Affiliate Summit relies on opinions and feedback from attendees to continually shape the conference into an event that is most useful to all.

One suggestion we received via the ABestWeb forum after Affiliate Summit 2008 West in Las Vegas last February was to have some sort of “mentor program” to assist first-timers in learning the ropes and getting acclimated at the conference.

You talked and we listened. Teresa Caldwell of 4urworld.com coordinated the first go around of the Affiliate Summit Mentor Program, and by all accounts, it was a big success.

Thank you Teresa for all of your hard work, as well as to all of the mentors who volunteered their time to help along their fellow affiliate marketers.

Affiliate Summit 2008 East Mentors
Adam Riemer, Downtown Ecommerce
Anik Singal, Affiliate Classroom
Beth Kirsch, Callwave
Bob Drumm, ACLens.com
Bob Land, WorkshopLive.com
Brad Waller, EPage / AdJungle
Carolyn Tang, ShareASale
Carsten Cumbrowski, Cumbrowski.com
Chris Kramer, NETexponent
Chuck Hamrick, affiliateCREW
Connie Berg, FlamingoWorld.com
Dennis Dailey, TheUseful
Ian Fernando, IanFernando.com
Ian Larsen
Jeannine Crooks, Digital Instructor
Jessie Jones, PopShops.com
John Hasson
Karen Garcia, GTO Management
Kim Rodgers, 4checks.com
Kim Rowley, Key Internet Marketing
Lisa Picarille, Revenue Magazine
Melanie Seery, NYAffiliateVoice.com
Nick Koscianski, NickyCakes.com
Patrick Grady, RhinoFish Media
Rachel Honoway, Affiliate Classroom
Ron Bechdolt, 7 Days A Week Marketing
Sal Conca, NETexponent
Sam Harrelson, AffSpot
Shawn Collins, Affiliate Summit
Teresa Caldwell, 4UrWorld.com
Todd Crawford, ToddTalks.com
Trisha Lyn Fawver, TrishaLyn.com
Wade Tonkin, GTO Management

Stay tuned for information about being a mentee or mentor at Affiliate Summit 2009 West.
Update since printing: Affiliate Summit Mentor Program for ASW09 - Learn more and sign up today!

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

I’d been looking forward to Affiliate Summit in Boston for awhile now, and I prepared some goals to hit while at the conference.

Goal 1: Network with Merchants
I gave 100 business cards away, and received a stack to go through. The networking was great. There were two events set up for affiliates, publishers, merchants, and networks to get together.
Before the show really began there was the Affiliate Meet Market, which is a stripped down version of the exhibit hall. This was a chance for those that did not buy a booth, to have a table. It reminded me of a comic convention dealer section (yes I used to be that guy), with all the tables together and not much elbow room.

It was a bit of a whirlwind of exchanging information. I loved it though, and by the end of it I had a much improved pitch.

The other event was the exhibit hall held in a large open area with booths instead of tables. Some were plain and got right down to business, and others brought a little Vegas with them.
If you’ve been to an expo before, you’ll know what I mean. I found all of them to be sharp and helpful.

Goal 2: Meet Affiliates and Publishers
I also wanted to meet other publishers to compare notes, exchange ideas, and maybe do business. Everything at the conference was set up for interaction.

The breakfasts, lunches, after expo hours lounge, blog room and even just walking around the hotel was perfect for interaction. I met new people every time I took an elevator.

There were after hour parties and plenty of restaurants in Boston where I met more publishers. Jay Berkowitz of Ten Golden Rules scheduled a wonderful networking dinner and recorded a podcast at a restaurant around the block from the hotel.

Goal 3: Say Thanks to Some Bloggers
There were a few people I wanted to personally thank for their work on blogs, podcasts, and videos I’ve enjoyed. There is a willingness to share and teach in the affiliate marketing industry and I’ve learned from the work that these people have contributed.

I also wanted to stand out, so I gave them flash drives with personalized video messages. They came in handy since Sam Harrelson used his to save his presentation.

Goal 4: Get My Name Out There
Well those that got the drives know my name, but I really loved bumping into people that recognized me from Twitter, forums, and video posts.

With the mix of custom business cards, memorable gifts, a little pre-show personal marketing, getting on the mic for the Un-Keynote, and I’m getting contacted by more than just networks.
Affiliate Summit in Boston was one of the best things I’ve done to build my business. I have connections, a growing network, insight to affiliate networks, and a lot of phone calls to make.

