Friday, October 18, 2019

Do's and don'ts in Affiliate marketing

Over the last decade, affiliate marketing 
has become the number one channel for 
acquiring customers via online marketing. 
Prior to this, brokers and brands in general 
used to have massive media buying, PPC 
and SEO departments investing unlimited 
funds on CPM or PPC campaigns, 
with the aim to convert leads into 
overspending in many companies - the 
successful few still manage these efforts 
inhouse. But then something changed: 
Affiliates started to enter the market. 
So, who are those magical angels we 
call affiliates? Essentially, they are media 
buyers, SEO or content experts that are 
sourced to carry out marketing efforts 
and later get compensated retroactively 
for every customer they send to a broker 
(leads, new paying clients and at times - 
revshare).
Finding a few affiliates and getting them 
to send you unlimited traffic may sound 
easy. However, before we get to the dos 
and don’ts, let’s try to get familiar with 
the pros and cons of having an in-house 
affiliate program as opposed to the 
option of working with affiliate networks.
Among the pros of running your very 
own in-house affiliate program is the 
ability to control and assess the quality 
of your affiliate marketing efforts. Many 
networks will not be fully transparent
because they simply wish to breast their 
cards; if they reveal who their affiliates 
are and their performances, both you and 
the affiliate will prefer to cut the network 
out. Moreover, it is in the network’s interest 
to let affiliates send as much traffic 
and sales to you as it means that while 
they are getting paid according to the 
agreement, your interest is to control the 
volumes and value as you will still need 
to deal with the ROI later. Therefore, they 
will not reveal their affiliates to you but 
will rather use encrypted subid`s for their 
No transparency means that you have 
no idea where you are being promoted, 
which ads are being used etc.; this poses 
many regulatory risks that could later be 
very costly to you. When working with 
affiliates, it is crucial they represent your 
brand appropriately beyond just driving 
clicks, registration and sales. Therefore, 
managing your own affiliate program 
would allow you to control who is 
promoting you making sure that they are 
driving high quality traffic to you.
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77Ways to Get Trafficto your blog By Allan Gardyne

Top tips to get traffic to your blog-
• Traffic tip #1 – High quality, unique content.
• Traffic tip #2 – Keep adding content.
• Traffic tip #3 – Memorable domain name.
• Traffic tip #4 – Buy the wrong domain name.
• Traffic tip #5 – Easy to read domain name.
• Traffic tip #6 – Keywords in image files.
• Traffic tip #7 – Serious keyword research.
• Traffic tip #8 – Improve page titles.
• Traffic tip #9 – Organic SEO.
• Traffic tip #11 – Submit to niche directories.
• Traffic tip #12 – Article distribution.
• Traffic tip #13 – Write articles for other sites.
• Traffic tip #14 – Submit articles to newsletters.
• Traffic tip #15 – Submit hints to blogs.
• Traffic tip #16 – Keywords in online profiles.
• Traffic tip #17 – One way links.
• Traffic tip #18 – Invite others to publish content.
• Traffic tip #19 – Newsletter publication.
• Traffic tip #20 – Newsletter directories.
• Traffic tip #21 – Publish a mini-course.
• Traffic tip #22 – Write testimonials.
• Traffic tip #23 – Be helpful in forums• Traffic tip #24 – Post free ads in forums.
• Traffic tip #25 – Be helpful in discussion lists.
• Traffic tip #26 – Keyword rich press releases.
• Traffic tip #27 – Create a lively blog.
• Traffic tip #28 – Blog RSS feeds.
• Traffic tip #29 – RSS to email.
• Traffic tip #30 – Remove broken links.
• Traffic tip #31 – Podcasting.
• Traffic tip #32 – Use reliable hosting.
• Traffic tip #33 – Tweak internal linking.
• Traffic tip #34 – Chase new fads and hot topics.
• Traffic tip #35 – Chase new affiliate programs.
• Traffic tip #36 – Analyze your logs.
• Traffic tip #37 – Join business associations.
• Traffic tip #38 – Add a forum to your site.
• Traffic tip #39 – Write free reports or white papers.
• Traffic tip #40 – Write brandable reports.
• Traffic tip #41 – Submit to ebook directories.
• Traffic tip #42 – Offer to be a columnist.
• Traffic tip #43 – Offer to moderate part of a forum.
• Traffic tip #44 – Do something funny.
• Traffic tip #45 – Be outrageous or controversial.
• Traffic tip #46 – Tag your blog.
• Traffic tip #47 – Newspaper websites.
• Traffic tip #48 – Upload and tag your photos.
• Traffic tip #49 – Use gimmicks.
• Traffic tip #50 – Create deliberate “link bait”.
• Traffic tip #51 – Syndicate your material.
• Traffic tip #52 – Position yourself as an expert.
• Traffic tip #53 – Create a profile on Amazon.com.
• Traffic tip #54 – Combine JV’s with email capture.
• Traffic tip #55 – Try offline advertising.
• Traffic tip #56 – Place a link in Yahoo! Answers.
• Traffic tip #57 – Get links from eBay.
• Traffic tip #58 – Get links from AdSense.
• Traffic tip #59 – Add useful comments to blogs.
• Traffic tip #60 – Add sticky content.
• Traffic tip #61 – Add classified ads to your site.
• Traffic tip #62 – Social networking.
• Traffic tip #63 – Create your own fanclub.
• Traffic tip #64 – Effective PPC advertising.
• Traffic tip #65 – Buy ads in newsletters.
• Traffic tip #66 – Buy text links – carefully!
• Traffic tip #67 – Advertise in less obvious places.
• Traffic tip #68 – Create free web-based software.
• Traffic tip #69 – Create downloadable software.
• Traffic tip #70 – Get publicity for your software.
• Traffic tip #71 – Create a funny video.
• Traffic tip #72 – Use a signature file.
• Traffic tip #73 – Think viral.
• Traffic tip #74 – Email page to a friend.
• Traffic tip #75 – Add to favorites.
• Traffic tip #76 – Start an affiliate program.
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What is the Affiliate Union?

