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The Official Magazine of Affiliate Summit Issue 14 | April 2011

Keep Affiliate
Marketing
Weird
By Shawn Collins
Page 2 Rise of Affiliate
Marketing
in India
By Ricky Ahuja
Page 19

Affiliate Tax:
9 Tips for
Contacting Practice Safe Email
Legislators By Khris Thayer
By Mike Allen Page 27
Page 3
The Official Magazine of Affiliate Summit Issue 15 | August 2011

Imagine your face


on the cover of
FeedFront Magazine…
VISIT ILOVEFEEDFRONT.COM
CONTENTS FeedFront | April 2011

02 Editors’ Note: Keep Affiliate 19 Rise of Affiliate Marketing in STAFF


Marketing Weird India
By Shawn Collins By Ricky Ahuja Co-Editors in Chief
20 Implement Audience Missy Ward, Shawn Collins
03 Affiliate Tax: 9 Tips for Management Strategies
Contacting Legislators to Drive the Highest Co-Publishers
By Mike Allen Performance Campaigns Missy Ward, Shawn Collins
By Russ Riley
04 Taking a Podcast to the Next Contributing Writers
Level 22 Succeed by Doing What Ricky Ahuja, Mike Allen, Charles
By Daniel M. Clark Others Won’t Bohannan, Deborah Carney, Daniel
By Tom Wozniak
M. Clark, Shawn Collins, Rachel
05 Avoiding Copyright Issues Corcoran, Dustin Donham, Jen
While Using Someone’s
23 Titles Don’t Matter & Titles
Matter Goode, Morgan Linton, Rob Merlino,
Likeness. Richard Newman, Chad Pollitt, Riley
By Greg Hoffman & Lisa Riolo
By Riley Pool Pool, Nick Reese, Adam Riemer, Russ
24 Emailers Beware: Vigilantes Riley, Lisa Riolo, Bill Rothbard, Khris
07 A Newbie’s Guide to Affiliate
Are On the Prowl! Thayer, Nick Throlson, Missy Ward,
Summit Tom Wozniak
By Rachel Corcoran
By Rob Merlino
25 Simple Mobile Strategies for Magazine Coordinator
08 Three Ways to Improve Your
Affiliate Marketers Amy Rodriguez
Content
By Dustin Donham
By Charles Bohannan
Graphic Design
26 Congress Intercepts “Data David Hallock
09 5 Steps for Successful
Pass”
Conference Follow-Up
By William Rothbard Affiliate Summit , Inc.
By Jen Goode
522 Hunt Club Blvd. #411
27 Practice Safe Email Apopka, FL 32703
10 Online Advertising and the
Evolving Privacy Landscape
By Khris Thayer tel (417)-2SUMMIT (278-6648)
By Richard Newman
fax (908) 364-4627
28 Plowing through the Slumps
of Affiliate Marketing Articles in FeedFront Magazine
11 Content Marketing & Social
By Nick Reese are the opinions of the author
Media: The New SEO
By Chad H. Pollitt and may not necessarily reflect
the views of the magazine, or its
12 Affiliate Summit West 2011 owners. FeedFront Magazine always
Recap welcomes opinions of an opposite
By Shawn Collins nature.

14 Using Exact-Match Domains For more information, visit: www.


to Improve SEO and Traffic FeedFront.com
By Morgan Linton
Interested in advertising? Please
16 When Do You Plan Your Q4 visit http://feedfront.com/
Copy? advertising/ or email us at:
By Adam Riemer contact@feedfront.com

17 Merchant Terms: Protecting © 2011 Affiliate Summit, Inc. and


or Hurting Affiliate Individual Authors.
Programs?
By Deborah Carney

18 The Benefits of In-Person


Meetings
By Nick Throlson

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 1


Editors’ Note - 14th Issue

Keep Affiliate
Marketing Weird
Affiliate marketing isn’t just a business. It’s a lifestyle.

No, not the one you see on lame books on the industry
that promises yachts and bling. I’m talking about free-
spirits that come from all walks of life who have this
common connection of fire in their belly. The aforementioned Jason Rubacky of ShareASale got
one of his own during Affiliate Summit for a brand he’s
There was an entertaining post recently at AdHustler.com building: #GetSome
that stated, “ Affiliate Marketing Brings Unlikely People
Together.” There are, at least, two other people who were at
Affiliate Summit with tattoos of their brand.
Ad Hustler cites an example of two fun characters in the
industry who are unlikely buddies...

“There are probably tons of unlikely


friendships within the affiliate marketing space
but I always find it funny to observe Jason
Rubacky & Eric Nagel. Jason is a tattooed,
crazy, hip-hop loving maniac who lives &
breathes being ShareASale’s well known
affiliate manager. Eric is more like that nerdy
kid who loved computers in high school and
got straight A’s in every class. Yet, these 2
guys are like peas in a pod and you see them Rae Hoffman has one of
her Sugarrae logo, and
hanging out at every affiliate conference. I’m Greg Hoffman has some
not knocking either one of them. In fact, they Internet Marketing
are awesome people and I’m friends with Gorilla ink.
both of them. My point here is when did you You think we like what
ever see the tattooed maniac & the kid getting we do?
straight A’s hang out in high school? You
Anyhow, when it comes
didn’t!” to those clowns that
write about getting rich
quick. They’re not part
It’s just the fun flavor of the industry. Instead of wearing
of our tribe. No, they
suits, we wear smiles. And some of us wear tattoos
are already dreaming up their next scam over Ramen.
related to our business.

On the day before Affiliate Summit West 2011, my


partner Missy and I took a quick trip to Club Tattoo at
Shawn is a Co-founder of Affiliate Summit and Co-
the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops in Las Vegas, so
Editor-in-Chief of FeedFront Magazine, and you can
we could each get the Affiliate Summit logo as a tattoo
follow him @affiliatetip on Twitter.
(that’s the cover of this issue).

But we’re not alone in having the compulsion to brand


ourselves with our brand.

2 | April 2011| FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


By Mike Allen

Many legislators view online shopping transactions as other states. The Performance Marketing Association
potential sources of revenue. Since a state can only (PMA) and the major affiliate networks have
compel sellers with a physical presence, or nexus, within resources that you can use.
their borders to collect sales tax, they have no authority
to require this of online and catalog retailers located 7. Encourage co-workers and employees to contact
outside their state. While most online retailers serve a their legislators (their jobs could be at stake). If you
national market, many have nexus in only one or two have employees, personally contact each of their
states. legislators as well.

Since 2008, legislation has been proposed in nearly two 8. Don’t forget to talk with legislative staff members
dozen states and passed in three to compel out-of-state (they’re very influential).
online retailers to collect sales taxes from their residents.
In “affiliate tax states” the law defines affiliate marketers 9. If possible, form an advocacy group with a positive
as establishing nexus for out-of-state retailers. name (Affiliates Create Jobs, for example). Contact
legislators and local and state news media outlets on
Many online retailers have responded by dissolving their behalf of your group.
affiliate relationships within those states. The result has
been little new sales tax growth. Because affiliates are After your meeting, be sure to promptly provide any
job creators, the state also loses income tax revenues as promised materials. Also, sending a hand-written
affiliate marketing income and jobs are lost and affiliates thank-you note can help build valuable, long-term
relocate to more tax-friendly havens. relationships.

As a matter of self-preservation, affiliates have felt Affiliates are innovative and need to be part of this
compelled to fight such affiliate tax proposals. Many debate. As entrepreneurs, some should probably even
have asked how they can better address the issues and run for office!
influence the debate. Here are some suggestions for
maximizing your impact:

1. Do your homework first – go online and read the


proposed law (called a “bill”) thoroughly.

