What’s the key to an affiliate’s heart? Great advertisers? Stellar service? Leading technology? Maybe. We’d argue that while all of these are important, receiving commission earnings quickly and cost-effectively tends to top the list.

While many affiliates operate within the boundaries of traditional payment methods, a variety of more advanced options are being introduced to turn a satisfying payment process into a rewarding experience.

This is particularly important for global networks that face high transfer fees and longer wait times. As a result, offering a suite of payment options becomes a competitive advantage, especially in the eyes of affiliates that use the immediate cash flow to grow their business.

As one example, buy.at launched a prepaid MasterCard with Payoneer to simplify the payment process for international affiliates. A year later the team reached out to affiliates in several countries to evaluate their experience and determine next steps.

Case Study #1
Affiliate: Cashbacking / Region: UK
Challenge: BACS payments took 3 -4 days before clearing with the bank
Solution: Used the card to receive payments, for ATM withdrawals, and for online and offline purchases
Result: Not only are payments faster, this affiliate appreciates the convenience of using the card almost anywhere as another source of funds

“Faster payment is crucial and I’m able to predict more accurately when the funds will be available on the account. I’m thoroughly impressed with the service provided, particularly how easy it is to manage my account online with up-to-date transaction details.” -Daniel Stewardson, Cashbacking

Case Study #2
Affiliate: Ticket Crush / Region: US
Challenge: Sought out a more convenient and versatile payment option
Solution: Setup the card to receive payments from multiple countries and contacts Payoneer’s customer support for balance information
Result: Quick access to both US and international payments and uses the card to compartmentalize buy.at earnings and expenses from other sources of income

“The buy.at MasterCard is extremely convenient and a great choice for an affiliate in any country. It’s easy to call Payoneer anytime I have questions and I’m impressed with the service overall.” -Kyle McPeck, TicketCrush.com

Case Study #3
Affiliate: Saya Intellicall / Region: India
Challenge: Commission checks took up to 30 days to clear and become usable funds
Solution: Signed up for the card to receive payments, use the ATM service, and withdraw cash
Result: Funds are now available within a few hours, providing an efficient global payment option

“The world is changing very fast, so we need fast service to go with the world. [This] card is a good solution.” – Abdullah Saya, Saya Intellicall

Overall, the findings were very positive and revealed the variety of ways that affiliates in different countries chose to use the card. Beyond buy.at, Payoneer saw an average 77% year over year growth in card signups since their launch in 2005, indicating the increasing popularity of alternative payment options.

What’s the bottom line? Explore new payment options that exceed affiliate expectations. It may be deciding factor of whether or not you keep their business.

Gil Abir is VP of Corporate Partnership at Payoneer, and Amy Ely is Marketing Manager at buy.at.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 11 here – http://www.scribd.com/doc/29057000/FeedFront-Magazine-Issue-11
FeedFront issue 11 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/article00date/2010/07

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/