach, as all but the most point is all you ever need, if an exclamation prospects who trust you with their hard-
indiscriminate and unsophisticated buyers point is required at all. Attract and appeal earned cash.
are sick and tired of hype. to a broader, more intelligent audience
with simple and direct wording, without Learn to craft copy that builds trust and
Like you, they have endured “snake oil” the cheesy styling gimmicks. credibility with intelligent people - like
pitch bombardment for years. And with less yourself.
money to spend in this down economy, smart 3. Don’t sell. Avoid “buy it now” and other
shoppers are even more resistant to blatant aggressive sales terminology to create false
sales copy. Write just one word to make the urgency and make the quick sale. Your job Rosalind Gardner is the author of the best-
needle on their B.S. detector flicker ever is to educate readers so they can make selling “Super Affiliate Handbook” and her
so slightly and you’ve killed the potential well-informed buying decisions. Leave it up various blogs and consulting services can be
for a sale. Worse, you have also lost the to your merchant to seal the deal. accessed through RosalindGardner.com.
opportunity to build a profitable long-term
relationship. 4. Be patient. Hype-up copywriting is
a symptom of laziness. A sustainable
If you really want “killer” conversion rates business takes time to develop, so don’t
and “eye-popping” commission checks, learn rush. Make the effort to create rapport
to tone down your “amazing” promotional with your audience by getting to know
vocabulary and kick the hype habit with the who they really are - their problems, wants,
following 5 tips. needs and desires.
Go to dinner with them. Practice with them. Pick their brains and
observe their attitudes, preparation, and routine.
If you want to get into better physical shape, hang out with people
who are active and eat healthy, and stop meeting your pals for
greasy burgers and fries for lunch.
In your personal life, make sure that your friends and family support
you. They should understand that you are working; not playing
on the computer all day, and that you are committed to being
successful.
Affiliate marketing is an working with. It is very likely changes, it can display the underutilized by affiliates.
industry that keeps changing. that the affiliate will find out changes for you to see.
It is imperative that you keep simply by noticing a drop in Keeping on top of your offers
on top of what is going on conversions. Unfortunately, ChangeDetection.com is and campaigns can be the
as it can greatly impact your by that point, it comes with a a Web-based service which best thing you can do if the
business. loss of income. also detects changes and network or advertiser does
sends you a notification via not detect it first.
One such change that Luckily there are some sites email. Change Detection
happens often on the CPA out there that will help you creates a log for the page or
side of the industry is the be proactive with a problem in this case, the affiliate offer. Ian Fernando is the Founder
constant modifications to such as this. When it detects a change, it of IANternet Media LLC and
advertiser’s landing pages. notifies you. Blogger/Affiliate Marketer at
These types of alterations InternetOwl.com is a IanFernando.com.
can damage your business, desktop application. You Change Detection currently
especially after the affiliate simply tell it which Web page only monitors text changes
properly targeted and to watch and it will check and not HTML changes. For
optimized their jump page for changes periodically. If it example, if an image has
variables to make the offer detects a change either by changed, you are not notified
convert. HTML or text, Internet Owl of the image change - only
will send you an email when the change in the body of the
The worst part is that in all the page changes. text.
probability, the affiliate will
never get notified by the The best part about this While these services have
advertiser or the affiliate desktop application is when been around for a while,
network that they are Internet Owl finds some they are definitely being
One year later, I reflect on the program and all that I’ve learned about
affiliate marketing and can boil it all down to one thing: relationships.
If it weren’t for relationships, I wouldn’t be actively leading an affiliate
program. Rather, I’d most likely be passively watching it fail.
You see, right after I finished Geno’s book, I was inspired to call him
and ask for help as I knew I couldn’t start a program by myself. That
initial conversation spawned a valuable relationship. To this day, Geno
helps me by answering questions, providing suggestions and even
warning me about potential mistakes. Although Geno is the primary
contributor, I can tell he still values our relationship.
Many marketing and business “experts” suggest leveraging your Patrick Vesperman is the Affiliate & Social Media Manager at
relationships. Don’t. Leveraging is a form of exploitation. Don’t take MagnetStreet and was nominated for Best New Affiliate Manager in 2009
advantage of your friends; engage with them. Call them. Hug them. by ABestWeb.
Ask for help and provide help without expecting anything in return.
Networking events were taking place all around Las Vegas for attendees of
Affiliate Summit. I headed to the ShareASale Under the Stars Party and had a
blast.
There were all sorts of games, food, open bar, a moon bounce, gaming tables,
karaoke and more. Great time!
