FeedFront Magazine, Issue 2

8/14/2019 FeedFront Magazine, Issue 2

1/64

Te Ofa Maane o Afate Smmt .eeont.

Volme 1, Isse 2 | Agst 2008

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EScApE rOM

NEw YOrk TAx NExuSAgE 8

5 MiNuTES wiThgArY VAYNErchuk

AgE 10

hOw AiliATEScAN gET STArTEdwiTh VidEO

AgE 15

ThE cOupONcOdE dilEMMA

AgE 60

hAikO dE pOEl, Jr.

ThEAiliATE

VOicE?

pAgE 4


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3/64

Tae o contents

03 guidE TO cONErENcE NETwOrkiNgShawn CollinS

04 hAikO dE pOEl, Jr.: ThE AiliATE VOicE?MiSSy ward

07 ShOuld YOu diVErSiY YOurAiliATE rEVENuE?

dan Murray

08 EScApE rOM NEw YOrk TAx NExuSBrian littleton

09 pErilS O whiTE hAT SEOwil reynoldS10 5 MiNuTES wiTh gArY VAYNErchuk

Shawn CollinS

12 AiliATE MANAgEr cOMMuNicATiONSTrATEgiES

triSha lyn Fawver

14 hOw AN AiliATE NETwOrklOOkS Or OErSStuart hoChwert

15 hOw AiliATES cAN gET STArTEdwiTh VidEO

MiChael BueChele

16 AiliATE MArkETiNg - A gAME O NuMbErSJaSon ForthoFer

17 AuTOMATiON TwMiSSy ward

18 ThE pOwEr O diVErSiTY -crEATiVES ANd lANdiNg pAgES

dante lee

20 bEcOMiNg A grEEN AiliATE MArkETErShawn CollinS

22 ThE TOS ThAT biNdJanet attard

24 ThE 10 AiliATE MANAgEr cOMMANdMENTSKiM rodgerS

26 wAYS AiliATE MANAgErS ShOuld bEhElpiNg publiShErS

Brian hawKinS

28 Six dEgrEES O AiliATE MArkETiNgZaC JohnSon

29 iNTErNET wEEk TAkES OVEr NEw YOrkStephanie agreSta

30 AiliATE SuMMiT 2008 EAST- bOSTON AgENdA40 kEYNOTE biO

- cOrY bOOkEr

41 AiliATE SuMMiT 2008 EAST- SpEAkEr biOS

53 AiliATE prOgrAM MANAgEMENT:lEAdErShip VS. MANAgEMENT

geno pruSSaKov

54 liNkShArES gOldEN liNk AwArdSANd SYMpOSiuM

MiSSy ward

56 AiliATE rEcruiTMENT STrATEgiESChuCK haMriCK

57 ENhANciNg YOurcuSTOMEr SErVicE prAcTicES

eMilio yepeZ

58 MErchANTS, briNg ON ThE VidEOStriCia Meyer

59 puT MArkETiNg bAck iNTOAiliATE MArkETiNg

MarK olSen

60 ThE cOupON cOdE dilEMMASCott Jangro


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EDITORS NOTE

Mssy War & Shawn Cllns, FF C-es--Cf

iTS All

AbOuT YOu.wEll AcTuAllY,iTS All AbOuT

All Of uSWere all in the affiliate

marketing industry

together, and when we

act in concert for a common cause,

great things can happen.

That is a guiding philosophy of

Affiliate Summit, where we strive

to run a true user- generated

conference. An event by affiliate

marketers and for affiliate

marketers.

The whole operation lives and

breathes on feedback, input, and

participation from the industry.

And thats the way things are going

with FeedFront Magazine, too. The

articles here are from the people

of affiliate marketing: affiliates,

merchants, and networks.

We figure the movers, shakers, anddoers in affiliate marketing are

the best to share perspectives and

ideas, rather than folks that have to

research how its all done.

But we can do more than come

together to share information.

We can also make a difference

in the world.

Its been inspiring to see affiliate

marketers mobilize via Affiliate

Summit to raise funds for a number

of charities, including Susan G.

Komen for the Cure, March of

Dimes, Big Brothers Big Sisters of

Southern Nevada, and the Starlight

Starbright Childrens Foundation.

Most recently, weve been working

to benefit The LEAGUE, a school-

based system that combines state

standards-based lesson plans with

community service events that teach

students the value of giving and

recognizes them for their efforts.

What can you give back today?

Volunteer your time, ideas, and

resources for a better industry

and a better world.

T whm mch s gvn,

mch s xpct.

Missy Ward & Shawn Collins

FeedFront Co-Editors-in-Chiefq

Volme 1, Isse 2 | Agst 2008

Sta

C-es CfMissy Ward, Shawn Collins

C-pbssMissy Ward, Shawn Collins

Cb wsStephanie Agresta, Janet Attard, MichaelBechele, Shawn Collins, Trisha Lyn Fawver,

Jason Forthoer, Chck Hamrick, Brian Hawkins,Start Hockwert, Scott Jangro, Zac Johnson,Dante Lee, Brian Littleton, Tricia Meyer,Dan Mrray, Mark Olsen, Geno Prssakov,Kim Rodgers, Missy Ward, Emilio Yepez

gc dsAlebet.com

pfAmy Rodrigez

Afliate Summit

221 Sherman AveSte #8 PMB 185

Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-1173

tel (908) 771-5574a (908) 364-4627

Articles in FeedFront Magazine are the opinions othe athor and may not necessarily reect the viewso the magazine, or its owners. FeedFront Magazinealways welcomes opinions o an opposite natre.

For more inormation, visit: www.FeedFront.com

Interested in advertising?Email s at: [email protected]

2008 Afliate Smmit, Inc.and Individal Athors.


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guidE TO cONfErENcE

NETwOrkiNgFace-to-face networkingduring conferences is keyto creating new businessrelationships and growingexisting ones.

Here are some keystrategies for optimizingyour time before, during,and after Affiliate Summitor any other conferenceyou attend.

www.feedfront.com August 2008 0

Print out the map and mark it upwith the companies you want to visitand make notes with questions youhave for each company.

buSiNESS cArdSCreate a customized business cardthat will stick out. I would suggestdesigning a new business card foreach conference you attend.

Include a reference to the conferenceto help people remember where theymet you.

Make it bigger or different in someother way maybe a theme. Just dosomething other than the typical cardthat gets lost in a stack of similar cards.

prEpArE Or NETwOrkiNgOppOrTuNiTiESThere are a number of formal andinformal networking events at aconference.

Any time there is a chance to meetpeople, whether it is a coffee break,structured networking session, orjust milling around the hotel lobby,take advantage of these times tomake business.

prE-ENgAgEBecome part of the conversationwith industry leaders. In advance ofa conference, there are a number ofways you can engage notable figuresin the industry.

dEiNE YOur gOAlSYou cant get ROI if you dont identifythe targeted R. So, determinewhat you hope to achieve from theconference in order to gauge howeffective the trip is for you.

STAY iNThE cONErENcE hOTElConferences will have a special rate

at the hotel where the conference istaking place. Book early, because theblocks of rooms typically sell out.

In addition to the convenienceof being physically close to theconference, you are also able toengage in the informal networkingall over the hotel before and afterconference hours.

TArgET liST O ATTENdEESReview the list of attending compa-nies for the conference and seek outpeople in the conference social net-

work to pre-network in advance.This will enable you to break the iceand set up meetings.

Also, search Google images forpeople and create a discreetcompilation of headshots of yourtargets to help identifying folks youwish to meet.

MAp OuT ExhibiTOrSCheck out the conference Web sitefor a map and list of exhibitors.

Call in to podcasts, post comments toblogs, send feedback to newsletters,respond in forum threads, and addthem on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

This way you will have a rapport withthese folks when you meet face to faceat the conference.

pErEcT YOurElEVATOr SpEEchBe prepared to deliver you elevatorpitch (or elevator speech), which is abrief overview of an idea for a productservice, or project.

Its called an elevator pitch, becauseit shouldnt last any longer than anelevator ride maybe thirty secondsor 100-150 words.

OllOw upAll the networking is for naught ifyou dont follow up. Forget e-mailand phone. Touch base with a hand-

written note.

Most importantly, be memorable andconcise. Start up relationships at theconference and build them afterwards.

Shawn Collins is a Co-founder of

Affiliate Summit and Co-Editor-in-Chief

of FeedFront Magazine.q

By Shawn Clln


6/64

By Mssy War

04 www.feedfront.com August 2008

hAikO dE pOEl, Jr.:

ThE AffiliATEVOicE?

Once the domain name marketcrashed, Haiko turned to affiliate mar-keting to derive revenue from the do-main inventory he had acquired. Hisfirst website was a personal websitecontaining Homer Simpson eating a do-nut in space. This site, he readily ad-

mits was the kind of site that membersof ABW would tear apart.

In 1999, he created his first businesssite, MarlboroMiles.com an online pe-tition to have the Marlboro Miles cata-log placed online. He soon realizedthat his visitors were also looking for aplace to redeem their miles. His long-term goal was to convince Phillip Mor-ris that MarlboroMiles.com had becomethe source for Marlboro Miles infor-mation, so that they would eventuallypurchase the website or so he hoped.

(Keep in mind that at this time, sell-ing trademark domain names was notagainst ICANN nor Trademark rules.)

