Kerri Pollard took over the helm of Commission Junction as general manager over a year ago. Pollard's rise through the ranks - starting at BeFree back in the day and then at CJ as director of publisher services - gives her a wide variety of network experience to draw upon. Since Pollard took over, CJ has undergone some changes.Lisa Picarille: You've been running Commission … [Read more...]
ShareASale: Size Doesn’t Matter
ShareASale.com founder and CEO Brian Littleton runs what is considered to be the fourth largest performance network in the United States. Littleton has earned the respect of the industry and garnered a dedicated following of merchants and affiliates by taking a firm stand on issues. His company is the only network that does not allow downloadable applications of any kind. His … [Read more...]
Going Out Is In
Companies are outsourcing affiliate managers to fuel online marketing programs. Former London-based freelance writer Rob Palmer knew he was on to something when he launched the affiliate program for his FreelanceWorkExchange.com subscription site. For several years he ran the program in-house; revenues were decent, affiliate applications were steady, but "there simply … [Read more...]
Affiliate Market Maturing
The affiliate space is getting more sophisticated and complex, according to the findings of the AffStat 2006 Report, an annual study examining the state of the affiliate marketing industry.Released earlier this year by Shawn Collins Consulting, the survey polled nearly 200 affiliate managers from a cross section of the industry on their overall statistics, as well as a number … [Read more...]
Educating and Informing Your Publishers
As anyone managing an affiliate program knows, educating your network of publishers is a vital and often daunting part of building and growing an affiliate program.This is definitely true for RealNetworks' program, which focuses on digital media subscriptions, including Rhapsody, with more than 1.3 million songs, GamePass with hundreds of games and SuperPass with premium news … [Read more...]
Flipping the Switch
Maybe your relationship with your network has soured. The reports are frequently late, revenue is down and your questions are not being answered in a timely fashion. You're thinking about switching to another network, but that means learning new tracking processes and establishing relationships with an unknown group of affiliates.So, is it really worth all the potential trouble … [Read more...]
A Show-Stopping Performance
In times when change comes quickly, many things can keep online marketing managers up at night. The question is: What should keep them up?Some grapple with balancing their own search marketing efforts against affiliates' or understanding which marketing strategy delivers a better yield in terms of marketing cost as percentage of sales (CAPS). Others struggle with an increasing … [Read more...]
The Overstock Obsession
Every so often, there's a company, a person or a philosophy that attracts such a rabid following it can be only be described as a phenomenon.In music, the Beatles and Elvis come to mind. It's hard to think of either without envisioning ecstatic throngs of screaming, teary-eyed fanatics who would do anything for a souvenir to link them forever to their idol.In technology, Apple … [Read more...]
Five Who Drive
It takes a special something to be among the best in your field, especially when the field is as competitive as affiliate marketing. We all know it takes more than commission checks and banner ads to rise above the crowd.Revenue decided to take a look at five strong programs and the people who run them. Of course, convincing program managers to talk about their success is … [Read more...]
Bad Guerrillas
The biggest mistake of all is launching an affiliate marketing program without knowing perception from reality.THE PERCEPTION is that you've been running your affiliate program earnestly and professionally. That's why you have lots of affiliates. You don't feel you've got to be very aggressive with your marketing because all the affiliates already know about you.THE REALITY is … [Read more...]
Wanted: Affiliate Manager
Here in the midst of the fearsome jobless recovery, one job remains hard to fill: affiliate manager. And nobody seems surprised. After all, online affiliate marketing is still a relatively new field. While thousands of corporations have established affiliate programs, many still haven't figured out the skills required to manage the programs well, much less what they're … [Read more...]
Guerrilla Affiliates
Because you're reading Revenue, which is as focused upon affiliate marketing as you are, I doubt if I have to remind you of the glories of such marketing. If ever there was a win-win business proposition, this is it. If affiliate marketing is good enough for Wal-Mart, Amazon and eBay, I'm figuring that you realize it's also good enough for you. Do you know what you have by the … [Read more...]
No Free Lunch For Merchants
It sounds like a no-brainer: Tap into a sales force of self-employed affiliates who'll handle everything from producing product information to Web design to advertising. Let them do all the work, and pay them anywhere from a few pennies to a few dollars - but only if they produce to your exact requirements. What's not to like? It's a strategy that works for Bluefly, the online … [Read more...]
What’s Mary Kay Got To Do With It?
One of the most common myths about the Internet is that this new-fangled technology makes business mysterious, complex or risky. The truth is that the basic laws of doing business still apply. Sure, there are some new technical concepts to grasp, but business is still business. That has not changed. Case in point: affiliate marketing and the Internet. During the dot-com … [Read more...]
Should I Promote This Merchant
There are thousands upon thousands of affiliate programs offered by various Internet merchants. Deciding what programs to promote can be a daunting task. Let's explore the factors most successful affiliate marketers consider when faced with this decision.First and foremost, you must consider your site visitors' propensity to purchase the product or service or take the "desired … [Read more...]