Shawn Collins' Blog

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

Archives for May 2009

Affiliate Fatblogging: Good thing I didn’t take my Hydroxycut

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I have seen repeated commercials for Hydroxycut, and I figured I’d give it a try. After all, I’ve been frustrated with the lack of movement on the scale.

I bought a package of it a few weeks back, but hadn’t tried it, yet.

So anyway, I was half listening to the news last week and heard a report about Hydroxycut. It turns out this stuff is being recalled after the FDA received 23 reports of serious liver injuries ranging from jaundice to death.

Just a reminder to me that there is no substitute for good diet and exercise.

Anyhow, last week I skipped the scale since I was celebrating my birthday (aka junkfoodapalooza). That was probably a good call because I checked in today and I was up two pounds from two weeks ago.

Excuse time: I was in San Francisco for ad:tech, then my birthday, and then to Maine for a business retreat. These road trips are too often punctuated by a lack of exercise and a departure from my diet.

But now I’ve got nearly a month of no travel until I head to Dallas for the Inbound Marketing Summit (mmm… BBQ).

Starting weight: 225
Last week: –
This week: 219

Opportunities in Affiliate Marketing

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I am heading out to NYU tonight to give a presentation on getting started as an affiliate. The presentation is called Opportunities in Affiliate Marketing.

Shawn CollinsThe focus of the talk is to give a realistic expectation to new affiliates… that nothing comes easy.

I’m covering some projections and other assorted statistics, as well as the debate of focusing on trends vs. areas where the affiliate has a passion.

I then go through the steps I would take if I were creating a new affiliate site. My choice would be to create a niche blog.

If somebody in the audience is game, I’ll go through the process of zeroing in on a topic, picking a domain, etc. during the class.

View the presentation on SlideShare: Opportunities in Affiliate Marketing.

Mobile Marketing for Affiliates

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Q: Mobile marketing is coming on strong. Where can I find the best information to capitalize on the next new marketing front with the publisher/affiliate business model?

A: I’ve got two resources for you on mobile marketing. One is a new podcast from Peter Glaeser of Sponsormob and James Coops of mjelly called Mobile Space.

Mobile Space is on GeekCast.fm.

Also, Joel Comm, CEO of TextCastLive, gave a presentation at Affiliate Summit West 2009 called “The 100% Open Rate Solution.”

Here is a description of that session: Mobile marketing is the most direct “direct marketing”. In this session, I will demonstrate why all merchants and affiliates should, and will soon be, using mobile marketing.

You can hear the audio of that presentation at http://geekcast.fm/archives/the-100-open-rate-solution/.

In the case of both the Mobile Space podcast and Joel Comm’s presentation, you can either stream it from the computer or download it.

UK Affiliate Marketing to Generate £4 Billion in 2009

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Affiliate marketing in the UK will be worth more than £4 billion in online retail sales in 2009, according to a new report from Econsultancy.

The research, published in the Affiliate Marketing Buyer’s Guide 2009, estimates that the market grew by 22% in 2008 to a value of £3.82 billion.

Also, the report indicates that an estimated £227 million was paid in commissions and fees to affiliate publishers and networks last year.

Overall UK online retail sales grew by 25% in 2008 to £43.8 billion, according to figures from IMRG and Capgemini. So, affiliate marketers were responsible for nearly a tenth of all online sales during 2008, based on this data.

Some key market trends in 2009 from the Affiliate Marketing Buyer’s Guide:

  • CPA (cost per acquisition) model goes from strength to strength
  • Consumers turn to voucher code and cash-back websites
  • Issues surrounding “last-click-wins” become more apparent
  • Affiliates call for a greater emphasis on transparency and communication across the sector
  • Publishers develop innovative media methods
  • More agencies offer affiliate marketing services to clients

Get more details on the Affiliate Marketing Buyer’s Guide.

Whether or Not to Include Prices on Affiliate Sites

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Q: Should you include the price of affiliate products you feature on your site?

Shawn CollinsA: In my entirely unscientific findings from my own affiliate sites, where I’ve tested the inclusion of pricing, as well as without pricing, I saw better clickthroughs when the pricing was there.

There was a lot more activity on the affiliate links for the same volume of visitors when I ran A/B tests with and without the prices.

Conversion rates were fairly consistent with each way, so including the price was more profitable.

And when I see a site without pricing, I don’t bother to click. I feel like they’re playing games with me and I don’t want to waste my time.

I’ve tested this out on about a half dozen different verticals and the results were similar each time – better clicks and more earnings when prices were included.

Above all, it’s essential to test on your own sites, because the experiences of others might not always be the same for you, since there are many variables.

Selling Your Brand with First Impressions

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[audio:http://geekcast.fm/podpress_trac/web/1540/0/brandmouthing-7.mp3]

This week on the Brandmouthing podcast, I talk about a billboard I saw from the highway while driving through Connecticut this week.

The billboard was from a woman named Pasha Stocking who is looking for a job in marketing.

I thought it was a great example of a job candidate doing something original, rather than standing in line and playing it safe with the status quo.

Billboard to get a job

Personally, I’d rather hire somebody who used their skills and unique approach to get a job over another person who just sent a resume or replied to an ad on HotJobs.

Also, I sent a note to Pasha after midnight last night to ask more about her site, and she responded before 7 A.M. this morning.

She mentioned she’s planning to start a podcast soon called “Ask Pasha”, and she’s currently blogging and Tweeting. If I were looking to hire in marketing, I’d call her in for an interview.

The way you represent yourself tells a story about you. What is your brand telling strangers about you and your potential?

Show Notes

Check out http://brandmouthing.com/ for a collection of all future episodes of Brandmouthing, as well as images, videos, etc. that I mention on the podcast. Subscribe to the Brandmouthing RSS feed.