Posts Tagged ‘affiliate network’

Ahhh… Momentum- it’s a funny thing- ya know?

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Hi All!

Sorry for the break- I started a master’s program and all my writing has been applied to my course work… but that is no excuse. I resolve to keep up with blogging in 2010!

I hope that everyone had a great holiday season. Of course I mean with your families and friends… but it wouldn’t be terrible if you had great months of profit as well! ;)

Lately I have been getting a lot of requests to discuss starting an affiliate program, gaining and sustaining momentum, and people who have needed some motivation. If you need motivation- you might be in the wrong business- we are talking about an industry that is well into the billions only a few years in… and we’re not seeing any signs of slowing down! So, with that in mind- how do you get your piece of the pie?

You want to know the secret? It’s HARD WORK! That’s right- nothing that your great-grandfather didn’t tell you when you were knee high to a grass hopper. I have met thousands of affiliates over the years- and the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of wusses out there. They take a hit- or something doesn’t make them a million within weeks- and they bow out- or shift their focus to… ‘Oh Look a Deer’… where was I?

In all seriousness- I call these people the ADHD affiliates. And, quite frankly they are the ones I don’t want my team focusing their effort on. Unfortunately they require 90% of the work if you let them. You see we live in an instant gratification society and affiliates want to be instantly gratified.

It can work that way- but it is the exception and not the rule. Almost every affiliate that has been successful has taken at least 6 months to get any momentum whatsoever! However, the payoff long term is $50-$400K ‘paychecks’ each month. Successful affiliates traditionally take time to set up multiple marketing tests, finite tracking, and sometimes even take a loss in the beginning.

Then- once they start to make money the voraciously tweak, update, evolve and then bite, scratch, and claw to maintain their momentum. The result? Unlimited travel, mobile workplace, ample time with the family, cars, new friends, and most importantly- security that they can take care of themselves and their families for the rest of their life.

Everyone- there is no silver bullet. I wish there was- it would make my job easier. This business isn’t for the weak. It takes some serious flex- but comes with some serious rewards.

I told Jenn that my New Year’s Resolution was to turn all existing active affiliates who are making an effort into millionaires within 5 years. It doesn’t matter where in the process they are (just starting or 3 year veteran) we will get them there if they try.

Quit making excuses. The market is always going to be dynamic. The free ride is over- it’s time to buck up little camper- and time to start kicking ass… well- the kicking ass might start six month from now- but you get the point! :)

Who is behaving w/ Rogue behavior? It’s not always the affiliate!

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

I have seen a lot of things in affiliate marketing. One of the things I hear over and over again is that the affiliate is the one who behaves rogue… well I have news for you- they aren’t alone.

Affiliates- I know that you feel beholden to your current affiliate network/program. And I understand this- they have provided you with wealth, food on the table, the ability to start your own business… so it is hard to view them objectively… but you must.

Sometime affiliate programs are just plain wrong- and you are responsible for holding them accountable. The other day I heard about one of the premiere affiliate programs pulling scare tactics and ultimatums on their top affiliates. Threatening this and threatening that… all of which were falsehoods- and none of which benefitted the affiliate- only the network.

This program went out and told the affiliates that they had to do X, Y, and Z to sustain their payouts… because they weren’t profitable with the existing traffic. Now, I also happen to know their CEO and several executives at this company very well- and they have been telling me for months they are more profitable than ever and driving higher margins than ever in the history of their business.

They were strong-arming the affiliates to drain more and more and more profit out of the affiliates. Affiliates- you are in the marketplace- you know how hard it is to make a buck as it is- without your affiliate network getting overly selfish.

Affiliates when you get a message that doesn’t feel right- go w/ your instinct/intuition- it is probably not right. There are always other alternatives out there- you may just have to do your research to find them. And don’t settle for Commission Junction to answer your questions- you need to get closer to the real revenue source. If you don’t know what I mean- contact me and I will help you.

An Inquiry about the King of Pop (and yes, it does tie to affiliate marketing ☺)

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Michael Jackson. Yep- you heard it… a little deviation from the norm- eh? I am not a sensationalist- so I am not going for attention… but I had a few queries for a blog about Michael Jackson. Initially I resisted it because I thought it would distract from my ultimate message- but then I figured a way to tie it to affiliate marketing and thought “what the hell… I don’t like to say ‘no’. “

In this instance I am going to tell you about a question the Director of Marketing asked me the other day: “There is someone who is offering us an exclusive deal for our network for quality Michael Jackson memorabilia. Are we interested?” The executives know that I do not make decisions that are in their wheelhouse- however, in this instance my immediate answer was a resounding “NO!” My thought was two-fold. One- I don’t want to capitalize on someone’s death. And, while I know that people want this merchandise- I feel like they should get it from those who have endorsed and sold Michael Jackson merchandise for years. They are the ones who deserve that revenue. My second thought- this merchandise will be “hot” for the next few months. And, while we might get a revenue spike over that period- it will ultimately not be sustainable. Which means that I am taking time away from my managers, analysts, technical team, and affiliates to pay attention to a short-term, offer rather than dedicating time to longer-term, more sustainable offers. I felt like that was cheating everyone associated with the company from greater revenue streams. Like I said… that was my initial thought.

Then I started thinking about my personal history with Michael Jackson. Being 7ish years old and slamming the front door when Michael sang “hear the door slam” in the song Thriller. I remember my dad bringing home the Thriller Album… and being so jealous because my sisters wouldn’t let me kiss the cover because I was a boy (and, yes, I am secure enough in myself to say that). I remember him, and the all-star crew singing We are the World- and me going out with my brother and raising money for Unicef as a result. Then I thought about some of my favorite song like “Heal the world” and it truly sunk in how much of an impact this man I never met had on my life. And, if this is the impact he had on me… collectively, worldwide, how much impact has he ultimately had.

So then I started thinking- who am I to get in the way of people wanting to promote these products and buy these products. I know our network has reach- and perhaps it not fair for me to be the bottleneck here.

Now I am asking for your opinion. What decision would you have made if you were me? Once I get some responses I will let you know what my decision ultimately was.

Thanks for your feedback!