The last thing of the night was the Strike Out Breast Cancer Midnight
Bowling Fundraiser, where over 100 folks turned out at midnight to bowl and
raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
All four teams got each of the six wedges, but there could be
only one champion.
The final day of Affiliate Summit West 2010 began
with the fourth annual Affiliate Summit Pinnacle
Awards.
Thank you to all of the folks in the industry that came out for
Affiliate Summit West 2010 – it was great to see you all.
Walking the
Straight
&Narrow
By Dush Ramachandran
Five Golden Rules to stay Does your site automatically play a video the visitor buying the product through your
without an easy way to stop it as soon as a affiliate link, you need to state that clearly.
on the right side of the FTC, visitor arrives? Are visitors, who try to leave
the site, being presented with a fake chat Provide genuine value: Whatever you do,
Google, MasterCard and Visa exit script enticing them to stay? These are attempt to provide genuine value to visitors.
features of sites that real human visitors If the information you provide on your site
Several marketers recently had their find annoying. Google takes notice of these is available for free elsewhere, attempt to
businesses severely restricted or completely features and you will find your landing page provide real value by aggregating information
shut down by the actions of the Federal quality scores going down as a result. found in a number of different places.
Trade Commission, Google or the credit card Providing information that is available (albeit
companies, seemingly with little warning. Do not try to trick or trap your visitors: for free) in five different places, aggregated
If visitors are coming to your site to get in one place may represent more value
There is a lot of confusion about how to stay information or find answers to a question, than merely reproducing information found
on the right side of the law and avoid these do not require them to become members elsewhere.
traumatic problems. or subscribe to your site, unless you’ve
specifically told them in advance that Following these simple rules and exercising
Here then are five golden rules to avoid membership would be required. Google will common sense can save you and your
trouble: be inclined to view this type of entrapment as business a lot of trouble.
annoying and your landing page quality score
Be truthful: This would seem to be an will likely suffer as a result. Similarly, credit
unnecessarily obvious piece of advice, but card companies frown upon forced continuity Dush Ramachandran is VP of Sales and Business
think about it. Are you being completely programs where the visitor is obligated to Development of ClickBank, and is responsible
truthful on your site? If your site is sprinkled subscribe to a membership program to access for ClickBank’s relationships with its affiliates
with ‘white lies’ which cannot be backed a product. Give visitors what you promised and vendors, other strategic relationships.
up, the FTC will not take kindly to this them and sell them additional products when
type of content. If the product review they are satisfied.
you’re providing on your site is thin and
unconvincing, you are unlikely to convince Disclose your interests clearly: The FTC
Google that your site merits a high quality requires that Web site owners who write
score and consequently your traffic will suffer. reviews openly disclose their financial interest
in the review. In other words, if you got a
Do not annoy your visitors: Ask yourself free product to review, you need to disclose
if you would enjoy your site if you visited it. that fact. If you stand to gain financially by
No, this is not another article asking other person to know you are to say if you constantly push your own
“Do you have a Twitter account for your talking to them. agenda, regardless of what the group
business?” or “How much time do you is discussing? Of course, the answer is
spend on Twitter?” Rather, this article is 3. Use a lot of hashtags in your tweets. no. Why would you treat Twitter any
going to challenge you to ask yourself This adds your thoughts into much differently?
about your current Twitter strategies. The larger conversations.
key question is, when you Tweet, are you Social media as a whole is about
talking at people, or are you conversing 4. Similarly, search for new hashtags becoming likable, while portraying
with people? that you find interesting or useful. a true image of yourself, and having
Join in those conversations. as many people as possible show an
We all know that social media, interest in what you have to say. People,
Twitter included, is meant to be a by nature, like to feel important and
5. Reply to everyone who sends you
communication tool . What it truly boils connected to the things they care about.
an @ message. No one will want
down to is an opportunity to converse in If you want people to care about your
to converse with you if you are not
a much more real-time, collaborative, and message, make them feel important and
willing to throw the conversation
interactive setting. connected to it by engaging them in
ball back to them.
conversation.
If you want to achieve success through
Twitter, stop trying to lob your messages 6. Use auto-responders for your By conversation, I mean both your
out there, hoping someone will catch followers with caution. If you must conversation and theirs. Social media is
them; and instead initiate and facilitate use one, keep it simple by just a two-way street. You get what you give.
conversations. Here are some of my best saying hi or thanks for the follow. Make sure you are contributing in a way
tips: which will give you the return you seek.
