5 Star Affiliate Blogs

My friends (and one of my favorite clients) RevenueWire, just did a great post and video about how to avoid that durned Google Slap. Enjoy and I hope it helps your marketing efforts. From RevenueWire

“The Dreaded Google Slap. No affiliate ever wants to hear that oh-so infamous term. Unfortunately, if you don’t protect yourself against it, you won’t have a choice. Google’s increasingly stringent policies are forcing affiliates to change the way they do things right across the board.

To help you adapt to the changing landscape, we’ve created a short video covering the basics of what the Google Slap is, the criteria that govern it, and the different strategies you can use to avoid it.”

Join the RevenueWire Affiliate Program here!

Affiliate software and solutions company, Jounce, recently launched their new Jounce platform, including the world’s first cross-network affiliate search engine. Jounce is redefining the core fundamentals of affiliate marketing by simplifying and streamlining the processes of listing, searching, finding, and recommending affiliate offers online.

This is a VERY cool way to search and compare numerous offers across the major networks and you can even pull your affiliate link from within the platform. Jounce is a BIG time saver and should increase productivity and revenue for affiliates several ways.

Jonathan Volk has a great review of Jounce here:
Jounce – Search 12 Million Affiliate Offers

Affiliate marketing has so many facet and techniques, that often times it’s easy to find yourself involved with a scam or being taken advantage of. Everyone can be at risk, including the consumer, merchant and affiliates. So how can we truly prevent wide-spread fraud that tricky people think they can get away with? Easy.

First off, you need to be aware of different techniques for affiliate marketing scams:

1. Duplicating
2. Spamming
3. Squatting
4. Diverting
5. Faking
6. Stealing

When faced with the above, once of the most important things you can do for the affiliate marketing community is to share what you’ve found and prevent others from falling into the same trap. Make sure you’re communicating with others and keeping your own blacklist for your own reference and to share.

You also need to be able to track IPs and prevent automatic approval for adding affiliates. This infographic goes over each step in more detail and is a great resource for understanding risks and finding solutions to affiliate fraud.

Guest blog post by REVENUEWIRE

“The first generation of this capability looks like the popular “affiliate” programs – a must for expanding reach in online marketing. But the next generation will consist of electronic trading hubs that offer a range of outsourced ebusiness services, still possible to assemble in hours or days.” – Walid Mougayar, Business 2.0, regarding networks and their affiliates

Next Generation E-Conomics
Walid Mougayar hit the nail smack on the head with that one. Affiliate marketing is in significant transition, and the gap between the two phases is where the crux of the matter lays. Collective revenues are growing, but the industry itself is plagued by a lack of broader, intellectual leadership. There is limited energy being invested in new theoretical visions that will provide long term direction.

Part of the problem comes from the inherently myopic, “fast money” mentality espoused by many affiliate programs, but it certainly isn’t the only cause. There are a lot of straight legitimate networks trying to do the right thing by their customers, and giving their utmost to keep the industry clean.

The real problem is that people in the industry seem to be locked in a kind of intellectual brain freeze, too busy with the minutiae to see a bigger picture. The dialogue is set to auto-repeat. “Make money now”. “We’re better than those guys”. “Do it with these fantastic tools”, etc. etc. Basically there’s a battle going on between the quickness and the quality of the business, and for the most part the speed seems to be winning out.

Time for a change…

And The Demon Is? Speed
Back in the day in 1920’s Italy, a group of crazy philosophers, poets, artists, and political revolutionaries called The Futurists prophesied that the direction of the modern world was about one thing and one thing only: Speed. And so far, when it comes to technology at least, they’ve been spot on. Entire affiliate networks pop up (and disappear) in a single day. New features, products, offers, services and e-functions are lighting up our collective consciousness like millions of fireflies, every day and night.

And frankly, who’s to argue that this technological speed isn’t great? It means things are happening, things are getting done, people are innovating. New and exciting things keep arising in the amazing world of cyberspace. Fresh developments and innovations getting implemented at laser velocity. The only thing is, speed can also kill. Networks can move so fast that it ends up being detrimental to their structural integrity. They lose sight of building solid infrastructure and fail because they aren’t around long enough to play the part.