2. Evaluate how it personally impacts you and your


company.

3. Track the bill’s status regularly. Note all legislators on


the committee where the bill is assigned -- they have
the power to amend or even kill it.

4. Carefully plan your response – practice until you


can express it in less than one minute. Stress that
Mike Allen
affiliate marketing creates jobs. Tell how the affiliate
tax will hurt you (and your employees, if applicable).
Point out how your business will suffer if this bill
passes.
Mike is “Chief Executive Shopper” at Shopping-
5. Summarize the above details into a one page fact
Bargains.com, a Mississippi-based coupon and deal
sheet (bullet points are good). Include bill number,
site.
title, and your source references. Bring multiple
copies to any meeting.

6. When contacting legislators, be brief, honest, and


to the point. Personal meetings and phone calls are
far better than impersonal emails. Be polite and
respectful. Don’t argue or burn bridges. Offer to help
by providing personal testimonials and data from

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 3


adapter. Your headphones should
reliably reproduce exactly what your
recording will sound like, so don’t
skimp and try to use the ear buds
that came with your cell phone. You
can get into a great pair of quality
headphones for under $100.

Digital Recorder
Solo podcasters that never have
guests may send the audio from the
mixer into a computer for recording.
If you’re using your computer’s in/
out for a Skype mix-minus with a
co-host or guest, you cannot record
on the computer unless you have
more than one sound card or set of
input/outputs. In this case, you’ll
want to connect your mixer’s output
to a second computer or to a digital
recorder, such as a Tascam DR-07.
Recordings can be moved to the
computer later for processing and
uploading. Recorder prices vary
wildly, anywhere from $50 up to
$500. The better units start around
$150.

Ready? Go!
By Daniel M. Clark You’ve spent about $700 and you’re
tarting out as a podcaster with a cheap headset and free software ready to start producing professional
is ideal for a beginner, but what do you do when you want to quality podcasts. Congratulations,
take your show’s quality to the next level? The most dramatic you’ve entered a whole new world.
impact you can have on the quality of your show is to change to a The good news at the end here is
hardware-based workflow. that connecting everything together
is pretty straightforward. All the
cables you need can be bought at
Microphone the same locations as the equipment
and many guides and diagrams
Nothing is more crucial to your sound than your microphone. For podcasters, exist online to get you going. Happy
one of the most important considerations in a microphone is the directional podcasting!
pattern. Omnidirectional microphones pick up every sound in the room–bad
for voice work. A unidirectional microphone, like the Heil PR-40, is perfect
for podcasters. It’s a dynamic microphone, requires no external power, and
provides fantastic range. Another solid microphone is the Shure SM58. Good
microphones will run between $150 and $350.

Mixer
To use a high-quality microphone, you’ll need a mixer. Hundreds of styles
exist, some featuring USB or FireWire. Podcasters generally won’t need
more than a 4 to 8 channel mixer, and don’t think that USB/FireWire is
automatically the way to go. Any analog mixer can connect just fine to a
computer using the computer’s sound card. Don’t be intimidated! Mixers
are deceptively easy to learn how to use. Look for brands like Mackie or
Behringer, and budget for $250 or less.

Daniel M. Clark
Headphones
The name of the game with headphones is comfort. Your headphones Daniel M. Clark is a podcasting
shouldn’t be too tight; the cups should fit around your ears without consultant and the founder of
pressing on your ears at all. Mixers have 1/4” jacks for headphones; if QAQN.com.
your headphones ship with a 1/8” connector, you’ll need an (inexpensive)
4 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE
Being an affiliate in the dating vertical, I come across
these clauses daily. As such, I’d like to share with you
three instances where things could have gotten very
ugly.

1. A while ago, I used a friend’s picture with verbal


permission. Regre ably it later ended up in a
massively distributed file across the web and she
complained about stalkers using her picture.

2. Last year, an extremely popular da ng adver ser


sent out a lawsuit no fica on to all their affiliates.
Thankfully, I wasn’t affected by this lawsuit.

3. Melissa Theuriau, the French reporter, whose likeness


you can s ll see on many sites was used without
permission earning her a Wikipedia men on.
To protect yourself from situations like these, I suggest
having your attorney draft a licensing agreement
template and securing images that won’t get you into
trouble.

To find great images to use, I recommend looking on


Facebook for local photographers. They will often know
individuals that want to model and might be receptive
to your request to use their photos. You can also save
yourself all of this trouble by purchasing stock images
from any number of sources online. These images work
pretty well for most landing pages. Be forewarned, just
because you bought the images from a third-party, it
doesn’t always give you legal permission to use the
images.

Although it may be a little more trouble and cost


intrusive to obtain permission to use someone’s likeness,
it’s a great way to help protect your company, yourself
and your assets from possible legal trouble from the
person pictured. It will also keep you out of hot water
with your traffic sources, your affiliate networks and
possible commission reversals.

By Riley Pool

ave you ever wanted to use someone’s


picture on one of your landing pages
or creative? Did you worry about a
potential lawsuit for using their likeness
without permission? I know I have and
I was determined to combat this often
overlooked issue facing affiliates.

Typically, before being able to promote an offer, you


must agree to the advertiser’s terms and conditions. In
many cases, there will be a clause stating that you must
show proof of ownership of all material used in your
promotions.

Other programs may also ask that the images fit Riley Pool
within their brand guidelines and do not damage their
reputation. Failure to comply with these terms can Riley Pool is a high-volume lead generation
result in having your affiliate commissions reversed and specialist for the world’s most popular online
potentially being kicked out of the program and network. dating sites.

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 5


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IROORZ0DWWLQJO\WKHGRJWRVKDUHDVDOHFRPDQGVLJQXS
By Rob Merlino

n my previous careers,
I’ve attended many trade
shows as an exhibitor and
attendee. I attended
my first Affiliate Summit
this past January in Las
Vegas. I knew the basics
about how to approach
this sort of event, but in
many ways, I was still a “newbie.”

One of the best things an Affiliate


Summit newbie can do is sign up for
the Affiliate Summit forum at forum.
affiliatesummit.com and start doing
some pre-show networking. This is
very helpful because you will be able
to find other attendees with similar
interests and arrange for face to
face meetings while at the event.
This strategy worked very well for
me and I was able to make some You should also decide in advance thirds of the sessions left me feeling
great connections before I even on your networking approach. Some as if I had an incomplete experience.
landed in Las Vegas. folks want to meet as many people
as possible at the event, collect a If you follow these simple tips and
It’s important to check the bunch of business cards, and follow approach Affiliate Summit with
conference agenda prior to the event up with them later. curiosity and energy, you will have
to see which sessions to attend an educational, enjoyable, and
and plan accordingly. Having a set I prefer to “go deep” and make successful experience.
schedule keeps you on task during strong connections that will last
a very intense three days. Make long after the conference is over.
it a point to attend every keynote Whichever approach you prefer, or
speech, too; the speakers are whether you do a little of both, make
always people who have had success sure you bring plenty of business
in various areas and their insight cards. I went through 500 cards at
is priceless. But, if an important Affiliate Summit West 2011!
meeting pre-empts a session that
you wanted to see, you can always Also, there are tons of parties at
catch it on video if you are on a Affiliate Summit, and you should try
Gold, Platinum or Diamond pass to attend a few. I found it a bit too
holder. loud to do any quality networking at
some parties, but it’s good to blow
The Meet Market and exhibits are off some steam after a long hard
great places to find new products day of networking. Just don’t overdo
and services. Try to stop at every it, so that you can be fresh for the
booth and see if you can develop following day.
new partnerships. You can research
exhibitors in advance on the Affiliate The one thing I would do differently Rob Merlino
Summit website. The sheer number is get at least a Platinum pass, which
of exhibitors can make this seem gets you access to all the sessions.
like a daunting task, but it will be Even though it’s more expensive, Rob Merlino publishes
well worth it. there is real value in the education TheHotDogTruck.com,
you receive at the individual HotDogStories.com and a several
sessions, and missing out on two dozen niche websites.
FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 7
By Charles Bohannan

ince affiliates focus


on marketing, it’s
no wonder that
many struggle
with creating great
content. Outsourcing
may sometimes be
necessary, but it can
produce questionable
results and become
a drain on time and
money.

