Make Money Online

Welcome to the newly redesigned Share Results blog. We’ve been working hard to make this space more accessible for affiliates who are looking for information on the industry, affiliate marketing tips and techniques and information on how to use the Share Results software to leverage their affiliate marketing campaigns.

Not only does the site look a lot different, we have also added some new functions to open up the space to encourage interaction between affiliates and commenting on blogs. The intention of the redesign was to create a forum where affiliates and merchants can learn more about the business, and get involved in the conversation.

Our goal at Share Results is to provide merchants and affiliates with the tools they need to spearhead successful affiliate marketing campaigns. Lately, we have been writing blogs about how Facebook might affect affiliate marketing campaigns, what makes for effective affiliate managers and tips for merchants on brand bidding. Of course, we also use this space to let affiliates know about promotions that affiliates can take advantage of by being a part of the Share Results network. And if you’re looking for tips on how to write effective blogs, you’ve come to the right place.

If you like a blog entry, you can use one of around 220 different networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to immediately share it with your friends. You can also vote on each article to let us know whether you like it or not. And be sure to let us know why in the comments section!

The whole team at Share Results gets involved with blogging. You will find posts from our marketing department, affiliate managers, and even our designers like to get in on the blogging action from time to time. If you’re looking for entries by a specific person, you can now click on their name, read their bio and find all of the articles that they have contributed.

Affiliate marketing works best when it happens within a community, and we’re proud to present an arena for affiliates to become a part of a community. We also want to share with you some posts by other bloggers that we think are pretty great, so look for lots of interaction and information.

Stay tuned for more great articles and exciting affiliate offers. We have some great contests coming up for affiliates, so make sure to come back and check us out regularly.

We’d love to know what you think about the new blog and our articles. Make sure to leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

Related posts:

1. Make 2010 your Best Year Yet
2. Affiliates, Merchants, Join us for our Holiday Blogging Event to Get Ready for the Holiday Season!
3. Share Results Enters the New Year with a New Website Design

Read the original:
The Newly Redesigned Share Results Blog

A recent article on ClickZ.com cites that businesses in the Entertainment and Health industries paid more for lead gen services delivering “premium” details “during the second half of 2009.” Another clear sign that lead generation or lead gen is big business for companies, especially those in affiliate marketing. Thousands of companies in the affiliate marketing industry specialize in lead generation to acquire new customers. There is a strong preference for the ease with which an affiliate can get paid commissions simply for referring customers through a lead form rather than an action that requires a credit card. As such, affiliates get a bit overzealous about generating revenue and forget that merchants have specific needs for their products and services, too. That said, an affiliate should be aware of what exactly the merchant needs from them, in order for both sides of the business to benefit from lead gen campaigns.

Evaluating Traffic Placements
Affiliates often are driven to sign up to an affiliate program when the payout and the offer looks like an attractive fit. However, these days, traffic placements are more comprehensive now that social media has entered the mix. A paid search affiliate should ask more questions about whether or not a merchant will permit things like brand name bidding and direct link. Even more important, some merchants may not be too keen on lead gen affiliates using social media to generate leads. For instance, Planning Family is a great offer that has gained popularity with Share Results affiliates, but this merchant does not allow affiliates to generate leads via channels like Facebook or Twitter. To be certain about what methods of promotion are accepted when generating leads, go directly to the affiliate manager of the program.

Evaluating the Potential Customer
Affiliates should evaluate whether or not they have the right prospective customer base for the product or service. A database of 100k US-based female users may seem like the perfect fit for an offer like Free Stuff For Your Baby, but what percentage of them are expectant or new moms? What is their average age of their children? Do they have any other children? What is their average income and do they respond to products for babies? This is just something to think about before launching a campaign for a merchant that is targeting a niche market.

Quality not Quantity
Lead gen affiliates often make the mistake of thinking that when generating leads for a merchant that it’s all about volume. This isn’t always the case. A merchant like eLearners may be interested in a high volume of education leads, especially during peak school months like January and September. However, unless they see those prospective students actually enrolling in the months ahead (especially during a downturn economy), it’s not very profitable for them to payout a lucrative amount for each lead. So, evaluate the quality, by asking the affiliate manager of the program for merchant feedback. Also, Share Results Traffic and Transaction Reports are available to use in order to determine just how many web visitors are clicking through specific tools and are successfully filling out and completing a lead form.