Mike Buechele is a publisher and founder of www.1115media.com.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

Don’t want to outsource your affiliate program to a CPA network? Want to market it yourself online? Here are some tips to get the word out and recruit affiliates:

1) Affiliate Publications
Advertise your affiliate program where the affiliates flock for industry information. You should advertise in magazines and blogs that affiliates read. FeedFront and Revenue magazines are two great resources, as well as many affiliate marketing blogs.

2) Industry Friends
Whether you’re involved in search marketing, SEO, social media, etc, you must know someone in the affiliate marketing space. Let them know about your affiliate program and give them an incentive to give it a shot. Affiliate marketers always seem to focus on what is already working for them so you have to pitch them with someone very interesting for them to pay attention to you.

3) Find Quality Affiliates
As you’ll find, it’s not the amount of affiliates you need to focus on, it’s the quality of affiliates. If you are having a hard time, do your research and find people in the industry by reading blogs, articles and more. Hit them up by email or find them in a social network and tell them you’re interested in forming a relationship with them.

4) Referrals
Make sure your affiliate platform is capable of paying out referral fees for current affiliates who refer other affiliates. Who wouldn’t want to make an extra 2-5% for referring another affiliate? Let other affiliates do the recruiting for you.

5) Related Websites & Blogs
Find related websites and blogs in your niche and contact them to promote your program. Most content sites are created to be monetized. Let them know you have banners and text links for them to make money related to their content.

6) Network. Network. Network.
This ties in all the steps. Marketing your own affiliate program is all about networking and reaching out to the right crowd and the “related” crowd. Go to conferences, join forums in the industry and let people know about your program!

Pablo Palatnik is Managing Partner of eTrend Media Group and Author of PalatnikFactor.com.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

If you’ve been in the affiliate marketing industry for some time, chances are that you’ve heard of Melissa Salas, bumped into her at an industry event or at least have seen her smiling face online.

Salas is the Director of Marketing at Buy.com in Aliso Viejo, California and the co-host of BuyTV, the popular show for tech-savvy shoppers. She is also the 2008 Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Award Winner for Affiliate Manager of the Year, and will be speaking on a panel during Affiliate Summit Social Media 2008 in New York.

FeedFront’s Co-Editor-in-Chief, Missy Ward recently talked with the industrious Salas about her career and her views on life and affiliate marketing.

Missy: So tell me a little bit about young Melissa. What was your life like growing up?

Melissa: When I look back at my childhood, I have nothing but fond memories. I grew up in a very loving, Christian home, where I was the oldest of three children. My mom didn’t believe in daycare, so she worked days and my dad worked nights, which meant that someone was always home with us. After 34 years, my parents are still married and love each other dearly.

My mother got me involved in everything when I was a kid. I was a Brownie and Girl Scout and wore my mother’s handmade dresses until I was in 5th grade – where I discovered fast-pitch softball… my entrée to sports. Life went from Bobby Sox and Track & Field in the spring to Football in the fall. From there I got involved in drama class, homecoming court, JV and Varsity Cheer as well as Varsity Track & Field.

After graduating high school, I moved to Hunting Beach, California where I attended Long Beach State University.

Missy: So now you’re living in Aliso Viejo, right down the road from Buy.com. How’s that working out?

Melissa: It’s great. I’m just ten minutes from Laguna Beach. I’m a beach girl and need to be close to God’s most magnificent creation. The beach is such a peaceful place to collect my thoughts and give thanks. Plus, being so close to work allows me to go home and play with my Maltese, Bentley.

Missy: So how does a sports-enthusiast, beach-going gal like yourself, get involved with the Internet?

Melissa: Funny story, really. My first job was as a bank teller at Wells Fargo and was eventually promoted to Branch Manager. At that point, online banking was just starting and I had to learn about it to train my staff. We all believed at the time that customers would never adopt online banking as it was even a problem getting them to use an ATM machine!

Missy: How did you make the leap from banking to Buy.com?

Melissa: After 8 years with Wells Fargo, I moved to Also Viejo. My neighbor at the time worked for Buy.com. For over a year, he tried to recruit me. But I was like, “What? People buying stuff online??? “ No way will people share their credit card information over the internet. In 2000, I decided to join the staff and now 8 years later, the Internet is my everything.