In an effort to offset the costs of thesite and what he felt would be impend-ing legal issues with Phillip Morris, heaffiliated with Ask Jeeves to promotetheir search engine. While he didnt

The secret of success is con-stancy of purpose. Dis-raeli. This quotation ap-

pears over 18,000 times on ABestWeb.com the largest affiliate marketingforum with more than 43,000 reg-istered members. The founder of

ABestWeb, Haiko de Poel, Jr, has in-cluded this citation in every one of hisposts to remind readers that if onecommits to their goals and those ob-jectives are honorable, they will tri-umph. In these words, you will findthe formula to ABestWebs and Hai-kos success.

Before ABestWeb, or ABW as it is fre-quently called, Haiko was one of theprogenitors of prepaid phone cardsand owned a small, long distance re-sale company. He also experiment-

ed with a few inventions and designtrademarks.

Haiko learned about the potential ofthe Internet while watching televi-sion. He quickly ascertained that thedomain name would be crucial and in1998 he began to buy and speculate inpopular domain names.

quite figure out everything there was to

know about affiliate marketing then, hedid realize that tracking was an inherentproblem as he earned a whopping $0.30on millions of hits.

Needless to say, his first brush with af-filiate marketing left a sour taste in hismouth and he decided to take leave,post-haste.

About a year later, he decided to joinCommission Junction in an effort tomonetize his remaining domain inven-tory. After a major tracking incident andwhat he felt was unacceptable respon-siveness, he realized the need to facili-tate the affiliates right to be heard. In2001, ABestWeb was born with a goal ofbecoming a trusted third-party to protectand allow for the unencumbered affili-ate voice.

The forum began to gain critical massand cause quite a few stirs in the affili-ate marketing community. In its infan-cy, moderators were recruited who wererespected and trusted, including Lead-er, who Haiko believes added additionalcredibility to the forum.

By 2002, ABW became known as the fo-rum to go to when you wanted to knowabout affiliate marketing. Later thatyear, ABW was featured in three arti-cles covering Parasiteware, a term Hai-ko coined to describe, in a nutshell, anytechnology that overwrites affiliate links.

Today, with nearly 1 million posts and anAffiliate Summit Pinnacle Award for Af-filiate Marketing Advocate under its belt,ABW is more than just a forum that fo-

You deCide

HaikodePoel,Jr.,

FounderofABestWeb

MissyWard,

HaikodePoel,Jr.,

ShawnCollins


7/64www.feedfront.com August 2008

cuses on the challenges within the affili-ate marketing industry. Its a communi-ty of affiliate marketers that share ideas,joke around, talk about their lives andfamilies and challenge each other.

However, the fundamental principles inwhich the forum was founded are stillfirst and foremost. There is and willnever be any love for affiliate marketersthat are unethical unless they are willingto change, prove it, and continue to staythat way.

For those individuals or companies bor-dering on the grey area with their poli-cies, that wish to continue doing busi-ness as is, this authors advice is toenter at your own risk.

uNdAMENTAlSde Poels childhood was unique. Hewas born in Mexico City where his fa-ther worked for Jose Cuervo, Intl andhis mother, the Norwegian embassy. Hisparents separated when he was two andhe subsequently moved with his moth-

er and sister to the Upper East Side ofNYC to live with his godfather, who wasthe Norwegian Ambassador. His life was

privileged and fun and values were in-stilled in him at a very early age.

Today, Haiko lives in Jamaica Estates, NYa small family community that had oncebeen filled with tudor-style, tree-linedstreets. Unfortunately, the recent influxof a younger generation has changed thearea dramatically by building what Haikocalls McMansions and as such, hes currently looking to move to Florida, withAmelia Island being a targeted location.

One of his personal goals is to try tolearn and make a difference in every-thing he does. He currently teaches La-crosse to children in a non-profit organi-zation in which he belongs. Haiko is alsoa vocal voice in his local community andhas a passion for home-improvement

and gardening.

lOOkiNg TO ThE uTurEHaiko believes that the largest hurdlethat affiliate marketing faces can besummed up in one word. Ethics. Thosewho have them will keep fighting those

Haikode

Poel,Jr.onapanelduring

AffiliateS

ummit2008West-LasVegas


8/6406 www.feedfront.com August 2008

that dont. In his opinion, ShareASale and Advantlink aregood examples of companies that are doing affiliate market-ing right. He attributes their success to good principles andopen-communication, which leaves no room for speculationor doubt.

One piece of advice that Haiko gives to affiliates just startingout is, Get the best hosting plan that they can get. If theirsite is down, theyre not making money.

de Poel also points out that Affiliates need to pay attentionto the economy. They need to realize which niches and key-words will work in a recession. He also suggests stayingaway from niches like travel, car sales, and high-end electron-ics and looking more towards eco-friendly and savings typeoffers.

When asked to provide a wish-list of things he would like tosee happen to the affiliate marketing industry, Haiko took notime in sounding off a laundry-list of items including:

l Industry reputation improvement. The bad playershave besmirched it through almost heinous activities sothere needs to be some major damage control.

l Policing. We either do it as an industry or some otherentity will.

l Standards and best practices. As an industry we needto get together to develop standards and best practicesthat we will all adhere to.

l Enforcement. If we dont legally enforce thesestandards and best practices, then all we will do is

continue to have to work on our industry reputation.Enforcement is crucial for the long-term viability ofaffiliate marketing.

l Separation. The industry needs to be separated sothat the individual voices of the group can be heardand their interests protected. If this doesnt happen,larger money groups within the industry will continue tosteam roll the smaller ones and we go back to reputationmanagement once again.

l Communication. As Ive always said, communicationis the key. You just have to allow all to speak and all tolisten.

When asked what he wants to do in the future outside ofABW, he chuckled, You mean, what do I want to be when Igrow up? I dont know. Maybe a police officer or fireman. AlI know is that I want to keep helping people no matter whatindustry Im in.

Missy Ward is the Co-Founder of Affiliate Summit, the pre-

mier conference for the Affiliate Marketing Industry and

Co-Editor-in-Chief of FeedFront Magazine. She is also an

active affiliate. q

Deb Carney, Team Loxly, Ron Bechdolt, 7 Days a Week Marketing,Michael Coley, Amazing-Bargains and Haiko de Poel, Jr.


9/64


10/64

By Bran Lttltn


Earlier this year, the State ofNew York passed legislationusing affiliate programs as a

way to force merchants to collectsales tax. Rather than rehashing thelegal ramifications, Ill focus on threechoices that merchants are makingregarding this new law and sharesome of my opinions on each of them.

Before I share my thoughts, I wouldlike to go on record that I believe thefault ultimately lies within the lawitself, and those who wrote it. It isambiguous, confusing, and I believeoverreaching.

In enacting this law, New York placed

Internet retailers in an impossibleposition, and I believe the law has avery good chance of being challengedsuccessfully.

MErchANTS drOppiNg NEwYOrk AiliATESPersonally, while I understandwanting to be on the safe side, Ithink this was a mistake. Ive readthrough the law countless times anddidnt find anything that allowed foramnesty from the law if affiliates were

dropped.

Assuming a merchant qualified, itwould appear the only way to receiveamnesty for prior tax periods wasto begin collecting tax there wasno such allowance for closing theprogram to New York affiliates.

In a non-Internet analogy, imaginehaving an office in Manhattan for364 days/year, and then closing onDecember 31st and pretending itnever existed.

EScApE frOM

NEw YOrkTAxNExuS

MErchANTSMOdiYiNgTErMSOne of the moreambiguous sectionsallowed for thepresumption of nexusto be rebutted. Theallowance was possible

when an affiliates onlyaction was placinga link on a website.Some merchantsre-wrote terms todisallow affiliatesfrom email, PPC, andseveral other channels.

It is my opinion thatrewriting terms couldonly be consideredif the merchant hadalready received approvalfrom New York. The law

indicates a process whereasa merchant establishes proof,and possibly gains exemption.

I gathered that merchants who weretaking this route were assuming thatthey could declare themselves exemptwhen I am not sure that is truly thecase.

MErchANTS whO bEgANchArgiNg SAlES TAxI argued on my blog that this was the

only real option available to merchants.While the ambiguous and confusinglaw has many gray areas that could beexploited most merchants are veryconservative when it comes to pushingtax law.

I anticipate other states emulating NewYork and enacting similar legislation.When other states follow suit, therewill be two groups of merchants: thosewho geared up for this and are ready tobegin collecting tax for certain states,and those that are not prepared. I

believe it will be a competitive advantagefor merchants that are equipped toadapt.

Those who dropped New York affiliates,for example, will be faced with theprospect of dropping another group, andthen another, and so on.

There will come a point when they willbe forced to start collecting the taxes,but will be far behind in the process,and the alienated affiliates will be busypromoting programs that have alreadyadapted.

Brian Littleton is the President/CEO

of ShareASale.com, Inc., a retail focused

affiliate network for businesses of

all sizes.q


11/64

By Wl Rynl

However, it is imperative to me to develop long-term value for every client.

I think the short-term gain in search marketing isakin to using steroids in professional sports; youknow at any time the shoe could drop, but choose

to keep cheating.

The Page Rank the meek inherit what will it beworth?

Wil is the founder of SEER Interactive,

a Philadelphia-based SEO firm in 2002. q

Last year, I had a client who was the largestcompany in their space, yet they consistentlyranked on the bottom of page two in Google

for their most important term, no matter how hardthey tried.

They brought my company on board and we wereable to help get them as high as the fifth spot.

That was a marked improvement, but since theywere the leader in their space, we still werentthrilled with our results.

