Affiliate ABCs hosts Deborah Carney and Vinny O’Hare discuss Affiliate Summit West 2012 in Las Vegas, and how this was different from past Affiliate Summit events for both of them.

Traditionally we attend Affiliate Summit representing our merchants that we manage, and spend our time discussing our programs with affiliates, talking about industry issues with our peers and meeting new people. Sometimes we have a Meet Market table, and Deborah has spoken on many panels, This time Deborah had a Meet Market table for the Affiliate Summit Networking forum to bring attention to the fact that people can network there between affiliate summit events, and Vinny was a speaker with a solo presentation. We also had more merchants actually in attendance than we have had at one time in the past.

Some links from the podcast:
Vinny’s Slide Deck from his presentation – 25 Ways To Improve Your Website
Affiliate Summit Networking Forum
Eric Thomas Keynote
Vinny O’Hare Website
Vinny on Twitter
Deborah on Twitter
Links to our Merchants

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts!

Merchant ABCs hosts Deborah Carney and Vinny O’Hare joined Kim Salvino and Amy Ely of buy.at to discuss ideas on engaging new customers gained from Black Friday sales.

Topics include:

• Promotion ideas to recapture the attention and dollars of Black Friday / Cyber Monday customers

·         Helpful data, creative and resources for affiliates so they can generate additional holiday sales

Key takeaways:

• Consider time-sensitive promotions that encourage customers to keep returning to the site, such as daily deals or a “Countdown to Christmas” – great examples include eBay and Amazon’s daily and weekly deals

·         As the remaining shopping days dwindle, alter promotions to feature gift cards and/or free overnight shipping

·         Promote complementary products or add-ons for gifts they’ve already purchased, such as Kindle Edition books if the original purchase was a Kindle Fire

·         Use Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales data to give affiliates top seller data and popular categories, then let them know if and when you will highlight or offer a sale on these products again

·         Supply affiliates with shipping deadline dates and when gift card sales are strongest so they can plan and promote accordingly

·         Recognize that holiday promotions don’t have to stop at Black Friday and Cyber Monday, give affiliates offers that run through the rest of December and into post-holiday shopping promotions – for example, encourage gift card spending after the holidays

Helpful statistics:

From Shawn Collins’s Affiliate Tip Blog and citing stats from comScore:

• Online shopping for Black Friday 2011 was a 26% increase versus Black Friday 2010

·         Thanksgiving Day (November 24) was also strong with an 18% increase over Thanksgiving 2010 with $479 million in online sales.

·         There was $1.25 billion in online spending on Cyber Monday 2011, which is up 22% from 2010

·         Cyber Monday 2011 was the heaviest online spending day in history and only the second day ever to surpass the billion-dollar threshold

Find us on Twitter:

Vinny O’Hare
Deborah Carney (a.k.a. Loxly)
Amy Ely
Kim Salvino
Merchant ABCs
Geekcast.fm

Learn more about buy.at:
Visit the buy.at blog
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @buyatUS

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts, check them out for lots of other great podcasts about affiliate marketing and marketing in general.

Listen to host Deborah Carney in a roundtable discussion about how affiliate marketing got started and how it has evolved with some of the people that have been in it since the beginning. Are they in the same place they were when they started? Where do they see the industry going?

Listen as panelists Todd Farmer, Todd Crawford, Connie Arnold, Scott Jangro and Brian Littleton have a lively discussion, history you probably don’t know, and as they answer some burning questions about the beginnings of our awesome industry. Our industry is so young that we want to capture the thoughts about it’s growth some of the leaders in the industry. No one currently in our industry wanted to grow up to be an affiliate or affiliate manager, the jobs didn’t exist. But now, there are many young people whose parents are in the industry and they kinda would like to do what Mom and/or Dad does.

Let us know what you think about this format! Who would you like on a future podcast in this style? Or would you just like to hear more from this crew?

Blogging ABCs hosts Tricia Meyer and Deborah Carney talk about how bloggers can use gift guides to build traffic and possibly test out affiliate marketing and see if it is right for them. Regardless of whether you choose to monetize your blog or not, gift guides throughout the year can give you a topic to write about that people search for and need help with.

