If you are attending Affiliate Summit West at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas from January 9-11, 2011 make sure to find our Affiliate Manager, Travis Jacobson.

Travis is available to talk about how we strategically manage affiliate programs to talking about strategies for increasing commission with affiliates.

Also, you can pick up a free LiveStrong bracelet if you come find him during the Summit. His schedule is filling up quickly, so make sure to set up an appointment today!

You can also contact Travis anytime during the show at 801-365-0068.

Net Media Group / AffiliateCREW is proud to announce it has been selected as the outsourced affiliate program management company for the LIVESTRONG® Fitness affiliate program.

LIVESTRONG® Fitness is now offering their complete line of treadmills, elliptical trainers and exercise bikes direct from the manufacturer.

And, when affiliates promote LIVESTRONG® Fitness treadmills, ellipticals or bikes, they’re doing more than improving their visitor’s health. They’re  supporting the Lance Armstrong Foundation in its fight against cancer.

The LiveStrongFitness.com Affiliate Advantage

• Launched in the Commission Junction Affiliate Network
• 8% Commission on every qualified transaction
• 30-day commission duration
• Free shipping on all orders

To learn more about Net Media Group’s proven outsourced affiliate program management give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!

Net Media Group / AffiliateCREW is proud to announce it is the new outsourced affiliate program management company for the  Surf Shelf affiliate program in the Commission Junction affiliate network.

SurfShelf is a secure laptop holder for your treadmill, bike or elliptical. You can surf the internet, watch shows, and check emails while you work out making you even more productive than ever.

Best of all, the SurfShelf holds up to 50 lbs. easily and fits 99% of laptops on the market today, including 17″ models.

Surf Shelf Affiliate Program

• 10% commission rate
• 15% performance incentive for 100 or more sales per month
• Regular promotions such as coupons, free shipping, etc. to boost conversions
• 45 day referral cookie
• Open search policy — we do not restrict the use/bidding of any keywords and we encourage affiliates to use our provided SEM-proven keywords in their search engine marketing and optimization
• Exclusive coupon code available after first sale
• High conversion rate 3.5%+
• Affiliates can join here

To learn more about Net Media Group’s proven outsourced affiliate program management give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!

Net Media Group is excited to announce that we have just launched the LifeCORE Fitness Equipment affiliate program and will be adding their high quality products to our long list of fitness affiliate programs.

Founded in 1994, LifeCORE Fitness manufactures and distributes club quality fitness equipment including Lifecore rowing machines, Lifecore recumbent bikes, Lifecore ellipticals and weights for home use.

LifeCORE affiliates will be able to earn 10% commission on every qualified sale. A wide range of banners and text links have been uploaded and are ready for affiliates to place on their sites.

To join the LifeCORE affiliate program, visit MoolaMoola.com.

To learn more about Net Media Group’s proven outsourced affiliate program management give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!

One great benefit of having an affiliate program is that your affiliates can become a defensive blockade for your brand.

What is a defensive blockade using affiliates?

Defensive blockades with affiliates are when they are used to block your competitors or negative detractors from the first page of search results in both organic and paid search listings.

Imagine typing your company’s name or flagship product’s name into Google.

As you start to review the paid search listings, you notice that some competitors are bidding on your brand name and trying to siphon off potential customers who are specifically looking for your product.

Now imagine doing this again and this time instead of seeing your competitors, you only see “friendly’s” promoting your product who are ultimately driving sales to your site.

This is possible through affiliate marketing.

Why use affiliates for a defensive bloackade?

Some question whether or not those would be sales you would’ve have gotten anyway. One some level that may be true. However, would you rather have the page full of affiliates whom only are paid when a sale occurs or would you rather have your competitors there diverting your traffic and sales?

Another thought, if they are able to close the sale with a different approach and can close the sale when you couldn’t, you still win in the long run because you were able to make a customer through their efforts. Either way you make money.

Why not let the affiliates duke it out with the trademark poachers on their dime?

If you’re wondering how much that costs, you might be suprised to hear that affiliates are paid on a pay for performance basis and are only paid when they make a sale.

This is all tracked using affiliate tracking technology where a pixel is fired from your thank you page whenever a sale occurs and is recorded in a third party affiliate tracking software or affiliate network.