Here are a few simple suggestions to


help improve your content:
Collaborate with other chest of opportunity for people who
can create great content.
Maintain a Blog Bloggers and Writers
Even if you don’t consider yourself I’m not talking about outsourcing
a blogger, having a blog can very here - it’s about developing
helpful for a number of reasons. relationships with more experienced
writers and bloggers in your niche.
First of all, creating content on a
consistent basis will help you get Get in contact with them and offer
comfortable writing and establishing some sort of reciprocal benefit in
your voice. Once you discover your exchange to have them write some
voice, it’s much easier to express content for you, or at least give a
yourself with personality and good edit to what you already might
confidence. That’s when people have.
really start listening.
Of course, the stronger your
Another reason to have a blog is to connections and ability to offer
spread your ideas to people eager something in return, the more
to listen to them. A reader may like bargaining power you’ll have. Just
something you wrote and get in remember - it’s all about mutual
touch with you to collaborate on a benefit!
project.

Don’t worry about sounding like


Teach Yourself How to
Charles Bohannan
a seasoned expert. It’s more Write and Edit
important to get your point across
in clear, easy to understand This option, of course, is the most Charles is obsessed with
language. If you’re really inhibited, time consuming and requires the creating and advocating great
your blog can start off as a private most commitment, but in the long content and blogs at
project that only you engage with run it has the most payoff. Wordful.com
until you establish a comfort level
with your writing. But don’t wait too Anyone who has the skill to produce
long! their own content—good content—
will be the one who ultimately
comes out ahead. There are volumes
of savvy people marketing online,
which provides an entire treasure

8 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


additional information, check out websites, products or
services and look into any other helpful details before
you reach out. Prioritize the leads so you have a list to
follow based on that criteria.

Reach out in the right direction


Since you’ve taken notes about each contact you should
have a good idea what way to best reach out after the
show. If they asked that you copy someone else on
emails, they prefer phone calls or usually need a week
to recuperate from the show, respect that information
and use it to your advantage. Paying attention to these
details shows you listened and are serious about this
opportunity.

Don’t just be polite, be interested


When you finally reach out to make contact with
your leads, don’t sales pitch or demand something;
you’re making contact to continue building a business
relationship. Include reminders of who you are and what
you discussed. Mention why you’d like to continue talking
and what you look forward to working on together.
Additionally, the message should be something of value
and not simply a canned “nice to meet you”. Make sure
you are sending something of interest and providing
enough information to earn a reply.

Patience and persistence


5 Steps for Successful Not all opportunities offer instant gratification. You might
meet someone at the next show but the real opportunity
to work together won’t come up for another six months.
Conference Follow-Up Business seldom happens overnight, and neither do long
lasting business relationships, continue to connect with
those you want to work with every month or so.
By Jen Goode
Business is all about relationships, so work on seeking
We attend events to meet with like-minded people in
out new potential connections while continuing to grow
a face-to-face setting. Sometimes we have meetings
and nurture existing partners. Your follow up is the first
to discuss business details, while other times we
step in demonstrating that you’re capable of following
offer a quick handshake and swap cards. With all the
through.
conferences and meet-ups we attend each year, we cross
paths with hundreds of potential business relationships.

How do we turn these introductions into real


opportunities?

These 5 steps will help you prepare and make the most
out of your networking time.

Organize and take notes


Take all the cards you’ve collected out of the stack
and store them in a small notebook where you can
include notes. Write down items to remember such as
information about the company, what interest you had
in them, or they in you. If you store cards in separate
notebooks for each event, later you will be able to
reference contacts according to when you met as well as
keep track of when you make contact later.

Do your homework, then prioritize


It’s important to follow up as soon after an event as Jen Goode
possible so both you and the lead can easily continue
the conversation you started. However, it’s even more Jen Goode is the Doodler in Charge at
important to make sure you are prepared for the JGoodeDesigns.com and Affiliate Summit’s
conversation. Go through the notes you took, gather Newcomer Program Coordinator.

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 9


Reasonable and sound data
retention periods should also
be implemented and should be
based upon legitimate business
requirements. Location based
data, increasingly common in the
mobile device community, is a
perfect example for which long
term retention presents significant
consumer privacy concerns.

Finally, reasonable steps should


be taken to ensure the accuracy
of collected data, particularly if
such data could be used to deny
consumers benefits or cause
significant harm.

Consumers should be given a


choice regarding what they do or
do not want in terms of behavioral
tracking. Increased transparency,
in the form of reasonable access to
what information is being collected
and how it is being used should be
made easily available for consumers.
A conspicuous choice mechanism

Online Advertising and the


to opt-out of having certain types
of information collected, used or
shared should also be provided.

Evolving Privacy Landscape Not only will this serve to mitigate


fears by placing consumers in
control of their information, but it
can go a long way in enhancing
consumer trust while avoiding
potential government investigations,
By Richard Newman fines and costly litigation.

It is no secret that new privacy laws and regulations are hot-button issues
these days, particularly where behavioral advertising is concerned. The
significant changes that have been expected to emerge this year were
“kicked-off” in February by the introduction of the “Do Not Track Me Online
Act of 2011” – a bill that attempts to impose yet another regulatory burden
on eCommerce.

Aimed at giving consumers the ability to prevent their online activities from
being followed by advertisers, the proposed legislation would direct the
Federal Trade Commission to develop standards and provide enforcement for
the Internet “do-not-track” mechanism. Online advertisers and marketers
would be required to respect a consumer’s choice, the failure to do so would
be considered an unlawful unfair or deceptive act.

Lobbyists and supports of the overly-broad bill are clearly not seeing the
big picture or the consequences that may harm the very consumers that
the bill seeks to protect. After all, free online content is supported by timely
and relevant advertisements that actually improve a consumer’s experience.
Non-targeted ads simply may not generate sufficient revenue to ensure the
continued supply of content.

So, in anticipation of possible prescriptive regulatory reform, what self-


Richard Newman
regulatory best practices should those in the online advertising sector
implement?

For those that collect data that can reasonably be linked to a specific
consumer, computer, or other device, substantive privacy and security Richard Newman is an Internet
safeguards should be incorporated into everyday business practices. Lawyer and a Partner at Hinch
Newman LLP - HinchNewman.
If consumer information is retained, reasonable protections should be com
employed to prevent unauthorized disclosure. Further, only consumer
information that is reasonably necessary to fulfill a specific, legitimate
business need should be collected. Collection methods should also be more
clearly and conspicuously revealed in privacy policies.
10 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE
The New SEO
By no means does content marketing and social media
distribution alleviate the publisher from doing basic SEO
due diligence such as a keyword workshop, defining
on-page conventions, competitive research, etc. Below
are just a few of the SEO benefits that can be realized
by deploying content marketing and social media
distribution.