Missy: When did affiliate marketing hit your radar and how did you figure it all out?

Melissa: I was in Business Development at Buy.com for two years, when an opening came up in Affiliate Marketing. I began managing both. I love building relationships, so getting to know our affiliates was easy. I sure learned a lot from them and my boss was a great mentor. I also read a lot of trade articles and magazines. At the time, our network was LinkShare and I owe a lot of my knowledge to Stephen and Heidi Messer, as well as Kelly Beougher.

Missy: What is the secret to Buy.com’s success?

Melissa: Scott Blum’s vision, Neel Grover’s execution and the Buy.com team who carries a lot of tenure because we all believe in our company. Success starts with vision, and it’s our job to make sure we offer online shoppers the absolute best shopping experience. We are a company who has evolved to the online customers needs. Our goal is to be the one destination for all their shopping needs. Great prices, free shipping offers and superior customer service. In the future, I believe Buy.com will grow its product offering, globally.

Missy: How do you think Social Media has helped grow Buy.com?

Melissa: With the development of our FaceBook application Garage Sale – Buy.com has had success in the social media space. We even took our own stab into social media with our site Yub.com (its Buy backwards). I am heavily involved in all social media sites such as posting our Buy.com deals on Twitter (Twitter.com/buy_com), as well as addressing any customer service related questions. BuyTV has a MySpace page (MySpace.com/buytv), where we can interact with our fans.

Missy: How would you characterize the current state of affiliate marketing?

Melissa: Affiliate marketers are not only entrepreneurs / small business owners but more and more they are an important extension of the advertiser’s marketing team.

Missy: In your opinion, what are some of the biggest hurdles facing affiliate marketers right now?

Melissa: 1) Ethics. 2) Differentiating themselves from other affiliate marketers. 3) Keeping up with multiple offers from multiple merchants and learning to scale campaigns. 4) Getting traffic to their site with ever-changing index algorithms and higher bid prices if using PPC. 5) For new affiliates, learning to incorporate technologies like conversion tracking, click trackers, installing analytics, analyzing analytics for better optimization of their business.

Missy: What are 3 trends affiliate marketers should have on their radar in the next few months?

Melissa: Definitely, new mobile phones that can do everything! Smartphones, TV on your PC and Ultra Portable Laptops.

Missy: What is the biggest piece of advice you would give an affiliate just starting out?

Melissa: Build strong relationships with the top merchants you plan to work with they are the source of your content. Build out your site with a lot of content. Brand yourself as an expert in whatever interests you.

Missy: What are some of your other passions other than affiliate marketing?

Melissa: I really enjoy hosting our TV show BuyTV. Aside from work, I have a passion for kickboxing, live music, traveling, snowblading, going to USC football games and well, any sports event really. I also love eating A LOT of chocolate.

Missy: Work aside, what do you want to do in the future?

Melissa: I want what every girl dreams of… travel the world, get married and have a family. All in God’s time.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

Going to Affiliate Summit can be very hectic. You plan your schedule ahead of time and when you arrive you do not even look at your calendar or time of events anymore.

It seems you have just thrown it out your window. You wanted to attend all these sessions, meet up with specific networks, have private lunches but it seems you are just lost with all the hysteria these types of events bring.

Every time I attend Affiliate Summit, I get lost in time and my appointments. There are ways to help control time as if you controlled it.

As you know, time is money and we are all limited on time, but what if we can just use every minute and make it very productive and reach our goals?

Earning the respect of time can be hard but also can be very simple. We just need to learn how to control ourselves and not time.

There are many ways to benefit from our day to day routine at the conventions we attend.

1. Make Appointments Prior to any Convention
This puts your mind in a state of ease. You already know who you want to talk to, so schedule appointments with them. Regardless if they are merchants, affiliates, networks, or beer handlers. Make it a point to meet up with them ahead of time. This way you do not waste time trying to chase them around.

2. Get a List of the Sessions You Want to Attend
Attending these conventions can put a strain on your mind, especially if sessions overlap one another. Look who is speaking and if the speakers interest you, then attend the sessions. Write it down and add it to your calendar. This stops the research when you are at the convention or at the hotel room.

3. Take Breaks
Breaks are important…take them! Get yourself situated by sitting down and taking a deep breath. Do not even bother looking at your tasks. Do not bind your mind with your current task, just sit and relax.