Negotiating Commission
Some affiliates have come to us requesting higher commission on an offer before they’ve even signed up to an affiliate program. While $1.20 CPL may not seem like a lucrative payout for a lead, there’s more to consider than just the commission. Remember that merchants have to look at how much they can offer based on their budget. They may only have a small margin to work with and need to be reassured that those leads will actually convert. If a commission is not that lucrative, but the offer is an excellent match for the customer base, one approach to getting a higher commission can be to launch a test campaign over a period of one to three months (or whatever can be afforded) and then ask for feedback from the merchant about how those leads referred actually converted. If the conversion rate is high enough, it’s a good time to inquire about getting a commission increase. Communicate with the affiliate manager for the program and make a case. This obviously doesn’t happen overnight, but stay the course and keep being open to negotiations, just don’t do it before signing up.

Thanks to affiliate programs like eLearners.com (and now CuteKid.com’s CPL campaign) affiliates are getting their feet wet in the lead gen business. Remember that success in lead gen doesn’t happen overnight. It can be a long process of establishing what the merchants need in a customer and the need for affiliates to refine their strategy used to target that audience.
What are your thoughts on lead gen? Feel free to contact us via affiliates [at] shareresults [dot] com with your feedback and questions?

The rest is here:
What Lead-Based Merchants need from Affiliates

In our last post in the How to Become an Affiliate series, we looked at a few of the different types of affiliate marketers. In this, the third and final installation in this series, we will look at two more types of affiliate marketers.

Email Affiliates

If you can get people to sign up for a newsletter that will promote certain goods and services, then you can become an email affiliate. Obviously, you need a forum to get people to sign up for a newsletter, so that’s step one. But once you have a list of individuals, you can start sending targeted promotions and offers.

The great part of this strategy is that you know that, having signed up for the newsletter, they want to receive your emails, but the disadvantage is that some of these emails might not make it through their spam filters. Another downside is if they choose to unsubscribe, you have lost them as a lead forever.

PPC Affiliates

Pay-per-click, or PPC marketing, is a little more advanced, but can be a very lucrative way of generating income. What’s most important about this advertising method is having a good idea of how to do it before attempting it. Because you pay every time someone clicks on your ad, you have to know exactly how to target the right people through proper keyword usage, effective text, and relevant landing pages.

For those who choose to put in the effort, the rewards are there. PPC gives you a great deal of control over your budget, and you will be able to directly target very specific audiences. Comparing how many surfers clicked your ads versus how many signed up for services will allow you to easily track your ROI (return on investment).

However you choose to go about it, the most important thing to remember is that you only get out what you put in. The chances of an affiliate being successful with a neglected blog with a few banner ads, are slim to none.

However, if you’re willing to dedicate just a little bit of time every week to your marketing efforts, then this can be a great way to make some extra money. And if you’re willing to go all-in and become a full-time affiliate marketer, then you have to approach it as such, or you’ll be back at your old job before you know it.

No matter which direction you choose, one thing you can be assured of is that you will never be bored. The world of affiliate marketing is fascinating and there are many exciting aspects. Learning how to effectively market products is a science in and of itself. Learning new ways to target specific audiences and tracking campaigns to more efficiently manage your business can be a compelling activity. Once you’ve been bit by the affiliate bug, you’ll finding yourself really enjoying your marketing efforts.

If you want to get started in affiliate marketing, or if you are an affiliate who wants to become more successful, our affiliate management team can give you a hand. The Share Results team is here to answer whatever questions you have, and can supply a great deal of information on how to create a successful campaign.   Contact us at affiliates@shareresults.com for more information.

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The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, and present merchants and affiliates with tremendous earning potential. In fact, holiday shopping can account for up to 50% of an online retailer’s yearly sales, meaning that affiliates too have an equal opportunity to leverage this peak shopping season.

In 2008, an estimated 85 million people shopped on Cyber Monday, known as the kick-off date to the online shopping season. This year, many online retailers are looking to the Monday after Thanksgiving to bring another sales surge.

The Black Friday – Cyber Monday weekend accounts for a significantly large portion of the holiday sales for online retailers. Yahoo Advertising reports that Black Friday is the new Cyber Monday, stating,

“When compared with the average day in November, Black Friday showed a 147% increase in conversions, while Cyber Monday had a 73% increase in conversions.”

This year, the lucrative Black Friday – Cyber Monday weekend falls between November 27-30; affiliates, make sure your campaigns are ready!

The 2009 forecast looks promising, when compared to 2008. Amazon.com has reported its third quarter income has increased to $199 million from $118 million last year. It’s forecasting 4th quarter growth of 21% to 35% over last year.