When it comes right down to it, the whole world of online business is like walking a razor’s edge. E-marketers want their business up and running ASAP, making profits right away, but if they spring too fast their strategy is often unsound and their career shelf-life gets cut as short as a basket of hot strawberries.

Q. What is the anti-dote to this almighty fascination with speed?
A. The next generation in affiliate marketing.

Pumping The Breaks On Compulsive Speed
While there’s no doubt technological speed is and should be the means to reach the most desirable end-game (online marketing is tech-based after all, and its purpose is to generate revenue faster than traditional means), there still needs to be more well thought-out, academic, intellectual, and long-term strategy type thought-leaders that are actively looking beyond just the bare mechanics of e-commerce, and uncovering a broader view on issues of online business. A kind of watchdog group keeping their eye on the voracious nature of the archetypal business mind.

Right now readers can find a wealth of insight on the micro-mechanics of affiliate marketing. How to construct and run PPC campaigns, AdWords accounts, content network campaigns and so on; yet very little of it explains how these mechanics fit into the larger economic macrocosm.

For anyone new to affiliate marketing, they probably find all the minutiae a little bit confusing and boring. They probably want to stick their heads above the clouds and see what affiliate marketing is all about in the grander scheme of things. They want vision and conceptual analysis and a broader frame of reference.

Whether pundits and cyber-warriors in the field are talking about black hat or white hat tactics, there’s no doubt affiliate marketing can’t keep going on with this speed obsessed, micro-sighted way. We need a sea change. It’s inevitable. The current model is too one dimensional. The industry has matured and is now hankering for a new set of rules.

So who will bring this change to fruition?

While affiliate marketing will no doubt continue to see the rise and fall of quick fix networks, the people that are in it for the long haul, who want to build solid business relationships and revenue streams with awesome longevity, will ultimately be the ones who have to lead the way in defining what is truly possible in the brave new world of affiliated online commerce.

To Bring Change, First Know The Ley Of The Land
The current landscape of affiliate marketing is basically made up of networks, affiliates, merchants/publishers, and online consumers. Government and the courts have started to take a more active role of late, but the vast majority of daily goings on involve these four groups exclusively.

Networks themselves are neo-corporate organisms. They’re comprised of highly-skilled business and tech development professionals who find themselves in the challenging position of “middle man.” De facto, they’re at the beck and call of high-powered affiliates, who are the star athletes of the affiliate world. Publishers exert considerable power as well, especially when it comes to the ways affiliates promote their products and offers.

Affiliate networks as they are today originally arose of out necessity, that proverbial mother of invention. As Mougayar puts it, they were “a must for expanding reach in online marketing.” If you were a scientist studying the online business world as if it were growing in a petrie dish, you would probably call affiliate networks “enzymes” (a.k.a. catalysts) for the growth and extension of e-commerce’s neural pathways.

So if affiliate networks are so important, why have they historically sat in the backseat? This question bring us to the type of change the industry needs. There’s a simple answer to that. Affiliate networks have not historically taken the lead. What the industry needs now is networks to act like they’re the kings.

A Radical New Notion That Isn’t As Radical As It Seems
If affiliate marketing is going to fully realize all its immense potential, it’s the affiliate networks themselves that will have to take the reins. Affiliate networks can no longer simply sit back and react to the needs of their affiliate and merchant members. They have to act. They have to anticipate.

While it may have been necessary for networks to take a more passive approach during the early phase of affiliate marketing in order to provide the organizational base for future market expansion, now is time for the next phase. Now is the time for affiliate networks to wake up and turn up their game. They simple have to be more proactive, anticipate needs and provide solutions, while looking deep into the future of the industry.

Be The Change You Want To Make
So what exactly does the future of affiliate marketing look like? Let’s revisit our quote.

“But the next generation will consist of electronic trading hubs that offer a range of outsourced ebusiness services, still possible to assemble in hours or days.”

Shazam. That’s the simplest answer, deftly rendered. It states that affiliate marketing is coming in the from the perimeter and merging with the rest of the mainstream e-commerce world. Until now, it’s been the Internet’s naughty little stepchild. However, networks that begin to see themselves as more than just networks, as hubs for a variety of essential e-commerce services, will begin to change that nasty stereotype and become the future ambassadors of the affiliate and online marketing world.

