LinkTrust recently released new features for their affiliate marketing software, including fraud fighting tools and streamlined reporting options.

The release has an IP blacklist that allows traffic to be blocked from specific IP addresses, as well as the network/merchant being given the option to turn off an affiliate’s ability to change their payment details.

LinkTrust also now offers streamlined reporting options where reports are customizable through filters to drill down to the exact data desired. For example, users can run Sub ID reports, filtering out all Sub Ids without a conversion.

More details at http://www.linktrustnews.com/press-release/linktrust-gives-more-flexibility-in-reports-images-and-fraud-control/.

More Info: Click here

Article source: http://feedfront.com/archives/article003550

“We are just really excited to see where it goes,” said Shari Goetsch, right, director of marketing and communications for SeeYourImpact.org, shown with co-founder Digvijay Chauhan.

A nonprofit founded by former Microsoft Corp. executive Scott Oki wants to use the latest in online sales strategy to convert clicks into cash for charity.

The strategy, called affiliate marketing, is among a growing network of more than 5,000 such programs in the U.S. Amazon.com Inc. uses its “associates” program to ask thousands of niche websites to promote its goods to visitors. A site will carry Amazon ads, and if visitors click on them and buy, Amazon awards the site a small payment.

But affiliate marketing has been slow to catch on with charities, despite the growing importance of …

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Article source: http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/print-edition/2010/12/24/seattle-nonprofit-teams-up-with-online.html

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Dec 23, 2010  Author
Gavin Dunaway |

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ASW 2011: Come for the Affiliate Marketing, Stay for the Social Media

ADOTAS – The best known affiliate marketing events are the two Affiliate Summits, which have multiplied in size many times since they were launched in 2003 by affiliate marketers Shawn Collins of Affiliate Tips and Missy Ward.

The 2010 Affiliate Summit West had the highest attendance of any Affiliate Summit and the Jan. 9-11, 2011 renewal in Las Vegas is expected to surpass it with a sell-out crowd.

Whether you are an affiliate, merchant or agency, Affiliate Summit is the top opportunity to network with the most successful and stay on top of the latest in affiliate solutions and technology.

Many of the new solutions are related to integrating social media into affiliate marketing efforts. If you attend Affiliate Summit you should consider extending your stay one more day to attend Influence People’s Social Media Marketing Las Vegas the very next day, Jan. 12, 2011.

In a recent survey done by SmartBrief and Summus Limited and profiled in Social Media Examiner’s post on Social Media Trends, businesses surveyed indicated where they are with their social media strategies:

“It takes time for companies to incorporate social media effectively. The data identified a 2-year mark where businesses begin to gain confidence in their social media activity.”

Social media proficiency is critical to affiliates, merchants, businesses and agencies alike. These two coinciding events can put you on the fast track to increased success online.

You can save 10% off any level of Affiliate Summit West pass by using discount code ASW11GROW10 and 10% off tickets to Social Media Marketing Las Vegas by using discount code AdotasAll.

With Affiliate Summit West expected to sell out soon and there being a limited number of Early Bird tickets to Social Media Marketing Las Vegas, if you want to attend you will want to buy soon.

Follow the buzz about the events and find posts, videos and who is attending on Twitter using hashtags #asw11 and #smlasvegas.

Article source: http://www.adotas.com/2010/12/asw-2011-come-for-the-affiliate-marketing-stay-for-the-social-media/

Affiliate marketing can be a very rewarding endeavor for the ambitious online marketer; however, there are several things you should be aware of before you take the plunge. To help you on your journey, I’ve compiled a list of some of the top 6 pitfalls you may face as you deploy your own affiliate marketing advertising campaigns.

While this list is by no means comprehensive of all the challenges you’ll face in your campaigns, it’s a good place to start and might help you avoid some headaches along the way.

1. Double Commissions

When you run your campaign you might decide to promote your offer on multiple affiliate platforms (networks, home grown, etc.), but be warned! Affiliates can register for your offer on multiple platforms and with a little cookie stuffing, earn commissions from both platforms for the same order. Yikes!

Use order number tracking in your conversion code so you can cross reference each of your platforms for duplicate orders.

Check with your platform’s support group for their policy on cancelling double commission orders, but keep in mind you can always kick the offending affiliate off one of your platforms for a temporary fix. There are more complex methods for tracking and cancelling double commissions that are a bit too involved for this post, but just check with your platform’s support for guidance.

2. Cookie Stuffing

Cookie Stuffing refers to the practice of forcing an affiliate cookie into a visitor’s browser even if they have not clicked on an affiliate link. Imagine you have a site with a ton of traffic and you force your Amazon affiliate cookie on every visitor to your site. Now, any time your visitors buy something from Amazon you’ll get a commission. Pretty nifty huh?

Well, as an advertiser this can be a total nightmare. You’re not paying affiliates commissions for sales from people who happened to have visited the affiliate’s website. You’re paying affiliates to promote your website and refer customers.

Keep an eye out for higher than usual conversion rates and visit your affiliate’s website to check to see what cookies are set when you visit. If you see your affiliate cookie and you haven’t clicked on the website’s affiliate link, it’s time to kick this guy out.

3. Branded Search Campaigns

You spent a lot of money on that Super Bowl ad where no one could tell what you do and now tons of people are flocking to Google and searching for your company name. Low and behold there’s a paid ad that says “Your Company Name” linking to your website through an affiliate link. Uh….. what?