4. Update Your To-Do List
To stay up to date with every new event you receive at the events, make sure you update your calendar and task lists. This stops cross contamination of other appointments and other prior agendas you may have created.

5. Apply the 80/20 Rule
Identify 20% of your meetings and tasks which will contribute to 80% of your outcome later on. Review your agendas, look at the sessions, and reschedule less important meetings. Make sure you have a good list of agendas in which you will benefit in the long run.

Time management should not take control over you. It should be beneficial to you at all times. Remember you can say ‘no thank you’ to smaller meetings.

Satisfying every need will just get you into trouble and even some time wasted. Remember to take a break and breathe once and a while.

Ian Fernando is the Founder of IANternet Media LLC and Blogger/Affiliate Marketer at IanFernando.com.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

Over the past few months, the FTC has filed a number of complaints against affiliates for failing to clearly and conspicuously disclose financial terms as required by Section 144 of the Truth in Lending Act “TILA” and Section 226.24 (c) of Regulation Z.

TILA and Regulation Z require that lending entities disclose finance charges and related aspects of credit transactions in writing, that finance charges are expressed as an annual percentage rate, and establish certain requirements for advertisers of credit terms.

TILA, along with other regulations , was created to prevent businesses from engaging in unfair acts or practices, to ensure representations do not mislead consumers and affect consumers’ behavior or decisions about a particular product or service, and to prevent consumer fraud by encouraging business to accurately and honestly represent products and services.

As an affiliate, you may be responsible for compliance with these regulations, particularly when using your own creative or driving traffic to a landing page that you host and maintain.

TILA and Regulation Z in particular, have certain terms that are often referred to as “trigger terms” which when used in advertising, require specific disclosures.

Although some rules apply specifically to lenders, affiliates often use such trigger terms, but then fail to provide the required disclosures. As in the recent complaints filed by the FTC, such trigger terms included:

• Stating the amount or percentage of any down-payment;
• Stating the number of payments or periods or repayment;
• Stating the amount of any payment; or
• Stating the amount of any finance charge;

Since compliance can be rigorous, and representing loan terms imposes unnecessary and unwanted liability, the safe bet is to just stay away from TILA trigger terms! Examples of TILA trigger terms include:

• Only $15 per hundred borrowed!
• 0% APR
• Low interest rate!
• No Money Down!

Affiliates’ failure to comply with applicable laws can also result in enforcement actions or civil lawsuits.
For advertisers under the FTC’s jurisdiction, that alone could mean court orders to cease and desist, fines for each violation, injunctions, civil penalties, and/or actual damages.

The overwhelming task of trying to figure out what needs to be done to comply with applicable laws and regulations can be quite daunting.

There is hope, however, and such hope may be found in obtaining proper and competent legal advice along with some good old-fashioned common sense.

***DISCLAIMER*** This article represents independent research and opinion of the author and is not to be considered or construed as legal advice. Affiliates should seek independent legal counsel for assistance in their particular advertising activities.

Brad Norton, Esq. is In-House Counsel for PartnerWeekly, LLC and SellingSource, LLC, an Inc 100 company.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

One facet of effective design that I often see people ignore is guiding the visitor. If you don’t effectively help your visitor find, see, read and click what you want them to on your site, you are missing out on revenue.

When a visitor hits your page, you have a few seconds to convey the message that you have what they want, and they can easily get it.

Doing this while encouraging and enticing them to act on your site can mean the difference between an average site and conversion-churner. This strategy may be more effective on some sites or topics than others, but I believe it can improve any site, no matter the topic or purpose.

If a page’s major elements, such as navigation, logos, headings and images are equally dominant and sporadically placed, the visitor must figure out what to do or read next.

Contrast that with a site that has strategically placed elements, with color and contrast variations that are easy to follow. Here, the visitor will travel the path of least resistance and generally follow your direction. Your site will be more successful when you don’t make the user think. Make it easy by using a bread crumb trail of tasty bits for the eye to follow.

Once your visitor arrives, your page needs to turn into a funnel. Every template or page should have a purpose, a desired action from the user. Whether it’s to drill down, believe and trust you, make a purchase, click on an ad or whatever, you should have a goal for the user at every point in your online presence.

