Affiliate Marketing Blog

Affiliate marketing news and opinion from Shawn Collins, co-founder of Affiliate Summit.

  • Home
  • About Shawn
  • Contact
  • Learn Affiliate Marketing
  • Disclosure
  • Archives

Archives for October 2009

The Monster that Ate the Recovery

October 12, 2009 by Shawn Collins

There was an article in the New York Post yesterday, The Monster that Ate the Recovery, that ranted how the rise of Internet shopping could destroy jobs and the economy.

As consumer spending begins to bounce back, Internet transactions are increasing, albeit modestly, as a percent of overall sales. This hits disproportionately in certain products — books, electronics, music — but every retailers sees at least some migration. While this can be good for the bottom line, it isn’t necessarily good for the average worker. Online sales mean fewer employees and fewer physical storefronts. That means falling salaries and rents, decreased construction, lower payroll taxes — not to mention sales taxes — and less of that word Congress loves these days, “stimulus” and more talk of the feared “Jobless Recovery” that could cost them their seats.

It makes me wonder if some people are overprotective of the “average worker” to the detriment of an evolving economy.

I’d imagine there were similar alarmists when Henry Ford introduced modern assembly lines. All of a sudden there were “average workers” who were no longer needed.

As we all know, the world didn’t end as we built in more efficiencies through mass production. It changed.

But there always has to be a bogeyman for some people.

In this case, the author Eric Torbenson assigns that role to the evil online retailers like Amazon and their affiliates.

The most immediate impact in this economic revolution is in sales-tax revenue — unless New York has anything to say about it.

The state’s taxation department decided a couple of years ago that Amazon.com owed it sales tax because it had affiliates inside the state. In May 2008, Amazon sued the state; the case was dismissed, but the online retailer has appealed.

In the meantime, Amazon.com has closed its affiliates. But if the dismissal stands, Amazon owes New York potentially tens of millions of dollars.

The article didn’t explain what an affiliate is… an individual or small business earning taxable income by running advertising for Amazon.com and other companies.

So since many retailers fired or “closed” their New York affiliates, all of these individuals and small businesses were suddenly unemployed.

Not only did that amount to less taxable income for the state, but some people that would have to rely on state services due to their lack of income.

And since the affiliates were fired, the retailers are still not charging sales tax. A net loss of taxes for the state.

Talk about destroying jobs and the economy!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate News

One Thing All Affiliate Managers Should Know

October 9, 2009 by Shawn Collins

Q: I am a new affiliate manager and I am just learning the job. I would like to know what, in your opinion, is the most important thing I need to know as a new affiliate manager?

Shawn CollinsA: The position of an affiliate manager is multi-dimensional, so I can’t really single out on thing that’s most important.

But one dynamic of being an affiliate manager is that you should place a priority on your relationships. It is essential that you operate honestly and with integrity and transparency.

You should also be very available to your affiliates, and this benefits you, because they often need an answer on something or a specific piece of creative to start a campaign for you.

Also, if the affiliates can’t get what they need from you, they will move on to different affiliate programs and networks.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Ask Shawn Collins

I Got Issue 8 of FeedFront in the Mail

October 8, 2009 by Shawn Collins

Issue 8 of FeedFront Magazine came in the mail to me yesterday. This issue of FeedFront Magazine includes a recap of Affiliate Summit East 2009, as well as articles on auditing affiliate programs, productivity, pro digital video camera formats, PPC, email, advertising tax, and the death of an affiliate network.

FeedFront Magazine, issue 8 cover

Plus, interviews with Loren Feldman of 1938 Media and Joel Bauer from the “Your Business Card is CRAP” video.

If you don’t get FeedFront by mail, issue eight of FeedFront will also be distributed at ad:tech New York, Blog World Expo, and PubCon.