Creating a defensive blockage creates a situation where both you and your affiliates win while your competitors get pushed to page two or further with their tail between their legs.

Further, some companies face a rather unique situation where a disgruntled past customer has made it their lifes mission to tarnish their brand and do an online smeer campaign and get ranked in the top 5 in the search results for their company’s name.

By providing a bounty in addition to commissions, you can attract some pretty big affiliates who would be more than happy to take the challenge.

Using affiliates as a defensive blockade can help you dominate the search results. It’s not enough to just turn affiltiaes loose on organic listings, you should also consider letting them go after paid search with your trademarks in a controlled manner.

To learn more about Net Media Group’s proven outsourced affiliate program management give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!

Five years ago, no one knew what a blog was.

Today, they are everywhere.

But they’re not just for expressing ones personal thoughts anymore.

Big companies and small businesses alike are turning to blogs as a way to communicate and connect in a way their monthly printed newsletter can’t.

Even newspapers, news stations, and magazines are moving to this model.

So it begs the question…

Should your business start blogging?

Believe it or not, your customers and potential customers want to know who you are, what you stand for and what you think.

However, there is much reluctance by some company executives and business owners; believing that blogging will somehow spiral things out of control.

In fact, somewhere right now a PR person in a major company is cringing at the very idea of a potentially negative comment being posted to their client’s website.

The horror.

I believe this worry exists because they are so used to having a one way conversation with the customers and blogging becomes a two way conversation.

Scary, I know.

But the real secret is that they have always been part of the conversation. It’s just they haven’t had a way to respond and join the conversation before.

Welcome to the age of blogging.

Seven primary challenges of business blogging:

1. Deciding that you should have one… many are paralyzed by the very prospect.
2. Deciding who will write it… should the CEO, PR manager or the intern? Who?
3. What purpose the blog will serve… marketing? Media relations? What?
4. What topics will be covered… will you talk about things generically or will you get specific?
5. How to keep it on track… or do you let it get off track once and a while?
6. How many posts to do a week… is once a week enough or should you do more?
7. Determining what platform you will use… Wordpress, typepad, Moveable Type or what?

As you can see, there is some thought that needs to take place. However, don’t let it derail you. You can always change things later if it’s not working out.

The upside of Business Blogging

There are many good reasons to start blogging:

1. Search engine optimization
2. You add to your authority
3. You build your reputation
4. Develop closer relationships
5. Keep everyone better informed
6. You demonstrate transparency
7. And more.

Your blog becomes your platform for delivering information as you see it.

You can talk about new product releases, company news, redistribute print content and more. More importantly, you can talk about things in your space that no one else is talking about or is too scared to address.

Your readers will appreciate it.

Write about things that will help prospective new customers decide to use your company. Freely share and give your insight, knowledge, and wisdom on the topics you know better than anyone.

Don’t be afraid to share what you know.

You can even add an occasional video or audio interview to add depth to your blog. There really isn’t any limitation to what you can do.

Now, I know what you’re thinking.

“Will my competition notice? Will they copy me? Am I opening a can of worms with my customers?”

My advice, get over it.

View it as an opportunity for you to shine and connect.

What you write about and how you put things together will resonate with your audience. You can’t dwell too much on how your competition will react.  I realize you can’t ignore your competition, I’m just saying don’t let them stop you.

It could be the very thing that helps you get more business. In fact, it could be the very thing that helps you keep existing business.

When you share what you know, a funny thing happens. People start to listen. Then they start to interact with you. They start trusting you.

As well have all heard people do business with those they know, like and trust.

Blogging can build major trust as they get to know you through your blog.

In fact, you will also be amazed at how many people start subscribing to your content via RSS and email alerts when you just start writing. You might even see messages from people saying they want to hear from you even more.

Now, I’ll be honest. It’s not all roses and peaches. But it’s time stop the one way speech and start getting a two way conversation with your audience.

Take the chance and do something honest.

When it’s all said and done, a blog should be done with passion and sincerity. Personality should be allowed to shine through. Maybe even let a little bit of personal information slip into it from time to time.

Don’t make it dull, boring, and a platform for generic drivel.

Just be real.