7. Do not automatically follow
1. ReTweet often. But, do not stop everyone who follows you. This
there. Always add your own is a quick way to make Twitter
thoughts or opinion to the original Matt Enders is the CEO of MGECOM, Inc.,
overwhelmingly useless.
item that you found ReTweet- a leading outsourced affiliate program
worthy. It is perfectly acceptable to management firm.
post two or three Tweets in a row for Picture this… You are in a crowded room
this purpose. talking to a large group of people at the
same time. There are no speeches or
2. Tweet plenty of @ replies. stages; it is just a gathering with friendly
Remember, you are having a conversation. Do you think people
conversation and you want the would pay attention to what you have
101
Co-Registration
Blake Hamann
Co-registration is a simple and cost- targeted list design, market-ready data Co-registration data is one of the strongest
effective method to generate prospects for hygiene services, data validation and marketing sources available in our business.
mailing lists. Whether for loyalty programs, management. You can maximize your co-registration
subscriptions, memberships, or other online/ campaigns without bleeding overhead
offline customer acquisition and retention Co-registration allows clients to build
dollars by understanding the difference
programs, co-registration data can be your targeted databases of qualified consumers
between what motivates casual web surfers
ace in the hole. interested in their products, services,
versus your target buying audience.
company, brand or special offers.
Many publishers and incentivized Even with all the advances in technology and
marketers have taken notice of the revenue Whether purchasing a simple mailing list
database quality, co-registration still requires
opportunities granted by co-registration, or a more complex database with targeted
immediate deployment by the marketer. This
resulting in a massive influx in the number of segments, it is essential that you get the best
is especially true for marketers where their
sites where it’s offered. Co-registration is an return on your investment. Co-registration
primary purpose is to build their list.
excellent way to increase sales in the short data has been around for years, and while in
term, but its importance goes beyond the the past, there was a focus on quantity, it’s Capitalize on your co-registration leads to
quick buck. It can also protect your current now all about quality. build a quality database through constant
email campaign from lost future revenue due contact. Follow up quickly on your leads by
Everyone has a different outlook on what
to natural attrition, opt-outs, or dead email tailoring your marketing campaign to your
a quality list is, but the bottom line is
addresses. offer, and reap the rewards.
profit margin. In order to maximize ROI, it’s
Mere numbers in a database can provide necessary to find the co-registration sources
the shotgun effect, but how can you reach that work best in your marketing model.
Utilizing co-registration data within your own Blake Hamann is the Vice President of Marketing
your target audience who will be the most for Right1Data who specializes in custom opt-in
receptive to your offer? list allows you to expand your marketing
platform to new heights. business and consumer marketing data.
Without rapid, easy access to all market
data and database technology available, Depending on the volume of the third-party
pinpointing the most qualified buyers can still site, large lists can be accumulated virtually
be a search for the needle in the proverbial overnight. Co-registration provides you with
haystack. a steady stream of leads, but it’s up to you
to convert them into customers. Successful
In order to make co-registration data a co-registration practices require a working
valuable asset you need to take a systematic knowledge of online media buying and
approach in the acquisition, multivariate- detailed familiarity with your audience.
Bryn Youngblut
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mark your calendars for the following upcoming events.
Search & Social Spring Summit LinkShare Symposium Search Engine Strategies
Tampa, FL New York, NY San Francisco
May 3 June 22 San Francisco, CA
www.searchsocialsummit.com www.linkshare.com Aug 16-20
www.searchenginestrategies.com
Conversion Conference BlogHer ‘10
West 2010 New York, NY
San Jose, CA August 5-7
May 4-5 www.blogher.com
www.conversionconference.com
Audience Conference
Search Marketing Expo New York, NY
Advanced London August 14
London, England www.theaudienceconference.com
May 17-18
www.searchmarketingexpo.com
Once again, affiliate marketing was These advertisers count on a certain practices,” which are guidelines that
jolted by the swift moves of outside rebill percentage and retention rate in these advertisers must follow to get
forces. The sudden mass exodus of order to recoup their marketing costs. new MIDs. These “best practices” are
MIDs (Merchant ID’s) by MasterCard Since they were unable to process a foreshadowing of the predicted
swept many advertisers just in time for rebills, most customers were written guidelines that will be published by
the New Year. off as a complete loss. the Card Associations, so it is best to
begin optimizing according to these
It had been rumored that the FTC So, now what? changes now.
(Federal Trade Commission) and
Credit Card Associations, which We change. We adapt. A few years This is an extremely exciting time for
encompasses Visa and MasterCard, back, many networks eliminated anyone looking to enter performance-
had been meeting to develop incentivized traffic. Those publishers based advertising. It is going to be
guidelines that would regulate our evolved and learned new promotional those companies who look at the
industry. These guidelines have yet to methods. Advertisers who were reliant changing times as an opportunity to
be published, so it was the abruptness on this traffic source learned how to gain a competitive advantage that we
by MasterCard which caught many fully optimize the other traffic types will see as leaders for years to come.
industry players off guard. those networks accessed.
