Be Creative with your Affiliate Marketing program

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Mike McAnally

Be Creative with your Affiliate Marketing program
by Mike McAnally

Affiliate marketing creative assets are an essential and often overlooked piece of Affiliate marketing and promotion. A common mistake we see is programs that contain the minimal amount of creative necessary to launch a campaign. This may include only brand focused ads and a few text links. Creative design is an important part of launch but also the ongoing promotion.Here are some quick tips:

  • Develop a base of brand image ads including just your logo
  • Create ongoing promotional ads (Free shipping, guarantees, etc.)
  • Upload new promotions or sale ads and inform Affiliates (via e-mail or phone)
  • Design image ads to be light in file size
  • If you network allows; develop dynamic ads, widgets, search forms, flash links
  • Provide accompanying text links and keywords for all image ads
  • Include an aggressive call to action
  • Do not include your web address or telephone number

Think of affiliates as your virtual sales force and treat them as you would an internal sales team or valued reseller.

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Amusing Spam Blog Comments
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Posted on December 5, 2011 by Adam Proehl

This is admittedly a very lazy blog post. It’s lazy, because I really didn’t have to write anything.  I was reviewing some blog comments that were being held for suspected spam and I started cracking up.  I thought I’d pick out some of the more amusing ones for your enjoyment. Please note that aside from removing some links (I’m not going to do the spammers any favors by pointing links back to their sites), the comments are taken verbatim – misspellings and all.

Horrible Spellings:

“Oh yeah, fbuaolus stuff there you!”

“Articles like this really grease the shafts of knowdlege.”

“Check out stresss relife right here you cant go worng”

“You keep it up now, uendrstand? Rally good to knuw.

Nonsense:

“In building a game framework, we first consider is the concept of how online penetrate 2.0 to go to every corner of the game, so <a><strong>bailey button boot</strong></a> players can really experience the fun of online games 2.0.” Game of Life, “highlights four?This design is based on the idea out. “” Game of Life “main game plan Aden talent in talking about the skills, weapons and reconstruction, the wizard beast, the four players to create highlights system this way.?”

“I was suggested this web site by means of my cousin. I am not certain whether or not this post is written by way of him as nobody else realize such detailed approximately my trouble. You’re amazing! Thanks!”

“My spouse and i go through a lot of posting on the subject matter yet could definitely not have the solutions We were seeking intended for.”

“Howdy this can be a little bit of away from matter but I has been wondering in the event that blogs make use of WYSIWYG publishers or even when you have to by hand signal along with Html code. I’m beginning your blog soon however haven’t any code experience so I wished to acquire advice through someone together with encounter. Virtually any assist will be enormously treasured!”

Thanks, but….

“Just do me a favor and keep writing such trechnant analyses, OK?”

“A piece of erudtiion unlike any other!”

“I was recommended this website by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my problem. You’re amazing! Thanks!”

“xbox 360 giveaway”

“I love nordicclick.com dude! 

Reactions to a recent blog post about our hiring for a new position:

“I really ndeeed to find this info, thank God!”

“Superb information here, ol’e chap; keep brunnig the midnight oil.”

“With the bases loaded you struck us out with that ansewr!”

“This sounds interesting. Interactive marketing is so much fun. I wonder if this is still open. “ (NOTE from Adam: This actually came from an interactive agency in Dallas)

Don’t Know What to Say:
“I could watch Schindler’s List and still be happy after raeding this.”

“Clearly stated! Just superb! Your composing manner is charming along with the way you managed the subject with grace is valued. I’m intrigued, I make bold you are an expert on this issue. I am signing up for your future updates from now on.”

“Good being going to your web site once again, many experts have several weeks for me personally. Properly this articles this ive ended up anxiously waited for too long. I want this particular piece of writing in order to comprehensive my own work inside institution, and possesses exact theme using your content. Cheers, excellent reveal.”

SEO Help:

“After reading your blog post I browsed your website a bit and noticed you aren’t ranking nearly as well in Google as you could be. I possess a handful of blogs myself and I think you should take a look here: (NOTE: removed website address)  You’ll find it’s a very nice tool that can bring you a lot more visitors. Keep up the quality posts”

“To find a Keyword Plugin that combines both Keyword Research and has the ability as a Rank Checker is what <a href=”(NOTE: Removed address)” rel=”nofollow”>Wordpress Seo Keyword</a>, please check out our 5 minute video.”