We found the company holding the top spot wasreceiving thousands of garbage GeoCities-typelinks. Most were not on theme and were on low val-ue sites.

Using LinkDiagnosis.com, we deter-mined the competitors links andPage Ranks were of extremely lowquality.

ThE dEVil YOudONT kNOwInterestingly enough, a year lat-er I had the opportunity to workwith the company in the top spot(our old clients competitor) onsome site architecture work.

I was so curious to find out how thecompany was able to outrank myold client with virtually no content on

their home page, so I accepted a short-term consulting agreement.

What I found was extremely disappointing.A top consultant who charges a small for-tune (not known for being a Grey Hat) was do-ing nothing but buying a ton of links.

No link baiting, no widget development, nopress releases, no useful tools, no FireFoxplug-ins, no coupons just sheer linknumbers on low quality sites.

There is nothing that aggravates memore than spammers buying links

and retaining their high rankings,while I remain cautious in my link ac-quisitions to ensure that our clientsavoid trouble.

whO lOSES iN ThE grEYhAT gAME?Looking at this insider view, many of youmay wonder if my tactics would change. Well,first I know that modifying my strategy to beeven more aggressive on paid links would likelyresult in slightly higher rankings for our clients.p

Eril

SOfw

hiTEhATSEO


12/64

By Shawn Cllns


Shawn:Why do you use Viddler toembed on Wine Library TV, insteadof the Revision3 version?

Gary:Viddler has been good to me.Weve had a two year relationship.When my company started using ittwo years ago, instead of YouTube,that was a risky move, because therewas a lot more to gain, in theory,with YouTube.

But they have been great to me,theyve had great service, and Ibelieve in the guys over there, so Iwant to support them.

Shawn:Do you have any good storiesyou can share from your book tour?

Gary:I signed a dudes chest the otherday. It would have been cool if it wasa chick, but you take what you canget. Nothing so crazy other than itsso humbling to see a hundred peopleshow up to your book signing inSeattle and Maryland and Portland.

Shawn:I saw the episode of WineLibrary TV when you were in Boston.Was it tough working with a Patriotsbucket?

5 MiNuTES

wiTh gArYVAYNErchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk, known as theSocial Media Sommelier andfor his in-your-face videos, is

the host of Wine Library TV and theDirector of Operations at Wine Libraryin Springfield, New Jersey.

His new book, 101 Wines Guaranteedto Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunderto Your World, puts all of his energyand passion for wine into print.

Gary will also be the keynote speakerfor Affiliate Summit 2009 inLas Vegas.

Shawn:What do you think is the mostimportant social media site?

Gary:I would say its neck and neckbetween Twitter and Facebook,depending on how you use things. Ithink Facebook has a lot more powerand could really go after Twitter andtake them out by creating a Facebookmobile thing that looks a lot like it.

But Twitter or something like Twitter.If Twitter is unable to scale, whether itis FriendFeed or Pownce or somethingwe dont know about right now, willbe the future, because mobile is thefuture.

Shawn:What do you think ofFriendFeed?

Gary:I have not dabbled into itenough to answer, but I know a lotof people are enjoying the threadedconversations there. FriendFeed hasa very legitimate chance to grab themarket. I think theyll be one of theplaces.

People realize that Twitter hasscalability issues and FriendFeed isprobably working on trying to competewith them as we speak.


13/64

Gary:Thats why I didnt spit it in. So I had to drinkthe wine. Thats what made it tough. It was a reallyfun time.

Shawn:Since you talk about the importance ofbuilding a personal brand, which player from the

New York Sack Exchange (defensive line for the NewYork Jets in the early 80s) do you think created thebest personal brand?

Gary:Bar none Mark Gastineau. When youd gooutside of New York, a lot of people knew Gastineau.Of course, I loved the subtleties of a hard-nosedplayer like Klecko, but the fact of the matter isthat Gastineau was able to create the biggestpersonal brand.

Shawn:Do you have any advice for people whoare trying to build a personal brand through socialmedia?

Gary:Authenticity, baby. Be a RAT. Be Real,Authentic, and Transparent. And know what youretalking about. That means going as niche as youhave to.

So, if you think you know a lot about basketball,but you realize you know more about the HoustonRockets, then do that. And if you know more aboutHakeem Olajuwon than the Houston Rockets, thenyou can do Hakeem Olajuwon TV or the HakeemOlajuwon blog.

I think people need to be champion of their sub-domain, and I think people need to go to their

lowest common denominator to achieve that.

Shawn:One last thing what do you see in yourfuture after the wine life is over?

Gary:Then it will be the Jets life. I want to buy theJets. Thats where I want to go. There will probablybe one stop in between. I just dont know whatthat is, yet, but I dont know that the wine life canachieve the $2 billion I need to buy the Jets, but thatis where I am going.

Shawn:In the meantime, are you going to get a boxat the stadium?

Gary:Yeah, maybe. I dont know. I am so focused onnot wasting any funds along the way, so I feel likethat couple hundred thousand could cost me.

wATch gArY AT

hTTp://TV.wiNElibrArY.cOM/ an

hTTp://gArYVAYNErchuk.cOM/.

Shawn Collins is a Co-founder of Affiliate Summit

and Co-Editor-in-Chief of FeedFront Magazine.q

www.feedfront.com August 2008

wATchAiliATESuMMiTSESSiONSOr rEEONliNE hTTp://www.AiliATESuMMiT.T



By Trsha Lyn Fawvr

Its been said over and over that the keyto success as an affiliate manager ismaintaining good relationships with

your affiliates.

The foundation of any good relationship

is communication, enforcing the need tobe available across multiple channels foryour affiliates to get in touch with you.

Making yourself available for your affili-ates will increase your effectiveness as anaffiliate manager, assist you in preventingfraud, and help to create a lasting bondwith your affiliates.

People are all different, and so are theirpreferences in communications. Broadavailability is your best bet. Make your-self available across more than one me-dium. In your communications to youraffiliates, make sure they have multiple

ways to contact you at their fingertips.

Your e-mail address, phone number, andphysical address should append all mes-sages and correspondence you send tothe affiliate so they know immediatelyhow to reach you.

When calling and leaving a message, re-member to always leave your phone num-ber - never assume they already have it. Ifaffiliates know how to contact you easily,they will be more likely to get a hold ofyou before making any wrong moves.

This will help you to keep your affiliateson the straight and narrow with immedi-ate feedback on their promotions ideas.

Communication is dynamic, and in thisday and age the number of communica-tion venues is increasing exponentially.Try to stay on that trendy wave and addnew ways for affiliates to connect withyou as the tide changes.

AffiliATE MANAgEr

cOMMuNicATiONSTrATEgiESCreate accounts across the popularInstant Messenger channels (AIM,Yahoo, MSN) and across the variousmicroblogging ventures like Twitter,Plurk, and Pownce.

This quick way to get someones atten-tion is incredibly easy to monitor with theright desktop applications, and provides

affiliates with a way to instantly ping youif they need help. That kind of instantaccess to you will win over their business.

Social Networks are also a great way toconnect with people and interact on alevel thats more human than corporate.

Networks like Facebook, MySpace, andLinkedIn allow you to connect withyour affiliates and share your interestsand other ideas. A secure personalrelationship with your affiliates willbenefit both parties.

As the affiliate manager, your insightinto the affiliates hobbies will help you tounderstand how they run their business,and might just give you some uniqueideas that you can pass on to them tohelp you both grow their promotionsof your program.

Their insight into your interests will also

allow them to make a personal connec-tion and extend some trust to you whenyou do make those hair-brained sugges-tions after learning they collect 1970sMcDonalds Happy Meal toys.

Keeping channels open for your myriadof affiliates to contact you will make youan affiliate manager to be trusted, andreckoned with!

Trisha Lyn Fawver is the Marketing

Manager for PsPrint.com.q


15/64



By Start Hchwrt

There is an unprecedented shiftin media dollars from print andbroadcast to on-line. As more

eyeballs move on-line, advertisers arefinding their traditional media doesnot work as well as it once did.

So, how do we prospect to get thenext best on-line performance media

offer for our affiliate network?

Other networks like the GoogleAdSense network and banner networkshave it easier. The advertisers payper click or per thousand and risktheir own money. With the affiliatenetwork, the advertiser does not riskanything; the risk falls to the affiliate.

Our job is to minimize this risk usingour proprietary seven-step method:

hOw AN AffiliATE

NETwOrk lOOkSfOr OffErS

Ste 1Identification look forprospects in categories that

are doing well in affiliatenetworks and categories intraditional media that havenot yet transitioned on-line.

Ste 2Media Budget look forprospects that are alreadyadvertising. Some greatproducts have no mediabudget; they may be soldonly in stores as an example.

Ste 3Market Size or Market Share if we find a prospect

already advertising on-line, we maybe increasing our market share ofthe product or affiliate budget. Manyfirms only look to steal smart andincrease market share. A betterindustry practice is to expand marketsize. Look for prospects that advertiseon cable or TV or in magazines thatwould like to make the jump on-line.

Ste 4Bounty an astute direct marketerknows they will need to spend 30 40% of the purchase price for mostoffers for their media cost. So, a$100 item should have a payout tothe affiliate network of $30 - $40. Ifan advertiser is offering $20, it willbe hard to make the offer work.