Providing added services is the key to this strategic change. Secure and conversion-optimized payment processing systems, independent marketing services that supply strategy and ad creative, plus staple affiliate network services such as analytics and incentives. All of this is where it’s at in terms of strategic leadership in affiliate marketing today. The recognition that e-commerce is far larger than just AdWords, CPA, and PPC.

By diversifying the services they offer, and building themselves up as e-commerce hubs rather than simply obedient messengers caught between affiliates and merchants and consumer needs, networks will be able to take the lead. They will be able give the industry some much needed deeper theoretical vision, while opening up their doors to a whole new consumer base of affiliate marketers and traditional online markets alike.

*THIS BLOG POST WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY REVENUEWIRE

A guest post written by Joseph Ratliff

There are a ton of ebooks and courses being sold online covering many topics important to affiliate marketing.

From one proven system, to another proven way of doing things…you can learn a lot by investing in the right ones, and implementing what they teach.

Except I’ve noticed that many of these courses and other information sources don’t focus on one key missing ingredient that is more important to success than any system, method, or tactic.

Skills.

How can you be expected to implement a Google Adwords secret if you’re not skilled at writing copy first?  Salesmanship?  Persuasion?

What if you’re not a skilled writer at all?

Unfortunately, these courses leave the “learning the skills” part out, because if they explained what you need to possess in terms of skills set beforehand, you might not buy their course or ebook.

Contrary to what’s marketed out there, you absolutely should focus on developing the skills required to succeed as an affiliate before venturing out and starting an affiliate business.  Can you succeed learning on the fly?  Sure…it will just be more challenging is all.  Some of the most successful have overcome the challenge of learning these skills on the fly, but you have to wonder…

Why do such a small percentage of affiliates truly succeed?

You’ll find that successful affiliates have well-developed skills in their toolbox:

• Selling skills.
• Copywriting skills.
• Persuasion skills.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Business building and development skills.
• A thorough understanding of the marketing process.
• An understand of how business systems work together.
• And on, and on…

This is not meant to discourage you from starting or continuing to build your own affiliate empire.  Instead, I hope to shift your mindset to developing the skills that, in the end, will help you to really process one thought…

“Do I need to learn more systems, or another set of tactics?  Or do I really need to learn an underlying skill that will allow me to create a system for doing things on my own?”

Some books that I recommend to get you started, which are fairly inexpensive (or can be picked up at the library, which is another treasure box in and of itself)…

• Influence – Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Scientific Advertising/My Life In Advertising by Claude Hopkins (one book, not two)
• The Copywriter’s Handbook by Bob Bly
• Ebook: “Need To Know” by Paul Myers (subscribe to his ezine TalkBiz News to get a free copy)

Do some research, and you’ll find tons of other handy resources to learn what you really need to learn, the missing ingredient to success online as an affiliate…skills.

Acai slinging affiliates that have been promoting “Free Trial” scams may want to stay tuned for more information regarding the outcome of a Press Conference the FTC is holding Monday AM in Chicago.

I wonder which company the FTC has set their sites on? I’m assume it’s one that has a pretty big affiliate program. Things like this just give the entire industry a bad name.

Media Advisory: 08/12/2010
FTC to Announce Action Against Internet Marketers of Acai Berry Weight-Loss Pills and “Colon Cleansers”

Millions of consumers who are anxious to lose weight or prevent cancer have seen the ads: “…USE WITH CAUTION! Major weight loss in short periods of time may occur,” or “detoxify your organs,” and break down and remove “toxic waste matter which may have been stuck in the folds and wrinkles of your digestive system for years and years.” Come and learn from the victims themselves what the “free” trials of these products have cost, and how the Federal Trade Commission and the business community are taking action.

WHAT: The Federal Trade Commission will hold a press conference on Monday, August 16, 2010, at 10 a.m., to announce a lawsuit against a company that marketed acai berry weight-loss supplements and “colon cleansing” supplements by promising consumers “free” trials of the products. More…

It’s sooooooo easy to get distracted as an affiliate and soooooo hard to stay focused. Do you find yourself jumping from one offer to the next so fast it makes your head spin, then sit back wondering why you aren’t making any money?