“Does your website not get hardly any visitors or not rank for keywords with Google? Well he can help! He can provide you with tens of thousands of backlinks to your site! This will help your rankings in the search engines and make your website more visible to your target audience. Take a quick look as I am sure you will be interested.”

“wait there’s even more Now what if i told you there was a simple WordPress plugin that does all the On-Page SEO, and automatically for you? That’s right AUTOMATICALLY, just watch this 4minute video for more information at.”  (NOTE: Deleted Website address)

Working a Little too hard to get backlinks:

“Hi! Thanks for the great post. While I was browsing before, I found two (NOTE: Removed address) coupon codes that may can help your website hosting. 1c hosting with (NOTE: Removed address) (Coupon Code: 1centwebhostingdeal) and 25% Discount (Coupon Code: 25offhostgatordeal). I found them at (NOTE: removed website address) . I hope this can help you :) ”

“Wonderful paintings! This is the kind of information that should be shared across the web. Disgrace on Google for now not positioning this put up upper! Come on over and seek advice from my website . Thank you =)”    (NOTE from Adam:  Just to be clear, we do not display, advertise, or sell any paintings on our website)

A Few of My Favorites:

“Could you write about Physics so I can pass Scniece class?” (Comment from Adam – try to pass spelling class first)

“If you’re serious about making money with your website, watch this free video about getting free instant targeted traffic to your site (NOTE: removed website address)”

“You are great. Sexy to I bet.  You woud lov me.  I is good woman for you” (Note from Adam: Thanks, but sorry, I’m married)

I hope you enjoyed some of the more interesting comments.  I had so much fun looking through some of those comments that I couldn’t resist making a post out of this. Now let’s see what kind of ridiculous comments I get back.

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We’re Hiring: Interactive Marketing Manager

Posted on December 2, 2011 by nordicclick

NordicClick Interactive is seeking a driven and proactive Interactive Marketing Manager to join our team. This position is a blend of Account Management with some Project Management and online marketing specialist skills. As an Interactive Marketing Manager you will leverage our set of tools along with your knowledge to add value to NordicClick and our clients. The digital world is constantly changing and we need someone who will not only embrace, but help lead that change.

This position is for permanent full time employment.

Responsibilities:

  • Work with the management team to lead a set of clients with varying interactive marketing requirements
  • Will be required to research, set up, track and perform tasks required to develop and deploy new campaigns based on clients’ needs.
  • Create, deploy, manage, and optimize Cost Per Click Marketing (Paid Search) campaigns driving towards measurable results.
  • Work with the internal team and partner vendors to develop cost effective online campaigns for Lead Generation, Lead Nurturing, and Customer Retention through the following vehicles:
    • Email Marketing
    • Post-Click Optimization
    • Social Media / Word of Mouth
    • Marketing Automation
  • Make recommendations and drive Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy for client sites through various site audits and analysis.
  • Analyze and report on client results and provide actionable data to clients & management team
  • Lead client meetings and ensure follow up on all discussions both internally and externally
  • LEARN! Your job will be to learn about our processes and clients and translate that knowledge into actionable tasks that help us and achieve our objectives.

Ideal Candidate Qualifications

  • 2-3+ years of internet marketing experience required
  • BA or BS, ideally with emphasis in marketing, advertising, computer science or related field
  • Proficiency in Google AdWords & Analytics, Omniture SearchCenter, Bing/Yahoo Search
  • Deep knowledge and interest in Interactive marketing
  • Strong understanding of Cost Per Click (CPC) Marketing
  • Strong understanding of Search Engine Optimization
  • Exceptional communication and writing skills
  • Ability to work independently and in a group setting
  • Willingness to learn new skills and step outside of the box
  • Sense of humor and energy

Compensation and Benefits

  • Salary commensurate with experience
  • Health Benefits
  • Participation in an employer sponsored retirement plan
  • Flexible hours and opportunities to work from home
  • Summer hours & a fun work environment

Why NordicClick?

  • You’ll be part of a team that is on the cutting edge of Interactive marketing. Your insights and knowledge will help us continue to grow the business and add value to our great clients.
  • NordicClick Interactive was founded in 2006 by 3 industry veterans. Our rapid growth rate and expanding existing base lends itself to a tremendous learning experience for this position. As an Interactive Marketing specialist, you will gain exposure to digital marketing, web strategy and best in class client service by being part of our team. You will earn and improve your experience in Interactive marketing which will benefit your career.