The number of advertisers and/or More recently, the FTC came out
actual MIDs that lost processing is with new guidelines. Publishers and Laura is the Director of Advertising for
a direct result of a few “bad apples” advertisers, once again, complied Clickbooth.com and leads Clickbooth’s
that unfortunately bled across the and changed to meet these new team of Advertising Consultants.
compliant and ethical advertisers. requirements.
There was no advance notice This latest blow does not dictate the
passed down from the bank to the death of trial products or the end of
advertisers. The advertisers typically subscription-based programs. This
found out after they stopped receiving simply opens the doors for those
new orders. advertisers and publishers committed
The advertisers that MasterCard to this industry.
targeted were the trial plus continuity The short-term players who saw our
merchants. The continuity piece of this industry as an opportunity “to get
business model was the portion that rich quick,” will fade. Those that are
caused those advertisers the most committed to success will prevail.
heartache, as they could no longer
bill any customers that had already Many of the affected advertisers are
enrolled into their programs. processing again. Several merchant
processors have instituted “best
Joris Toonders
I’m reminded of that quotation every time I try to explain It is extremely likely that the solution you found can
Twitter to anyone, or defend its worth. As a performance help someone else. No matter how easily
marketer, or someone on the verge of entering into our the solution comes to you, never make
world, this is a critical piece of information to understand. the assumption that the problem isn’t a
It may sound counterintuitive, but your lifestream (the big one to someone else.
daily journal of your life) is worth money.
Start with a WordPress blog and, quite
From where I’m sitting, I’ve can safely say that lifestream simply, just start posting everything
marketing has kicked off more performance marketing you do regarding your area of
careers than likely any other cause. Today, getting involved expertise. It doesn’t have to be
is even easier, due to the development of sites such as technical, nor does it have to be
Facebook, Twitter and WordPress. difficult. It just has to solve a problem.
There is virtually no barrier to entry nor learning curve. Use keywords or titles in your posts that
Lifestream marketing simply involves telling the world match what you would say if you were
about what you are good at and what you enjoy. asking the questions. For example: “What are
the best low-fat Thai recipes?” Think about
One of the largest communities of lifestream marketers
how another person would ask the question
includes those in the Tech/IT/Development world.
and tailor your post to that. If you stick to it,
Developers know that if they run into problems they can’t
you’ll likely end up with a decent amount of
solve on their own, simple Internet searches can yield
traffic that you can begin to monetize using
hundreds of results. This same principle holds true across
affiliate marketing.
all hobbies. At some point, an individual will come to
the same bridge that an old pro has already crossed. This
particular niche has developed some highly recognizable Brian Littleton is the President & CEO of
names such as “Experts Exchange”. ShareASale.com, Inc., a
performance marketing
There are other niches that are much less developed, and
network based in
are essentially wide open audiences waiting for someone
Chicago, IL.
to speak to them. While there is no current data on this
theory, to my knowledge, my educated guess is that the
majority of money to be made in lifestream marketing
encompasses problem solving.
Brian Littleton
New Look at
Affiliate Motivation
By Geno Prussakov
Geno Prussakov
A year ago I came across an article on that we can talk about motivation” (italics realistic goals, and (iv) continuously motivate
motivation in a January 2003 issue of mine). by a bouquet of tangible and intangible
Harvard Business Review. It was authored by incentives?
Frederick Herzberg, a famous management Super affiliates inevitably come to mind. They
psychologist. As I was reading through do not need much outside stimulation. They Fryer also proposed several practical
it, it struck me that making all things go are not joining an affiliate program because techniques that make one a better motivator.
right within any given affiliate program of activation or even performance bonuses, I have hand-picked those immediately
-- i.e. having a 100% affiliate-friendly Web but because they have a plan on how to relevant for us:
site (without “leaks”, with well-converting succeed with it. They are intrinsically prone to
• Start with the truth
wisely-formatted landing pages, etc), growth, learning, continuous advancement,
running ongoing bonus campaigns, and internal recognition. • Appeal to greatness (once-in-a-lifetime
providing performance-based commission opportunities, etc)
increases, satisfying every possible creative With novice, or unconfident affiliates, you
• Make them proud
need affiliates may have, providing a well- do want to be the “battery charger” in the
categorized detailed product data feed, and beginning; but gradually lead them to a point • Stick to your values
so on -- has little to do with real motivation of where they are mainly motivated from within • Provide constant and consistent
affiliates to perform for an affiliate program. -- by interesting opportunities in the affiliate communication channel
campaigns you run, and growth potential.
