As an Affiliate Manager, affiliate communication is your responsibility. It is arguably the most important aspect of your job.

After all, you wouldn’t expect your Sales Team to sell without knowing the ins and outs of your products. Your affiliates count on you to be their advocate and communication distributor.

I recommend setting a reminder to create your newsletter each month.

Here are a few simple ways to step it up on the newsletter front:

1. Use a subject line that makes sense. Affiliates are consumers as well, and may delete emails that appear to be selling. Instead of New products, pool closings and save up to 15%, try Pool Program Affiliate Newsletter. If you can jazz it up with Pool Program Affiliate Newsletter – Best Sellers, New Items & 15% Off, even better.

2. Address it by name and make it personal. “Hello, Mary! We’re grateful that you promote our pool products on killingpoolalgae.com.” This shows that you have taken the time to acknowledge something unique about them, and shows that you’re thankful they chose you. Trust me; you aren’t the only one out there selling chlorine tablets. A little personalization can go a long way.

3. List your main topics at the top of the newsletter. “This month, we’re reaching out about our top 5 selling products, what customers need for a typical pool closing and have placed thermometers and pool vacuums on sale.” If the topics appeal to them, they are able to determine that within seconds, and an affiliate’s most valuable asset is time.

4. DO NOT talk about the great creative you’ve loaded without including the code. You have the affiliate’s attention now, which you could lose if they can’t log in at that moment to grab your latest deep link. Ask your affiliate network to assist you in order to populate newsletters with affiliate IDs.

5. Don’t bother telling affiliates about an awesome sale that started yesterday and ends tomorrow. Affiliates need timely, advanced notice and they know you didn’t just find out about it. If you did, there is something fundamentally wrong with your internal communications.

6. It’s not just about you. Provide updates about the industry, point affiliates to forum threads and ask affiliates what they need from you. Share ways to make them better affiliates and you will win their loyalty.

7. Don’t close your newsletter with Thanks, Affiliate Team. If an affiliate has a question spurred by your email, give them a name, email and phone number to contact you. You never know when your communication could activate an affiliate, and you’ll want them to be able to reach out to a live person, quickly.

Newsletters can be very powerful communication and activation tools. Take the time to ensure yours contain timely, quality content, and continue to refine it over time.

Kim Salvino is Head of Publishers for the US arm of buy.at.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 18 here – http://issuu.com/affiliatesummit/docs/feedfront-18

FeedFront issue 18 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/article00date/2012/4

A common but critical question among advertisers is “what commission should I pay affiliates?” Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer, and implementing an effective commission structure requires careful consideration.

1. Consider the price of other online marketing options
Compared to other media, the affiliate channel often stands out as a cost effective way of generating additional sales. Revise spending based on your goals, projections, and the return on investment from each channel.

2. Identify industry standards and competitive rates
Consider payment models that are common in your industry. For example, finance programs generally pay a flat rate, while retail and travel often pay a % of the sale. Also, know the competitive landscape. If similar companies offer better rates, affiliates may give your program less exposure or avoid it altogether.

3. Understand the relationship between commission and Earnings Per Click (EPC)
Many affiliates choose programs based on EPC – a value calculated from commission payout and the conversion rate of your website. Often overlooked as a key priority, a well optimized and usable site with high conversion rates will allow for more flexibility when determining commission payout.

4. Align payout with your objectives
If new customers provide added value, set a preferential rate for affiliates able to generate new customer sales. Similarly, if certain products carry a greater margin, set the commission to reward affiliates that sell higher margin products.

5. Recognize that the key to engaging affiliates is flexibility
A “one size fits all” commission won’t necessarily bring the desired results. Typically, a majority of sales generated through an affiliate program are delivered by a small number of affiliates. Motivating these strong performers can be very different from mobilizing mid-tier and long tail affiliates comprising the rest of the campaign.