If Interested:

  • Please send your resume to jobs@Nordicclick.com and explain why you feel you would be a great fit for the Interactive Marketing Manager position.

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Do you have the Black Friday/Cyber Monday email blues?
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Posted on November 30, 2011 by Sara Chapman

Now that Black Friday & Cyber Monday have come and gone you may think you’ve lost your window. However, it’s not too late to hit up some of the biggest shopping days left.  One of the dates I’ve seen come up many times as a big online shopper is Saturday, December 17th. This is an ideal day for shoppers looking to have items shipped in time to get there before Santa does. My favorite day – the day after Christmas – is also a huge day for shopping both online and in-stores. From an online perspective, consumers are using gift cards or simply taking advantage of all the great post-Christmas sales. As for in-store sales, people are returning what doesn’t fit or what they don’t like and exchanging for something else.

Another missed holiday this time of year is Hanukkah. This year, the eight crazy nights of Hanukkah start on Tuesday, December 20th and ends on Tuesday, December 27th. Gift giving happens almost nightly (lucky) and people shop until the last minute.

Now that have some additional opportunities to email your consumers, you need to make sure your email gets noticed. If you’re like any of us with one or multiple email addresses, you’ve been completely inundated with emails touting their best Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday deals.  For consumers, sifting through the mass amounts of emails is a daunting task and sometimes it’s just easier to select all and hit delete. Here are five ideas to make sure your email doesn’t get deleted.

Make it fun
‘Tis the season to be jolly! Make your email fun. Give it some personality, but don’t let it overtake the message. Start with a fun subject line, but make sure you get your offer across within the first few words of the subject line. Quick, to the point, and witty.

Keep it relevant
Segmentation works for a reason. As a mid-thirties female, I don’t need or want to hear about your new hair regrowth drug. If I spend money at your online store, then understand what I buy and give me a great deal on a similar or complimentary item. One word:  Amazon

Bring on the deals
If you don’t have a good deal, then don’t bother. I’m only half kidding. This is the time of year to strut your stuff. People respond best to a sense of urgency behind a great offer. Make it apparent in your subject line and your email body content.

Test, Test, Test
Successful email marketing is not “batch-n-blast”. What works for one business, may not work for yours. Before you send an email to thousands of people, especially during the holidays, test it on a small group. Try out 2-3 different subject lines if you don’t have a lot of time or resources, make sure to test at least one variable.

Keep it simple
It’s easier said than done, but the simpler the message, the easier it is for someone to scan and find out if it’s worth a look (or a click). Don’t overdo it with too many calls-to-action, but also make sure to include any other similar items on sale or low priced impulse buys.

Creating email isn’t a science and there is no right way to do it. It’s simply understanding your customers and responding (proactively) to their needs. Make sure to follow up on your success with reporting so you can learn from the overall performance. Good luck and Happy Chrismakwanzakkah!

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14 Affiliate Marketing Tips – 4 of 14 – Sell Yourself!
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Posted on November 18, 2011 by nordicclick
Affiliate Marketing - Sell Yourself

Sell Yourself like Herb Tarlek

Sell Yourself to Recruit Affiliates
by Mike McAnally

In my previous three posts you have learned how to research Affiliate marketing programs and plan for the resources needed to manage it successfully. At this point, you have decided if Affiliate marketing is right for you. If so, read on…

You have selected your software or network and have gathered the base information to launch your program. In the back of your mind their is one nagging issue. How am I going to attract and recruit affiliates in to my program. Odds are there is a lot of competition in your industry for Affiliates and some of your competitors may already have an established foothold. Here are a few things you can do to attract partners.

  • Write your Bio – You need to educate your audience on why your product and service is the best. What is your value proposition?
  • Identify your Target Market – Selecting your target market can be a challenge. If you are a major retailer you may be OK with a general category of ‘electronics’. If you are more of a niche retailer you may have to get more granular such as ‘Sports > Golf > Equipment’.
  • Best selling products – You need to share with affiliates information about your products including which ones sell best, seasonality, add-on, etc.
  • Conversion rate and Average order size – Feel free to share base metrics about your company. The Affiliate is making all the effort to promote your product and wants to know that they can make sales.
  • Promotional Plan – Your Affiliate partners have promotional calendars and can more successfully promote their products when you have a sale or special that cater to their audience.
  • COMMISSION – If you have entrenched competitors in the Affiliate space you need to convince them that they can make more money promoting your products than your competitors. This will take a higher commission rate or bonuses to pull them away. I will be expanding on that topic in a later post.