If so, you aren’t alone. Affiliate Hyperactive Disorder affects a majority of affiliates. If you suffer from this affliction, Inside Affiliate has some insights for you.

Avoid Affiliate Hyperactive Disorder — Inside Affiliate

Affiliate Hyperactive Disorder (AffHD for short) is when you have so many campaigns to test that you end up throwing them all up against the wall to see what sticks. Unfortunately, what often happens is that none of them stick. Then you are left thinking that you have exhausted all of your resources and have nothing to show for it. You might think that, but you are wrong.

What actually happened is that you became a campaign creation robot. When AffHD kicks in, your creativity center in the brain turns off. You become a monkey copying and pasting links from one place into the other, and when all is said and done you really haven’t added to much value to the process. No wonder those campaigns aren’t converting, there was no real effort put into their creation!

Guest Post by Joseph Ratliff

When you login to a discussion forum, do you have a plan of attack?

A purpose?

If not, then why are you using the forum you are visiting?

If you don’t have a plan or a purpose for visiting a discussion forum, then aren’t you on leisure time?

The same could be said about using Facebook (business), or Twitter (if you use Twitter for business).  Without a clearly defined plan of attack and a goal, how will you know when you’re done?

By the way, if you log onto Twitter for personal use while you’re supposed to be building your affiliate business…how far off track will that take you?

I guess the main point here is when visiting a discussion forum, set a specific objective (i.e. I want to participate in 5 relevant discussions), have a plan to reach that objective (i.e. ask the question when are you done?)…and most importantly execute…so you can move to building other parts of your business.

Remember, the other parts of your business are important too.

Profit with the Hover Affiliate Program

At Hover we look at doing one thing and doing it very well. We only sell domain names. Hover Affiliates enjoy high payouts, high commissions and full support from Hover’s Affiliate team because of that mission to do one thing really well. Hover’s progressive approach to domain registration and management make it an easy referral every time. Join today!

Hover Affiliate Program benefits
.:. Great conversion rates = high commissions
.:. Great customer service
.:. Innovative Program
.:. Large selection of supported Domain extensions
.:. Hover is owned by Tucows, the world’s 3rd largest domain Registrar

Learn more about Hover’s Affiliate Program

Great conversion rates = high commissions!
We are proud of our high conversion rates. Hover’s innovative “make it easy” approach to domain registration and management makes it easy for you to market. That translates into more commission for you.

Great customer service
Dedicated support for our Affiliates means you are never alone. Help and suggestions are only a phone call, email or tweet away.

Innovative Program
We don’t expect our Affiliates to do all the work. Banners, signature files and a whole raft of tips will help you maximize your payouts. If you ever have questions or want feedback, call us and we’ll work with you to get the results you want.

Large selection of supported Domain extensions
Through Hover, your referrals can get a .com, .net., .us to a .tv. Our email services work with email clients like Outlook and MacMail. Our IMAP connections set up mobile devices like your iPhone, Blackberry and more.

About Hover
Hover is a service of Tucows, the world’s 3rd largest domain Registrar. Hover helps individuals and small businesses buy and manage their domains and email. Tucows has been helping people register domain names since 1994.

Join the Hover Affiliate Program Today

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again! Cookie stuffing doesn’t pay and here’s the proof!

Way back in August 08 I reported that eBay Sued a High Profile Affiliate for Cookie Stuffing and Fraud. That civil case is still ongoing.

In that post I said: “For the blackhatters out there that say “cookie stuffing isn’t illegal and all is fair in love and affiliate marketing” – I say you better take a very close look at this case!

Well, I just found out CRIMINAL CHARGES were filed on June 24, 2010 and 2 indictments were handed down by the grand jury against the same people – Shawn Hogan, whom many in the industry know as the owner of the popular Digital Point forums and his associate Brian Dunning. The indictments charge Hogan and Dunning with 15 counts of wire fraud and criminal forfeiture, following an FBI investigation by the Cyber Crimes Department.

The two reportedly made millions from the alleged eBay cookie stuffing. However the maximum penalty they are facing, if found guilty, is imprisonment for 20 years and a Maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain/loss (whichever is greater). That could amount to MILLIONS in fines. So think about it – was it worth it? To say nothing of the money and jail time – think of all the stress, legal costs and TIME spent over the last 2 years due to all these civil and criminal charges.

