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

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Archives for October 2011

Huge Year Over Year Growth for LinkShare

October 31, 2011 by Shawn Collins

LinkShare has reported overall same store sales were up 41 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2011. This outpaces the overall growth of e-commerce, which is forecasted to be 10 percent through 2015.

Strong growth

Additionally, LinkShare reported signing 223 new accounts in 2011, including Shanghai Tang, Superdry, Molton Brown, Dylan’s Candy Bar, and Starbucksstore.com.

This news follows a report earlier this year that LinkShare had 37 percent overall same store year-over-year sales growth in the first quarter of 2011 for their merchants and affiliates.

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Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate News

There are No Participation Trophies in Life

October 31, 2011 by Shawn Collins

This past weekend marked the final game of the regular season for me as a rookie soccer coach, and I am proud, because we finished with a record of 6-0-1.

Participation trophies are for losers

I am proud of these kids and our success as a team. They worked hard in practice and in games and earned that standing.

But I got an email about the playoffs that bugged me. In part it read…

“ALL teams will participate in the end of season tournament. ALL players will receive trophies.”

I have a problem with both of these items. The tournament (playoffs) should only be a portion of the teams that had the best records in my opinion.

And the team that wins it all should get trophies. Participation trophies? They get a shiny award for showing up and picking their nose? That’s crap.

Yeah, they’re five, but I think it’s a good lesson to learn that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

I was there once. I started playing soccer in first grade and we won the championship in my first season.

That was the last trophy I saw for a few years. Playing and not winning humbled and inspired me.

The empty spots on my trophy shelf pushed me to get better by working harder.

Back then, you either won the championship or you were on one of the teams that didn’t win. Only the winners got trophies.

Over the years, I collected a decent amount of trophies, but didn’t win that last one.

We lost in the state semi-finals in my senior year of high school. I still think about that game. We didn’t get a trophy for almost winning the state. We didn’t get a trophy at all, because we didn’t earn it.

It sucked, but we don’t always win. That’s how life is. There will be lots of losses personally and professionally.

Those wins are so sweet. We appreciate them, because they are special and rare.

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Filed Under: Affiliate Resources

Affiliate Marketing Time Capsule

October 30, 2011 by Shawn Collins

Deborah Carney recently hosted an entertaining podcast that was a roundtable discussion on how affiliate marketing got started and how it has evolved with some of the people that have been in it since the beginning.

Affiliate marketing now and then

The panelists were Connie Arnold, Todd Crawford, Todd Farmer, Scott Jangro and Brian Littleton.

It was fun to hear the stories of how they all got into affiliate marketing and how it was often by accident.

It makes me think I am one of the few that got into it on purpose back in the 90s.

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Filed Under: Affiliate News

Start Monetizing Your Blog Today

October 29, 2011 by Shawn Collins

Start Monetizing Your Blog Today panel from Affiliate Summit West 2010, which took place January 17-19, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV.

Speakers:

  • Marty Fahncke, President, FawnKey & Associates (Moderator)
  • Kristin Kinsey, President/CEO, MadHatter Consulting, Inc.
  • Tricia Meyer, Owner, Sunshine Rewards
  • Carolyn Tang, Director of Client Services, ShareASale.com

Have a great blog but new to affiliate marketing? Learn from a network representative, an affiliate manager, and an affiliate the terminology and tricks behind turning your blog into earnings.

More details on Affiliate Summit at http://www.affiliatesummit.com/

Note: the company(ies) and position(s) listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

Video: Start Monetizing Your Blog Today

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit. The session videos aren’t made public until a year or more after each conference.

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Filed Under: Affiliate Summit

My Work is a Vacation

October 28, 2011 by Shawn Collins

Mark Twain once said, “The secret of success is to make your vocation your vacation.” Thanks to affiliate marketing, I’ve am always on vacation… or on holiday if you prefer.

work is a vacationBut first we have to define vacation, and my definition is probably different from yours.

My vacation is more of a state of mind. It’s a place of self-actualization.