To leverage your earning potential, it’s important to note what shoppers will be looking for:

1. Deals
2. Discounts
3. Coupons

As economic difficulties continue, consumers are looking for money-savers now, more than ever. Coupon sites have seen monumental growth this year, with shoppers looking for discounts and deals. Sites such as RetailMeNot are seeing over 200% growth over last year.

According to Netelixir , keyword search advertising is expected to be the most important customer acquisition channel during the 2009 holiday season. With Google reporting a 7% increase compared to the third quarter of 2008, PPC affiliates will have a great opportunity to increase their search revenue. For affiliates looking to try their hand at PPC, the holidays are the perfect time to get started. And with Share Results’ recent launch of their SEM Agency , it’s easier than ever to get the support you need to drive the success of your affiliate marketing campaigns.

For more techniques, tools, tips and great resources to make sure you’re getting every last drop out of your affiliate marketing campaigns, be sure to come back to the Share Results blog . Until November 27, Share Results is throwing a big Holiday Blogging Event, packed with all kinds of seasonal information regarding trends for Q4, tips to get the best deals, consumer trends and how best optimize your affiliate marketing campaigns.

Original post:
Affiliate Earning Potential During the Holidays

With our recent affiliate dashboard makeover, we couldn’t let our merchants go without a new dashboard makeover as well.

Here now, are a few of our merchant interface changes in a little more detail.

New Welcome Dashboard: The redesigned merchant interface allows our clients to get more information, with less effort. Merchants can immediately see their KPIs, allowing them to quickly change their marketing campaigns in response. This new interface reduces the number of clicks, and more importantly the time spent searching. So with new graphical reporting, merchants can analyze their program performance from the moment they log into the Share Results system.

Top Performing Affiliates: Displays in descending order the top 10 affiliates earning commissions in the merchant’s program for the current month. Includes quick links to affiliate details such as IDs, username and website URL. Other info in this section includes impressions, clicks, click-through-ratio, registrations, approved transactions, total commissions earned for the current month.

Top Banners: Displays the best performing creative by EPC for the merchant’s affiliate program. Includes thumb nail version of creative where applicable. This includes creative by type such as banner, flash, text link, coupon and widgets.

Period Comparison: Displays a graphical trend of the overall program stats over a specific period. Compares stats by number of transactions, impressions, clicks, number of affiliates generating clicks, amount of revenue share commission generated, amount of CPA commission generated, total program commissions and program EPC (earnings per click).

Reports: Allows merchants to quickly access top-level reports directly from the welcome dashboard. Reports include Quick Summary, Traffic, Earnings, Transactions and showing results month-to-date.

If you are a merchant of Share Results we encourage you to take some time to log into your account and provide us your feedback about the new appearance. Email us at: merchants@shareresults.com

Originally posted here:
New Look for Share Results Merchant Dashboard

It’s no secret that affiliate marketing is a rapidly growing industry. What makes it so unique and successful is the very foundation that it’s built upon – the affiliates. As such, it is vital for merchants and affiliate programs to appropriately search out and recruit affiliates that pertain to their vertical. But how are the affiliates supposed to choose between programs? What makes a good affiliate program? What affiliates are looking for—and remember that they are what drives the industry—are incentives. So, what kinds of incentives are crucial to successful recruitment during a launch?

To help you answer these questions, we have found two blogs that identify several key factors and give a comprehensive look at effective incentives.

Conversion Counts explains 10 Affiliate Incentives that Work for affiliate programs. Conversion Counts offer a wide array of online marketing solutions and publish a blog that is designed to help readers earn higher revenues and boost conversion rates.

Avangate Blog evaluates why programs with high commission rates don’t necessarily mean a successful program unless coupled with strong affiliate incentives. Founded by Bob Walsh, Avangate Blog is a great resource for software vendors on the Internet that focuses on how to sell software, ecommerce solutions for software vendors, internet marketing for the software industry, and reviews of important events.

If you want to keep up-to-date, you can download the OPML file on our BAMroll page.  We also have badges for your blog, if you’re already a BAMroller.

Read the original:
BAMroll Update: August 20, 2009

With the economy ad it is, there is a great opportunity for affiliate marketers to help consumers find savings. This is back-to-school clothing coupons, for example, are such a lucrative promotion for affiliates.

