Shawn Collins' Blog

Affiliate marketing and other stuff from Shawn Collins, co-founder of Affiliate Summit.

Archives for December 2006

Affiliate Marketing Blog Tag – Five Things You Didn’t Know About Shawn Collins

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There’s a thing going on called Blog Tag where somebody who is tagged has to write five things about themselves that many people in the industry don’t know. Then they have to tag five blog friends to do the same and continue the chain.

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I was just blog tagged by Sam Harrelson, so here’s my list of fun facts:

  1. I moved to NYC with the hope of being a writer in 1994. I sold just one article which detailed my experiences as a ticket scalper to the New York Press for $100.
  2. I can’t sleep or work without background noise. While working, I generally enjoy the likes of Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, and pretty much anything on VH1, MTV, E! and Comedy Central. Then it’s talk radio all night long.
  3. In 2002, I ran the site for Cory Booker when he ran for mayor of Newark, NJ. He lost that time (there’s a documentary about it called Street Fight), and then won in 2006. I think he’ll be President of the US by 2028.
  4. I spent five years in college and didn’t take a single marketing course.
  5. I’ve never tried drugs, but I’m hopelessly addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper (8-12 cans a day).

It seems the idea originated in The Jeff Pulver Blog on December 10, 2006, and how it’s whipping out of control.

I tracked back my blog tag ancestors, and it’s a long and glorious list: Dave Gale > Avinash Kaushik > Andy Beal > ShoeMoney > Kris Jones > Shmuly Tennenhaus > Jim Kukral > Sam Harrelson > Me

Now it’s my turn to tag… Connie Berg, Jon F., Scott Jangro, Lisa Picarille, and Anik Singal.

Interview with Lily Shen of eBay’s Affiliate Program

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I recently sat down for a chat with Lily Shen, Senior Manager of eBay’s (NASDAQ:EBAY) U.S. Affiliate Program, and asked a bunch of questions.

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As senior manager of eBay’s U.S. Affiliate Program, Lily Shen leads eBay’s affiliate marketing efforts in the U.S. and works closely with the global eBay affiliate teams.

Lily has been with eBay for six and a half years, focusing on strategy, direct marketing, business development and, for the past two years, Internet marketing.

I asked Lily the following questions…

  1. What sets eBay’s Affiliate Program apart from the other affiliate programs that are out there?
  2. What are some of the tools and resources that eBay has innovated to help affiliates to succeed?
  3. Are you using any kind of Web 2.0 methods for communication or have any events or any kinds of things to get in touch with the affiliates and keep in contact?
  4. As far as the different types of affiliates, there are so many types of affiliates out there, is there a particular kind of affiliate that is usually more successful with your affiliate program?
  5. For affiliates from the newbies up to the experienced ones, do you have any particular tips and tricks to help them maximize their revenue with the affiliate program?
  6. Do you have any tips for affiliates that want to expand beyond the US borders as an affiliate?
  7. I’ve been hearing a lot about affiliates trying to play around with both video and mobile phone. Do you see either one of those playing a role with the eBay affiliate program in the near future?
  8. I got some announcements in the past month about Project Rover. How the affiliate program has changed with that?

BlogKits – Alternative to Google AdSense for Bloggers

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BlogKits, the first and only affiliate network geared towards bloggers, is now live.

This network is being touted as a Google AdSense alternative to monetize a blog. The BlogKits site states that “low-traffic blogs will never make more than a few pennies per day with AdSense… those bloggers are better served shooting for a CPA return on investment.”

They’ve got a Google AdSense Blog Earnings Calculator Tool for bloggers to calculate an estimate of what a blog would earn per day using Google AdSense.

Unlike Google AdSense, BlogKits pays affiliates a percent of their referred transaction, rather than on a per click basis.

Ask Shawn Collins: No Signups, No Referrals

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Q: I just launched a new rebate site and would like some tips on promoting it as an affiliate to drive traffic. I am running PPC campaigns on Google and MSN, yet I have had no signups and no referrals.

Shawn CollinsA: I’m a little confused by your question – you launched a rebate site that has an affiliate program, and you are also promoting it as an affiliate yourself? If so, your affiliates are not going to be happy that you have the ability to monitor what’s working for them and then compete against them.

If I misunderstood, sorry. But if that’s what is happening, I’d urge you to stop it.

Anyhow, It’s tricky to evaluate the shortcomings of a site without seeing it. However, it sounds like you’ve got a problem either with the site converting the leads or the tracking.

There is a good report or two from MarketingSherpa on landing page optimization. You should check those out.

Also, test your tracking ASAP.

Ask Shawn Collins: Best Holiday Offers

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Q: I keep hearing how it’s primetime to earn affiliate commissions in December. What are the best products or services to promote for Christmas?

Shawn CollinsA: Yes, December is the strongest time of the year for most affiliate programs. There are a handful of affiliate program types that have performed best for me over the years during the holiday season.

Traditionally, I’ve done best with electronics in the first week of December. As you hit the middle of December, it begins to become necessary for shoppers to pay for expedited shipping, which makes physical purchases a little less attractive.

So I usually shift to promote gift cards and subscriptions around the 15th of the month. Since consumers can buy either all the way through Christmas, they’re a fairly safe bet to promote.

Some people thing of subscriptions as magazines only. Free your mind – there are lots of other things to promote based on the subscription model.

One of my favorites, as an affiliate and a gift buyer, is Amazing Clubs. They’ve currently got 26 Gift of the Month Clubs. When a gift is purchased through this company, they give the option of having the recipient notified via a card in the mail or by e-mail.

And don’t make the mistake that many affiliates make – thinking that December 25 is the end of the affiliate year. There is still a great amount of opportunity after Santa Claus makes his rounds.

With the new year, everybody wants to go on a diet and lose those holiday pounds. So promote diet affiliate programs at that point. The weeks before and after New Year’s Day are great to promote diets. Happy affiliate holidays.