Herzberg wrote that “things that make • Build trust
people satisfied and motivated on the job Another article that comes to mind is • Care for the little guy
are different in kind from the things that Bronwyn Fryer’s “Moving Mountains” (Harvard
make them dissatisfied”. Additionally, at one Business Review, 2003) article. Fryer wrote: • Set different incentive levels
point extrinsic motivators (your bonuses and “There’s no trick to motivating others. It
prizes) stop being motivating unless they are requires a clear, unbiased understanding Best of luck becoming a better/deeper
replaced by more profound sources. of the situation at hand, deep insight into motivator!
the vagaries of human nature at individual
This is because true and lasting motivation and the group levels, the establishment of
always comes from “interesting work, appropriate and reasonable expectations and Geno Prussakov is the Founder of AM Navigator,
challenge and increasing responsibility” as goals, and the construction of a balanced set and author of “A Practical Guide to Affiliate
“these intrinsic factors answer people’s deep- of tangible and intangible incentives.” Marketing” and “Online Shopping Through
seated need for growth and achievement.” Consumers’ Eyes.”
Do you, as an affiliate manager have (i) a clear
Herzberg also emphasized that a manager and truly unbiased understanding of the
“can charge a person’s battery, and then situation, and (ii) deep insight into what your
recharge it, and recharge it again,” but “it is affiliates want/need both individually, and
only when one has a generator of one’s own cooperatively as an industry? Do you (iii) set
A:
The short answer is that you don’t need to Got an affiliate marketing question? Go to
have your own Web site. You can use Google AskShawnCollins.com to ask it and it will be answered at
AdWords or one of their competitors and buy http://blog.affiliatetip.com.
targeted traffic to drive straight to a merchant.
Please note that some merchants prohibit this, so you will Shawn is a Co-founder of Affiliate Summit and Co-Editor-in-
have to read the terms of the affiliate program to be sure it Chief of FeedFront Magazine.
is permissible.
Anyhow, if you’ve
got more time than
money, I’d suggest
going with a blog or
other type of site and
just start developing
it.
Tim Ash
I do not mean the title literally, so don’t send Here is a short list of the more common visual • Animation or video – All of the other
me hate mail. But, graphics designers are transgressions found on landing pages: design sins on the landing page pale
rarely trained in maximizing conversion. The in comparison to the aggressive use of
best ones pride themselves on being non- • Wild background colors – Many motion, animation, and video. Images
conformists, and their ability to “think outside landing pages use dark and dramatic and text that pulsate or revolve; image
the box”. They are bored with doing regular color themes. Often the background slideshows that use wild fly-in transition
production-oriented graphic design work and of the page or large sections of it effects; intricate animation sequences
like to keep themselves entertained by doing are black or fully-saturated bright that draw the eye and full-motion video
something new and interesting on every colors. Unfortunately these kinds auto-plays on the page – yes, these
project. of color choices often create a dark attention-grabbing tactics are very
and brooding atmosphere, or imply powerful. Unfortunately they are rarely
Maximizing profits requires putting aside
something so exotic that it would only tied to the desired conversion goal on
your own corporate and personal needs and
appeal to teenage male adrenalin the landing page, and only serve to
considering everything from the perspective
junkies. squander a few precious seconds of the
of your visitors. Only they matter, and without
limited visitor attention. Never deploy
them you would not have a business. • Garish text – Page text and headlines
rich media on your page without
are haphazardly placed on the page
The key to effective landing page design testing it first to determine its impact
and often use very large font in high-
is clarity. The visitor should be focused on on conversion.
contrast colors. Font sizes are often
taking a simple path that leads to the desired enormous, and are further emphasized
conversion action. This simple path should by the use of edging effects, drop “Boring” works. And it makes you a lot more
arise out of the Zen-like stillness of your shadows, color transitions and fades, money – that should make it a lot more
landing page. and fill patterns. exciting.
Worst Practices • Visual embellishments and flourishes
Unfortunately many landing pages are at – Even simple page elements such
the opposite end of the spectrum from this as box edges are emphasized y drop Tim Ash is the CEO of SiteTuners.com, the
desired state because of the heavy hand shadows, glow, or other effects. Simple author of the bestselling book, “Landing
of the graphic designer. They scream and round disks in bullet lists are replaced Page Optimization”, and chairperson of
demand the visitor’s attention. They are a by colorful graphical checkmarks or ConversionConference.com.
visual assault on the senses that force the other icons. Neutral background space
visitor to determine which of the many to the sides of the landing page is
striking visual elements on the page is the often filled in with intricate patterns or
important one. photographic images.
ASE10