But there is one area where consumers where consumers will spend more this back-to-school season, and that’s Back-To-College. As a recent survey by the National Retail Federation reports:

Even with the uncertainties the economy continues to present, college-bound students and their families are prepared to shell out a little extra this year. NRF’s back-to-college survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that college students and their parents will spend an average of $618.12 this year, up three percent over last year’s $599.38. [emphasis my own]

So affiliates should be consider promoting products that college kids will need to head back to the campus.

One thing that all college kids need are supplies to write those grueling term papers, such as ink toner. So the Love Toner and Excel Toner affiliate programs are excellent opportunities for affiliates. Love Toner is perfect for affiliates with US traffic, and Excel Toner lets affiliates target Canadian college kids. They also both have coupon code promotions running until the end of August.

With the Underground Hip Hop affiliate program, for example, affiliates can promote 1,000 different s-shirt designs, 100 different sweatshirt/jacket designs, and 100 hat designs to urban-minded college kids. UGHH.com also offers a number of coupon deals, so affiliates can also help those college kids save money. Affiliates can offer their users coupon codes to save 10% off on all orders, $10 on orders of $75 or more, or $25 on orders of $ 150 or more. The UGHH.com affiliate program also offers a 60-day cookie and flat CPA of 10%.

To target college girls, affiliates can also get in on the Stylefly affiliate program. Emphasizing wearable, feminine pieces from popular women’s designers, it’s the perfect opportunity for affiliates looking to target girls who want to head back to campus looking smart. Stylefly also offers affiliates coupon codes so that they can offer consumers a 25% savings on orders until September 30th, 2009.

Another great opportunity for affiliates who want to target college kids is the T-Shirtmonster affiliate program. In addition to featuring a 60-day cookie, affiliates can promote thousands of cool designs. The really cool thing about T-Shirtmonster is that it lets consumers create their own custom T-Shirts within minutes!

With the cost of books, computer accessories, and the clothing they wear, college kids can be much bigger spenders than other student demographics. So affiliates can’t afford to pass-up targeting them during the back-to-school season.

Not only are there so many things that college kids need, from clothing to supplies, but they’ll also be looking for some savings. By offering them saving on those items, then, affiliates can really take advantage of the back-to-school season.

Here is the original:
Back to School, Back to College

Because that back-to-school season is such a big one for retail, it’s also a hard one on families going back to school. They’ll be spending a lot of money, so they’ll also want to save wherever they can. What this means for affiliates is that there’s a great opportunity to promote back-to-school savings.

Coupons are going to be particularly good this back-to-school season, because consumers will be spending less. As a recent survey by the National Retail Federation reports:

[...] the average family with students in grades Kindergarten through 12 is expected to spend $548.72 on school merchandise, a decline of 7.7 percent from $594.24 in 2008. Total spending on back to school is expected to reach $17.42 billion.

[...] 56.2 percent of back-to-school shoppers hunting for sales more often, [...] and 40.0 percent are planning to increase their use of coupons. [emphasis my own]

To target school girls, affiliates can use coupons from the Stylefly affiliate program. to offer consumers a 25% savings on orders until September 30th, 2009. And to target the urban-minded student, affiliates can promote clothing and music through the Underground Hip Hop affiliate program and offer coupons that will save consumers 10% off on all orders, $10 on orders of $75 or more, or $25 on orders of $ 150 or more.

Antoher item college kids will want to save on is ink toner, so the Love Toner and Excel Toner affiliate programs both have coupon code promotions running until the end of August. And for helping students save on their multi-media needs, the Nero affiliate program is currently offering affiliates coupon codes that will save their customers 10%.

Just because consumers will spend less this back-to-school season, it doesn’t mean that they need less than they did last year. So by helping back-to-schoolers save on the things they need, affiliates can help get them back into the classroom, and earn commissions for that good-deed too.

Excerpt from:
Back to School Coupons

Nearly every affiliate has considered making the leap from being a part-time affiliate marketer to being a full-time one. Well, in the latest episode of Coffee with Nicky, our CEO, Nicky Senyard, explores what’s involved in taking that step. From the experience it takes, to how it’s a leap of faith that be based on your what you’re passionate about, Nicky goes over some considerations that every affiliate should make when taking their affiliate marketing activities to the next level.

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Becoming a Full-Time Affiliate

Nero Inc. Inc. has joined the affiliate program in the Share Results Network. Nero products, including award-winning Nero 9 suite, will offer affiliates up to 20 % revenue share on sales.