Ste 5Creative direct response creativeshould be created by direct response

professionals. There are musts andmust nots. Our team will look atcreative and suggest resources if thecreative is likely to be a poor performer

Ste 6Financial Review this step involvesreviewing the advertisers financials,system integrity and credit worthiness.We will also validate any scrubs. Anoffer for a Wonder Garden at $100should only scrub if the credit card

is bad. If they scrub because theperson is in their house file andlast ordered from them 11 yearsago, this is not acceptable, and ahuge point missed by many.

Ste 7Testing new offers can be placed inthe network right away with affiliatesbeing the Beta testers. Or, a moresophisticated network might use theirown media to test the offer beforemaking it a public offer in the network.

It is not easy to predict a winneror loser. But, steps can be taken tominimize risk.

Stuart Hochwert has a background in

consumer publishing and direct mail.

He is the President and Fonder of

Ampere Media LLC(www.amperemedia

com), which runs the SilveriNet

(www.silverinet.com) affiliate network.q


17/64

By Mchal Bchl

If youve watched video on Hulu,Yahoo, or AOL, youve seenprofessional video with ad types like

pre-roll, post-roll, and overlays.

As you get acquainted with video for

affiliate marketing, dont concern yourselfwith these formats just yet. There areother ways to utilize video to drive trafficto merchants.

On a side note, I cant stand pre-roll.When I click play I want the video now,not after a 15-second ad.

crEATE ANd uplOAd VidEOcONTENTVideo production for the newbie will notbust your budget. Camcorders such as theFlip are inexpensive and ridiculously easy

to use.

Jim Kukral has created a great userguide for easy video production atOnlineVideoToolkit.com. Check that outfor production ideas.

Next, you need to publish and get it infront of people. You can upload to videohosting sites such as YouTube, Magnify,Revver, Viddler, and others.

TubeMogul is a service that can do thisfor you. However, you lose control of the

advertising that the site displays aroundyour video, unless you use a video hostwith a revenue sharing program.

After you upload to the video host,embed it on your site. Then you canleverage the traffic from the video hostas well as your own sites traffic.

MAkE riENdS, hAVE uNUse the social networks to connectwith other affiliate marketers intovideo. If you dont have accounts onFacebook, Twitter, Pownce, andMySpace, sign up now.

You can also create a community onNing, and participate on forums anddiscussions on the video hosting sites.

cAShiN iNMonetize your video with affiliate linksand banners.

On your own site, use merchant andproduct banner ads relevant to yourvideo content. These can be hardcoded or rotated through an ad serversuch as OpenX, or through a pluginlike Max Banner Ads if you are using aWordPress blog.

Smaller niche sites can use a singlemerchant or product as a sponsorfor the entire site, but you may needmerchant permission.

Get things started with banner ad

rotations or text links on the page,and remember to watermark your videoif you plan to have it on multiple sites.

lET YOur cONTENT bE YOur AdUser generated video, produced bytalented product evangelists with passioncan be both informative and entertaining(watch a Gary Vaynerchuk video to see itdone right).

A major problem with this model is theunwillingness of some merchants to giveup control of their products to customersand the fear of low quality video beingassociated with their products.

The solution to this is high quality videocontent backed by a growing socialnetwork. Merchants will come aroundwhen you drive sales.

Its still early in online video and evenearlier for affiliate marketing through

video. Make video now and experiment.Youll be ahead of the curve as theindustry moves toward standardization.

Michael Buechele is the founder of

11|15 Media, Inc. q


hOw

AffiliATEScAN gETSTArTEd

wiThVidEO


18/64

By Jasn Frthr


You know those work

from home opportunities

you see advertised where

the earning potential is

seemingly unlimited?

With the right motivation,workers can make untold richesat a rate up to $12 per hour.

Heres a little tip in case you haventfigured it out yet. The only one makingthe big paycheck is the guy thatsuckers are buying those e-books from.

If youve been an affiliate marketer forlonger than a week, you know not totell anyone about your successfulcampaigns.

I once ran an offer that made $1,200per day. Do you think I told peopleabout it so they could compete with meon the same keywords?

So back to our $12/hour opportunity.

Guess what? Affiliate marketersearning $12 an hour will rake in$105,120 per year. Thats based onaffiliate sites working 24/7: ($12 x 24hours x 365 days = $105,120).

In what other industry can you make$12 an hour and still make 6 digits?

Affiliate marketing is a numbers game.

Not to get all clichd, but, slow andsteady well, you know the rest.What if you started approaching youraffiliate efforts with this question:What is it going to take for me tomake $1 per hour? $1 per hour is$24/day, $720/month, $8,640 per year.

When was the last time you got an$8,600 raise? Be careful not to focus

on the $8,600. Focus only on the $1 perhour. The rest will happen on its own.

Would you work 100 hours to make$5/day more? I would.

Why?

Internet marketers have an advantageover almost every other business.We are always working, even whenwere not.

If you worked 100 hours to make $5

more per day, the first week you wouldhave earned $35 or $0.35 per hour!However, one year later those 100hours have net $1,820 ($18/hour). Fast-forward five years, $9,100 ($91/hour).

hOw TO gET iT dONEMany super affiliates have bloggedabout how to reach affiliate marketingnirvana for years. Yet, we are too busyreading them instead of doing the workto get there.

Its not rocket science. You need towork for it, whether working on yourSEO, creating another site, designingbetter landing pages, or improvingconversion rates.

Im not going to lie to you. Affiliatemarketing is hard work.

Its not complex work, but it doesinvolve many tough hours of research,testing, designing, coffee drinking,fighting sleep and more testing.

However, do this a few times, and youlldiscover that affiliate marketing is alot about building. Create a site thatmakes you $100 per month. Then buildanother. And another.

Soon thereafter, a wonderful thinghappens. You get better at it and nowyoure in control of your business.

Jason Forthofer is the Affiliate Manager

for The Shops at 24Seven. Read his blog at

http://theshopsat24seven.blogspot.com. q

AffiliATE MArkETiNg

A gAME Of NuMbErS


19/64

By Mssy War


Iam a huge fan of automation.

Anything that ultimately saves timeand money, offers flexibility, and

works properly when you use it, is afriend of mine.

That being said, Id like to introduce youto a few of my friends.

bOuNcEBounce is a link management systemthat automates the monetization of linksthroughout your forum, blog, social net-

work, or content site by converting direct

to merchant links to commissionableaffiliate links on the fly. Bounce is easilyinstalled via plug-in or JavaScript code.Once links are passing through the sys-tem, users can also view URLs of mer-chants that they currently arent mone-tizing. More information on Bouncecan be found at Bounce.cc.

Or ME TO cOupONFor Me To Coupon offers an automatedaffiliate coupon feed which consolidates

SOME O MYAVOriTEAiliATETOOlS YOuMAY NOT bE

uSiNg.

deals from merchants across all majoraffiliate networks in the U.S. in astandard format. The feed is easy tointegrate and is very flexible. Customiza-tion is available and U.K. and Canadaaffiliate networks are coming soon.More information can be found atForMeToCoupon.com.

gOldENcANGoldenCAN data feed integrationenables affiliates to add millions ofproducts, thousands of coupons, recent

price drop products, and search on theaffiliate website with only one line ofHTML code. Affiliates can create storeswith single or multiple merchantsacross networks without knowing anyprogramming or database language.The data feed is maintained and hostedby GoldenCAN and serves the affiliatesite in real time which ensures thatproduct availability and pricing is alwaysaccurate. More information can be foundat GoldenCAN.com.

pOpShOpS

PopShops is the largest searchablecollection of affiliate products inthe world; featuring over 44 millioncommissionable products that spaneight networks including CommissionJunction, Google Affiliate Network,LinkShare, and ShareASale. Theirdynamic toolset is known for beingso easy that a 3-year old could useit. Their solution for the data feedheadache won the ABestWeb awardfor Best Affiliate Tool of 2007.More information can be found atPopShops.com

Hopefully, these tools will become someof your good friends as well. Send me anemail to let me know how you like themat [email protected].

Missy Ward is the Co-Founder of Affiliate

Summit, the premier conference for the

Affiliate Marketing Industry and Co-Edi-

tor-in-Chief of FeedFront Magazine. She is

also an active affiliate. q

AuTOMATiON fTw

MissyWard,

Co-founderofAffiliateSu

mmit



By dant L

ThE pOwEr OfdiVErSiTYcrEATiVESANd lANdiNgpAgESHow affiliate marketing can work to reach

African Americans, Hispanics and Asians

It took traditional marketers morethan 50 years to figure out that peo-ple of different ethnic groups re-

spond differently towards advertising.Hopefully, it wont take affiliate market-ers that long because the theory has al-ready been proven. Quite frankly, it wasvery obvious from the start.

If you are marketing to women,wouldnt you include images of womenin your campaign? If you are marketingto teenagers, wouldnt you feature teensin the ad and perhaps some theme thatappeals to that group? Of course youwould. The same would go for seniorcitizens, and any other demographicyou can think of.

There is no difference when it comes tomarketing to minorities. There are anestimated 50,000 web sites whose visi-tors are primarily individuals who be-long to a minority group. In addition,

there are free services like ConnectPlat-form.com that are being used heavily tocreate social networks specifically forminority groups.

Therefore, smart advertisers and net-works should be advocating the develop-ment of culture-specific landing pagesand creatives for their publishers.

Here are two ways to effectively reachthis diverse audience with your affili-ate offers:

1Design your landing pages and cre-atives to have a multicultural theme.

For example, incorporate a collage ofpictures of Blacks, Hispanics, Asians,Native Americans, and Whites.

2Design different landing pages andcreatives for each ethnic group.This way, a publisher can choosewhich best fits their audience.