6. Motivating top tier vs. long tail
To engage strong performers, 1:1 negotiations could encourage affiliates to invest more time and drive more revenue. For this method to work, it’s imperative to set the base commission rate at a level that allows room for negotiation.

Negotiating rates can also be more beneficial than setting commission tiers, as they tend not to motivate the top affiliates. Similarly, unachievable tiers can de-motivate long tail affiliates. Instead, mobilize long tail affiliates with customized rates for achieving sales targets and increasing visibility.

7. Strategy based on affiliate type
Reach more potential customers by implementing a strategy that considers the needs of each affiliate type – including content, PPC, comparison shopping, mobile, incentive, email, coupon sites and more. Each segment should involve a different approach to maximize performance.

For example, coupon sites often deliver high sales volumes. When issuing a code, it’s possible to offer lower commission to offset the loss on margins. If your program accepts PPC affiliates, make sure that commission covers click costs plus profit margin.

Flexibility and understanding what motivates different affiliate types is key to intelligently setting commission structures for affiliate programs. This knowledge will ultimately lead to greater engagement with affiliates and an increase in branding, traffic and revenue.

Matt Swan is a Client Strategist at Affiliate Window and buy.at.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 17 here – http://issuu.com/affiliatesummit/docs/feedfront-17

FeedFront issue 17 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/article00date/2012/2

The success of working with paid search affiliates is significantly impacted by your PPC policy. Consider these five points when writing or revising your PPC terms and conditions.

1. Direct Linking

Advertisers facing competition on search engine results pages (SERPs) can work with affiliates to cover additional keywords and gain a stronger positioning. By allowing direct linking, affiliates can streamline the sales process to raise conversion rates and EPCs. Alternatively, consider allowing direct linking on specific terms, as many coupon sites convert brand + coupon searches better than the advertiser.

However, as Google and Yahoo only allow one ad per display URL, advertisers risk bidding against affiliates and raising CPCs. As such, advertisers should designate separate keywords for affiliate use.

2. Brand Terms in Ad Title, Text or Display URL

Consider the pros and cons. Consumers looking for your site might be confused by multiple ads displaying your brand. However, additional brand presence reinforces your keyword relevance and distracts from competing ads.

3. Bidding on Brand Terms

A common argument for restricting affiliates is that sales would occur anyway, as brand searches indicate the user wants to visit that site. Paid search on brand rarely yields incremental sales in my experience. Consider giving affiliates brand bidding rights based on SERP competition.

If advertisers run ads and no competitors are present, users find what they searched for without the need for affiliate ads. However, this may not be the case on all search engines and affiliates can plug any gaps. For brands that lack recognition in a competitive market, affiliates can help achieve better coverage or combat competitive bidding.

If an advertiser’s brand is closely associated with a generic keyword, competitor ads are likely to appear in the search results due to broadmatching. In these cases, affiliates could bid on brand + generic terms and use the brand in the ads to improve ranking, click-through rates, relevancy and ultimately lower click costs.

4. Brand Misspellings

Advertisers that forbid brand bidding may also restrict bidding on brand misspellings. For major brands, this is increasingly unnecessary as the search engine will likely recognize and automatically correct a misspelling. For advertisers without a well-known brand, if competitors focus on misspellings, customers may end up purchasing from a competitor.

5. Negative Keywords

Requesting affiliates add negative keywords means that their ads never display when a user searches for that term, even in combination with a generic term. This term is usually the brand, but advertisers should be mindful that asking affiliates to negative match generic keywords when their brand contains these keywords (Ex ‘sports wear’) might be unrealistic.

The verbiage used in PPC Terms and Conditions is also important. Rather than listing all possible terms on which affiliate activity is prohibited, specify that no activity is allowed “on brand or misspellings of brand terms, including but not limited to….” Clarifying that affiliates are not allowed to “appear”, rather than “bid” on negative match terms will make it clear that broadmatching should not be an excuse for infringements.