Frankly, it is hard work to keep your blog fresh, interesting and full of relevant content. However, in my humble opinion, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Agree or disagree? Let me know in the form of a comment below!

To learn more about what Net Media Group can do for your company give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!

While it makes good financial sense to have a high converting website, it’s surprising that not every merchant is conducting conversion testing to improve their conversion rates.

It’s surprising because it’s a relatively easy way to generate more sales; especially in the affiliate channel.

Plus, having a high converting site makes for a great recruiting tool to help attract and keep the best affiliates.

Why You Should Be Running Conversion Testing for Affiliates

Every day affiliates ask us about conversion rates and which programs run conversion testing.

They’re asking about it. They look for it. They expect it.

In short, the top affiliates do this on their sites; they expect you to do the same.

There are two basic methods of conversion testing:

1. A/B Testing – When you test one variable at a time.
2. Multivariable Testing – When you test multiple variables at the same time. This is often referred to as “MVT.”

Conversion testing can be done lumping all sources of traffic, or in its most advanced state, be conducted on each channel separately (PPC vs. SEO vs. Email vs. Affiliate vs. CPM).

Each channel converts differently. However, if an affiliate is going to invest and succeed in promoting your products long-term, your site needs to convert specifically in their channel.

If you have a high converting website, you can advertise your conversion rate to help attract affiliates and save them the step of asking.

I know plenty of affiliates who don’t ask, and expect you to advertise it. So, if you don’t know what it is, find out. If you know and it’s low, fix it!

Just as in your business, affiliates want to invest their time into the things that will bring in the most money.

After all, it is how they earn a living so return on investment is an important factor in their decision to join your affiliate program or not.

If you don’t have a good conversion rate, chances are slim that you’re going to attract the right affiliates. They will move on to another program that does convert.

The higher the conversion number, the more attractive your program will be. Not only that, it will also help you retain affiliates in your program because they will be earning higher commissions.

Everyone wins when you have a high converting website.

Your affiliates win because they earn more commissions. You win because they sell more products. And, it’s all done on a pay for performance basis.

Are you doing conversion testing for your affiliates?

To learn more about Net Media Group’s proven conversion testing methods, give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!

There are many companies and businesses that could benefit from having an affiliate program but don’t even know they really need one, much less how to start one.

To help you determine if you could benefit from having an affiliate program, I put together four quick reasons why you should consider starting an affiliate program:

1.    Extend your online marketing reach.
Rather than just relying on your one website, imagine having hundreds if not thousands of online affiliate marketers promoting your brand and products on their websites on your behalf.

2.    Give your online marketing unprecedented leverage.
Instead of just relying on your own online marketing efforts like PPC and SEO, you will be able to also leverage affiliate websites to promote your products, specials, coupons, and more. Starting an affiliate program will help you get onto hundreds if not thousands of targeted affiliate websites.

3.    Affiliate sales are incremental.
Frankly, these aren’t sales you would’ve gotten any other way. Affiliates are masters at pre-selling your products and persuading their audience to buy certain products or services over others. In fact, it is not uncommon to increase online sales by 25% or more by starting an affiliate program.

4.    Affiliate programs are highly cost effective.
Simply put, you do not have to pay affiliates to post your banner ads or text links on their websites. You only pay an agreed upon commission (which varies depending on your margin) when a sale is made.

You should really consider starting an affiliate program because your business can gain greater reach, leverage, awareness, incremental sales, all the while being highly cost effective.

But first, make sure your company is qualified to have an affiliate program and, if so, if you should hire an outsourced affiliate program management company to run it for you.

To learn more about Net Media Group’s proven affiliate program management give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!

If you’re thinking about starting an affiliate program, there are a few things you need to know first.

From a marketing standpoint, having an affiliate programs sound pretty enticing…

Who wouldn’t want to have hundreds, if not thousands, of affiliate marketers promoting your product all over the Internet?

The notion is pretty hard to pass up… imagine the reach you’ll have with all these affiliates. You’ll be rich!

Well, sorry to say, it’s not that simple.

I wish it were.

In fact, the truth is that not every company should have an affiliate program.

Here are the three top questions you need to ask yourself before starting an affiliate program:

1. Do you have a high converting Website?
   Obviously, it’s in everyone’s best interest that you have a high converting site ─ especially yours! The better your site converts visitors to sales, the more affiliates will make and in turn, the more you will make.