You may have a structure that leads the visitor from basic home page information, drilling down to specific products or services, and sales pages for each. Or, you may have a store that showcases items on every page. Regardless, each page has a purpose and you should help your visitor engage that purpose.

One way of implementing this is the blur test. To perform this test, sit back from your monitor, maybe a foot or two more than usual. Defocus your eyes – start to cross your eyes, but don’t actually let them cross. Your page should be blurry, and the major elements should stand out.

Start at the upper left corner of the page and let your eye lazily fall downwards and to the right, and allow it to stop at the first thing that stands out on your page. Then follow on to the next item, and so on.

With practice, you can simulate what your visitors’ eyes are attracted to, and how they flow through your page.

You will be able to identify elements that are fighting each other for dominance, which direction the flow moves on your page and then make adjustments and corrections to encourage the behavior you want. You can learn a feel for this, and guiding your visitor can become as natural as ad blending.

Ken Lochridge, of DrasticTactics.com, is a ten year veteran of affiliate marketing.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

The date was April 1st 2008. In an office building in downtown Walla Walla, WA, I officially stepped into my new role as the Affiliate Coordinator for QualitySmith, an internet based lead-gen company that connects homeowners with contractors nationwide.

Fast-forward five months and I am crawling out of bed at 5 AM to catch my flight to Boston for my very first Affiliate Summit. Upon arriving at the Seaport, I immediately realized this was going to be an amazing experience.

After it was all said and done I learned a ton, met some amazing people, and had a great time. For all of the affiliate newbies out there, here are some tips I’ve learned to help with your first time at Affiliate Summit.

Leading Up to Your First Affiliate Summit

Networking – Get involved. There are tons of ways to connect with others in the affiliate marketing space. Affiliate Summit has a networking site (network.affiliatesummit.com), and there a lot of affiliate marketers on Facebook also.

Make a point to meet with companies that could be a good fit for you to work with. It helps to set an appointment with them if you can also.

Business Cards – You’ll need them, and lots of them. Try thinking outside of the box with these. Rounded edges, odd sizes, and clever design will help your cards stand out.

Affiliate Summit Mentor Program – Sign up for this. You’ll be paired up with an affiliate marketing veteran. They will be a great resource, and maybe even your first friend at the Summit. I was lucky enough to have Shawn Collins as my mentor.

Travel – Pack lightly. Chances are you’ll have a bag full of goodies to take home with you. Comfortable dress shoes also came in handy.

During the Conference

Networking – Seems to be a common theme. Networking is one of the most beneficial things you can do for both your time at Affiliate Summit, and your career. You never know who you are going to meet, or where. Be friendly, say hello first to people you see.

Attend Parties –These are great opportunities to meet more people in the industry. A tip from Brian Hawkins of Pingo.com is affiliates usually stick together. I was able to meet ten affiliates in one sitting by approaching one when he was by himself.

Stay Organized – You will meet tons of people, and have tons of business cards. Spend some night before bed each night organizing and making notes about the cards you have collected.

Have Fun – There are plenty of opportunities to have a great time at Affiliate Summit.

After the Summit

Follow up – Make a list of the contacts you made that could most benefit you or your business, and start reaching out to them one by one.

Affiliate marketing is a fascinating industry full of brilliant, motivated people. Whether you take these tips to heart, or not, you’re destined to have a great time at Affiliate Summit.

Zach Winterton is a dedicated Affiliate Manager for QualitySmith & Glass.net. www.qualitysmith.com, www.glass.net

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

One of the highlights of Affiliate Summit is the constant stream of new ideas. Affiliate marketers are called Internet pioneers for good reason – they are passionate about finding new business models and innovative ways to use the Internet.

As expected, hot topics in Boston included ways to incorporate video, mobile and social media into affiliate marketing programs, and how networks and advertisers can support these efforts.

But one topic associated with social media deserves more attention: widgets. Have you considered how widgets might fit into your affiliate strategy?

Why Should I Consider Widgets?

In short, they’re capturing a lot of attention on the Internet. In the U.S., more than 77% of the internet audience has viewed a widget; in Canada, 80% have; and worldwide the figure is 62%. Also, research shows that widgets demonstrate greater reach than video, according to comScore’s April Widget Metrix and Video Metrix. So, if you’re looking for a way to share ideas and programs with the global online community, widgets can definitely help.

What are Widgets?