Consider this: Imagine you are a Chinesefemale that visits a website for a car loanquote. When you get there, you see a pic-ture of a group of white business men.

Would this resonate with you?

Probably not.

However, if you visited that web siteand saw a group of Chinese people thereyou are 75% more likely to completethe offer.

Imagine the increase in conversions thatyou could see by implementing this sim-ple, low-cost change.

It is important that you do not designyour creatives to include racial stereo-types. For instance, not all African Amer-icans like the hip-hop culture and not allHispanics are Mexicans, let alone speakSpanish. In addition, not all Asians eatsushi.

The key is to do your research, and gain afull understanding of different cultures.

Remember that BET is a $3 billion dollarcompany because they figured out howto appeal to the African American mar-ket. Univision is also worth billions be-cause they understand how to reach theHispanic market.

Combined there are over 70 million mi-norities in the United States who spendmore than $2 trillion dollars annually.Can you really afford to be missing outon all those conversions?

Dante Lee is an affiliate marketer and the

president/CEO of Diversity City Media - an

award-winning marketing and public

relations firm based in Columbus, Ohio.q


21/64



By Shawn Cllns

Many affiliate marketers are eco-friendly by default, if they workfrom home for some or all of

their work days.

Cutting out the commute is a good start,but what else can you do to be a greenaffiliate marketer?

uSE lESS pApEr

Limit your printing and print double-sid-ed when possible. Also, register for on-line banking and pay bills online.

If you need to send and receive faxes,you can easily cut down on paper. Whensending faxes, I typically scan andemail the documents, and when

receiving, I have an account with Call-Wave, where my faxes come in asattachments via email.

Not only does this limit the paper usage,

but it also enables me to have a digitalarchive of incoming and outgoing faxes.

And if you use lots of Post-its to remindyourself of things, switch to onlinereminders via Microsoft Outlook Tasks,RememberTheMilk.com, or some otherpaper-free reminder system.

rEuSE YOur pApEr

Of course, sometimes you need toprint things out, and you receive paperin the mail. Plus, you have your favorite

magazines, like FeedFront. ;-)

Use the once used paper in your posses-sion as scrap paper. And those maga-zines donate them to your local library

or send to your friends and associates.

dONT bE A pOwEr hOg

If youre leaving the office for a while,set your computer and other office ma-chines in power saving mode, or turnthem off.

You might not want to reboot the com-puter every time, but it takes a secondto turn off that monitor.

This goes for your A/C and lights, too.

bEcOMiNg A grEENAffiliATE MArkETEr

MickeyCollinstakes

abreakfrombeinganaffiliatetoenjoythegree

n



Use Those Swirly Light Bulbs

You know those funny looking lightbulbs? They are known as compact fluo-rescent light bulbs.

According to ENERGY STAR, a joint pro-gram of the U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency and the U.S. Department ofEnergy, ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs useabout 75 percent less energy than stan-dard incandescent bulbs and last up to10 times longer.

These bulbs will save you some cash,too. You can bank $30 or so in electricitycosts over each bulbs lifetime.

STOp ThrOwiNg STu OuT

Dont use paper plates and throwawaycoffee cups. Youre at home, so use yourreal plates and cups. Clean and reuse,instead of piling up the landfills.

And all of that junk mail? Check outstopjunk.com for instructions to get offdirect mailing lists.

Beaudon Spaulding, SMSPolitical.com Sam Harrelson, CostPerNews.com Melissa Salas, Buy.com

Amy Rodriguez, Affiliate Summit

The identity theft prevention service life-lock.com also gets your name removedfrom pre-approved credit card and junkmail lists.

YOurE grEEN ANd prOud,ShOuT iT OuT lOud

Affiliate Summit would like to help youshow off your Green Affiliate pride byslapping a Green Affiliate sticker on yourlaptop. Or your bike, monitor, fridge, etc.

This is a removable laptop sticker fromSticker Giant, so you can remove it atany time without leaving gunk on yourcomputer.

This offer is good for U.S. addresses only.

Request your free stickers atwww.affiliatesummit.com/green.

Shawn Collins is a Co-founder of Affiliate

Summit and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Feed-

Front Magazine.q

Michael Buechele, 11|15 Media Jim Kukral, ScratchBack.com

Scott Jangro, Jangro.com



By Jant Attar

ThETOSThATbiNd

Youve just found a new offer you think you can profitfrom. Youre in a hurry, so you fill out the signup form,and click the checkbox that says youve read the Terms

of Service (TOS) or affiliate agreement, even though you didnt.Heck, theres not going to be anything in there that affects you

anyway, right?

Wrong.

Buried inside that legal agreement are clauses that may allowthe company to withhold commissions youve earned, wait formonths to pay you, force you to run ads for the company longafter youd like to take them down, or make you liable for dam-ages in lawsuits.

A few years ago, a merchant withheld commissions from a pub-lisher because a page on the publishers site wound up as thethird listing in organic results for a search term associated withthe companys product.

The clickable link in the search listing was the affiliate link in-stead of a link to the page the listing described. The merchantdenied payment as their TOS stated that affiliates would not bepaid for sales resulting from affiliate links contained within theSERPs.

In another case, a publisher discovered the hard way thatthe TOS for a contextual ad network they were working with,required publishers to give the network 90-days advanced notice

before removing the networks ads. Aweek after the publisher removed most(but not all) of the networks ads, theyreceived a call from their account man-ager who reminded them about the 90-

day out clause.

Much to the publishers dismay, whentheir commission check arrived, it wasfor 25% of the amount that they hadearned. In addition to the 90-day outclause mentioned above, the networksTOS also included a clause enabling thenetwork to withhold earnings for a pe-riod of 2-months prior to any breach inthe contract by the publisher

Clauses that directly affect earningsarent necessarily the biggest problems,either. Some indemnification and hold

harmless clauses are potentially muchmore damaging.

Merchants and ad networks will advisepublishers that the purpose of indemni-fication clauses is to provide self-protec-tion in the event a publisher does some-thing that causes a lawsuit to transpire.

Unfortunately, thats not how some ofthose clauses actually read. In some cas-es, such clauses are written to protectthe merchant or network from publish-ers, even if the publisher has done noth-

ing wrong. Their goal is to indemnifythemselves from claims brought on bythird parties arising out of the publish-ers use of merchants or networks ma-terial.

So, what do you do if you like a dealand think it will do well for you, but youdont like the TOS?

Negotiate.

If a merchant is excited about work-ing with you, theyll be willing to makechanges. They wont remove particularly

egregious indemnification clauses, butyou can ask them to have the clause re-written by their attorney so that you areonly on the hook for your own misdeeds not for the transgressions of the mer-chant or network themselves.

Janet Attard is the President

and CEO of Business Know-How

(www.businessknowhow.com) a

popular small business website. q


25/64



By Km Rgrs

Below is a listing of personal philoso-phies that I follow each day in my roleas an affiliate manager.

I call them my Ten Affiliate ManagerCommandments, because I see them asimperative, in order to do my job effec-tively and foster the bond between mycompany and the affiliates that are inmy program.

Ponder them and try to incorporatesome or all into youraffiliate program.

1 ThOu ShAllAlwAYS bEAccESSiblE

Be available throughdifferent communica-tion channels, includ-ing email, phone, fo-rums and Facebook.If affiliates cant get ahold of you, chancesare they will move onto your competition.

2hONOr ThY pArENTcOMpANY ANd ThYAiliATE pArTNEr

As an affiliate manager, your alliancesare to both parties. Ultimately, both thecompany and affiliates share the samegoals: generate revenue, experiencegrowth and achieve a positive ROI.

3ThOu ShAlT NOT wOrkwiTh AiliATESwhO STEAl

This includes adware, loyaltyware,cookie-stuffers, and PPC violators. Itsyour program. Take ownership and cleanhouse. Educate yourself at ABestWeb.coms Parasiteware forum and Affiliate-FairPlay.com.

4ThOu ShAll AdhErE TO AcOdE O EThicS.If you are, or if you allow affiliates to par-take in unethical activity, you are steal-ing from your company. In this business,reputation is everything. Do the rightthing from the beginning and youll havenothing to worry about.

5ThOu ShAll pAYcOMMiSSiONS TiMElY ANdAirlY

Pay commissions on time, every time.If the payment schedule is interrupt-ed, communicate the issue. Affiliatesare not employees, but they should betreated with the same respect employ-ees deserve.

6ThOu ShAll bE A chAMpiONOr AiliATES wiThiN ThEOrgANizATiON

As an affiliate manager, it is your dutyand obligation to advocate for your affili-ates within your company. EducateC-levels to understand the value affili-ates bring to the table. Hint: Its morethan just revenue.

7ThOu ShAll cOMMuNicATEEEcTiVElY.Affiliate partners must be kept abreastof any changes to the program, includingchanges to your site, product line andany tools they may be utilizing. Make ita common practice to communicate withthem on a regular basis.

8 ThOu ShAll bEkNOwlEdgEAblE AbOuTThE iNduSTrY

Learn by participating in forums and read-ing industry magazines. Attend AffiliateSummit and other gatherings to networkand visit affiliate marketing Web sites.Take the initiative to educate yourselfabout affiliate marketing and Webmarketing in general.

9ThOu ShAlT NOTrEMOVE AiliATES OrlOw Or NO pErOrMANcE

These affiliates have shown interest.Now it is your job to help get the ballrolling. Reach out, ask if there is any-thing they need or if they have ques-tions, but never hit the delete button.Doing so kills any possible chance ofa relationship in the future.