MONTREAL, QC. June 17, 2009 –The Share Results affiliate network today announced that Nero Inc. has joined the network to offer a new affiliate program. The award-winning Nero software products, including Nero 9, the user-friendly and intuitive software which allows users to rip, burn, copy, share, and enjoy music, photos, and videos; and Nero Move it, the easy transcoding solution to enjoy your digital content on iPod®, PSP®, or upload to online communities, will now be offered with special affiliate revenue share opportunities. In addition to Nero offering affiliates tiered revenue share, Share Results offers $1 for each affiliate referred to the affiliate network and $100 for each qualified merchant referred.

Nero affiliates will be able to earn as much as a 20% commission for sales in the United States and Canada. A large array of banner choices and styles are available for affiliates, with credit for sales that occur within 45 days. Nero also provides affiliates with the opportunity to promote using paid search, coupons and incentivized traffic.

“The addition of Nero to the Share Results affiliate network represents an excellent opportunity for technology retail affiliates in the U.S. and Canada,” said Nicky Senyard, CEO of Share Results. “Nero is a renowned brand that offers affiliates the chance to promote a product with immediate global recognition. And affiliates of Nero will now have access to the in-depth tracking reports and enhanced marketing tools available through the Share Results affiliate marketing software.”

Nero is the creator of liquid media technology, enabling liquid content creation and distribution anytime, anywhere, and on any device. The company provides consumers with the freedom to simply enjoy their music, photos, and videos, regardless of hardware or file format, by taking a unique platform neutral, standards-based approach to solution development. More than 300 million units of Nero’s trusted software solutions are used in the home, on the go, and professionally.

Affiliates can join the Nero program at: http://www.shareresults.com/local_affiliate_desc.php?mid=14602. If affiliates have any questions on how to promote Nero, they are welcome to send an email to affiliatemanager@nero.com.

Affiliates who join the Nero affiliate program will enjoy dedicated support, and a variety of functions and features offered by the latest version of the Share Results affiliate marketing software. Version 4.5 of the Share Results software features a variety of new tools, such as a deep link tool and creative shopping cart. This is in addition to a wide range of existing features and tracking reports.

The same software that powers the Share Results network is also available to be white labeled. Completely brandable and customizable, it allows merchants to create an affiliate experience that reflects their brand.

About Share Results
Focused on building strong, proactive relationships, Share Results offer complete affiliate marketing solutions to the ecommerce space. Dedicated to meeting the unique needs of their partners, Share Results offers three types of affiliate marketing services: an affiliate network, affiliate management services, and affiliate marketing software that’s available for white labeling. Staffed by passionate, affiliate marketing professionals, Share Results has established partnerships with some of the most trusted and brands online, including Photobucket, eLearners , and GoNannies.

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Read more from the original source:
Share Results Adds Nero Inc. to Network Affiliate Program

Specialists in fine Chinese teas, GoldenTeahouse.com is celebrating the launch of its new affiliate program in the Share Results network by offering affiliates an exclusive 25% commission.

Golden Teahouse (www.goldenteahouse.com), the online supplier of premium Chinese teas and teaware has launched its affiliate program within the Share Results affiliate network (http://www.shareresults.com/affiliates.php). As a special launch promotion, it is offering affiliates an exclusive promotion of 25% commission on all sales until May 31st, 2009. Affiliates will also enjoy advanced tracking reports and a variety of marketing tools.

In addition to the special 25% commission, the Goldenteahouse.com affiliate program will also feature a 90 day cookie. With an average order size of approximately $60, affiliates are expected to earn $15 per sale during the promotion period. Once the launch promotion ends, affiliates will still enjoy a commission of 15%, and will earn an average of about $9 per order.

“Health and gourmet food affiliates are being offered a great opportunity from GoldenTeahouse.com,” said Nicky Senyard, CEO of Share Results. “The special launch promotion and 90 day cookie can really increase their earning potential. And backed by the Share Results software, affiliates will have all the resources they need to optimize their online marketing campaigns.”

To join the Golden Teahouse affiliate program simply click here https://www.shareresults.com/local_affiliate_desc.php?mid=15584 or contact affiliate manager Sue Long affiliates(at)goldenteahouse.com.

Goldenteahouse.com specializes in the finest teas around China, with both detailed cultural information on the topic of Chinese tea, as well as teas and teaware at great prices. Offering free samples with every order, and a flat $3.95 worldwide shipping rate, GoldenTeahouse.com also gives shoppers free shipping on orders over $50. Launched in 2005, GoldenTeahouse also offers a wide-range of teaware, including tea makers, pots, cups, tea boards and gift sets.