Here are the articles for this issue:

  • 03 Affiliates: Stop Waiting for Overnight Success by Matt McWilliams
  • 04 Importance of Auditing Your Affiliate Program by Stephen Robinson
  • 05 Productivity Upgrade: The Dash by Aaron Dragushan
  • 06 Affiliate Marketers Give Back Takes on the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer by Missy Ward
  • 07 Five Minutes with Loren Feldman by Missy Ward
  • 10 The Coming of Age for Affiliate Marketing by Michael Sprouse
  • 11 Getting Noticed Fast Follow Up by Mike Buechele
  • 12 Pro Digital Video Camera Formats Explained by Peter Fitzpatrick
  • 13 Serious Content: The Key to Serious Traffic by Dylan McDanniel
  • 14 $150k a Day on PPC: Lessons Learned by Scott Richter
  • 15 The Power of Guest Posting by Eric Schechter
  • 16 Affiliate Marketing in the Regulators’ Cross-Hairs by Thomas A. Cohn
  • 18 The Infotainer.com by Shawn Collins
  • 21 Choosing the Right Email Service Provider by Andrew Paul
  • 22 Staying Productive on the Road by Michael Vorel
  • 23 Taking the Leap Across the Pond by Jodi Rieger
  • 24 Making the Most of Your Show Experience by Dina Riccobono
  • 25 Death of an Affiliate Network by JB McKee
  • 26 Lessons from North Carolina’s Affiliate Tax Fight by Matt Enders
  • 27 Affiliate Summit East 2009 Recap by Shawn Collins

The issue mailed at the end of last week, so it should hit mailboxes all over the U.S. this week and the coming weeks.

If you can’t wait to see your copy (or you’re not currently a subscriber), you can download issue 8 of FeedFront.

Free subscription to U.S. addresses at http://feedfront.com/free-subscription.

Video: I Got Issue 8 of FeedFront in the Mail

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate News, Affiliate Resources, Affiliate Summit

Help a 5 Year Old Fight H1N1 Flu

October 7, 2009 by Shawn Collins

I was seeing so much about H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) on the news that I got to the point where I thought it was all hype. Then there was a Facebook update from a friend of my wife and mine in college on September 27:

Worried. my boy has H1N1. doing a little better today after a very rough night. if your kiddos are complaining of a sore throat, stock up on med asap.

AJ MasseSoon after, her son AJ was in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) at The Children’s Hospital in Aurora, CO, and quickly got worse.

Since then, it’s been a heartbreaking roller coaster of Facebook updates of surgery, ventilators, distressed organs, brain MRI, etc. Yesterday, Neurologists determined that AJ had 2 strokes within the last several days.

Then today was a great update to see:

Sitting with AJ now. No breathing tube, no catheter. And he just said first 2 words post-vent: “I’m wet” in a very scratchy but beautiful voice.

This little guy has been fighting hard, but he’s not out of the woods. That’s where you come in. Please send any well wishes to AJ at the address below – get well cards from kids would be greatly appreciated.

The Children’s Hospital
Attn: Alexander Masse
PICU Room #22
13123 East 16th Avenue
Aurora, CO 80045

If you’re on Twitter, please RT the following: Help a 5 Year Old Fight H1N1 Flu PLZ RT http://bit.ly/3GPY1v #fightAJ

Get more details on H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu).

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate News

Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk

October 7, 2009 by Shawn Collins

I just got the new book, Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk, in the mail yesterday. I pre-ordered it a while back and was glad to see it came ahead of the posted release date.

Crush It by Gary VaynerchukAnyway, I really enjoyed the book. It’s a quick read of a little less than 150 pages. Typically, I’ll take a while to read a book, because I sneak in 5 pages here and there, but I liked this so much that I knocked it out in a day.

Crush It is a sort of inspirational/business read and Gary Vaynerchuk goes through the steps to turn your passion into a successful business.

I could see this book being a catalyst for lots of people that hate what they’re doing, but just don’t have clarity about what they could be doing.

In addition to the chapters in the book, I thought it was cool that Gary included “Five Ideas I Won’t Get to — They’re Yours” as Appendix B. One that sticks out to me is an idea Gary mentioned back in January 2008 at Affiliate Summit – a scrappy, homemade version of ESPN SportsCenter online.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate News

Blogger Disclosure and the FTC

October 6, 2009 by Shawn Collins

You’ve probably heard by now that the Federal Trade Commission announced new rules yesterday regarding disclosure of freebies and financial interests by bloggers.

But what does that mean to you when it kicks in on December 1, 2009?

I am fortunate to be a part of a secret cabal, and I heard about the new rules early on from Dan Murray, Internet Marketing Strategist and Founder of Ravenwood Marketing, Inc.