Find Us On Twitter:
Blogging ABCs
Loxly
SunshineTricia

Many thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts and many other educational and entertaining podcasts related to all things geeky.

Merchant ABCs hosts Deborah Carney and Vinny O’Hare joined Kim Salvino and Amy Ely of buy.at to discuss ideas on how merchants can create engaging and efficient affiliate newsletters
Merchant ABCs hosts Deborah Carney and Vinny O’Hare joined Kim Salvino and Amy Ely of buy.at to discuss ideas on how merchants can create engaging and efficient affiliate newsletters

Topics include:

·         Using subject lines, content and a format that is helpful and appealing to affiliates

·         The pros and cons of using HTML vs text, personalizing messaging, and including tracking code

·         The importance of understanding legal & illegal practices when communicating with affiliates

Key takeaways:

·         Use subject lines that make sense – don’t title “monthly newsletter” when you can include key words that relate to the information in the email

·         Consider addressing recipients by name and making the messaging personal

·         List main topics at the start of the email to immediately engage recipients on points of interest

·         Think about including code (that works!) when mentioning the great creative available for your program – if you have their attention, make their life easier by allowing for a quick copy/paste

·         Don’t bother telling affiliates about sales that started yesterday and end tomorrow

·         Engage affiliates beyond your program details, ask them what they need from you, share helpful industry stats, discuss topics with them on forums, in social media, etc.

·         Include contact details at the close of each email

·         Test before you send!  Test before you send!!!

Helpful statistics:

·         In a recent survey of 7,000+ affiliates from Affiliate Benchmarks, they listed weekly as the most preferred frequency of affiliate program newsletters

·         Further, affiliates listed direct personal email, newsletter email, and network email as the top three preferred ways to receive information from advertisers they work with

Find us on Twitter:

Vinny O’Hare
Deborah Carney (a.k.a. Loxly)
Merchant ABCs
Geekcast.fm

Learn more about buy.at:
Visit the buy.at blog
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @buyatUS

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts, check them out for lots of other great podcasts about affiliate marketing and marketing in general.

Topics include:

·         Using subject lines, content and a format that is helpful and appealing to affiliates

·         The pros and cons of using HTML vs text, personalizing messaging, and including tracking code

·         The importance of understanding legal & illegal practices when communicating with affiliates

Key takeaways:

·         Use subject lines that make sense – don’t title “monthly newsletter” when you can include key words that relate to the information in the email

·         Consider addressing recipients by name and making the messaging personal

·         List main topics at the start of the email to immediately engage recipients on points of interest

·         Think about including code (that works!) when mentioning the great creative available for your program – if you have their attention, make their life easier by allowing for a quick copy/paste

·         Don’t bother telling affiliates about sales that started yesterday and end tomorrow

·         Engage affiliates beyond your program details, ask them what they need from you, share helpful industry stats, discuss topics with them on forums, in social media, etc.

·         Include contact details at the close of each email

·         Test before you send!  Test before you send!!!

Helpful statistics:

·         In a recent survey of 7,000+ affiliates from Affiliate Benchmarks, they listed weekly as the most preferred frequency of affiliate program newsletters

·         Further, affiliates listed direct personal email, newsletter email, and network email as the top three preferred ways to receive information from advertisers they work with

 
Find us on Twitter:

Vinny O’Hare
Deborah Carney (a.k.a. Loxly)
Merchant ABCs
Geekcast.fm

Learn more about buy.at:
Visit the buy.at blog
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @buyatUS

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts, check them out for lots of other great podcasts about affiliate marketing and marketing in general.

Merchant ABCs hosts Deborah Carney and Vinny O’Hare joined Kim Salvino, Amy Ely, and Jeannine Crooks of buy.at to talk about preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Topics include:

·         Important information affiliates need to promote your Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals
·         Considerations when designing a Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal

Key takeaways:

·         Plan and send Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals at least 4-6 weeks in advance so affiliates have time to prepare.