“Searching out and discovering the absolute best teas in China is what we do, and what we try to do best. Finding the ideal solutions to market these teas is something we can always use help with, and for that we are extremely excited to have the close association of Share Results. They’ve given us the framework and know-how to take advantage of their large network of retail affiliates and turn it into a sales network of our own. That hopefully means more of the same great teas floating around the world, and lots of wonderful, healthy tea never hurt anyone!”

Affiliates joining the GoldenTeahouse affiliate program will be able to benefit from the newest version of the Share Results affiliate marketing software (http://www.shareresults.com/software.php). Version 4.5 of the Share Results software features a variety of new tools, including a deep link tool, a creative shopping cart, and advanced merchant search.

The same software that powers the Share Results network is also available to be white labeled by merchant who prefer to run their own affiliate program in-house. Completely customizable, it allows merchant to both create an affiliate marketing experience that reflects their brand and offer their affiliates a vast array of tracking reports and marketing tools.

About Share Results
Providing complete affiliate marketing solutions to the ecommerce space, Share Results offer three types of service: (1) an affiliate network, (2) affiliate management services, and (3) white-label affiliate software solutions. Share Results works closely with its partners to meet their unique business needs, and has established partnerships with some of the most trusted merchants online, including Photobucket, eLearners , and GoNannies.

Original post:
Golden Tea house Offers New Affiliates Special Commissions with the Launch of a New Affiliate Program with Share Results

In tough times companies are forced to make difficult decisions. Sometimes they make wrong ones. Best Buy made an epically dunderheaded one this week when it announced via email that affiliate commissions for two of its best selling product lines was being dropped from 1% to .25%. A quarter of a percent is insulting to anyone you refer to as a partner. The backlash on boards like ABestWeb.com has already built up as professional affiliates wonder how such a big player could display such a lapse in judgment.

Anatomy of a Bad Decision
Corporations are prone to knee jerk reactions. Especially in crisis situations or tough times. When it comes to cutting costs often the cutting is done by those not directly involved in day-to-day affairs.

In this case you can almost imagine the thought process: We are practically giving away commissions to affiliates on items that would sell anyways! Why don’t we cut the commission rate and increase our profit margin?

A bad decision is made even easier by the fact the Affiliate Channel is often a nebulous component to most corporations’ online marketing strategy. Difficult to understand, easy to undervalue, corporate advertisers often make the mistake of treating the channel with a “set and forget” mentality or deliver campaigns to affiliates with the expectation they will accommodate last minute promotions which should have been planned well in advance. Many such advertisers also make the assumption that affiliates will not make business decisions of their own and simply take whatever leftovers are handed to them.

Real Troubles
In Q3 of this year Best Buy reported that profits dropped 77% year over year. According to the report 4,000 employees at its headquarters were offered buyout packages in an effort to cut costs. The report also quoted Chief Executive Brad Anderson as saying,

“We believe that there has been a dramatic and potentially long-lasting change in consumer behavior as people adjust to the new realities of the marketplace. We also believe that customers will continue to reward those retailers who understand their needs and desires, and offer relevant solutions at fair prices.”

Obviously the company is taking serious steps to make themselves more profitable. While I genuinely wish the best for their employees, cutting the commission percentages on a few top selling items will not make or break the company. It will however sour relationships with affiliates.

It’s an Affiliate’s Marketplace
Anderson is right that customers will continue to reward retailers who understand their needs. So will affiliates.

Best Buy runs their affiliate program with Commission Junction. According to numbers released by CJ comparing same store retail sales, network wide CJ affiliates averaged 73% growth on Black Friday and 39% growth on Cyber Monday year over year. Impressive numbers when compared to comScore posting of overall online sales during the same time period.

Presumably sales were good for the Best Buy affiliate program as well. The email explaining the commission cuts seems to support that stating:

“The Best Buy affiliate sales force has exceeded our expectations during these trying economic times. These important contributions are greatly appreciated. This commission reduction originates strictly out of economic necessity in a growingly price-sensitive marketplace.”

According to Yahoo Tech News the Wii is the top selling item this holiday season. Laptops are another hot commodity. Many other merchants sell both including Buy.com, Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Target. All of whom are competing with Best Buy for the same customer.

As an affiliate you have a choice. Are you going to stay loyal to Best Buy and refer your valuable traffic to them for .25%? Odds are you are going to send the traffic to a merchant who is offering better commission on those same items. Whatesmore, as an affiliate it is just as simple to send all of your traffic to a competitor instead of attempting to redirect traffic for those few items whose commission you are being low balled on.