Next week we will be covering tip #4 the preparation of creative assets.

Feel free to reach out to me with any comments at Twitter @mmcanally or @NordicClick.

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Facebook, Idiots and Whiners.

Posted on November 16, 2011 by nordicclick

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard about the rash of photos containing cute little puppies, old people in compromising positions, and Justin Bieber’s head on just about anything.  This has all been followed by a huge public outcry and the threat of millions to abandon Facebook.

From this marketer’s perspective, I have 3 points to make (based on my cute title):

  1. Facebook: The only reason people are irritated by these photos is that they were served up without choice.  If these people were shown a link with a description of what was to come, they could certainly have chosen not to click, and we know there are several that would…just out of curiosity no matter what the description.  Facebook will save “face” and work on fixes including browser bugs and general browser vulnerability, but rest assured this will happen again, which brings me to my next point.
  2. Idiots: As proven time and time again, there are plenty of villages that are idiot-less and they all seem to be on Facebook.  I share the shock at seeing some of these pictures and would love to have 5 minutes in a locked room with a phone book (the old kind) ala Michael Chiklis.  That said, I unfortunately am not surprised that this kind of crap is getting onto social sites like Facebook, which brings me to my last point.
  3. Whiners: Let’s be honest, no one is going to give up Facebook.  It’s like electronic crack with a keypad.  We all love it, we all use it, and we all will continue to post the events of our lives and comment on others’ posts in our groups.  So let’s put the whining, and public outcrying aside.  Grab a tissue, and get back to work.

Jeff Nordeen

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Google Panda – 9 Months Later

Posted on November 9, 2011 by nordicclick

In February 2011, Google made an update to its algorithm (code named “Panda“), which was designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites (those that are low value-add for users, copy content from other websites or are just not very useful).

While there was much uproar and many sites suffered because of the Panda update, the fact remains that the update was intended to improve quality and reduce spam, which is a good thing for users.

As Google moves towards a “Machine-Learning” algorithm, which means that websites will be assessed and ranked by humans based on their level of usefulness to an end-user, there needs to be an emphasis on clean site architecture and quality of content.

If you’re an SEO, you’ve been asked the question: “How can I recover from Google Panda?” The answer is simple – follow best practices.

Google likes:
• Clean site architecture and content hierarchy
• Simple, keyword-optimized URLs
• Content grouped clearly in thematic sets
• Unique, relevant content that shows that you are an authority in your topic area

Google dislikes:
• Duplicate content
• CMS driven duplicate URLs
• Same Meta Data used on multiple pages
• Content syndication
• Complex URLs that use session ids and parameters
• Crawl errors (page not found, broken URLs, etc)

Obtaining simple URLs is often a challenge when faced with limitations from your content management system. If your CMS generates complex URLs that use parameters and create duplication, try to identify parameters in your URL strings that you can instruct Google to ignore. You can add these parameters to the “settings section” of Google Webmaster Tools and Google will ignore them.

It’s also a good idea to block pages from indexing that use additive filtering (e.g. infinite calendars). When a user is able to select multiple options to create different views of the same set of items, the result is a huge number of mostly redundant dynamic URLs.

When it comes to sharing content, Google advises you to “syndicate carefully”. If you syndicate your content on other sites, Google will always show the version they think is most appropriate for users in each given search, which may or may not be the version you’d prefer. However, it is helpful to ensure that each site on which your content is syndicated includes a link back to your original article. You can also ask those who use your syndicated material to use the “no index meta tag” to prevent search engines from indexing their version of the content.

Posted in SEO, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tourism WebSite Best Practice: Help! I’m Trying to Spend Money in Your Tourist Trap Town (2 of 2)

Posted on November 7, 2011 by nordicclick

By Adam Proehl

(Part 2 of 2)

In my previous post, I showed a few tourist oriented websites that did a disservice to the tourist destination they served. The intent was not to single anyone out, but just to give some practical common sense examples of the opportunities out there. After all, I do go on vacation with the intent of spending money in the town I’m visiting. I just think most places could do a better job of using their online presence to get their share of my wallet. This is particularly true given the market penetration of mobile devices among travelers.