·         Communicating with your affiliates is very, very important.  If your deal details won’t be available far in advance, tell your affiliates if you’re planning to run a deal at all – this way they can prepare their sites.  If you send them a deal a few days before or on Black Friday, you’ll likely be out of luck.

·         Don’t try to pass off a standard promotion (ex. Free shipping on orders over $50) as a Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal if it’s something you already offer regularly.  Your customers and affiliates will find out and be disappointed if you’re trying to pull the wool over their eyes, and might take their business elsewhere.

·         If you’d rather not discount your entire online store, offer a special on one or a handful of items to drive traffic to your site, and keep the remaining items at regular price.

·         Ensure you have ample stock of the products you’re featuring for the deal, and if the stock runs out, be prepared to redirect the page to a similar item with a deal.

·         When sending affiliates (and/or your network) deal details, we strongly recommend providing all of the following information:

• Offer title & details
• Official deal start date & time
• Official deal end date & time
• Specific landing page URL
• Required coupon code (if applicable)

Helpful statistics:

·         Black Friday online sales totaled $595 million in 2009 and $648 million in 2010

·         The largest online sales day in 2010 was Cyber Monday and the peak week was December 5-12^th

Find us on Twitter:

Vinny O’Hare
Deborah Carney (a.k.a. Loxly)
Merchant ABCs
Geekcast.fm

Learn more about buy.at:
Visit the buy.at blog
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @buyatUS

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts, check them out for lots of other great podcasts about affiliate marketing and marketing in general.

Affiliate ABCs hosts Deborah Carney and Vinny O’Hare joined Kim Salvino, Amy Ely, and Jeannine Crooks of buy.at to talk about preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Topics include:

·         Important information to ask merchants in preparation for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
·         Tips for communicating with merchants to ensure you’re not stuck with last-minute updates

Key takeaways:

·         Communicating with your merchants (or network rep) is key.  Explain why you need information in advance, make a case for why it’s in their best interest (stats, site traffic over Thanksgiving weekend, case studies), and describe how you promote (email, ppc, etc) so they can provide all the assets you need.

o    Give merchants a deadline and stick to it

·         If working through a network, think about asking to be part of a spotlight in newsletters sent to merchants, highlighting the value of your site for Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals.

·         Consider asking for a list of a merchant’s top sellers and the products they plan to promote during the holiday season so you can plan accordingly.

·         Ask merchants if gift cards are commissionable, as sales of these cards directly add revenue to their bottom line and many consumers don’t end up redeeming them.  This presents a high-profit opportunity for them and an up-front commission earning opportunity for you.

·         When asking merchants  (and/or your network) for deal details, consider asking for all of the following information:

• Offer title & details
• Official deal start date & time
• Official deal end date & time
• Specific landing page URL
• Required coupon code (if applicable)

Helpful statistics:

·         Black Friday online sales totaled $595 million in 2009 and $648 million in 2010
·         The largest online sales day in 2010 was Cyber Monday and the peak week was December 5-12^th
·         Americans are sitting on $30 billion in unused gift cards

Find us on Twitter:
Vinny O’Hare
Deborah Carney (a.k.a. Loxly)
Merchant ABCs
Geekcast.fm

Learn more about buy.at:
Visit the buy.at blog
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @buyatUS

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts, check them out for lots of other great podcasts about affiliate marketing and marketing in general.

Affiliate ABCs host Deborah Carney joined Kim Salvino and Amy Ely of buy.at to discuss Q4 planning and ideas to generate the greatest revenue during one of the most lucrative times of the year.