Link Building
Content marketing and social media distribution lessens
the publisher’s need to acquire backlinks using “grey”
or black hat methods, because quality content that is
properly distributed creates backlinks naturally.

Crawl Rates
Publishing valuable problem solving content daily, even
several times per day, is ideal for content marketing in
order to maximize its SEO value. The more frequently
content is published on a website the likelihood of the
website being crawled more increases.

Social Media, Increased Social


Authority & Web Traffic
A robust publishing schedule will also drive social media
engagement on blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Google and Bing recently admitted to SearchEngineLand.
By Chad H. Pollitt com that their algorithms do look at several social media
metrics when ranking websites.
Why did J.C. Penny recently get punished in Google’s
SERPs (Search Engine Results Page)? They were As a result, social media engagement around a
allegedly caught buying hundreds of links from spammy, publisher’s content is more valuable than previously
low pagerank websites by the New York Times, who thought. When properly executed this engagement will
reported their findings to Google. lead to increased web traffic as well as growing the social
authority of the publisher.
J.C. Penny took a black hat shortcut with their SEO
(Search Engine Optimization) campaign, which is a clear The above SEO benefits of content marketing are not
violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. They could exactly “new.” They represent a more holistic approach
have avoided the violation if their campaign focused on to SEO while firmly remaining within Google’s Webmaster
the new SEO - content marketing and social media. Guidelines. Rather than looking to game the system, like
J.C. Penny supposedly did, consider the white hat
Content Marketing strategy of content marketing and social media for SEO.

Content marketing is the creation and sharing of content


with the purpose of promoting a product or service. The
focus of this content may not specifically be about the
publisher’s organization or its offerings. Assets created
for content marketing include a mix of problem-specific
information and thought leadership.

For affiliate publishers, Google’s Webmaster Guidelines


recommends, “If your site participates in an affiliate
program, make sure that your site adds value. Provide
unique and relevant content that gives users a reason
to visit your site first.” In other words, publish unique
problem solving content.

Social Media
Social media acts as a distribution conduit for content
marketers. By distributing content via social media, the Chad H. Pollitt
distributor potentially has access to millions of eyes that
may comment, share, consume and/or evangelize the
content. Chad H. Pollitt is the Director of Social Media &
Search Marketing for Kuno Creative.

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 11


Affiliate Summit
West 2011 Recap
By Shawn Collins

I started off Affiliate Summit West 2011 with my


partner, Missy Ward, at a tattoo parlor to get inked
up with the Affiliate Summit logo.

You could say we have some passion for this


conference, as we kick off our 8th year with 4,627
affiliate marketers at the Wynn Las Vegas for Affiliate
Summit West 2011.

That makes it the biggest Affiliate Summit to date.

Day 1
The first day kicked off as I led a 10 AM session
geared towards folks attending Affiliate Summit for
the first time.

It was great to have a large, packed room of


conference attendees looking for advice on how to
make the most of Affiliate Summit.

My session was followed by the opening of the


Meet Market and a series of breakout sessions
that covered all sorts of topics, including blog
monetization, web redesign, email marketing, and
local lead gen.

I really liked the way our new method of Q&A via


SMS, Web and Twitter worked out.

While the action was taking place in the Meet Market


and sessions, the exhibit hall was being built out for
days 2 and 3 of Affiliate Summit West 2011.

In the evening, I headed to the ShareASale “Under


the Stars” Party at Tryst Nightclub to continue the
networking and good times.

It was a nice celebration to mark the ten year


anniversary of ShareASale, and there was a moving
speech from Brian Littleton, founder and CEO of
ShareASale.

Day 2
The second day of Affiliate Summit West 2011 got
off to a great start with a funny, informative keynote
from Drew Eric Whitman, author of CA$HVERTISING.

The keynote took place in the Encore Theater, where


Garth Brooks performs when he is in town, and
Whitman had the packed crowd captivated.

Afterwards, there were a series of breakout sessions

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | A
Aprilil 2011 | 12
on SEO, social media, trendspotting, personal Affiliate Summit West 2011 wrapped up with a
brands, and, of course, affiliate marketing. closing keynote from Dave Taylor of AskDaveTaylor.
com.
The blogger lounge at Affiliate Summit West 2011
was buzzing throughout the day with podcasts, Dave gave an interesting and compelling talk about
videos, and blog posts. achieving a work/life balance.

Crowds packed the exhibit hall throughout the day. Thank you to all of the folks that came out for
Affiliate Summit West 2011 – see you August 21-23,
I was excited to meet legendary quarterback Warren 2011 at the Hilton New York for Affiliate Summit East
Moon at the Digital River booth in the exhibit hall 2011.
and get a signed football.
Shawn is a Co-founder of Affiliate Summit and
But it wasn’t all good football news at Affiliate Co-Editor-in-Chief of FeedFront Magazine, and
Summit, as I had to wear a New England Patriots you can follow him @affiliatetip on Twitter.
jersey, as a result of a bet with Michael Martin, who
was on a panel today about Mobile Affiliate Site
Strategies.

But I did win some cash in a BCS football ball, which


was run by the Football Fanatics Affiliate Program.
It’s Vegas – I need to make some bets!

After the exhibit hall and breakout sessions finished


up, there were a series of roundtable discussions,
which were led by experts on legal issues, content
creation, Facebook, buying sites and more.

The last event of the day was the launch of a new


product from Jeremy Schoemaker called Linkcontrol.
It’s a really cool looking project, and I look forward
to hearing more about it.

Day 3
The final day of Affiliate Summit West 2011 started
off with the announcement of the 2011 Pinnacle
Awards winners.

 Affiliate of the Year: Deals.Woot

 Affiliate Manager of the Year: Carolyn Kmet

 Exceptional Merchant: Zappos

 Affiliate Marketing Advocate: Lisa Picarille

 Best Blogger: Eric Nagel

 Affiliate Marketing Legend: Todd Farmer

Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners.

The Tuesday morning keynote was delivered by


Brian Solis, author of Engage: The Complete Guide
for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and
Measure Success in the New Web, to a big crowd in
the Encore Theater.

After the keynote, Brian gave away a bunch of copies


of his book, Engage. I wish I was ready to capture
some video, because a group of people pounced on
the books. Clearly, they liked what he had to say.

The keynote was followed by a second day of crowds


in the exhibit hall, as well as sessions on affiliate and
affiliate manager relationships, mobile marketing,
paid search, and industry regulations.
By Morgan Linton