So what should you do if you compete for dollars in a tourist trap destination? Here are some simple steps that virtually anyone can take:

1) First of all, check your web analytics for the following metrics:

  • Location of visitors (are they in town when they visit your site or not)
  • What devices? Are they on a mobile device?
  • How are visitors getting to your site?
  • What are they doing once they get there?
Operating Systems Segments
A Google Analytics example showing the operating systems your website visitors are using.

2) Properly segment your data:

Taken alone, each of those four metrics really don’t mean much. In fact, you could even argue they’re worthless. Start by combining two or more metrics to segment your data and then you’ll really have some actionable takeaways.

For example, you might find out that 80% of your visitors who come to the site locally are doing so on their smartphone.

OK, so what? Well, what pages do those local visitors land on and are said pages mobile friendly? If you find that your local, mobile traffic is landing on a page that doesn’t look good in a mobile device and there’s a 60% bounce rate, you have a problem.

Top landing pages segmented by visitors who arrive to the site via organic search from a mobile device.

Based on the data presented above (note that landing pages are blocked out since they contain real client data) your actionable takeaways are as follows:

A) Take a deeper look at the landing pages with high bounce rates (see red outlines). Pull those pages up on a mobile device and see for yourself what the experience is like.
B) If necessary, create mobile enabled landing pages that match what the visitor is looking for (check your keywords and referring links for insights).
C) Put an operating system (OS) detection script in place so you can direct visitors from a mobile device to the proper page. This is actually relatively simple to do. If you have a web developer, there are numerous resource guides available. About.com has a great article here and HTML Goodies has one here.
D) Measure the behavior of the new landing page and make adjustments from there. Is there still a high bounce rate? Where do your visitors jump to form that landing page? Do they ultimately go down the path you hope they do?

 

3) Start simple, don’t overwhelm yourself with data. There’s more you can analyze, but start with the four things outlined in point #1. Do that and you’ll gain a lot of valuable insight that you can take action on.

Some of the things you will learn include:

  • How two different segments of traffic behave (for example, those in town and those not)?
  • How you can drive more traffic to your site?
  • Which keywords bring high converting traffic to your site?
  • Which sites are linking to and driving traffic to your site?
  • Where should you be spending money?
  • Where are you wasting money?
  • Which content is important and which is garbage? Do you have the right content for the segments of visitors you are trying to reach?
  • Do they care about the coupon on your website they can print out (especially if they are viewing the site on a mobile device)?
  • Most important: Are your various segments reaching the content they need to and are they taking action on your site that increases your revenues?

4) Last, if you don’t have web analytics on your site and you’ve made it this far, then get some!

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but do these things and it will give you a start. You’ll be miles ahead of where you are today.

Posted in Analytics, Mobile, Post Click Marketing, Usability | Leave a comment

Tourism WebSite Best Practice: Help! I’m Trying to Spend Money in Your Tourist Trap Town! (1 of 2)

Posted on November 3, 2011 by nordicclick

By Adam Proehl

(Post 1 of 2 part series)

A recent brief trip to Wisconsin Dells with my family gave me the inspiration for this post. If you’re from the upper Midwest, you’ve no doubt heard of “The Dells”. It is a beautiful area of the country (one of my favorite) and the area boasts that it is the “Water Park Capital of the World”.

Wisconsin Dells

Wisconsin Dells Magazine Cover

I cannot confirm or deny that claim, but a simple drive around town will confirm that yes, they do indeed have a ton of water parks. All around town you will find a great magazine guide (Dells.com ) puts out a different one for each season.

The guide is actually very helpful. If you look closely you’ll notice that it even has a QR code on the front page that brings the guide directly to your phone with a reasonable level of mobile friendly content (See the image directly below the magazine cover).

On the afternoon we got there we were looking for some new things to do. That’s where we ran into trouble and I got the inspiration for this post.

QR_Scan

What you seen when you scan the QR Code

The kids wanted to find out about the Dells “Top Secret”. It might be better known simply as the, “Upside Down White House”. We’ve driven by it several times without checking it out. This time the kids were curious so what did we do when we got to town? We checked in the magazine guide to look for the open hours (see image below):

Hours Schedule?

The ad in the magazine didn’t list the hours. What next? Since there’s a website listed in the ad, we decided to check that out!
Unfortunately, that didn’t really help. We still weren’t sure what the hours were given the confusing message given that it was mid October (plus there’s not phone number anywhere on the website – see directly below):

If you look at BOTH the magazine ad and the Website, you might be able to put two and two together to get the hours AND a phone number. We eventually made the phone call and got the answer we were looking for. Still, would it have been too much to ask for a website that displays an updated clear message on the front page of the site?