Topics include:

·         Important information to ask merchants in order to effectively promote their program in Q4
·         Great Q4 holidays (beyond Black Friday) and niche topics to consider for promotion opportunities

Key takeaways:

·         Don’t wait on the merchant – know what you need well in advance, and don’t be afraid to ask
·         Plan out a promotional calendar and the dates you’ll need relevant creative from merchants
·         Consider creating a media kit detailing your audience demographics, planned promotions, and communications channels you use (email, PPC, etc) and send to potential merchant partners
·         Ensure your content and ads aren’t displaying expired promotions
Tricia Meyer posted a great seasonality calendar – http://www.tricia.me/SeasonalityCalendar.pdf

Helpful statistics:
·         comScore 4^th quarter sales reached $39 billion in 2009 and $43 billion in 2010 – presenting a huge revenue opportunity this year
·         The largest online sales day in 2010 was Cyber Monday and the peak week was December 5-12^th

Find us on Twitter:
Deborah Carney (a.k.a. Loxly)
Affiliate ABCs
Geekcast.fm

Learn more about buy.at:
Visit the buy.at blog
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @buyatUS

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts, check them out for lots of other great podcasts about affiliate marketing and marketing in general.

Merchant ABCs host Deborah Carney joined Kim Salvino and Amy Ely of buy.at to discuss Q4 planning, including tips on how to effectively support affiliates and generate the greatest revenue from this channel during one of the most lucrative times of the year.

Topics include:
·         Important information affiliates need to effectively promote your program in Q4
·         Great Q4 holidays (beyond Black Friday) to consider for promotion opportunities
·         Activities to avoid during Q4 that may cause your program to lose affiliates

Key takeaways:
·         comScore 4^th quarter sales reached $39 billion in 2009 and $43 billion in 2010 – presenting a huge revenue opportunity this year
·         The largest online sales day in 2010 was Cyber Monday and the peak week was December 5-12^th
·         Plan out a promotional calendar and the dates you’ll provide relevant creative to your affiliates
·         Send a list of best sellers, new Q4 products, and (for PPC affiliates) suggested keywords
·         Update data feeds daily and consider “changes file,” top sellers, and category specific sub-feeds
·         DO NOT plan major site updates or affiliate network changes in Q4
·         If your gift cards are commissionable, let your affiliates know, if they aren’t – why not?

Find us on Twitter:
Deborah Carney (a.k.a. Loxly)
Merchant ABCs
Geekcast.fm

Learn more about buy.at:
Visit the buy.at blog
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @buyatUS

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts, check them out for lots of other great podcasts about affiliate marketing and marketing in general.

Drew Thorne-Thomsen from Ring Revenue, joins Affiliate ABCs hosts Vinny O’Hare and Deborah Carney to discuss the Ring Revenue service. Pay per call has been around for awhile but it is getting more traction as more affiliates are looking for ways to monetize offline advertising or other untraditional types of advertising and pay per call gives affiliates, networks and merchants a way to start tracking those sales. In addition to the call tracking, there is also a corresponding link that can track.

A little background on Drew:
Drew Thorne-Thomsen, VP of Customer Development at Ring Revenue - Drew is responsible for partner development and support, as well as new business development. Prior to joining RingRevenue, he was CMO at Trident Marketing, where he was responsible for customer acquisition for several Fortune 500 brands. Drew drove millions of phone calls to their own performance call centers through traditional and non-traditional marketing strategies. Before that, he spent nearly a decade at Commission Junction, where he launched and developed CJ Media and CJ PayPerCall. Drew spent six years on the United States Alpine Ski Team and competed at the World Cup level. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Some of the main points for Affiliates: 
- Affiliates are earning millions in commissions
- Combine calls AND clicks to earn more
- Phone calls convert between 30-50% (clicks 1-3%)
- Average payouts above $10 per call
- Access more high-value offers
- Visit RingRevenue sign up with networks: www.ringrevenue.com/partners

We would love for you to leave comments and let us know if you are using Pay per Call or what questions you have about it. We will be scheduling a webinar for later in the month and would love to have questions from you!

More information on Ring Revenue:
What is RingRevenue?
Publisher Get Started Video

Contact info:
Drew Thorne-Thomsen
drew@ringrevenue.com

Find us on Twitter:
RingRevenue
Vinny O’Hare
Deborah Carney (a.k.a. Loxly)
Merchant ABCs
Geekcast.fm

Thanks to Geekcast.fm for hosting our podcasts, check them out for lots of other great podcasts about affiliate marketing and marketing in general.