xact-match a user’s search query. For less many domainers are dropping some
domains are competitive terms having an exact- excellent exact-match domains,
names that exactly match domain allowed domain name which can usually be purchased for
match a specific owners to simply focus on building- under $100.
search query. out content, rather than running
For over fifteen complex link-building campaigns. You can even search for specific
years, domain characteristics that are meaningful
name investors Unlike parking, which only provided to search engines, like domain age
(often called significant revenue to .com domains, and DMOZ listing, to further increase
“domainers”), have the SEO benefit of an exact-match the SEO value of the exact-match
been using these domain is the same regardless of domain that you buy. Couple this
names to generate TLD. This means that the owner with a good landing page and unique
revenue in a of BuyCar.net has the exact same content and you’ll enjoy the benefits
variety of ways. chance of ranking well as the owner of both direct traffic and better
of BuyCar.com, based on the exact- search engine placement.
Initially, investors focused on match bonus, since Google and Bing
monetizing the type-in traffic coming will ignore the TLD. Of course, other
to the domain names. Just think, factors, like domain age, can impact
if you own a domain like BuyCars. ranking, but this is unrelated to the
com you will get a reasonable level keywords in the domain name.
of type-in traffic to your domain for
people who simply enter “buycars” To enjoy the best of both worlds,
in the URL bar of their browser. owning an exact-match .com domain
Domainers use parking services to name can generate a steady stream
quickly generate pages full of PPC of direct traffic, while also providing
links to monetize traffic coming to a nice benefit in the search engines.
their names. You can estimate how much type-
in traffic a domain name will get by
The problem with parked domain looking at the search volume using a
names is that while they may get tool like the Google Traffic Estimator
a stream of type-in traffic, the and taking 10% of the global search
services rarely rank in the search volume.
engines. Another problem with
domain parking is that the type-in Couple direct traffic with a first-page
traffic usually only exists on .com ranking in the search engines and
domains leaving .net, .org, and it’s easy to see why exact-match Morgan Linton
other top-level domain (“TLD”) .com domains can be so valuable.
holders with little traffic and
revenue. As premium domain name
owners started looking for ways to So how can you find Morgan Linton is the President
of Linton Investments LLC, a
increase their revenue, the concept great exact-match domain name investment and
of organic traffic became more monetization company.
appealing. domains?
Domainers quickly learned that Since most of the great .com’s
they received a noticeable bonus are already registered, expired
in Google and Bing for having a domains offer the best opportunity.
domain name that exactly matched As parking revenue has declined,

14 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


• Prep your articles and other domains. Instead of
waiting until Q4 to write all of your articles and
submit them to directories, etc…why not let them
start indexing over the next 6 months then you
can slowly add in your backlinks so that they help
your ranking sooner and gain strength during Q3
and Q4.

Once you have


your pages built,
start looking for
sites that you will
allow you to be a
guest writer.
If you plan your Q4 ahead of time, you’ll have time to
test everything from how your traffic reacts to your
design and color schemes to where ads are placed, etc.

By Adam Riemer More importantly, you’ll be able to build new traffic to


your site and secure your SERPs, so that you’ll be able to
have a more successful Q4 shopping season.

ou probably love the extra income that comes


with Q4 shopping, but you more than likely also
love when Q4 ends, so that you can go back to
a lower stress time.

Although it’s nice to be able to put Q4 behind you, if


you want to be able to grow for the largest consumer
shopping time, you need to prepare ahead. I always
recommend that you start your Q4 planning in Q2.

By giving yourself 6 months before the Q4 shopping


season starts, you give yourself enough time to not only
test your traffic, but index and strengthen your hold on
your rankings for the next holiday season.

Here are some things that you can do to prepare for Q4


in Q2 and why you may want to start them now.

• Update your copy and add new articles. By


updating your copy 6 months in advance, you can
see how it indexes and also have time to build
backlinks to secure your rankings in the Search
Engines (SERPs). If your site isn’t blog based,
then your competition probably won’t be looking
at your seasonal section to see what you are up
to which gives you time to overpower them in the
SERPs.

• Start guest posting for the keywords you want. Adam Riemer
Once you have your pages built, start looking for
sites that you will allow you to be a guest writer.
You don’t even have to write about the holidays,
but simply mention the keywords and phrases that Adam Riemer is the President of Adam Riemer
you want in your article and link from them, this Marketing, LLC.
will help strengthen your respective pages for the
holiday shopping season.

16 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


They need to protect their brand name, but in many
instances the merchants do not have an in-house PPC
campaign and are not bidding on their own brand. Their
competitors could very well be.

In the case of the natural search results, this is what


affiliates do. They create pages to get indexed for
brands. If an affiliate is ranking higher in natural results
for a brand name, then the affiliate is doing their job,
and the merchant isn’t doing a good job of SEO on their
own.

Merchant terms need to be constructed in a way that is


fair to both the affiliate and the merchant. If a merchant
has internal staff that overlaps with their affiliates, the
terms can be a little more strict.

But, in the case of SEO, even the affiliates that are very
good at it can’t control everything the search engines
include in natural results. Having terms that exclude
paying affiliates that rank high in search results for
company names or products will result in fewer affiliates
working an affiliate program. Top affiliates won’t give
these programs a second look.

Terms and conditions that acknowledge the various types


of affiliates that are out there, like coupon, loyalty, and
incentive sites are very helpful. Merchants need to think

Merchant
about how to harness the advantages of those types of
sites, and encourage affiliates to promote the merchant
by creating terms that allow for ethical affiliates to do so.

Balance is the key, along with understanding what you

Terms: want to gain from your affiliate program.

Protecting or Hurting
Affiliate Programs?
By Deborah Carney

Affiliate program terms and conditions (or lack thereof)


are often misunderstood. Some merchants set up in-
house affiliate programs on networks without giving
thought to how affiliates might promote their products.

Suddenly an affiliate is successfully promoting a


merchant via a pay-per-click campaign that includes
the merchant’s brand name. The merchant is shocked,
quickly turns off that affiliate and then reverses
commissions with the attitude that those sales would
have occurred anyway from the natural search results.

But wait, the merchant didn’t specify in their terms that


affiliates aren’t allowed to bid on their brand name. They
quickly add that in. Problem solved? Maybe.

At the same time, the merchant is noticing that affiliates


are ranking higher than the merchant themselves, in the Deborah Carney
natural search results. The merchant changes their terms
to not allow affiliates to have the company’s brand name
in their meta tags, titles or file names.
Deborah Carney is an Outsourced Program
These are two examples of merchants actually hurting Manager, Merchant Consultant, and Admin of the
themselves. Affiliate Summit Networking Forum

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 17


At Affiliate Summits, it may not
always be possible to have extended
face time with a guest speaker, but
if an opportunity arises to speak
with one of the many professionals
in attendance, take it. Don’t be
afraid to ask questions, request
clarification on a point they made,
seek examples or ask advice.

The experts at Affiliate Summits


are there to help. Take advantage
of their expertise, knowledge and
experience. If time allows, focus
on building a rapport that can be
expanded upon later.

Industry professionals often see


advantages and opportunities for a
business, marketing plan or product
that the business owner or affiliate
marketer does not. The experts at
a conference can provide a fresh,
new perspective. They’ve developed
dozens of their own contacts that
they may be willing to share that
can prove helpful.

Networking is much more than


exchanging business cards. True
networking requires people to
get out of the office, mingle with
experts, and take any opportunity to
meet with them face to face. No one
is ever so knowledgeable that they
can’t learn valuable lessons from
others. The only way to truly learn,
network and form valuable alliances
is by speaking with others in person.
It’s a business investment that will
pay dividends in the future.

By Nick Throlson

veryone talks about networking, but not everybody knows how


to do it successfully. The key is to create and build lasting,
professional relationships, and the only way to accomplish that
is by meeting people in person.

At Affiliate Summit West 2011, I learned that some of the


benefits of this conference are meeting industry experts,
making new contacts and solidifying existing relationships.
You just can’t be afraid to ask questions and talk to strangers.

While emails, phone calls and online chats are acceptable ways of
maintaining contact once a relationship has been established, there is no
substitute for meeting face to face for an initial contact. It provides two
people with the opportunity to shake hands, smile and get to know each
other on a professional level. By taking the time to meet in person, both Nick Throlson With Jim Kukral
people have the chance to discover exactly how they can work together to (left)
their mutual benefit.

Meeting in person also facilitates clear communication. There’s less of a Nick Throlson is an
chance of being misunderstood and it encourages the exchange of ideas in a entrepreneur, website designer,
freer environment. People can gauge the tone and inflection of what’s being blogger and Internet marketing
said. expert.