Kellie Stevens broke the story over at Revenews and added great insights and lots of additional details. Head over there to read the full story.
Affiliates Indicted For Cookie Stuffing

My friends (and 5 Star clients) over at ShareResults craft the best blog titles and write the best affiliate marketing analogies. So I wanted to share another one with you. This one was penned by Janice Scrim.

Me, My Tomato Sandwich and Affiliate Marketing

Waiting as patiently as I, was a family of racoons, who throughout the night had gorged themselves, leaving one single tomato on my lawn—with a bite taken out of it.

I was devastated. So devastated in fact, that it took me four long years to get over my loss, and pick up my spade to try again.

What’s the point in trying again, the racoons will only eat them!

Why would I do all that hard work, only to fail. Let the farmers handle the tomatoes!

Negative talk can sometimes get the best of us, especially when we’ve invested so much of ourselves into something that we feel passionate about. When that negative talk turns into stalling, procrastinating and eventually abandonment, you know that you’re in trouble, and that it’s time to get back on track.

Affiliates can often experience this kind of frustration when building their online business.

Too often affiliate marketing is portrayed as a get-rich-quick scheme where you can make money while you lay on the beach. MAYBE after you put in years of work and build a solid foundation. But success usually only comes after a TON of hard work.

Image by Sasha Wolff

Not only is hard work required, but you need to have a plan and a goal. Too many affiliates start off jumping from one idea to the next, without consistent action and a solid workable plan. When I read this article today comparing building an affiliate marketing business to working out, the message made lots of sense, so I wanted to share it with you.

The Parallels between Affiliate Marketing and Working Out

Everyone has to start somewhere. Whether you just joined the gym, having never really worked out before, or if you just started your first affiliate marketing business, you face a lot of hard work to generate concrete results. Beyond hard work, you also need a plan if you really want give yourself the best chance for success. The guy who hits the gym seven days a week and works out hard, but has no real idea of what exercises to do or how to do them isn’t likely to get the results he is looking for. Similarly, a new affiliate who randomly promotes a variety of offers through PPC, social media, media buys, and any number of other tactics probably isn’t going to succeed in the business. The key is to have a goal that accurately defines what you want to accomplish and then a realistic plan to get you there. That plan will include learning the ins and outs of the tactics you need to utilize to reach your goal.

Here is an important post for affiliate marketers. It’s part one in a 5 part series, from one of our favorite clients – RevenueWire.

What Is The May Day Update and How Might It Affect You?

The May Day Update is a change in Google’s ranking algorithm, where Google implements modifications to their search engine so that it looks for higher quality sites to return on long-tail queries (i.e., more specific and longer keyword phrases).

READ the REST and see images at RevenueWire

Check to see if the change is in the number of referrals, or the number of pages getting traffic. A drop in traffic to your bigger terms probably is not a May Day effect, but drops in search referrals could be. Also, if your index or crawl stats changed suddenly, this could indicate you were hit by the update.

To be certain, check any links to your child pages across the site; these pages may have suffered a May Day relevance drop. If you don’t have unique content, even on your less important pages, you may have seen a dip.

In part two of this five part series we will cover in more detail what factors cause the site to be affected, and in subsequent articles we will discuss what improvements can be made and what you can do to minimize the impact of this algorithm change.

READ the REST…

Many affiliates get in the business due to the lure of time freedom and the ability to work from anywhere. Yet most end up working from home, chained to their desks.

I’ve shared a few stories of affiliates who have been able to take it to the extreme and live the life of true vagabond traveling affiliates. Here’s a great new story from Feedfront I just read today and wanted to share.

Life of a Traveling Affiliate – By Joshua Wexelbaum

I’m sitting in a small van, cross-legged next to seven slightly smelly hippies as we navigate through the desert landscape of Namibia, Africa.

Nothing is around for hundreds of miles except a tribal village where we purchase precious stones from local kids on the side of the road.

The previous day, I spotted a cyber cafe in a small town and managed to get online to check my campaigns. The next time I’ll be able to check my stats will be in a few days, as we approach a larger city.