10

ThOu ShAlT NOT

bEcOME idlEEven the best in the business workhard to maintain that status. The skyis the limit. Rarely do wonderful thingshappen to those that sit around andwait for them.

Kim Rodgers manages the 4Checks.com

affiliate program , which was voted Best

Affiliate Program and Most Improved

Affiliate Program (ABestWeb, 2007). q

ThE10AffiliATE

MANAgEr

cOMMANdMENTS


27/64


28/64

wAYS AffiliATE

MANAgErS ShOuld bEhElpiNg publiShErS

26 www.feedfront.com August2008

By Bran Hawkns

If you really want to grow your affili-

ate program you need to start treat-

ing your affiliates as true strategic

partners. Good affiliates are in high de-

mand. They have dozens of ways to

monetize their traffic, including working

for your competitors.

AiliATE MANAgErS ShOuld

bE SupEr AiliATES

Take the drivers seat put yourself into

your publishers shoes. Prove that you

can be a super affiliate.

Build a test affiliate Web site in another

niche to demonstrate you can get target-

ed traffic. Study which keywords, land-

ing pages, creative, and ad copy actually

convert into sales.

uNiquE

wAYS TO

hElp YOur

pArTNErS

bEYONd

JuST

cOupONS,rEE

TriAlS

ANd

crEATiVE

Then, use your

findings to pro-

vide real advice to

your affiliates.

ESTAbliShTruST

Its not just

SHOW ME THE

MONEY! Every-

one says that they

have the high-

est paying offers

that convert like

gangbusters. Its

PROVE WE CAN

EARN THE

MONEY!

Provide real stats

and examples of

the actual earning

potential. Affili-

ate managers often get a bad rap for be-

ing incentivized for the wrong goals and

leaking out too many confidential affili-

ate strategies.

Your communications should be

sincerely helpful yet prove that you

have a product thats worth their time

to promote.

Take the time to listen and learn your

partners business model. Then prove

that youre reliable and honest with what

you can bring to the table.

prOVidE uNiquE OErSYour affiliate newsletter needs to standout in the publishers cluttered inbox.Free trials, coupons and fresh creativeare nice but you need to go above and

beyond the basics to really help yourpublishers.

Think about offering a free unique giftto information guide with purchase orlead request. Make sure it has high per-

ceived value to boost the conversion ratefor impulse sales. Consider offering thisonly through the affiliate channel or ex-

clusive partners.

bE crEATiVE

Try sponsoring prizes and giveaways tohelp your partners create viral market-ing buzz. Make an effort to boost user-generated content to video entries or toearn SEO link bait and social bookmark-ing votes.

Save your partners precious time and in-

vest in their success by offering to hirefreelance ghost writers, video producers,graphic designers or widget to game pro-grammers.

TrAiN YOur uTurE TOpprOducErS

Think twice before you decide to kickout partners just because they didnt de-liver any clicks in the last thirty days.The email distribution cost savings isonly fractional to the potential that thesefuture partners could bring to the table.

Focus on training your mid-level produc-ing to inactive partners on the best affili-ate marketing tips available.

If you really want to help your partners,

then join the tribe. A real affiliate makes

for a better affiliate manager.

Brian Hawkins is a dedicated affiliate

manager of Pingo.com, a global calling

card provider.q

BrianHawkins,AffiliateManageratPingo.com


29/64


30/64

6Six dEgrEESOfAffiliATE MArkETiNg


By Zac Jhnsn

Ever wonder where you would be ifyou hadnt made that extra contact orconnection?

If youve already been to a networkingconference like Affiliate Summit and sawa speaker or person you wanted to talkwith, you may already be very familiar

with the situation.

Right after the speaker has finishedtheir presentation, everyone rushes upto them and has their own questions toask, or at the very least, just to introducethemselves.

For the speaker, the majority of thesenew contacts will fizzle out or justbecome another business card added tothe Rolodex.

But every once in a while, there are those

life changing contacts.

Wikipedia defines six degrees ofseparation as the idea that, if a personis one step away from each person heor she knows and two steps away fromeach person who is known by one of thepeople he or she knows, then everyone isan average of six steps away from eachperson on Earth.

This principal could be no truer than inour affiliate marketing space.

The first conference I ever attended was

Commission Junction University (CJU),back in 2000 while I was still in highschool.

At the time I was only 17, and just a fewdays before the event, my father and Idecided to fly out.

This decision was the tipping point formy business.

While at CJU, I made priceless contactsand new friends that I still work and

talk with today. To this day, I can link agreat majority of my existing businessrelationships to those first contacts Imade years ago.

At one of my first speakingengagements, I focused on social/business networking, and its importanceto success. To help make my point Ideveloped a slide that laid out a lineageof how a few key people can reallychange your life and business.

This is a great exercise for anyone todo. It really points out the many keypeople that have helped you succeedover the years and shows how oneperson leads to.

One fact I have learned over the yearsis that, good people know goodpeople, and this is the basis for

successful networking.

I would encourage everyone to performthis exercise on their own business life,it is not only an eye opener, but also is avery strong lesson in humble pie.

You will discover how many good peoplecontributed to your successes.

You never know wherethat next life orbusiness changingcontact may

happen. At yournext conference ormarketing event,make sure youtake the leap totalk witheveryone you can.

No matter howwell known, or howmuch of a newbiesomeone might be,make sure you take

the time to speak with them, learn abouttheir business and them personally.

Most importantly, show respect toanyone you meet. You may just besurprised who they are, who theybecome, or better yet, whom theymight know.

Zac Johnson is President and CEO of

MoneyReign Inc.q


31/64

iNTErNET

wEEkTAkESOVEr

NEw YOrk

By Stphan Agrst


So many events, so little time.

That was the pervasive feeling ofattendees at the first of its kindInternet Week, held in New YorkCity June 310, 2008.

But beyond the parties andrevelry, the week provided leadersin technology, media, marketingand advertising an opportunityto come together and engage insubstantive conversation aboutthe convergence of traditionalmarketing and emerging mediachannels.

Started by the International Acad-emy of Digital Arts and Sciences(IADAS), in cooperation with thecity of New York and the Mayors

Office of Film, Theatre & Broad-casting, the week was billed asa celebration of digital mediaindustry and community.

Not nearly the size or stature ofits inspiration, Fashion Week,

which started in its current formin 1993, Internet Week will un-doubtedly grow quick given thelevel of moxie and motivation ofthe NYC tech crowd.

Highlights from the week includ-ed, the live Diggnation taping, TheMashable Exhibit Hall, The Tech-Set party at the Hotel Gansevoort,The Federated Media Conversa-tional Marketing Summit, TheWebby Awards, and the New YorkSoftware Industry Association(NYSIA) networking event.

I predict an expansion into othercities and hopefully international-ly. This was definitely the start ofsomething grand.

Stephanie Agresta is the founder

of InternetGeekGirl.com and

AffiliateKarma.com q

StephanieAgrestaand

TayZondayofChocolateRainfame


32/64

AffiliATE SuMMiT EAST 2008 AgENdA


SATurdAY, AuguST 9liVE AiliATE MANAgEr wOrkShOp

LOCATION: WATERFRONT 1

TIME: 8:00AM - 12:30PM

Join Affiliate Classroom for a half-day workshop

dedicated to Affiliate Managers. Packed with tips,

advice and how-to information, this workshop will

include Networking opportunities so you can meetone another and begin building relationships. Plus,

Roundtable Discussions where you can meet with

your peers and a topical expert to discuss affiliate

marketing best practices and advanced affiliate

management strategies.

Learn from and interact with industry professionals

including Peter Figueredo, Trisha Lyn Fawver, Lee

The Lead Man Gientke, Sam Harrelson, Rebecca

Madigan, Heather Paulson, Lisa Riolo and Brad Waller.

For more information and to register, visit:

www.AffiliateClassroomLIVE.com.Note: This requires a separate registration from

the Affiliate Summit conference.

SuNdAY, AuguST 10chriSTiAN AiliATE MArkETiNgASSOciATiON - ThE cAMA cruiSE

LOCATION: WORLD TRADE CENTER DOCK

TIME: 8:30AM - 11:00AM

bOOTh SETup

LOCATION: ExHIBIT HALL AREA -COMMONWEALTH COMPLEx

ExHIBITOR MOVE IN: 9:00AM - 6:00PM

rEgiSTrATiON

LOCATION: COMMONWEALTH COMPLExREGISTRATION AREA

TIME: 8:30AM - 6:00PM

AiliATE MEET MArkET

LOCATION: CITYVIEW BALLROOM

TIME: 12:00PM - 6:00PM

ExHIBITOR MOVE IN: 9:00AM - 12:00PM

Affiliate Summit kicks off with an extended session

of structured, face to face networking. Merchantswill have tables set to meet with affiliates to discuss

their affiliate programs and cut deals. Vendors that

cater to affiliates and merchants will also have

tables to share information about their products

and services. Each table is a meeting spot for teach-

ing, learning, closing deals, creating partnerships

and finding new opportunities.

which ppc ENgiNES wOrk ANd hOw?

LOCATION: HARBORVIEW BALLROOM 1

TIME: 12:00PM - 1:00PM(This Session is Open to Full Conference Pass Holders Only)

Which PPC engines are going to make you money?