The Affiliate Union (www.affiliateunion.com) is an
organization of affiliates and merchants
dedicated to promoting communication and
disclosure in the affiliate industry. The
movement arose out of a need for standards in
a burgeoning industry. Union members have
drafted standards and criteria for certification of
merchants. As any perceived gold rush, the
opening of the online affiliate market attracted
both legitimate businesspeople and its share of
charlatans and snake oil salesmen. Predictably,
people, merchants, affiliates, and customers
began to get burned by unclear, poorly planned,
Fortunately, the Internet is an information
medium and this allows legitimate business
people to compare notes quickly. Merchants
and affiliates work together to create a set of
standards based on disclosure. Keep in mind
that disclosure is based on honesty, not on
quality. The AU plans to examine and certify
merchant programs that honestly outline to their
affiliates the responsibilities of both parties, and
tell affiliates what, when, and how to expect
compensation. At this point, the AU does not
presume to evaluate what a "good" or "fair"
program is, and the affiliate is still responsible
for reading and understanding a contract before
signing it.
The AU is a mutually beneficial, cooperative
effort between merchants and affiliates
designed to facilitate communication and
disclosure. Moreover, the AU will decrease the
amount of fraud and abuse, lessen the
victimization of affiliates, and lend dignity to the
industry
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Why should I be an affiliate?

  The three main reasons to become involved
with affiliate marketing are money, dreams, and
freedom.
1. Money
You already have a concept. Why not make
your knowledge work for you? Strategically
placed paying links can bring in extra income.
The amount you earn, of course, depends on a
number of factors but, if you have visitors, you
can harvest this traffic and convert it to revenue.
2. Dreams
Money and dreams are not mutually exclusive,
and online affiliate marketing allows you to have
both. Here’s how it works. If you always wanted
to sell fine jewelry, books, cookware, or other
tangible items, now you can. Unfortunately, you
don’t get to fondle the merchandise, but you
also don’t have to worry about buying, storing,
or shipping it.
3. Freedom
Online affiliate marketing allows you the
freedom to choose your own schedule, and to
work from home, from the road, in the middle of
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What are my responsibilities as an affiliate