That’s right, if you don’t restrict branded terms from your affiliates’ search campaigns, you can end up paying someone a commission for traffic generated for your brand via another advertising medium. Make sure to consider restricting branded search terms in your Affiliate Terms and Conditions. Check periodically for violators and make sure to enforce your policy.

Also, you may consider restricting specific keywords if you’re worried about your affiliates driving up your own PPC costs.

4. Pay Per Lead (PPL)

From time to time, you may want to pay commissions on leads (insurance quotes, free trials, etc.); however, if you don’t monetize those leads until another event happens (purchase) then you need to be extra diligent.

First, make sure you have an excellent handle on your lead to purchase conversion rate for every affiliate. Certain affiliates may fake leads or just naturally have a lower than normal lead to purchase conversion rate. If so, this affiliate is less profitable and may need to have their commissions adjusted. Additionally, if the affiliate offers an incentive to visitors for generating a lead (virtual currency, real currency, etc.) you could have even bigger problems on your hands. Keep an eye on your profitability per affiliate and adjust your PPL rates accordingly.

5. Lazy Affiliate Managers

The key to any good affiliate campaign is relationships, relationships, relationships. Your affiliate managers should be a friend and a resource to your top affiliates. Affiliate managers should frequently visit your affiliates’ websites and make sure they’re running the right banners in the right location with the most visibility.

Use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to keep track of your affiliates. Set reminders to check in on performance and to review the affiliate’s website for out of date banners, old pricing and opportunities for improvements. Run activity reports through your CRM to make sure your affiliate managers are staying on top of things.

If an affiliate has to choose between offers, he might just choose the offer from the guy who helps him with his campaign and is a resource he can rely on.

6. Focusing too much on graphic banners

Did you know that many advertisers derive a significant portion of their conversions through text ads, product feeds and coupons? That’s right, there’s more to affiliate marketing than graphic banners. As you design your ad inventory, make sure to include a wide variety of graphic ads, text ads, product feeds and coupons. A little spaghetti marketing (throw it up and see what sticks) might surprise you.

Also, don’t forget to update your ads as your product changes or seasonally if appropriate. There’s nothing like a well timed ad to help drive sales.

Article source: http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2010/12/the-top-6-pitfalls-of-affiliate-marketing-for-advertisers.html

Many years ago, direct mail campaigns and buying lists were the big buzz in marketing. (I remember those days!) With the internet came a whole new way of getting access to lists of potential customers, on a more personal level. Now you can send out marketing materials by referral, in the form of affiliate campaigns.

An affiliate is anyone who has a large or like-minded email list who agrees to help you reach a broader audience than your own list or online presence can reach. Affiliates offer your products to their contacts (customers, colleagues, friends and family) and include a personalized message introducing and recommending your brand. Many, but not all affiliates will expect to receive a portion of the revenue you earn as a result of their efforts. (You can also use affiliate marketing to create a viral explosion for your free products.)

Key elements of affiliate marketing:

• Address the WIIFM question. What’s in for me is the biggest question on the minds of your affiliates. You need to answer it upfront so that they can assess the benefits quickly.
• Get to the point quickly. You are likely approaching busy people
• Keep your emails warm and personalized. Send out individual emails and don’t blast a whole bunch of affiliates at one time — personalize each and every email
• Offer bonus gifts, discounts and limited-time offers
• Approach this process from a place of prosperity so that your confidence level will be up when you contact your potential affiliates. Offering something of great value makes it easier for your partners to commit.
• Require only a minimal effort from your affiliates. Write the copy for the emails to their subscribers including the appropriate link for simplifying the purchasing process. You can also offer to provide them with scripted social media posts with the link included.*
• Don’t take rejection personally. If a potential partner says “no” they are rejecting your offer, not you. Be prepared to provide them with more information to make business opportunity impossible to reject.
• Let the numbers work for you. There are millions of websites today, which gives you many opportunities to find companies willing to collaborate on product sales.
• Don’t agree to buy any lists. You are too susceptible to having your emails marked as spam.
• Commit to the process. It will take some time and effort to find the right affiliates for your products. Once you do, make sure you reciprocate and promote their products.

If you are still wondering why someone would send out an email on your behalf, consider the fact that you are helping them! Many entrepreneurs and businesses run out of ideas for ways to connect to their subscribers without being self-promotional. An email written by you focused on their client’s needs allows the affiliate to demonstrate their desire to consistently add value to their list and stay top of mind. It’s a win-win.

In my follow-up blog I will show you how to organize your efforts for finding quality affiliates for your viral explosion.

In the meantime, what strategies have you used to successfully gain affiliates for your products or services? Share them here.

*If you are unsure of the specific regulations for promoting products and services on social networking sites, go to ftc.gov for details.

Peggy McColl is a New York Times best-selling author and an internationally recognized expert in the field of personal and professional development and Internet marketing. As an entrepreneur, business owner, mentor and professional speaker Peggy has been inspiring individuals to pursue their personal and business objectives and achieve ultimate success. She provides effective Internet marketing solutions for entrepreneurs, authors, publishers, professionals, and business owners, who want to establish an online presence, achieve bestseller status, build their brand, grow and/or expand their business online. You can find out more about Peggy at her website, Destinies.com. destinies.com

Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peggy-mccoll/what-is-affiliate-marketi_b_793305.html