Comments on: An open letter to affiliate managers and merchants How to get me promoting you http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/ UK Affiliate Marketing Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:58:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Graham Keen http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/comment-page-1/#comment-9708 Graham Keen Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:51:19 +0000 http://www.keithbond.co.uk/?p=410#comment-9708 Hi Joe, I totally agree with constantly sharing info and letting affiliates run with it - it's creating lots of bespoke stuff for a new affiliate that takes all the time, with no guaranteed coverage or success. Hi Joe, I totally agree with constantly sharing info and letting affiliates run with it – it’s creating lots of bespoke stuff for a new affiliate that takes all the time, with no guaranteed coverage or success.

]]> By: Joe Connor http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/comment-page-1/#comment-9702 Joe Connor Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:09:41 +0000 http://www.keithbond.co.uk/?p=410#comment-9702 Interesting to read Graham and Hero's responses. Keith is spot on from my POV - I'm constantly badgered to promote merchants - and I do, often from scratch but as Keith mentioned it's the simple things - tell us when you're in the media and if celebs are involved even better, share the basic info with all your affiliates and the savvy ones will pick up the ball and run with it, it's a lot easier than starting from scratch and has a much better chance of success for both affiliate and merchant. Interesting to read Graham and Hero’s responses. Keith is spot on from my POV – I’m constantly badgered to promote merchants – and I do, often from scratch but as Keith mentioned it’s the simple things – tell us when you’re in the media and if celebs are involved even better, share the basic info with all your affiliates and the savvy ones will pick up the ball and run with it, it’s a lot easier than starting from scratch and has a much better chance of success for both affiliate and merchant.

]]> By: Graham Keen http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/comment-page-1/#comment-9693 Graham Keen Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:02:23 +0000 http://www.keithbond.co.uk/?p=410#comment-9693 Yeah it certainly is catch 22. I totally agree with Hero's points - like affiliates, merchant time is at a premium. Whilst a great idea it is very difficult to put this sort of thing into practice, especially with unproven affiliate sites. Yeah it certainly is catch 22. I totally agree with Hero’s points – like affiliates, merchant time is at a premium. Whilst a great idea it is very difficult to put this sort of thing into practice, especially with unproven affiliate sites.

]]> By: Keith http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/comment-page-1/#comment-9681 Keith Sun, 31 May 2009 12:52:03 +0000 http://www.keithbond.co.uk/?p=410#comment-9681 Catch 22 situation Hero, I would dearly love to promote every single merchant, however time is a finite resource, so often gems get missed, I suspect this is the case at both sides of the fence. Catch 22 situation Hero, I would dearly love to promote every single merchant, however time is a finite resource, so often gems get missed, I suspect this is the case at both sides of the fence.

]]> By: hero http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/comment-page-1/#comment-9680 hero Sun, 31 May 2009 12:21:16 +0000 http://www.keithbond.co.uk/?p=410#comment-9680 sure, I appreciate that, but if you've never promoted a merchant, it's you who has the unproven track record for them, not the merchant. All merchants, for all types of marketing activity (ppc, seo, email marketing, discounts etc) need to be tested at some point, otherwise you won't know if they will work for you. I can tell you what has worked for other affiliates, but is that good enough indication that it will do the same for you? sure, I appreciate that, but if you’ve never promoted a merchant, it’s you who has the unproven track record for them, not the merchant.
All merchants, for all types of marketing activity (ppc, seo, email marketing, discounts etc) need to be tested at some point, otherwise you won’t know if they will work for you. I can tell you what has worked for other affiliates, but is that good enough indication that it will do the same for you?

]]> By: Keith http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/comment-page-1/#comment-9653 Keith Sat, 30 May 2009 10:12:25 +0000 http://www.keithbond.co.uk/?p=410#comment-9653 Thanks for your input Hero. Basically my post was borne out of frustration too, I get a plethora of emails asking why I don't promote xxxx merchant, why I haven't made a sale etc, half the time I can't even remember signing up for said programmes. When it comes to writing content myself I tend to stick to merchants I know I can make sales with rather than taking a shot in the dark at something which for me has an unproven track record. Thanks for your input Hero.