1. Represent a product or service.
Represent the merchant’s product or service on
your site through the use of links. These links
may take the form of a banner, a text link, a
search box, or even a JAVA applet.
2. Drive traffic (get visitors) to your site.
Establish a steady flow of targeted traffic to your
site in order to increase your potential to earn
commissions. Once a customer uses your links
to connect to the merchant, the merchant
should pay you. Different merchants specify
what constitutes an action worthy of
compensation, and these can range from a
customer just seeing the ad to actually
purchasing the product. How much you get paid
will also differ from merchant to merchant.
3. Read the contract.
Information should be stated clearly in a
contract. It is your responsibility to read the
contract, even if it is long, convoluted, or boring.
If you are unclear about the merchant’s policies,
either contact the merchant for clarification, or
look elsewhere for a more satisfactory
agreement. Numerous affiliate programs existyou are interested in promoting a particular type
of product or service, a little research should
help you find a reliable program that meets your
needs. Here are two directories of affiliate
programs to get you started (we’ll be telling you
about many more later):
AssociatePrograms.com
www.associateprograms.com
● 
2-Tier Affiliate Program Directory
www.2-tier.com
● 
4. Monitor your site and links.
You must check your site and links regularly to
make sure everything works properly.
Merchants will contact you if changes should be
made. For example, if a merchant changes its
linking code, you should get an email specifying
how this is done.
5. Monitor your statistics.
The merchant should provide you with statistics.
You need to monitor your statistics to make sure
you are being credited properly. Your statistics
reflect the success of your merchandising plan
and allow you to tweak your selling process to
increase your profit.
Who are affiliates?
Affiliates fall into three types. For clarity, we
have excluded powerhouse shopping properties
and large corporate sites. We will call the three
types power, mid-range, and non-productive
affiliates.
1. Power affiliates
Power affiliates, who make a living wage, are aminority of those using affiliate marketing
programs. They usually have a network of sites,
and spend several hours daily maintaining traffic
to these sites. Power affiliates create a large
revenue stream for the merchants. Therefore,
they enjoy several perks; for instance, power
affiliates often have the influence to bargain with
merchants for more advantageous deals. Power
affiliates often work from home. Many power
affiliates are also merchants to vendors who
want to expand their revenue base. Power
affiliates account for roughly 10 percent of all
affiliates. Of course, power is a relative term.
For example, a highly influential site with a small
amount of traffic can command high rates
because of its market impact.
2. Mid-Range Affiliates
The second type of affiliates makes some
supplemental income. These people often
maintain full-time "dirt world" occupations.
These affiliates may have one popular site or a
network of small sites, but they either control
significantly less traffic, or less targeted traffic
than the power affiliates, or have difficulty
converting page views to clicks, actions, or
sales. These affiliates comprise about 10
percent of all affiliates. Merchants like to
cultivate these relationships because many
mid-range affiliates can go on to be power
affiliates.
3. Non-Productive Affiliates
So what about the other 80 percent of affiliates?
Unfortunately, they make little or no money.
Many of these sign up for a program, intending
to use it, but never even put up paying links.
Others put up the links, but don’t control enough
traffic to support sales. Few just don’t have the
knack. The majority of non-profitable affiliation
results from ignorance or apathy. Affiliate
marketing is a competitive business
environment, and, as in any industry, many who
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What type of merchandise can I sellthrough affiliate marketing?

The types of merchandise you can move
through affiliate marketing include manufactured
goods, free samples or trials, interpersonal
contact opportunities such as employment and
companionship, and education. Just about any
product or service imaginable can be sold
through affiliate marketing.
Manufactured goods
Programs that market manufactured goods
include affiliate programs of brick and mortar
stores, such as Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com),
online giants such as Amazon.com, and
bargain/discount stores such as
1Bookstreet.com.
Another interesting venue for merchandise is
one-of-a-kind, handcrafted items, such as
hand-made stained glass, hand-knit sweaters,
and original art. For instance, the Enchanted
World of Boxes (www.worldofboxes.com) offers
artistically designed wooden boxes for every
occasion.
Free Samples and Trials
Several affiliate programs offer "freebie"
opportunities, where the merchants compensate
you for giving away free samples or
merchandise. Freebie sites are popular because
they require no investment by the consumer.
Please refer to the following sites for information
about free products:
2000Freebies.com
www.2000freebies.com
● 
Freebies2try.com
www.freebies2try.com
● 
Interpersonal contact
Facilitating interpersonal contact is another
interesting affiliate opportunity. The Internet is a
global communication medium, where people
reach out to contact each other. Businesses
1 - What is Online Affiliate Marketing?
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What is Online AffiliateMarketing

Affiliate: An individual who contracts with a
merchant in order to help sell that merchant’s
product. The product may be anything someone
will pay for, whether tangible (such as clothing),
virtual (such as electronic books or
downloadable software), or information (such as
expert advice).
Associate: Another word for an affiliate.
Merchant: An individual or business who has a
product and, in this case, uses affiliate
programs to sell this product. Usually, the
merchant takes all responsibility for recording
leads and orders, and for storing and delivering
the product to the customer.
Power Affiliate: A term used to loosely define a
successful affiliate. Often, people have a
monetary figure in their heads (usually less than
what they are making themselves) to determine
"power affiliate" status. Power is relative and
can be equated in terms of revenue, influence,
and good will.
Testimonial: A written statement of support,
preferably from a respected individual or
company. Use of testimonials in advertising can
greatly enhance sales.
Traffic: The number of times your webpage is
visited. This may be from several "unique"
visitors, or from a few loyal fans.
Online affiliate marketing
An online affiliate program is a contractual
agreement you make with a merchant to acquire
targeted traffic, generate a sales lead, or sell a
product. This product may be physical (such as
books), virtual (such as electronic books or
downloadable software), or information (such as
expert advice).
Online affiliate marketing began as a natural
outgrowth of the popularity of "linking" to other
sites. Webmasters would incorporate electronic
links into their site, which would take the reader
directly to a point of interest. Merchants then
saw the potential to reach more customers and
began to offer incentives, usually money, in
order to encourage webmasters to link to the
merchant’s site. Online affiliate programs began
in the mid-1990’s and are currently a popular
way to earn money online. In fact, research
shows that affiliate marketing is the most

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