There was a lot of discussion about the new FTC rule, and Tim Carter, nationally-syndicated newspaper column Ask the Builder and the founder of AskTheBuilder.com shared his disclosure policy.

AskTheBuilder.com Disclosure Policy

I read through that disclosure policy and grabbed some elements to add to my own disclosure policy, which is now linked from the bottom of all of my blog posts on the site and in the RSS feeds.

Now please note that if you choose to be “inspired” by either of these policies, you should do so at your own risk. Neither of us claim to be lawyers or anything like that. We’re just trying to do what’s right here.

I am hoping to get some direction from affiliate programs and networks, but I’ve only gotten information on the FTC issue from ShareASale, so far.

When I was logging into my affiliate account with ShareASale earlier, I saw a notice reading “New FTC Rules surrounding sponsored blogs, tweets, reviews … Important read: – click here to view ShareASale Blog.”

FTC information from ShareASale

I’ll keep an eye out for more news from affiliate programs and networks.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate News, Affiliate Resources, Affiliate Tips

FTC: Bloggers Must Provide Disclosure or be Fined

October 5, 2009 by Shawn Collins

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced new rules today regarding disclosure of freebies and financial interests by bloggers and their word-of-mouth endorsements.

Wired reports that bloggers face fines up to $11,000 for failure to provide proper disclosure, as spelled out in Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, which takes effect December 1, 2009.

Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor.

The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other “word-of-mouth” marketers. The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service. Likewise, if a company refers in an advertisement to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the company, the advertisement must disclose the connection between the advertiser and the research organization. And a paid endorsement – like any other advertisement – is deceptive if it makes false or misleading claims.

All affiliate managers should get acquainted with this issue fast and update their terms and conditions accordingly.

Read the FTC press release on blogger disclosure at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate News

Xomba.com, Meat Measurements, and Sponzai

October 4, 2009 by Shawn Collins

I just returned from a productive and enriching two days in Orlando for IZEAfest 2009. The event kicked off with a keynote by IZEA CEO Ted Murphy (@tedmurphy) on Developing Your Brand.

Ted Murphy at IZEAfest 2009

This session was followed by Brian Clark (@copyblogger) talking about Traffic Strategies That Work.

Brian Clark at IZEAfest 2009

And there were some other sessions on the first day, but the highlight for me was Rockstars of SEO, where Michael Gray (@graywolf) and Rae Hoffman (@sugarrae) gave live site reviews.

Michael Gray and Raw Hoffman at IZEAfest 2009

The first site reviewed was a visual eyesore called Xomba.com.

Xomba.com

The woman from Xomba.com commented before the site review, “I just want to say I am actually completely against the flashing banner. It makes it look terrible. And my boss says it makes too much money to take it off, but if I can find an alternative, then he’ll do something about it.”

Michael and Rae shared lots of helpful advice, and I think the Xomba.com folks would be wise to heed it.

In addition to site reviews of a number of other sites, they did one for FeedFront.com (the site for the Affiliate Summit magazine).

I’ve applied suggestions they gave us and would like to thank them for the advice – we’re #6 for the keyword they suggested for the title tag just two days later.

That night I had the pleasure of joining Rae Hoffman and Aaron Brazell (@technosailor) for dinner at Charley’s Steak House in Orlando. For some reason, when we mentioned the meal on Twitter, some people got the wrong idea.

Aaron Brazell Tweet

The next morning kicked off with a keynote from Aaron, Marks of an Influencer, that was spot on in discussing influencers, except when he hit this one hideous slide of Fenway Park.

Aaron Brazell at IZEAfest 2009

The last session I was able to catch before heading home was a talk by Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) called Go Deep or Go Home. This session was based on the book Trust Agents by Brogan and Julien Smith, but it was markedly different from the presentation he gave in August at Affiliate Summit. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a different session – kudos to Chris.

Chris Brogan at IZEAfest 2009

The day also included the launch of Sponzai, a new marketplace for sponsored guest blog posts. I had to head to the airport, so I missed that demo, but I’m checking out the system.

Part of the process includes inserting a randomly generated sentence into a post to claim your blog. Here is mine: Whatever wife lectures the violent baffle.