Gut Check
It would be one thing if Best Buy was withdrawing ads from areas that have a poor ROAS.

Because of their footprint it is doubtful that Best Buy will suddenly pull back from television or print ads, nor should they be expected to do so. The stores that provide jobs to the approximately 150,000 employees are obviously their bread and butter. But surely if they are pulling back from the affiliate channel due to a “growlingly price-sensitive marketplace” they are also pulling back from CPM buys online. As typical with corporations more comfortable with offline campaigns than online campaigns, this doesn’t seem to be the case you can still see them in remnant media placements.

So the affiliate channel, the one that creates the most return for the advertiser’s dollar is the one Best Buy has chosen to cut. It’s expeditious to cut revenue to a channel you don’t understand in order to create higher profitability on items you feel you will sell anyways.

The fact is in these tough times affiliates are sensitive as well. The professional ones will send their business to merchants who are truly interested in cultivating a partnership. Only time will tell what a dent .25% will put in Best Buy’s affiliate program and their overall sales.

Read more:
Best Buy Gives Affiliates a Slap in the Face

I’m often asked by people “Why don’t you make a network?” and “Why don’t you be an affiliate and promote your own clients more?” and certainly we have considered it, but it always comes down to a key issue : conflict of interest. And I’m sure we could boost our revenue rather nicely if we started playing all side of the business, but at the same time we very well may destroy our trust amongst our affiliate partners.

Firms such as Pepper Jam have progressed through the business from merchant, to affiliate, to affiliate managers to Network. The mixed reviews and acceptance they get, shows that it is not an easy path to travel, and a very difficult one to do while keeping everyone happy.

One of the most debated roles in the industry is that of “Affiliate Network”, the”Trusted Third Party” that is meant to remain neutral and ensure that everyone is working in a fair field of play. It’s not an easy task as everyone has a different opinion on what is a fair field of play.

My personal opinion is that a fair field of play consists of these qualities

• affiliates add value to the consumers purchase cycle
• affiliates drive new customers to a merchants site
• affiliates don’t intercept consumers already in the act of going to a merchant’s site
• affiliates don’t cannibalize other marketing channels
• affiliates don’t cannibalize each others traffic
• requires a direct consumer interaction with the affiliate marketing being run
• no adware, bhos or malware
• that all parties work within their defined roll be that Network / Affiliate / AM or Merchant

So when a “Trusted Third Party” Network such as LinkShare not only allows an affiliate to actually ignore most of these qualities but actually owns it too, then you have to wonder where the “Trusted Third Party” bit has gone. Affiliates can argue back and forward on whether BHOs (Browser Help Objects) should be part of the affiliate channel and how they should interact with the consumer, but the real argument has to be, why is LinkShare now operating as an Affiliate? It is, without a doubt, wrong at all levels.

Certainly they aren’t the first, but as they like to state, they are a market leader, so why is a market leader going out of its’ way to cannibalize it’s affiliate base? Already multiple tests have shown that not only is the LinkShare owned BHO failing to follow LinkShare’s own Terms and Conditions but it is also going beyond BHOs the likes of Ebates and overwriting tracking that is meant to be protected by the afsrc=1 code.

A couple of example videos below on how this LinkShare owned affiliate BHO is cannibalizing Walmart traffic

• Example One
• Example Two
• Example Three
• Example Four

If this is the way Networks are going then I think we can throw the “Trusted Third Party” label our of the window, perhaps go with “Affiliate and Merchant Cannibalization Network” instead?

As a merchant ask yourself? Do you want this kind of “marketing” to be cannibalizing your sales channels, and as an affiliate, do you want to be promoting merchants that allow your traffic to be cannibalized for someone else’s profit?

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Crossing the Line

So we’re heading into the holidays, but the economy is in a serious rut. People have shopping to do, but consumers are restricting their budgets. This leaves affiliates wondering: what should I be promoting?

The obvious answer is that if consumers want savings, affiliates should promote savings. But with all different kinds of savings to be had online, even that answer isn’t too helpful. Well, some recent statistics suggest that affiliates should be pushing family-related coupons.

Coupons Rising
Months before the credit crisis peaked, both comScore and Hitwise were already seeing coupon downloads rising. For instance, as far back as May, Hitwise reported that visits to coupon sites were up 85% year-over-year. Consumers were also spending 39% more time on these sites that the previous year, and searches for the term “coupons” were up 45%. Then in July, comScore observed that 59% of shoppers coupons were using coupons to save money.