How can you manage a large campaign (1000s

of unique ads on multiple networks) with just one

person? Learn tricks to automate your PPC

management.

l John Hasson, Owner, JohnHasson.com

Intela LLC, Platinum Sponsor of Affiliate Summit 2008 East - Boston



ShArEASAlE NETwOrk EducATiON cliNic


TIME: 12:00PM - 1:00PM

(This Session is Open to All Attendees)

Affiliates will have an opportunity to learn tips

and tricks about how to most effectively work with

ShareASale merchants.

lEVErAgiNg SOciAl MEdiA



This session helps affiliate marketers, networks and

merchants recognize the power of adapting and

adopting social media platforms into their programs

for increased traffic, conversions and profit.

l Sam Harrelson, Publisher, CostPerNews

MONETizE YOur SiTE wiTh AMAzON ASSOciATES


TIME: 1:30PM - 2:30PM

(This Session is Open to All Attendees)

The Amazon Associates program has helped affili-

ates monetize web properties for over 10 years. Hear

from current Amazon Associates about how they

drive revenue through their sites with Amazon.

l Matt Tavis, Senior Product Manager, Amazon

l Jay Brewer, Founder, Blogpire Productions

l Lydia Walshin, Blogger, ThePerfectPantry.com

NY TAx lAwS - iSSuES ANd SOluTiONS


TIME: 3:00PM - 4:00PM

(This Session is Open to Full Conference Pass Holders Only)

Discussion on the New York Affiliate Tax on the

issues and solutions surrounding the new law.

l Adam Riemer, Director of Marketing and Client

Relations, Downtown Ecommerce Partners

(Moderator)

l Chris Henger, Group Product Manager,Google Affiliate Network

l Kim Rodgers, Affiliate Manager, 4Checks.com

l Melanie Seery, Affiliate, NY Affiliate Voice

l Clarke D. Walton, Internet Lawyer,

Walton Law Firm, P.C.

pEppErJAMNETwOrk EducATiON cliNic


TIME: 3:00PM - 4:00PM(This Session is Open to All Attendees)

Affiliates will have an opportunity to learn tips

and tricks about how to most effectively work with

pepperjamNETWORK merchants.

OneNetworkDirect, Silver Sponsor of Affiliate Summit East - Boston Affiliate Summit 2007 East Session Audience


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ThE STATE O Ad NETwOrkS

SESSiON 1A

LOCATION: CLASSROOM A - CITYVIEWBALLROOM

TIME: 10:30AM - 11:30AM


The trends are evident and there is no debate: we are

in the midst of a tremendous rise in performance-

based marketing and it has now overtaken CPM as

the preferred pricing model.

l Todd Crawford, Owner, ToddTalks.com

(Moderator)

l Michael Jenkins, CEO/Founder, MarketLeverage

l Bob King, CEO, ClickBank

l Don Mathis, President, Epic Advertising

l Aleck Schleider, Vice President of Marketing,

AOLs Platform-A division

cONTENT ThAT killS

SESSiON 1b

LOCATION: CLASSROOM B - AMPHITHEATER

TIME: 10:30AM - 11:30AM(This Session is Open to Full Conference Pass Holders Only)

Content is king and you need to have compelling

content that draws people in. This session focuses

on strategies for developing and creative killer

content that cant be ignored.

l Lisa Picarille, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief,

Revenue Magazine (Moderator)

l Angel Djambazov, OPM,

Custom Tailored Marketing

l Kim Rowley, Founder, Key Internet Marketing, Inc.

MY 5 AVOriTE SEO STrATEgiES ExpOSEd

SESSiON 1c

LOCATION: CLASSROOM C - HARBORVIEWBALLROOM

TIME: 10:30AM - 11:30AM


In this session well share the tools that we use daily

to get great results for clients. Expect to learn a lot

in a quick exchange of tools to help you evaluate

opportunities and optimize your sites.

l Wil Reynolds, Associate, SEER Interactive

luNchEON


TIME: 12:00PM - 1:30PM

(Lunch is Open to Full Conference Pass Holders Only)

ANATOMY O A grEAT AiliATE prOgrAM

SESSiON 2A


TIME: 1:30PM - 2:30PM


Panel of affiliates discuss the good and bad aspects

of affiliate programs and how to structure the most

attractive affiliate program.

l Heather Paulson, President,

Paulson Management Group (Moderator)

l Janet Attard, Founder and President,BusinessKnowHow.com

l Ian Fernando, Founder, IANternet Media, LLC

l Daniel Gray, Owner, geekbooks

Affiliate Summit 2008 West - CX Digital Booth


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Aflat Smmt east 2008 Agna


cOMpliANcE. iTS MOrE ThAN A buzz wOrd

SESSiON 2b


TIME: 1:30PM - 2:30PM


This panel will present a survival guide to existing in

an industry that is regulated by the Federal govern-

ment, 50 state attorneys general, industry associa-

tions and self appointed watchdog groups.

lSteven S. Richter, President, Media Breakaway,LLC (Moderator)

l Sanj Goyle, Senior Director of Lead Generation,

Yahoo, Inc.

l Carolyn Hodge, VP of Communications, TRUSTe

l Gary Kibel, Partner, Davis & Gilbert LLP

pErOrMANcE MArkETiNg AlliANcE q&A

SESSiON 2c


TIME: 1:30PM - 2:30PM


Open discussion regarding the formation and

plans for the Performance Marketing Alliance.

l Rebecca Madigan,

Performance Marketing Alliance

lANdiNg pAgE TESTiNg TO ATTrAcT SupErAiliATES

SESSiON 3A

LOCATION: CLASSROOM A- CITYVIEW BALLROOM

TIME: 3:00PM - 4:00PM


Landing Page Testing can lead to double digit

conversion rate gains. Learn how to test your pages

to improve conversion, and attract super affiliates

without changing your payout structure.

l Tim Ash, President, SiteTuners.com

hOw iS SOciAl MEdiA chANgiNg AiliATE

Chris Graham, Syntryx and Sal Conca, Puritans Pride

Andrew Wee, Nexus Concepts and Julia Stead, Share Results



MArkETiNg

SESSiON 3b

LOCATION: CLASSROOM B - AMPHITHEATERTIME: 3:00PM - 4:00PM


In an era of brand evangelists, word of mouthers,

meme starters, and buzz agents, empowered by

social communications and new technologies, what

is the definition of an affiliate?

l Ted Murphy, Founder/CEO, IZEA (Moderator)

l Stephanie Agresta, Internet Geek Girl

l Chris Brogan, VP Strategy & Technology,

CrossTech Media

l Rob Key, CEO, Converseon

l Brian Solis, President, FutureWorks PR, Inc., PR 2.0

lEgAl 2.0: hOT TOpicS iN AiliATEMArkETiNg

SESSiON 3c


TIME: 3:00PM - 4:00PM


Legal experts and regulators map out the legal

minefields of affiliate marketing providing critical

updates on advertising and online marketing law

plus FTC and state enforcement actions.

l Leonard L. Gordon, Regional Director, Federal

Trade Commission

l Jeffrey Greenbaum, Partner, Frankfurt Kurnit

Klein & Selz, PC

l Will Haselden, Founder, Chief - Cyberfraud

Section, Office of the Attorney General,

State of Florida

l Bennet Kelley, Founder, Internet Law Center

ppc SEArch: diSclOSurE VS. rEE-Or-All

SESSiON 4A


TIME: 4:30PM - 5:30PM


Judicious use of additional affiliate sites to buy PPC

links can increase overall sales. Uncontrolled use of

affiliates to buy PPC results in bid escalation. Whats

the right mix?

l Kevin Lee, Chairman and CEO, Didit

ppc SupEr AiliATE STrATEgiESYOu MuST kNOw

SESSiON 4b


TIME: 4:30PM - 5:30PM


Super Affiliate Amit Mehta reveals little known

techniques and strategies he uses to drive massive

volume and generated large revenues via PPC

affiliate marketing.

l Amit Mehta, Founder, SuperAffiliateMindset.com

ThE TEN hOTTEST STrATEgiES Or iNTErNETMArkETiNg

SESSiON 4c


TIME: 4:30PM - 5:30PM


Discover top affiliate trends, whats working for

business, how to build your personal brand. Explore

the best Web 2.0 tools, social media, conversion,

long tail, video, podcasts and virtual worlds.

l Jay Berkowitz, CEO, Ten Golden Rules


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grEAT AiliATE rOAd rAllY

LOCATION: GENERAL SESSION ROOM -COMMONWEALTH COMPLEx

TIME: 6:00PM - 7:00PM

The driver of the first car to cross the finish line

for the Great Affiliate Road Rally will be awarded

a 10 x 10 exhibit hall booth (value: $4,995) for

Affiliate Summit 2009 West in Las Vegas, taking

place January 11-13, 2009.

And yes, the booth is transferable, so the winner can

sell it at whatever cost they wish.

The entry fee is $100, which is a donation made

directly to The LEAGUE, for more information:

http://www.leagueworldwide.org.

More details at http://www.affiliatesummit.com/

road-race.php.

AiliATE SuMMiT hOSpiTAliTY rOOM OpEN

Sponsored by Partner Fusion

LOCATION: ATRIuM LOBBY

TIME: 9:00PM - 11:00PM

wEbMASTErrAdiO.M AiliATE bASh

LOCATION: TBA

TIME: 8:00PM - ?