As I checked in at the airport, I was a little early the the flight before mine was delayed. So I was excited to jump on the earlier plane, since I had a window seat for my flight.

It was a big win as I got to leave earlier with an aisle seat in the exit row. But wait… there’s more. As I gave my boarding pass at the gate, a little noise went off and I was handed a new boarding pass for an upgrade to first class.

leaving-izeafest-tweet

Now that was a cherry on top of a tasty IZEAfest sundae!

Thanks a lot to Ted Murphy and the rest of the IZEA crew for a wonderful time of learning and networking.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate News, Affiliate Resources

Best Affiliate Network

October 2, 2009 by Shawn Collins

Q: I own my own Web site and I am about to begin an affiliate program. There are so many companies to weed through – can you tell me the best affiliate network for my affiliate program?

Shawn CollinsA: As far as the best affiliate network, I don’t mean to be all philosophical and useless to you, but it’s going to be the one that best serves your needs and comes within your budget.

I would suggest that you speak with all of the networks and get a demo to see which you prefer, based on the pricepoint, features, and the people behind it.

There are so many affiliate networks out there if you combine the traditional affiliate networks and the CPA networks… literally hundreds. Also, if you are considering software that lives on your server, that adds a bunch more options.

If you’re promoting a product or service based on leads, you might want to focus on the CPA networks, while retail affiliate programs typically go with the traditional affiliate networks.

In the end, it’s a very individual choice, so unfortunately I can’t give a recommendation blindly.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate News, Ask Shawn Collins

AffiliateReporting.com SEM Platform for Affiliates

October 1, 2009 by Shawn Collins

I’ve been hearing a lot about AffiliateReporting.com, but hadn’t had a chance to dig into it until this week… and I am very impressed.

If you’re not familiar with AffiliateReporting.com, it’s a search engine marketing (SEM) software platform designed for affiliates. The suite of SEM tools come from m o v e software, and the software was developed for m o v e marketing, a Commission Junction Performer and winner of the CJ Horizon Award For Innovation, that generated over $20 Million in affiliate commissions from over 500 advertisers using these SEM tools.

After playing with their tools, I touched base with the folks at AffiliateReporting.com, and they were willing to provide an extended free trial – usually it’s 14 days, but if you use this link you’ll get 30 days. Please note, this 30 day trial offer expires on October 16th at midnight PST.

Anyhow, some of the features I really liked…

  • AutoSYNC: loads reporting data from the most popular search engines and affiliate networks.
  • AutoBID: intelligent systems use key performance metrics to automate bidding, so no human intervention or setup is required.
  • AutoCOPY: replicates campaigns across multiple search engines in a single click.
  • Alarms: monitors changes in CPC, click volume, and other key metrics as often as every 5 minutes.

These are automated or backend processes, so there is nothing to really show you, but there are also aspects of the interface I like a lot, too…

The dashboard (see below) provides critical information at login, such as Daily Profit & Loss Graphs, Biggest Winner’s and Loser’s Summary, and Alarms.

AffiliateReporting.com Dashboard

There are dozens of reports for affiliates to analyze profit by ad, site, search engine, campaign, ad group, and keyword. Keyword level reports like the Biggest Winners and Losers (see below) bring attention to the keywords that need immediate attention.

AffiliateReporting.com Biggest Losers Report

And then the Keyword Manager (see below) allows affiliates to drill-down into detail on a single keyword to analyze performance, change bids, or modify alarm settings. It also houses a number of useful SEM management features.

AffiliateReporting.com Keyword Manager

Check it out at AffiliateReporting.com for more details and to take advantage of the free 30 day trial.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate News, Affiliate Resources, Affiliate Stats, Affiliate Tips

« Previous Page

Social

  • View shawncollins’s profile on Facebook
  • View shawncollins’s profile on Twitter
  • View shawncollinsatx’s profile on Instagram
  • View affiliatetip’s profile on Pinterest
  • View shawncollins’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View affiliatetip’s profile on YouTube

Blogroll

  • Affiliate Manager
  • Austin FC
  • Austin, TX Airbnb
  • Bose Hearing Aids
  • Extra Money Answer
  • Movies That Affected My Life
  • This is Affiliate Marketing

Return to top of page

Copyright © · Shawn Collins Consulting ·

 

Loading Comments...