OK, now how about some mini golf? Who doesn’t love mini golf, right? My family and I certainly do. There’s a myriad of mini golf places to pick from. Here’s the setup:  It was 4 pm, Mid-October in Wisconsin so there’s no telling how late the course was open. Surprise! The magazine ad didn’t say anything about hours so we check the website…on a mobile device.What a great idea, right? Not if you look at the image below. Not exactly an optimal experience.

So what if I just want to quickly find out your hours using my iPhone or iPad?

Next try – a magic show. Never been to one at the Dells. Ok, the magazine page says “Shows Year Round”. Great – the kids will love it so we attempt to go to the website and check the available times (below right):

The site recognizes I'm on a mobile device, but still wants me to have Flash.

To their credit, the site does recognize I’m on a mobile device. If you look at the image prompting me to “update my Flash Player”, I don’t even need to go further.

By the way, I eventually did get to the website on my laptop and found out the showtimes. Good thing I had work to do so I also brought my laptop with.  It turns out, they do have shows year round, but in October the show is only once a week.

I saved the best for last: Alien Road Trip. My kids saw the ad in the magazine and they thought it looked like fun. The magazine ad had a few details, but of course we wanted to find out hours so we checked the website. I was sure that would tell me more.

To be honest, it was a disappointment to say the least. There’s exactly three call to actions on the site and only two of them work: home and coupon. Here’s what you won’t learn by visiting the website:

  • What the exhibit is all about
  • Hours
  • Where to connect on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or wherever.
  • Visual representations of the experience
  • Pricing
  • Why I should spend valuable vacation time coming to your facility?

I honestly don’t mean to pick on or single out these specific websites. I travel a ton and see examples like the ones above all the time. I’m also not picking these because I want to get their attention so I can get some additional business for NordicClick.

If you live and work in a tourist destination, you know a simple fact: people visit your town to spend money. So if your business is reliant on out of town tourist dollars, what should you do?

Be sure to check out part 2 of this post next week.

Posted in Analytics, Post Click Marketing, Usability | Leave a comment

14 Affiliate Marketing Tips – 3 of 14 – Software, Network or Niche

Posted on October 31, 2011 by nordicclick

Affiliate Software, Network or Niche
by Mike McAnally

One of the most important decisions that needs to be made when starting an affiliate program is what type of network or software you need to use to support your program. The job of the network or software is to provide the technology to facilitate the order so that the commission can be paid out properly and accurately for each sale. Let’s define the three options:

  1. Software - Affiliate Management as a software as a service model (SAAS) allows clients to setup their affiliate network immediately. The setup can be done fairly quickly and allows a company to get off the ground within a couple days. Generally there are zero or very low setup fees for standard editions which makes software a low risk point of entry. As your program grows you can upgrade your software to handle programs all the way up to an enterprise level.
  2. Networks – Networks make up the largest portion of affiliate programs and transactions. For merchants, affiliate network services and benefits are built in and will include tracking technology, reporting tools, payment processing, and access to a large base of publishers. The majority of network programs have a revenue share model which collects a percentage of each transaction to pay for the service.
  3. Niche – Niche networks are set up the same as the larger networks except for the fact that they target one core market. This allows merchants to cater directly to affiliates who produce content directly related to the merchants products. Examples of niche networks include electronics, software, health & beauty, dating and more.

Overall, I think the pluses and minuses to each option are about the same. The goals and needs of the program are what drives the selection. The major challenge of building an effective affiliate program is attracting affiliates that produce sales. From a start-up perspective, those affiliates are easier to find in networks where there are thousands of partners available the minute you sign up. Most network services have built in recruitment options and can allow you to scale a program quickly.

Software puts the onus on the merchant to go out to find and recruit affiliates which can result in a longer time to build up sales or leads. Long term, software can provide a lot more flexibility with payments, offers, etc. and can save you thousands of dollars in network payments.

If your products and/or services cater to one of the niche spaces above it is a no-brainier to go with a network that has affiliates that produce content and promote products closely related to yours.

Software, Network or NicheNext week I will be covering how to ‘Sell Yourself’ and your program to drive more sales and leads.

Mike McAnally
Partner – NordicClick Interactive
Mike McAnally

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