TuESdAY, AuguST 12cONTiNENTAl brEAkAST

LOCATION: ExHIBIT HALL AREA -

COMMONWEALTH COMPLExTIME: 8:00AM - 9:00AM

(Breakfast is Open to Full Conference Pass Holders Only)

rEgiSTrATiON

LOCATION: COMMONWEALTH COMPLExREGISTRATION AREA

TIME: 8:30AM - 3:00PM

cOEE SErVicE

LOCATION: ExHIBIT HALL AREA -

COMMONWEALTH COMPLEx

TIME: 10:00AM - 12:30PM AND 2:00PM - 6:00PM

blOghAuS/prESS rOOM

LOCATION: BEACON HILL 1&2

TIME: 8:00AM - 6:00PM

ExhibiT hAll


TIME: 10:00AM - 5:00PMASk ThE ExpErTS


TIME: 9:00AM - 10:30AM


Malaika Schmidt and Amy Sheridan - Blue Phoenix Media, Inc. Affiliate Summit 2008 West Keynote Audience



Ask the Experts will be an opportunity for mer-

chants, networks and affiliates to ask questions

about various specialties and issues.

Handpicked experts will handle topics in their

specialty, and conduct chats, answer questions

and share opinions during this networking and

education session.

l Content Driven SEO - Byron White, President,

LifeTips.com

l Creating Search Partnerships with Top Super

Affiliates - Karen White, Vice President of Business

Development & Marketing, Partner Fusion, Inc

l Email Marketing - William Waggoner,

Vice President, AAW Marketing, LLC

l Google Radio and Print Ads - Holly Preuss,

Principal, Granular Solutions

l Growing a Blog - Zac Johnson, President / CEO,

MoneyReign Inc.

l Making the Most of Your Leads - Christian

Habermann, SVP Business Development,

Consumer United

l Mobile Internet - Peter Glaeser, Online

Entrepreneur, AffiliateTracking.de

l Online Video - Craig Gordon, President, WebPeople

l Strategies to Drive Mass Traffic - Carlos Garcia,

Vice-President, TrafficTactics

ThE uTurE O pErOrMANcE MArkETiNg

SESSiON 5A

LOCATION: CLASSROOM A -CITYVIEW BALLROOM

TIME: 11:00AM - 12:00PM


Industry leaders will explore the performance mar-

keting landscape and what the future holds. Who will

lead the growth as the industry matures? Publishers?

Networks? Google? Who will acquire who?

l Stephanie Gay, Director, External Channels,American Express

l Chris Kramer, Co-Founder & Media Director, NE-

Texponent

l Kim Riedell, Vice President, Client Development-

East, Commission Junction

l Steve Schaffer, Founder & CEO, Vertive, Inc.

wEb 2.0 Or AiliATES

SESSiON 5b

LOCATION: CLASSROOM B - AMPHITHEATERTIME: 11:00AM - 12:00PM


You will quickly be left behind if Web 2.0 strate-

gies are not part of your overall marketing blueprint.

How are affiliate marketers using these new kinds of

media and what impacts are they having?

lErnie St. Gelais, CTO and Co-Founder, LinkConnector

The Collegebound Network Booth - Affiliate Summit 2008 West Its Lunchtime - Affiliate Summit West in Vegas


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lESSONS lEArNEd iN uSiNg VidEO Or AiliATES

SESSiON 5c


TIME: 11:00AM - 12:00PM


A discussion of what we have learned in terms of

using video to drive higher click through and

conversion rates.

l Jonathan Stefansky,

EVP Sales and Marketing, Qoof

luNchEON


TIME: 12:00PM - 1:30PM

(Lunch is Open to Full Conference Pass Holders Only)

lEAd gENErATiON Or EMArkETErS

SESSiON 6A


TIME: 2:00PM - 3:00PM


Lead generation is one of the biggest tools of emar-

keting. The success of a lead generation campaign is

the single most useful tool for advertisers to target

their products and services to prospects.

l Kelli Beougher, Senior Vice President,

LinkShare Corp.

iNTErNATiONAl OpTiONS Or uS AiliATES

SESSiON 6b


TIME: 2:00PM - 3:00PM


Discussion of expanding business internationally.

l Jim Mansfield, CEO, Intela

Jonathan Stefansky Qoof, EVP Sales and Marketing

Affiliate Summit 2008 West - Affiliate Meet Market

Jim Banks, PrimaryAds UK, John Epp, WebmasterRadio.FM, Byron White,Lifetips and Brandy Shapiro-Babin, WebmasterRadio.FM



cOpYwriTiNg cliNic

SESSiON 6c


TIME: 2:00PM - 3:00PM


Panel of copywriting experts discuss the dynamics

of producing high performance copy.

l Lisa Riolo, Founder,

Hammock Ventures (Moderator)

l Adam Gilad, CEO, Gilad Creative Media, Inc

l Scott Polk, CEO, Purplestream Marketing

l Anik Singal, CEO, Affiliate Classroom, Inc.

dATA EEd prOblEMS ANdMiSSiNg iNOrMATiON

SESSiON 7A


TIME: 3:30PM - 4:30PM


Data feed is often missing important information

which can help their affiliates in bringing more value

to their program.

l Beth Kirsch, VP of Online Marketing, CallWave

(Moderator)

l Asif Malik, CEO, GoldenCAN

EThicAl iSSuES iN AiliATE MArkETiNg

SESSiON 7b



There are two sides to all issues and we will enter-

tain audience questions for a panel of industry lead-

ers.

l Chuck Hamrick, Affiliate Manager,

affiliateCREW.com (Moderator)

l Connie Berg, CEO, FlamingoWorld.com, LLC

l Haiko de Poel, Jr., Managing Partner, DP Internet

Services, LLC (DBA ABestWeb)

l Michael Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Pepperjam

l Brian Littleton, President / CEO, ShareASale.com

l Paul Nichols, Director of Sales, Ebates.com

diSSEcTiNg AiliATE SiTES

SESSiON 7c


TIME: 3:30PM - 4:30PM


Affiliate sites will be examined live and suggestions

for improvement will be provided.

uN-kEYNOTE / clOSiNg cOckTAil


TIME: 5:00PM - 6:00PM


The closing keynote address will be an un-keynote,

where any Affiliate Summit attendees will have the

opportunity to step up to the microphone and speak

Get up on the soapbox to share your perspectives,

ideas, criticisms, and solutions for the affiliate

marketing industry.

This session will also be a closing cocktail for

all attendees.Rextopia at Affiliate Summit 2008 West in Las Vegas



SpEAkEr biOScOrYbOOkErA native of northern New Jersey, Cory Bookers passion forpolitics and justice was instilled at an early age by a familycommitted to change. His parents successfully fought againstracial discrimination and shattered corporate ceilings,inspiring him to pursue a life of breaking barriers andworking for change.

On May 9, 2006, Cory Booker was elected Mayor of Newark,with a landslide victory in the Newark Mayoral race.

While a varsity football player and class president at StanfordUniversity, Booker ran a local crisis hotline and organizedprograms for city youth in East Palo Alto, California.

As a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, Booker made

headlines through his friendship with then-Lubavitcher RabbiSchmuley Boteach. Their friendship, and Bookers leadershipof the LChaim Society, was a powerful example of Bookersstrong belief in the strength of diversity and the tremendouspossibilities that result when people move beyond simpleracial, ethnic and religious tolerance.

During his first election, Booker rose to prominence byupsetting a four-term incumbent to become councilman.He knocked on tens of thousands of doors, inspiring over athousand previously discouraged voters to turn out for thefirst time. Booker lives his politics, often in unconventionaland creative ways.

In the summer of 1999, he went on a 10-day hunger strike in

one of the most drug-infested housing complexes in Newark,an effort that resulted in increased police presence andimproved security for residents.

For five months in 2000, Booker took to the streets; he livedin a motor home and parked it on the worst drug corners inthe city, inspiring residents and businesses to fight againstdrug dealing and crime. For this, TIME magazine called himThe Savior of Newark, and he proved to the city and thenation that he is dedicated to fighting inner-city problems.

Booker brings his passion for social change to the podium.His drive and commitment are inspirational to audiences

across the country. As Newarks Central Ward councilman,Booker introduced dozens of pieces of legislation andresolutions that have impacted housing, youth, safety, jobsand created better government.

He has earned a reputation as a leader with innovativeideas and a willingness to take bold actions. From increased

security in public housing to new playgrounds, his initiativesare changing lives.

Booker was an All-American football player and excelled insports throughout his academic career. He ran a mentoringprogram for low-income youth while studying historyin Oxford, England. While earning his law degree at YaleUniversity, he co-founded and ran legal clinics to help low-income residents of New Haven.

He is currently the director of Newark Now, a grassrootsnonprofit group, a partner at a Newark law firm and a seniorfellow at the Rutgers School of Public Policy and Planning.

Cory Booker, Mayor, Newark, NJ



STEphANiE AgrESTAStephanie has more than 12 years of experience in theindustry. She started her career with iVillage and has takenprominent sales, marketing and business developmentroles with Internet powerhouses including Barnes & Noble.

com, Register.com, SpaFinder, Foxtons and Commerce360.She is an expert in online marketing and web2.0 strategies,an industry speaker for trade show and panel discussions,and has been quoted in major publications such as CrainsBusiness News, Realtor Magazine, Revenue and ClickZ. Herblog is at InternetGeekGirl.com.

TiM AShTim Ash is the President and Co-Founder of SiteTuners.com and is the author of Amazon e-commerce bestsellerLanding Page Optimization. Tim has worked with AmericanExpress, Sony Music, Universal Studios, American Red Cross,Texas Instruments, 1-800-Flowers.com, and Red Envelope todevelop successfu

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