I am relaxed and satisfied when I get to conceptualize and execute ideas, accomplish things, help people, make change.

Today was something of a typical day for me. It started with taking a walk with my dog Mattingly and a couple of my girls to school.

Then, I had a little breakfast, as I caught up on email, published a couple blog posts, and worked on editing articles for this issue of FeedFront.

Next, I went out for a run and worked up a nice sweat. When I got home, I jumped in the pool to cool off. After a quick lunch, I ran out to the bank and some other errands.

Back to the office for some more article editing and other work. Around 3:30pm, I switched into my soccer gear and took my son out to run practice for his team at 4:00pm.

When I got home, I cleaned up, did some more work, and had dinner with my family.

There was some email checking and other work on my computer, iPad and phone between then and going to sleep.

This is all in stark contrast to the day job work I did from the time I graduated college through 2004. That was a time where I’d leave home before 7:00am and return home after 8:00pm, due to a long commute and working hard to get ahead.

Back then, I’d look forward to treats like casual Friday. Hooray – jeans at work. It was fairly common that “urgent” meetings would suddenly come up around 6:30pm, as I was finishing up my 10.5 hour day.

On Sunday nights, my stomach would be in knots in anticipation of a week of office politics, busy work, meandering meetings, and feeling like a trapped rat in my cubicle.

That was the work life I watched my father experience and endure. He dreaded work, and he frequently spoke of how it would all be worth it when he retired.

He would take that vacation to Ireland, he’d do things on his own schedule, he’d be content. My dad never really splurged. He’d do that in retirement.

But there was a hitch. He died less than a year before retirement. Two years later, I became my own boss and started working for fun.

So, I sort of work seven days a week, but I don’t feel like I work at all. I’ve been on vacation for years.

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Filed Under: Affiliate Resources

Affiliate Program Case Studies: Strategies and Practices

October 23, 2011 by Shawn Collins

Affiliate Program Case Studies: Strategies and Practices panel from Affiliate Summit West 2010, which took place January 17-19, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV.

Speakers:

  • Melanie Seery, President, Affiliate Advocacy (Moderator)
  • Karen Garcia, Partner & Co-Founder, GTO Management
  • Kristen Grace, Affiliate Marketing Manager, BuyCostumes.com
  • Jon Nunez, Affiliate Manager, Football Fanatics

Discussion of what it takes for a retailer to get their affiliate channel to the next level. Multiple merchant case studies reveal and illustrate strategies and practices that attract affiliates

More details on Affiliate Summit at http://www.affiliatesummit.com/

Note: the company(ies) and position(s) listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

Video: Affiliate Program Case Studies: Strategies and Practices

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit. The session videos aren’t made public until a year or more after each conference.

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Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate Summit

Mommy Bloggers: Changing the Face of Affiliate Marketing?

October 22, 2011 by Shawn Collins

Mommy Bloggers: Changing the Face of Affiliate Marketing? panel from Affiliate Summit West 2010, which took place January 17-19, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV.

Speakers:

  • Deborah Carney, CEO, Team Loxly (Moderator)
  • Wendy Limauge, Blogger, Sweeties Swag
  • Carrie Rocha, President, Pocket Your Dollars
  • Kim Rowley, President, Key Internet Marketing, Inc.
  • Heather Sokol, Proprietor, Inexpensively

MommyBloggers are involved in many types of monetization strategies for their blogs, affiliate marketing being one, however they aren’t necessarily doing it in the “traditional” ways.

More details on Affiliate Summit at http://www.affiliatesummit.com/

Note: the company(ies) and position(s) listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

Video: Mommy Bloggers: Changing the Face of Affiliate Marketing?

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit. The session videos aren’t made public until a year or more after each conference.

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Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate Summit

UK Affiliate Census 2011

October 21, 2011 by Shawn Collins

Econsultancy has published the 2011 Affiliate Census for the UK, and it reveals many interesting data points.