Widgets are light-weight single-purpose applications that run on a desktop or website. They serve a variety of purposes, from news feeds and calendars to entertainment, self-expression, photo and video sharing.

Using Advertiser Widgets

The benefit of advertiser widgets is that advertisers take care of most of the development work and you reap the benefits.

Advertiser widgets can add content to your site that can improve traffic and engagement. Some examples include:

CBSSports.com Scoreboard: http://tinyurl.com/cbssports

National Geographic: http://tinyurl.com/natgeographic

Yahoo! Weather: http://tinyurl.com/yahooweather

Also, widgets can help you earn additional revenue when users interact with the widget to make a sale or fill out a lead form.

For example, buy.at’s Ticketmaster EventEngine widget enables affiliates to earn revenue for each sale driven by the widget, even if it’s several download-generations away from the affiliate’s site.

Creating Your Own Widgets

You can create your own widget to drive traffic, increase page views and share ideas. If your widget gains traction, consider selling advertising within your widgets to generate new revenue opportunities. A few general ideas include:

• Share content – share tips, ideas, and content in your widget, keeping your brand and site top of mind when users see your widget on the Web.

• Leverage viral marketing – encourage users to share your widget with friends as a way to expand your reach.

• Update regularly – updates automatically appear wherever your widget is embedded, creating a dynamic dialogue with users.

How Do I Build and Distribute My Own Widget?

Work with a syndication partner. They provide the components necessary for your widget to be picked up on blogs, social networks and personal pages. Established syndicators include YourMinis from Goowy Media, Clearspring Technologies and Interpolls.

Showcase your widgets on your site, and you can also work with a widget ad network, such as Widgnet, or place your widgets in galleries such as Yahoo’s Widgets, Facebook, the Mac Dashboard or Widgetbox.

The opportunities with widgets are endless, how do you plan to use them?

Amy Ely is the U.S. Marketing Manager for buy.at, Platform-A’s affiliate network. Joel Fisher, Director of New Product Development and head of Widgnet, Platform-A’s social networking application and Web widget ad network, also contributed to this article.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/

Jobseekers are often presented with a challenge: imagine you’ve just stepped into an elevator with the CEO of a company you really want to work for, they’re told. You’ve got thirty seconds before the elevator reaches the executive’s floor to explain why he should employ you. What would you say?
It’s a tough question but fortunately, a restricted pitch isn’t one that Internet marketers usually have to struggle with. There’s no limit to the number of pages you can put on a website and no checks on the size of the pages.

The result is that for years now the standard sales tool for Internet marketers has been the long-form sales letter. These can go on for thousands of words, offer testimonial after testimonial, sub-heading after sub-heading and postscript after postscript.

They’re enormous, often repetitive and it’s unlikely that anybody has ever read one all the way through to the end. So why do marketers still use them?

The answer is simple: they work.

In one test conducted by the Marketing Experiments Journal in 2004, long-form sales letters consistently outperformed short copy, sometimes by as much as 400 percent.

In my own experience, I’ve seen up-sells and one-time offers produce conversion rates as high as 70 percent. That doesn’t happen often – but I’ve never had it happen with any other sales technique.
The reason they work is that a well-written, long-form sales letter will do two things.

First, it will push every sales point and answer every objection from every member of the audience. That’s something that’s always going to take up a great deal of space. But it’s also why marketers don’t expect the audience to read all of the copy.

The sub-headings are meant to provide easy entry and exit points for readers. Different readers will have different objections and they’ll be persuaded to buy because of different benefits. As readers scan a sales letter, the format of the page will naturally help them to notice the points and arguments that are most likely to persuade them.

Of course, they’ll also miss a lot but that’s important too. The Internet is the ultimate comparison shopping tool. More information about a product and more products that do the same thing are never more than a click or two away.

By providing readers with an overdose of information, marketers keep truly interested buyers on the page. If they can’t even finish reading the information in front of them, they’re less likely to feel a need to look for more information elsewhere.

It’s why a common reaction to a long-form sales letter is “Okay, I get it. How much is it already?”
When you can make a lead ask that question, you really should be able to turn them into a buyer.
Long-form sales letters need top quality copy. They need careful testing and tweaking. But when the information and the words are right, they’re also surprisingly effective.

Joel Comm has been building profitable sites since 1995. Visit his blog at www.JoelComm.com.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 3 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue3.pdf
FeedFront issue 3 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/category/issue-3/