   For example, if an affiliate sends you 100 visitors, your current conversion rate is 1.5%, your product sells for $50.00, and you are paying a 10% commission that means your affiliates would make $7.50 per 100 visitors. However if your site was converting at 2.5% they would be making $12.50 for the very same 100 visitors.How do you increase your conversion rate? You can increase the conversion on your site through multivariable testing, aka MVT, which is a subject of an upcoming post I’m writing. Stay tuned!

2. Do you have the margin?
   Some companies run on very slim margins. This can make it difficult to have enough left over to pay the affiliates a fair and enticing commission.

   One aspect that is often overlooked is that you will also need to make enough to pay someone to manage the affiliate program like an outsourced program management company. Not only that, but you have to pay to put it into an affiliate network and will also likely encounter nominal monthly minimum costs.

3. How is your current online marketing efforts performing?
   While some hope otherwise, it’s safe to say your affiliate program won’t outperform your other online marketing efforts in terms of revenue.Therefore, don’t expect it to lay waste to your pay per click or search engine optimization efforts. It’s not uncommon to see PPC drive about 60% of the online revenue, SEO 30%, and Affiliate channel drive around 20%.

In order to have a successful affiliate program you first need to have a high converting website, be able to afford paying affiliates an attractive commission, and already have online marketing that is performing well.

Otherwise, you will be spinning your wheels and you will likely repel affiliates.

Before jumping in with both feet first, take a minute to be sure your company is really ready to have an affiliate program. You’ll be glad you did.

To learn more about Net Media Group’s proven affiliate program management give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!

If you’re considering starting an affiliate program, you need to understand that there are two primary kinds of affiliate networks out there and each offer two very different approaches.

Let’s take a look at each type of affiliate network and see how they measure up.

1. Affiliate Networks

An affiliate network primarily focuses on product based companies and provides the marketplace and technology to recruit affiliates, load banners and text links, provide tracking, pay affiliates, and more. While some affiliate netoworks offer some lead based programs, it is a very small percentage of their business.

In an affiliate network, companies are referred to as merchants and their sales force is referred to as “affiliates.”

Traditional affiliate networks include Commission Junction, Share A Sale, LinkShare, AvantLink, and more.

How an Affiliate Network Works:

• Every time a sale occurs a commission is paid to the affiliate who generated the sale.
• Commissions are usually a percentage of sale (rev share model).
• Commissions are paid once a month.
• Does not allow all kinds of affiliates (I.E. Email, co-registration and other incentivized traffic).
• More brand and trademark sensitive.
• In-house affiliate managers or outsourced program managers  manage the affiliate program.
• Affiliates are screened and approved into each program individually.
• The merchant has access to their affiliates.

Now, let’s look at a lead based affiliate network; which is referred to as a CPA Network.

2. CPA Networks

CPA Networks focus their efforts on lead generation for companies.  In CPA networks, companies are called “advertisers” and their lead partners are called “publishers.” They run a clients “offer” in their network (like a free trial) to either generate a lead of traffic or both from their base of publishers. Some CPA networks

Examples of CPA Networks include Hyrda Network, ROI Rocket, and Click Booth. Please note that I am in no way endorsing or recommending them, just giving examples.

How a CPA Network Works:

• Every time a lead is generated, a publisher receives a payout.
• Payouts on offers are usually a fixed dollar amount.
• Generates high volume of leads and traffic.
• Publishers have their choice of generating traffic (PPC, SEO, Email, Co-Reg and other incentivized traffic).
• Payouts to publishers are usually weekly or bi-weekly.
• Less brand and trademark sensitive.
• An advertiser runs their offer in the CPA Network without an affiliate manager.
• Publishers are approved in the network and can run any offer for any company.
• Advertisers do not typically have direct access to their publishers.

If you are a product based company you should consider investigating an affiliate network. If however, you are looking to get leads you might want to consider a CPA Network.

That said, if brand and trademark are an issue and you need high quality leads that convert, you might want to consider partnering with a lead generation company rather than a CPA Network.

To learn more about Net Media Group’s proven high quality lead generation campaigns give us a call at (801) 365-0057 today!