The survey of affiliates found almost half (48%) of respondents drive at least £5,000 per month (£60,000 per year) for advertisers, compared to only 31% of affiliates who were generating this much revenue in 2009.

More than 300 affiliates took part in the third UK Affiliate Census, which Econsultancy conducted in partnership with the A4u and sponsored by Commission Junction and Argos.

The majority of affiliates (57%) say that their commissions have increased in the last year, with a fifth of those affiliates (19%) earning higher commissions, as they reported more than 100% growth in this type of income over that period.

Also, affiliates are optimistic about the future of the industry, and they are saying communication has improved from merchants to affiliates.

Some other findings from the 2011 UK Affiliate Census:

  • Thirty percent of affiliates are now sending at least 20,000 visitors a month to merchants’ websites, significantly more than the equivalent figure of 19% two years ago, while the proportion of affiliates promoting at least 80 merchants has increased to 25%, up from 14% in 2007 and 21% in 2009.
  • Almost half of affiliates (46%) surveyed now work full-time in the industry, a large increase from 34% in 2009.
  • ‘Content’ is still the most important affiliate category, despite the rise of other publishers such as voucher-code and cash-back affiliates.
  • More affiliates than in 2009 cite voucher codes or cash-back / reward as the single most important categories, up from 5% to 10% and 5% to 8% respectively. However, a combined percentage of 18% shows that less than a fifth (18%) of affiliates rely primarily on these types of consumer incentives.
  • The two most widely promoted sectors are travel / flights and fashion / accessories, both relevant for a quarter of affiliates surveyed.
  • In 2009, a third of respondents (34%) believed that the last click should hold sway, but this has now increased to 43% of publishers.
  • More than a third of affiliates (36%) say that merchant de-duplication is having a negative impact on their revenue from affiliate marketing.

The full report is available on the Econsultancy website to Econsultancy subscribers at http://econsultancy.com/reports/affiliate-census.

If you’re not a member, you can get a free sample.

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Filed Under: Affiliate Stats

Monetize Your Blogging Skills with Affiliate Marketing with Tricia Meyer

October 20, 2011 by Shawn Collins

Affiliate Summit ran a free webinar on monetizing a blog, and it’s now available to watch on demand.

Tricia MeyerWatch this webinar for an overview of the basics of monitizing your site.

Tips include a few necessary plugins, disclosure statements, and finding products for your niche.

Video: Monetize Your Blogging Skills with Affiliate Marketing

Watch previous Affiliate Summit webinars.

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Filed Under: Affiliate Summit

FeedFront Magazine Issue 16 Now Available

October 18, 2011 by Shawn Collins

The sixteenth issue of FeedFront, the official magazine of Affiliate Summit, is at the printer and it will be hitting mailboxes in late October and early November 2011.

FeedFront Magazine, issue 16 cover

Issue sixteen of FeedFront will also be distributed at Affiliate Summit Meetups.

This issue of FeedFront Magazine includes Turn Your Job into a Vacation by Shawn Collins, Avoiding Trademark Pitfalls in Affiliate Marketing by Wade Tonkin, Writing an Effective Internet Marketing Plan by Sarah Bundy, and 5 SEO Moves for More Traffic by Aliza Earnshaw.

Also enhancing your search results with microformats, email compliance, PPC policies, an Affiliate Summit East 2011 recap, podcasting, mobile, working in the Canadian market, seasonality, Google Panda, and more.

Issue 16 of FeedFront Magazine can now be viewed online, downloaded, and printed from Scribd.

That’s Wil Reynolds of SEER Interactive on the cover as he delivers his keynote at Affiliate Summit East 2011.

Get the FeedFront RSS if you’d like to get all of the articles as they are published to the feed.

If you haven’t subscribed, you can get the magazine for free at http://feedfront.com/free-subscription/.

Also, become a fan of FeedFront on Facebook to see past issues, covers, etc.

FeedFront Magazine, Issue 16

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Filed Under: Affiliate Managers, Affiliate Summit

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