Owen Hewitson is a Client Strategist at Affiliate Window and buy.at.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 16 here – http://www.scribd.com/doc/69193074/FeedFront-Magazine-Issue-16

FeedFront issue 16 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/article00date/2011/10

1. You were not competitive. Surely you keep tabs on competitors regarding product development, promotions, etc. Be sure to check their affiliate program out as well. You must be able to meet or beat their offering. Your success will depend upon it.

2. You didn’t ensure the program tracked properly. Have you performed thorough testing? Have you done so after using your chat feature or newsletter signup link? Are cookies intact after you send consumer newsletters? Are there obvious leaks like toll free numbers, site links or (gasp!) AdSense? Are there non-commissionable items? In order to have an accurate view of program performance, you must address instances that cause unaccredited sales.

3. You set unrealistic policies. Be clear and be fair. Place restrictions in your terms of service, and police regularly. Don’t place restrictions that you can’t enforce, such as outranking your brand organically for generic terms.

4. You had unrealistic expectations. If your site isn’t converting well due to your internal efforts, don’t expect affiliates to be the fix. Affiliates send you traffic – it’s your job to convert that traffic to sales/leads. It’s also important to realize that an affiliate program is a marathon, not a sprint. Be in it for the long haul.

5. You didn’t think like an affiliate. Imagine your income depended entirely on information from a third party. That you had to feed, clothe and house yourself and your family based on details offered by an advertiser. Could you do it based on your program setup?

6. You didn’t put someone in charge. Adding affiliate program management to an already over-worked employee is a recipe for disaster. They won’t have the time to communicate effectively, research competitors, work with your network…and your program will suffer without that dedication.

7. You expected the network to do all of the work. The network should do two things right at ALL times – track sales accurately and process affiliate payments. At the end of the day, program success lies with you. A Network Representative does not possess a crystal ball that reveals your conversion rate, promotions or top selling items. Ethical networks will work with you, but YOU still need to be part of the equation.

8. You didn’t communicate. There are a number of affiliate forums, Twitter accounts, LinkedIn and Facebook groups and blogs that share tips and discuss industry updates. If you have questions or need feedback, ASK. Network with affiliates, both joined to your program and not, industry veterans and other affiliate managers to learn best practices.

9. You lacked passion. Do you love what you do? Do you believe in what you sell? Would you buy it/sign up for it/sell it to your Mother? You should. Otherwise, why would anyone else want to do it?

10. You gave up. Don’t just throw in the towel and admit defeat. Every program has an opportunity for improvement. You have to do the work, complete the research and connect with your affiliates.

Kim Salvino is Head of Publishers for the US arm of buy.at.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 15 here – http://www.scribd.com/doc/61379014/FeedFront-Magazine-Issue-15

FeedFront issue 15 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/article00date/2011/09

With statements of the highest payouts, larger than life conversion rates, and other claims to fame; it can be difficult as an affiliate, to find merchants that are the real deal. Here’s hoping the following list of tips will help you in your quest to embark upon a long term relationship with your next new merchant.

There is No Escaping Permanent Web Ink. If you’ve found a merchant, and you’re considering adding their products to an existing site or dedicating your next niche site to them, be sure to do a bit of research. If other affiliates have experienced payment issues, communication problems, a high reversal rate or other anomalies, a good old-fashioned Google search should reveal these issues. Beyond searching for the merchant’s name, be sure to type in Merchant Name + Affiliate, Merchant Name + Scam and Merchant Name + Fraud. A large amount of complaints for the merchant, either from other affiliates or directly from consumers, is a red flag.

Make a Test Purchase on the Merchant Site. Observe the order process as both an affiliate and a consumer. Is the site difficult to navigate? Does the merchant place roadblocks in the shopping cart that will affect your conversion rate? Do they offer a discount for joining their newsletter, and does signing up then overwrite your affiliate cookie? Does a live chat function exist on the site, and is the telephone number for contact prominently displayed and encouraged for use?