Likewise, body language plays a large part in how people communicate and
being face to face allows for the most effective exchange of information. It
helps others make a connection between a face and a name.

18 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


Some of the more promising ones and their top
campaigns:

 Shoogloo Network (British Airways, Jet Airways,


Yatra)

 vCommission (Maakan.com, Snap Deal)


 DGM India (Naukri.com, MakeMyTrip, Met Life)
 and an up-and-comer, Canada-based Ad Indian.
Of course, like any other business decision, there are
some fundamental questions to ask yourself, such as...

 How do you know which ones to trust?


 Which ones are legit?
 Will they comply with the laws that govern your
product/campaign? The answer is rather simple:
DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE.

 How long have they been around?


 What brands are they marketing?
 Are they VC funded or being run out of a boiler
room in a remote village (do they have boiler
rooms in India…hmm?) with little supportive
infrastructure?
By Ricky Ahuja
The legit Indian affiliate networks are highly trained,
India is quickly becoming a rising star in the world of have experience with affiliate marketing, very fluent in
affiliate marketing. Due to the high human capital and the technology piece and are able to assist clients in all
the low cost of labor, working with Indian teams to parts of the world.
develop and implement affiliate marketing solutions is a
cost-effective practice for global businesses. Through email, AIM and Skype, Indian affiliate marketing
teams are able to work across continents with clients
When looking for new opportunities to increase revenue to provide streamlined affiliate marketing plans, cost-
and grow a business, affiliate marketing in India can be a effective service, and a “potentially” flawless marketing
reliable investment for companies all over the world. campaign.
Indian digital work teams have come a long way over the Affiliate marketing in India is on the rise. With
past decade. As internet commerce booms and replaces customizable solutions that can benefit individual affiliate
traditional offline forms of marketing, companies are publishers and companies alike, turning to India for cost-
constantly on the lookout for a cheap, reliable way to effective technological solutions makes perfect sense for
get their products into the hands of consumers. Affiliate anyone interested in affiliate marketing.
marketing in India allows companies to create marketing
programs for their products at rates lower than anywhere
else in the world.

Contrary to the fears of some, Indian marketers are


proficient in English, tech-savvy and often come from
other job markets that require a wealth of intelligence
and skill in their prospective studies and fields.

As a result, there are Indian affiliate networks launching


seemingly every other week. Many of these networks are
able to create systemized, performance-driven marketing
campaigns for companies who are looking for a long-
term and cost-effective affiliate marketing solution for
their businesses and products.

A majority of these networks often have the same level


of experience creating websites, ad creatives, writing
copy and assisting with PPC and SEO as their American Ricky Ahuja
counterparts. Additionally, many of these networks utilize
the well known American tracking platforms, making
them an attractive and efficient alternative. Ricky Ahuja is the CEO of Affiliate Venture Group
specializing in outsourced program management,
PPC and SEM.

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 19


Audience
Management
Strategies
for Higher
Performing
Campaigns
By Russ Riley

ne goal all marketers to allow for in-campaign adjustments Today’s best marketers “converse”
share is to drive the as audiences do things to surprise with audiences at junctures in which
best results from their us, either negatively or positively. a consumer responds favorably or
campaigns at the opts out. Successful brands respond
lowest cost. To do this We all know too well that every to clicks, conversions and buys with
requires the integration campaign we send, including seasonal a “thank you,” and future deals to
of efficiencies across the campaigns, hit a point of diminishing compel loyalty.
campaign lifecycle. The returns in which the value of what
concept is simple; the we are sending is less than the value Brands also respond to opt-outs
execution is not. of what we receive. The solution by honoring the opt-out globally or
is the application of analytics and providing the consumer with the
At the core of the most successful, RFM (recency, frequency, monetary) ability to dictate exactly what they do
high-revenue campaigns is the controls to ensure that what we are and do no want to receive.
understanding that who you advertise delivering is of the highest value.
to are not “lists.” They are audiences For those interested in top results,
of high value with dynamic tastes, Applying these analytics across the number-one rule is the realization
needs and desires. They often behave a campaign allows us to change that your lists are not lists but
wildly different than we expect, and up creative, optimize frequency valuable audience members. From
at times, they also tire of receiving and rotate messages to audience there, you must commit to the art
communications. segments in order to pace them out and science of audience management.
to the highest responders in the
From a reporting perspective, we optimal format. The results are often
know this because the success of 25-35% greater than control groups
the direct response and/or lift of the without audience-driven targeting.
communication/advertising campaigns
sometimes plummet. When response Finally, the golden key of audience
declines, it doesn’t necessarily mean preference is providing the ability
audience members do not want to for audiences to control what
hear from you. At times, it’s simply they receive through preference
the frequency of what we send. management and secure opt-out.
While opt-out compliance comes by
Successful marketing campaigns start law for email and telecommunications
with a commitment to understanding marketers and best practice for
audience members at a profile and display advertisers that adhere to the
preference management, behavioral, OBA (online behavorial advertising)
demographic and response-level. self-regulatory principles, the
Begin the campaign development best marketers apply preference
process by layering analytics management and audience
across audiences in order to dictate empowerment across all channels Russ Riley
campaign content, targets, flow, pace because it signifies something much
and frequency. more powerful than compliance – that
is care and a commitment to listening
These analytics then need to be to audiences. Russ Riley is the Director of
constantly applied across campaigns Marketing at UnsubCentral.

20 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


peaks and valleys when an offer goes down or the
playing field changes in a particular vertical.

3. Keep learning
You will never be an expert on every aspect of
online marketing. There is just too much to know
and the industry is constantly changing. But, that
doesn’t mean you should settle for simply knowing
enough to get by. The more you learn, the more
opportunities will become available to you and the
better your chances of success.

4. Put in the time


Many people get into affiliate marketing because
they think it is easy money. They think they can set
up some campaigns, put them on autopilot, and then
kick back and watch the money come in. Successful
affiliates know that it takes a lot more than 4 hours
a week to build your business and make affiliate
marketing into a successful career. In fact, it takes
more than 40 hours a week if you want to be a
successful affiliate marketer. Put in the time and
effort if you really want to succeed.

5. Take risks
No one has ever succeeded in affiliate marketing by

Succeed by Doing
playing it totally safe. By getting into this business
you are becoming an entrepreneur and starting your
own business. By its very nature, starting your own
business is a risk. So, once you take that step you
can’t suddenly pull back on the reins and expect

What Others Won’t


to succeed. A big part of risk-taking in affiliate
marketing means being willing to invest some of
your own money with no immediate guarantees
that you will get your money back, let alone make
a profit. I’m not saying you should spend your life
By Tom Wozniak savings on your very first PPC campaign. But, you
need to be willing to spend money to make money in
What separates a successful affiliate from one that never this business.
generates much revenue? Is it just technical knowledge
or is there something more to it?

One of the biggest differentiators I’ve seen is that


successful affiliates are willing to do what other less
successful affiliates won’t, or don’t. Call it “going the
extra mile” or “giving 110%,” the idea is that people who
are truly successful in almost any endeavor are willing to
put more into it than their competition.

So, here are five things you can do that will set you
apart and position you for success.