Wanted to share another GREAT post from the ShareResults team,
one of my 5 Star clients.

What My Three-Year Old Teaches Me About Affiliate Marketing

There is an innocence and brutal honesty that my three-year old exudes every single day. And as much as I strive to instil my knowledge and experience on to her, she still manages to teach me so much.

Some of her words of wisdom, I’m somewhat less fond of, like: Mom, you have lines on your forehead, so I guess you must be getting old. I guess. Or: Mom, you should wear more pink, it makes you look more like a girl. I hate pink.

But most of the time, in her purity, in her determination to do things her way, she reminds me of the little things in life that I apply to my daily routine, and in turn, to my adventures in affiliate marketing.

Here then, are four tips from my daughter, which bring me back to basics, and make for great affiliate marketing lessons.

Issue 11 of FeedFront can now be viewed online, downloaded, and printed from Scribd.  The eleventh issue of FeedFront, the official magazine of Affiliate Summit, is at the printer and it will be hitting mailboxes in late July 2010.

This issue of FeedFront Magazine includes an interview with nerdcore rapper YTCracker, Boosting Your Traffic and Credibility with PR by Ali Croft, Evaluating Your Merchant’s E-Commerce Website by George Hansen, the Affiliate Summit East 2010 agenda, and Social Media’s Rules of Engagement by Brian Solis.

Also podcasting, mobile affiliate marketing, guest posting, coworking, product feeds, and affiliate marketing statistics.

My friends over at ShareResults wrote another entertaining post that has some great lessons affiliates can learn from the crazy fame that Lady Gaga enjoys.

Affiliate Marketing Lessons from Lady Gaga

Love her or hate her, there is no doubt that Lady Gaga is one of the most successfully marketed celebrities of the last decade. And it just keeps getting better. She now has 10 million fans on her Facebook page, making her the living celebrity with the most fans (Michael Jackson still beats her by a cool—or is it a bad?—4.9 million fans)…

There is a lot more than one aspect behind the meteoric rise to fame of this American songstress, and affiliate marketers could take a lesson from her and her team of PR people. So, here are our five affiliate marketing lessons from Lady Gaga.

I always say “Market with Integrity and Everyone Wins!” However I’m sure that for affiliates who want to make the big bucks, it’s not always easy to draw the line between what’s legal, ethical and RIGHT for the consumer and what borders on being a rip off offer.

Josh Todd from the GetAds blog has some good advice!

Keeping It Clean

Affiliate Marketers make a lot of money. Not all of you, but a lot of you do. If you have made a lot of money in Affiliate Marketing, chances are you have had to tread the line between what is ethical / fair / moral, and what is not. It always turns out that the campaigns that make the most money are the ones that take the consumer right to the edge of what they are willing to pay for / sign up for / get involved with.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying don’t be creative. I’m not saying you can’t ride that line and market on the edge. Just avoid outright deceiving people or spending your time thinking about how to cheat the system. There is plenty of money to be made in this industry legitimately. There are millionaires being made on a monthly basis. Just make sure that you are truly an Affiliate Marketer and not an Affiliate Scammer.

READ THE REST HERE>>>

My Friends over at MediaTrust (formerly also known as Advaliant) filmed another great edition of Relevantly Speaking starring 11 year affiliate marketing vet Chuck Hamrick. Chuck shares lots of great insights about various aspects of the business and the video is well worth a watch.

MediaTrust Relevantly Speaking – I’m a big believer that you can get a pretty good glimpse of what the future may hold, by looking at what’s unfolded in the past. This week we’re talking to industry veteran, Chuck Hamrick of Affiliate Crew about his experience in the evolving world of online marketing. How can some of the things that Chuck learned over his 11 years in the space help us all going forward?

Relevantly Speaking | Chuck Hamrick Talks Affiliate History

Are you thankful for your affiliate independence? Think about it! We work in the most “free” country in the world. Plus affiliates and outsourced affiliate managers have the freedom to work from home and the independence to largely create their own destiny.

I hope you all take time to celebrate – your freedom and independence, this wonderful country we live in and this amazing opportunity we have called affiliate marketing.

Enjoy a day off with your family and Happy 4th of July!

Photo credit: Michelle Jones UK