Do you receive credit for orders placed with chat assistance or by phone? Knowing the answers to these questions will require that you contact the advertiser directly, which leads to the next point.

Can You Locate a Direct Point of Contact for the Affiliate Program? Either on the site itself, a dedicated affiliate support page, or on affiliate forums – are you able to find a name, email address and telephone number for the Affiliate Manager? If you have found questionable issues about the program or the merchant, this is also your opportunity to inquire further. If all you hear are crickets, this could be a warning sign that for questions or issues, you will be on your own, with possible wasted effort spent promoting products, and no results.

It’s my hope that the tips above will save you time and money, but in the end – go with your gut. If there are existing issues with the merchant, a test purchase doesn’t run smoothly, and no one answers your emails, start to Google the competition instead.

Kim Salvino is Senior Account Manager & Affiliate Evangelist for the US arm of buy.at.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 13 here – http://www.scribd.com/doc/45332687/FeedFront-Magazine-Issue-13
FeedFront issue 13 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/article00date/2010/12a>

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

With more than 3,200 in attendance, Affiliate Summit West 2009 in Las Vegas goes down in the record books as a sell out and the largest show to date.

Opening up the conference on Sunday was the Affiliate Meet Market; the room was full of energy. A scaled down version of the exhibit hall (tables instead of booths), the Meet Market was the place to be for networking and continues to be a show highlight.

Concurrent breakout sessions took place on Sunday as well. Hot topics of the day included monetizing chat, automating websites, merchant mindsets, ethical issues, and expected trends.

On Monday morning, Gary Vaynerchuk spoke with vigor and intensity. His excitement and motivational keynote set the tone for the rest of show. You’ve got to love how he said “I think what I’m passionate about, is crushing it every day for making yourself happy. And I think when you talk about, and you build a business around a passion, that’s when you can really knock it out of the park.”
Gary oozed enthusiasm and it was infectious.

Days 2 and 3 also brought a full agenda of breakout sessions via panels and solo presentations. Session themes included anything social media, SEO, PPC, videos and mobile. Audiences were thrilled with the lineup of speakers and the rooms were packed with eager attendees ready to learn.

Traffic and networking in the exhibit hall were awesome on Monday and Tuesday, with attendees visiting over 100 booths. New products and tools in the industry were demonstrated and lots of business cards were exchanged.

One of the culminations of the show was the annual Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Awards, which were given to affiliate marketing leaders in six categories.

Congratulations to this year’s winners: Affiliate of the Year – Mike Allen, Affiliate Manager of the Year – Angel Djambazov, Exceptional Merchant – CelebrateExpress.com, Affiliate Marketing Advocate – Melanie Seery, Best Blogger – Scott Jangro and Affiliate Marketing Legend – Kellie Stevens.

As the show drew to a close, everyone let loose and had some fun to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation at the Affiliate Summit Triathlon. Dozens made donations to enter the 3 events: adult tricycle, virtual golf and basketball challenge.

Congratulations to the winner, Charlie Calabrese of Buy.at.

Lastly, special thanks to all of our distinguished speakers, exhibitors, general sponsors and metal sponsors: AzoogleAds, ShareASale, OneNetworkDirect and Buy.at. Your contributions helped make Affiliate Summit West 2009 a huge success.

Like folks did at this past show, instead of concentrating on the country’s troubled economy and uncertain future, focus on working smarter and more efficiently. Learn ways to adapt and grow despite the nation’s challenges. This will be pivotal to making it a banner year.

See you in the Big Apple, Affiliate Summit East 2009 – August 9-11, Hilton New York.

Amy Rodriguez is the Conference Director at Affiliate Summit.

Download the entire FeedFront issue 5 here – http://feedfront.com/feedfront-issue5.pdf
FeedFront issue 5 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/article00category/issue-5

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/