1. Test, test, and test some more


Some affiliates don’t test at all. Others do some
testing, but aren’t very systematic about it. Be
obsessive about testing. You should always run tests
on every offer you promote. Don’t stop testing when
a campaign starts making money. Continuing to
test profitable campaigns will help you drive the best
returns from every campaign.
Tom Wozniak
2. Diversify
Many affiliates get into one niche or vertical and Tom Wozniak is the director of marketing for Media
never venture into any other areas. Do not put Breakaway, LLC and writes the official blog for
all your efforts into one offer or even one vertical. affiliate.com.
Diversifying your business will help you avoid major

22 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


Titles Don’t Matter Titles Matter
By Greg Hoffman By Lisa Riolo

Job titles might say a lot about a company and a person, Full disclosure: my company does not print job titles on
but when it comes to the affiliate industry and the large our business cards. We don’t put them on our signature
amount of small business owners, it’s all about the lines either. We do, however, give everyone a title. Here’s
relationships. Affiliate marketers want to get to know why titles are necessary for most businesses:
who you are, regardless of your title.
#1. To convey information about the company’s
Trust, integrity and professionalism will open more brand and culture
doors for you and represent your brand much farther #2. To quickly express “who does what” in the
than a title on a business card or a sticker on your office organization
door. They might care more about your label - affiliate,
merchant, agency or network, but they could care less Both reasons act to help customers and prospects
if you are the Vice President of Ecommerce or the Chief interact with your company’s team. The choice of “no”
Imagination Officer. How they choose to interact with you title or a fun, whimsical title may well serve reason #1
once they learn your label is completely up to them. but not #2.
Obviously, titles don’t serve much purpose for your
An impromptu survey amongst my connections in the well-established relationships, but what about those
affiliate industry tells me that titles carry about as much customers you’ve yet to acquire? We’re all seeking ways
weight as college degrees and resumes. None of which to make it easy for people to conduct business with us,
reflect the innovativeness and creativity of many people so “who does what” is important to convey no matter
that have succeeded in performance marketing. what size your organization.

What these people worry about is paying the mortgage Titles are simply a necessary business vehicle, an
and working toward a lifestyle that will grant them identifier. Let’s be clear: I’m not suggesting title inflation,
freedoms in the future. They work hard, many of them which may tarnish your brand and reputation. I’m
from home offices or even harder if they have full-time suggesting simple, intuitive titles that serve as signposts
jobs during the day and affiliate marketing is where in the journey from prospect to loyal customer.
they plant their hopes and dreams at night and on the
weekends. Their egos still exist but only because of Titles were invented and remain relevant for reasons
individual accomplishments and not because they get far more important than ego or formality. It’s like
new business cards with fancy new titles every year. traveling on streets without names -- you can get where
you’re going, but it’ll take longer and be unnecessarily
confusing. Titles show us all how to get where we’re
going quickly and easily. Titles matter.

Greg Hoffman

Lisa Riolo
Greg Hoffman is a blogger and outsourced program
manager (greghoffmanconsulting.com).
Lisa Riolo is a Co-Founder of Impact Radius and
functions as the company’s General Manager.

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 23


world from unsolicited commercial
email now that the foundation has
been laid for emails that were not
even intentionally or knowingly
misleading.

Vigilantes only need to show that an


advertiser was the party ultimately
responsible for sending an email
that contained either a falsified
or misrepresented header (e.g., a
“From” name that the sender can’t
prove has any relevance to anyone
in particular) or potentially deceptive
subject line, such as the “free” stuff
that was promised to recipients in
the ValueClick case but was not, in
fact, free.

Undoubtedly, the world would be a


better place if everyone played by
the rules and sent emails that did
not contain any deceptive content.
Reputable networks go to great
lengths to make sure that their
affiliates follow these rules and only
use pre-approved, non-deceptive
subject lines and “From” names in
emails.

So, you may be asking yourself


why you should care about the
ValueClick ruling since these folks
only pursue advertisers with deep
pockets, right? While most of these
professional spam litigants will
seek maximum damages against
advertisers, your commissions
may be negatively impacted if the
advertiser or network decides to
invoke its indemnification or set-off
provision under the terms of your
publisher agreement. You could find
them stealing your profits right out
from under you!
By Rachel Corcoran

The new year started with a roar for Internet vigilantes when the California
Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District issued its ruling in
Hypertouch, Inc. v. ValueClick, Inc., et al. (B218603, Cal. Ct. App., January
18, 2011). In a stunning decision, the Court of Appeal overturned a lower
court’s award of summary judgment to defendants ValueClick and Primary
Ads, Inc. holding that the CAN-SPAM Act did not preempt Hypertouch’s claims
under the California anti-spam law (California Business and Professions Code
section 17529, et seq.).

Just when it looked like ValueClick had a victory under its belt against
Hypertouch’s allegations of spam under California law (as the result of
the trial court’s finding that Hypertouch failed to show ValueClick had any
knowledge or control over the alleged spam activity of affiliates and that the
federal exemption for state spam statutes prohibiting “falsity or deception”
in emails was only intended to permit state law claims based on all the
elements of common law fraud – and nothing less) the Court of Appeal upset
the machinery of email marketing by holding that the CAN-SPAM Act does not
preempt state spam law claims provided plaintiff simply shows that the entity
advertised in a commercial email ultimately sent an email which contained
falsified or misrepresented header information or a subject line that a person Rachel Corcoran
knows would be likely to mislead a recipient about a material fact concerning
the contents or subject matter of the message. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §
17529.5(a).) Rachel Corcoran is an attorney
with extensive internet
The bottom line is that we can expect to see more spam lawsuits in the advertising experience and
future brought by these self-proclaimed spam watchdogs intent on saving the is Compliance Director for
Adknowledge.
24 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE
hese days mobile is a pretty hot buzz word, and the scene
has a wild-west gold rush feel with a lot of people looking to
cash in. From the marketing “guru’s” selling $2,000 courses
to 18-year-old mobile “millionaires”, there are lots of folks
claiming they can tell you how use mobile to get rich.

Well, I am no guru, but here are some simple strategies that


if applied properly could bring huge results.

Text

Simple There’s a lot of talk about building subscriber lists and sending out affiliate
offers. Your subscribers better like what you’re selling, because getting
off your list is only a text away and getting them on it, well that’s the real
battle. Consider offering a special freebie that requires a mobile number

Mobile be submitted with the contact information with proper opt-in notification
disclaimer. You can also ask your text provider to supply an HTML script
that is designed for double opt-in. Add it to a video teaser squeeze page
requesting their mobile to receive a link. An autoreply asks them to confirm

Strategies their opt-in by replying with a keyword (double opt-in) to receive the link.

Email
for Affiliate That’s right, email. If you got a list, use it to send out the special offer you
just created and get more opt-ins. Be sure to use scarcity and limited-time
availability. That text list should be more than about just sending offers,

Marketers you have to give them a reason to stay subscribed, so try rewards, but be
respectful of the space. Include a “gift” or a free-no-strings-attached bonus
like training,, but don’t overdo it.
By Dustin Donham
Mobinars
Everyone knows webinars work well, so how can you apply them to mobile?
There are a few websites out there that do live video streaming and also
offer live mobile streaming, as well, whether you are presenting an offer or
training affiliates use your text list to send out a link to a live mobile stream.
Be sure to include the regular live stream link to your email list as well.

Mobile Sites
Find a decent mobile publisher to make yourself a mobile website. It’s not
necessary to know HTML, but it helps. There are some great ones that use
a rich text editor CMS. Go ahead view page source code and embed a video
teaser. Don’t forget to add that text web script and tie that to a special
reward or offer. Put it out via Twitter and Facebook, as well.

Mobile Advertising/Affiliate Networks


Use a mobile publisher to create another video squeeze page with a contact
form to use for performance-based lead gen campaigns. You may even want
to explore a click-to-call campaign as well.

I hope you give these proven mobile marketing strategies a try in your next
campaign.