Coupon Opportunities
Consumers use coupons in two different way during the holidays: (1) directly, by saving on actual purchases, and (2) indirectly, by helping them save on necessities so that they have more to put toward holiday purchases. Of course, promoting coupon offers on a wide array of potential gift ideas can be challenging and time-consuming, so affiliates might want to focus on helping people save on basic necessities. After all, the numbers show that the majority of coupon users are women, and that coupons related to family necessities are the most popular.

In October, the Marketing to Moms Coalition found that some of the most popular ecommerce activities for women were shopping for their children and downloading coupons. By promoting family-related coupons, then, affiliates can not only target the kinds of products that consumers look for in a recession, but especially the demographic that is most actively searching for them.

Recession Affiliate Strategies
A recession marketing tactic used by many merchants is to offer strategic pricing or customer incentives. A good affiliate recession strategy, then, is to target online shoppers who most actively seek out these strategic pricing offers. Mommies are a great recession niche because they are (1) they most actively seek out deals on family-related necessities, and (2) download more coupons than any other demographics, and family-related coupon downloads searches are up across the board.

Although a recession entails an economic slowdown, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is less opportunity. Rather, it represents a new set of opportunities. After all, there are just as many consumers as there were before, it’s just that their spending habits have changed. This means as an affiliate you are dealing with a whole new set of market demands, and that demand is largely for savings, especially on basic necessities.

When it comes to basic family necessities, there’s considerable opportunity for affiliates. Since moms often manage family budgets, they use much of their time online to find savings. By helping these moms find those savings, affiliates can both continue to profit despite the recession, and help families stretch their budgets further.

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Holiday Recession Opportunities

Welcome to the first day of fall! As many affiliates and merchants are aware, this is the time everyone dives into Q4 to enhance earnings one last time. With the forthcoming Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween in October, the fall season is an optimal opportunity to promote to potential customers who are actively looking to shop to adapt to the change in weather and, more importantly, for the holiday season.

With many consumers being affected by high gas prices, affiliates could see online shopping activity on the increase. Some studies offer conflicting reports regarding the effects of high gas prices on online shopping, but according to InternetRetailer.com, “87% of consumers agree that they like to shop online because it saves them money on gasoline, second only to the 89% who say that shopping online makes available a wider variety of products than they can find in stores.” Online shopping presents a great opportunity for consumers to bypass their high-priced gas blues. It also presents an opportunity for affiliates to launch campaigns early to enhance their Q4 performance and fill the void for early shoppers who desire bargains, especially for Christmas

Among the merchants in Share Results that have helped affiliates benefit from Q4 is Imaginary Greetings (IGCO). Creator of the highly popular Letters from Santa, IGCO offers memorable letters for children who are excited by the thought of receiving a message from good Ole Saint Nick. The letters are engraved and are personalized for every recipient. IGCO affiliates experienced successful campaigns in 2007. Conversions were especially high (25% rate) for affiliates who placed banners and content on their Christmas-themed sites, virtual holiday shopping malls, and special occasions portals.

If you think that it’s too early to promote IGCO’s Letters from Santa, you might miss out on a great opportunity, especially with the growing popularity of Black Friday and Cyber Monday following American Thanksgiving.

Even if Letters from Santa is not your cup of tea, another option to consider for Q4 is Tundra Gear. This merchant’s affiliate program gives sports fans the chance to show off their true colours.

Tundra Gear has carved out a great position for itself via seasonal sports events throughout Q4, including football, hockey and snowboarding. Affiliates in the program have earned up to 25% in revenue share commissions on sales of the unique Russian fur hats. The fact that the merchant has officially licensed NFL, NHL and College Pins allows sports fans to bring an exclusive design to their merchandise.

So, while promoting during Q4 will require unique strategies to stand apart from other affiliates, it doesn’t look like saturation will be a factor for niche performance-based campaigns like IGCO and Tundra Gear. Both these merchants are examples of clients within the Share Results network who sell unique products. Furthermore they are open to working with email marketing networks. The same can be said for PPC affiliates and publishers with excellent holiday or sports themed content.

If you would like more examples of affiliate programs for Q4, or if you would like additional information on the aforementioned merchants, feel free to send us your inquiries at info@shareresults.com. Also, take a browse through the Featured Merchants section on the Share Results website.

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Affiliates can earn more this Q4