Dustin Donham

Dustin Donham is founder of Hookd Mobile Marketing and is a


professionally certified mobile marketer.

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 25


Unanticipated, because it was not in the bill earlier, is
the requirement that a merchant disclose the terms of
upsells and negative options (whether an initial sale or
upsell) before getting the consumer’s billing information.
This “late hour” amendment has the Federal Trade
Commission’s fingerprints all over it. While prior law
(and earlier versions of Rockefeller) had only required
disclosure of terms “before sale” (before the consumer
clicks and buys), the FTC favors the stricter “before
billing information” standard and routinely places it in
consent orders. This disclosure standard is now federal
law for online sales under Rockefeller.

While the law is pretty clear, certain questions remain.


Does the data pass ban apply to accounts that have been
collected, for example, by an online lead generator, but
not charged? May an online seller who receives account
data that has not been charged use it without getting the
account number from the customer again?

These and other questions will be sorted out as the


agencies responsible for administering the law, the FTC
and state Attorneys General, issue guidance and enforce
it. It’s important they be answered, because violators will
By William Rothbard face substantial monetary penalties.

If you’ve been passing your Internet customers’ accounts


to other online merchants, you’ve just been picked by
Congress.

Late last year, S. 3386, the “Restore Online Shoppers’


Confidence Act,” sponsored by Senator Jay Rockefeller
(known as “Rockefeller”), sailed through Congress. The
measure, the capstone to an investigation by Rockefeller
into consumer abuses in online upsells of negative
option plans for membership clubs, codifies, for online
transactions only (offline is unaffected), existing Visa/
MC restrictions on transfer of account data (“data
pass”) between merchants. No longer will an online
upseller legally be able to use pre-acquired account data.

While the statute arises from a club industry inquiry,


it applies to the data pass and marketing practices of
all online upsellers, and to negative option offers of all
online merchants, not just upsellers. It:

 Forbids an “initial merchant” to pass billing


accounts, which it has used to charge a customer
in an Internet-based sale, to an unaffiliated upseller,
or “post-transaction third party seller,” for use in an
Internet-based sale (data pass between corporate
affiliates is still allowed)

 Requires the post-transaction 3rd party seller to:


 Disclose purchase terms before obtaining William Rothbard
billing data;

 Disclose it is not affiliated with the initial William Rothbard is a former FTC attorney and
merchant; and specializes in FTC advertising and marketing law.
 Obtain the full account number from the
consumer.

 Requires the terms of all negative option offers by


any type of seller to be disclosed before obtaining
billing information.

In anticipation of Rockefeller, some online upsellers


already had begun to abide by data pass restrictions, by
having consumers reenter billing data. If you’re one who
hasn’t, you need to do so now to be in compliance.

26 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


 Without the mailer, the email does not get
sent and the consumer has no idea that the
potentially valuable offer exists.

With the use of multiple partners comes an


inherent challenge: How do you protect yourself
from abuse or misuse?

Use Protection
This is not only for advertisers. Everyone in business
represents a brand, even if it is their own. Without your
reputation… you have nothing.

 Follow compliance guidelines carefully. Pay close


attention to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
regulations, how you manage your suppression
list(s), and how your partners are interacting
with your sensitive data.

 Track your opt-out volume at every level from


your brand(s), list(s), campaign(s), mailer(s),
and more specifically… mailers within campaigns.
Implement best practices, such as encrypting
any unsubscribe data you distribute.

 Utilize resources that provide you with alert


notifications, detailed reporting, and analytics on
how your brand reputation is perceived.

Practice Safe Email


Many advertisers are becoming more rigid with their
internal compliance practices and therefore will only
work with compliance conscious networks. Networks are
coming under a significant increase in liability, so they
only want to work with compliant mailers. Mailers only
run advertiser offers if the advertiser has a compliance
solution or process in place.

Be selective with you work with. Remember, the email


By Khris Thayer you send today will determine the reputation you have
down the road and the reputation you have down the
For those of you who embrace email, there is a great road will determine how successful and sustainable
deal of money to be made and success to be had, BUT your email efforts are. The most successful players
ONLY IF DONE RIGHT. It starts with understanding the in the email space are those who do not compromise
hierarchy of an email campaign; where it starts and compliance for conversions, so… GO COMPLIANT!
ends, and how to remain compliant in the process.

As newer, more stringent regulation is enforced, we all


have to look at the sustainability of our industry and the
things that protect it. This means that we all have do our
part to ensure the integrity of our partners.

Here are a few key items in email compliance to keep in


mind that will provide perspective and ultimately help
sustain long-term revenue opportunities within the online
market space.

Multiple Partners
Brand advertisers, affiliate networks, ad agencies, and
mailers all make up the channel in which an advertiser’s
message reaches an inbox. Each segment plays an
integral role in deliverability and conversion.
Khris Thayer
 Without the advertiser, there is no offer.
 Without the networks and agencies, there Khris Thayer is the CEO of OPTIZMO™
is no way for the advertiser to effectively and Technologies, a Suppression List Management and
efficiently establish a relationship with the mailer. Email Compliance company.

FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | April 2011 | 27


opportunities that otherwise might
be over looked. Make sure you have
at least simple goal tracking setup.
When the going gets tough, analyze
what keywords and referrers are
converting the best and hunt down
similar traffic sources. It is always
easier to leverage the data you have
instead of shooting blindly in the
dark.

Focus on TWO Big


Related Projects
Starting a new project is often
accompanied by a huge rush of
enthusiasm, but as you hit a few
speed bumps, this enthusiasm might
begin to fizzle. As things start to
slow down and you have the urge to
shift your attention, start a related
project or a sister site that you can
cross promote with your main site.
When your second project loses
steam, pick up where you left off
on the first. Feel free to alternate
between sites as needed. Most
affiliate campaigns go through cycles
of excitement. Working on multiple
big projects will allow you to “ride
the waves” of enthusiasm as they
come and go.

Work Smarter Than the


Competition
By Nick Reese
Identify areas of your business
where you can work smarter instead
The affiliate world has its ups and downs for both new and seasoned
of harder. Think outside the box
marketers. The affiliates that can plow through the slumps are the ones who
about new ways of accomplishing
will be successful.
routine tasks. This alone can make
things interesting but remember at
Here are a few tips to help you overcome the rough patches.
the end of the day the only thing
that pays off is action. Sometimes
Dream Big When Building Campaigns this won’t be fun, but long term
action is the only key to success.
Selecting the right affiliate offer/industry is the first step to not burning out
as an affiliate. When scouting potential offers, dream big. With enough TLC
and testing, many campaigns can be successful. Would you rather be a big
fish in a tiny pond or a small fish in a multi-million dollar industry? Capturing
a small portion of a huge industry gives you room to grow over time. Don’t
limit your long term potential with small thinking. By dreaming big, even
the small successes are rewarding because they are often accompanied by
sizeable bumps in revenue.

Build a Brand
If you are targeting a large established industry, work toward building a
brand. Consumers reward brands with loyalty and Google has been known
to show preference to brands in rankings. Building a brand gives you a
foundation to stand on when your competition gets washed away chasing
questionable marketing tactics. Brands are the key to sustainability in affiliate Nick Reese
marketing and if you know you are building for the future, making smart
decisions today is much easier.
Nick Reese is a Digital Nomad
and Author of How to Turn
Focus on Actionable Information Traffic and Trust into Sales.
Invest time and effort in tracking. I’m probably not the first to tell you to
take tracking seriously, but investing in solid tracking can help you identify

28 | April 2011 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE


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