Basically my post was borne out of frustration too, I get a plethora of emails asking why I don’t promote xxxx merchant, why I haven’t made a sale etc, half the time I can’t even remember signing up for said programmes.

When it comes to writing content myself I tend to stick to merchants I know I can make sales with rather than taking a shot in the dark at something which for me has an unproven track record.

]]> By: hero http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/comment-page-1/#comment-9652 hero Sat, 30 May 2009 09:55:36 +0000 http://www.keithbond.co.uk/?p=410#comment-9652 with all due respect, Keith, although I know exactly where you're coming from and I appreciate that you need the AMs to help you help them, I think this is a bit OTT. First of all, can you imagine the merchant/AM having to create unique content for all their affiliates? My money is that it won't be unique for long. And, yes, I'm sure they could do this for their top affiliates, but, let's be honest, it's not their top affiliates asking for the content usually. Second, ok, they've written things for you - does that guarantee that a)it's actually good content b)it's relevant to your users c)it has SEO in mind? I'm pretty sure it'll take you twice as long to address these things before you use it. Exclusive customer deals are also applicable here. Third, and take my word for this, merchants get extremely frustrated when they put the effort in and provide unique content, only for it to not be used or not make any difference to the positioning offered. It takes only a couple of disappointments for merchants to give up. Four, you always come across certain affiliates who you approach to recruit on the program and they tell you they are interested, but only if they get x, y, z from them (deals, content, tools, commission, privileges) - do they really think a merchant will give all that for someone who hasn't sent them one click? Unless it's a site they either recognise the name (and we're talking big publishers here) or it's a site they asked you to approach, chances are slim you'll get what you ask for. Negotiation gets easier if you have shown your potential. Five, and I love this bit - you send info on what is selling well, on offline promotions, on offline advertising, on absolutely anything an affiliate should need to write a brief copy, but you send it to all the affiliates. It's not used, because you haven't "bothered" to send it to your 50 content affiliates separately... I'm not addressing these comments specifically at you, obviously, it's more on a generic level, and mostly targetting new affiliates who a lot of times expect all the work to be done for them - I think all the ready-made tools out there have given them the wrong idea of how to succeed in this industry. I think I'm also in a moaning mode this morning with all due respect, Keith, although I know exactly where you’re coming from and I appreciate that you need the AMs to help you help them, I think this is a bit OTT.
First of all, can you imagine the merchant/AM having to create unique content for all their affiliates? My money is that it won’t be unique for long. And, yes, I’m sure they could do this for their top affiliates, but, let’s be honest, it’s not their top affiliates asking for the content usually.

Second, ok, they’ve written things for you – does that guarantee that a)it’s actually good content b)it’s relevant to your users c)it has SEO in mind? I’m pretty sure it’ll take you twice as long to address these things before you use it. Exclusive customer deals are also applicable here.

Third, and take my word for this, merchants get extremely frustrated when they put the effort in and provide unique content, only for it to not be used or not make any difference to the positioning offered. It takes only a couple of disappointments for merchants to give up.

Four, you always come across certain affiliates who you approach to recruit on the program and they tell you they are interested, but only if they get x, y, z from them (deals, content, tools, commission, privileges) – do they really think a merchant will give all that for someone who hasn’t sent them one click? Unless it’s a site they either recognise the name (and we’re talking big publishers here) or it’s a site they asked you to approach, chances are slim you’ll get what you ask for. Negotiation gets easier if you have shown your potential.

Five, and I love this bit – you send info on what is selling well, on offline promotions, on offline advertising, on absolutely anything an affiliate should need to write a brief copy, but you send it to all the affiliates. It’s not used, because you haven’t “bothered” to send it to your 50 content affiliates separately…

I’m not addressing these comments specifically at you, obviously, it’s more on a generic level, and mostly targetting new affiliates who a lot of times expect all the work to be done for them – I think all the ready-made tools out there have given them the wrong idea of how to succeed in this industry.

I think I’m also in a moaning mode this morning

]]> By: Mark Boyd http://www.keithbond.co.uk/an-open-letter-to-affiliate-managers-and-merchants-how-to-get-me-promoting-you/comment-page-1/#comment-9598 Mark Boyd Wed, 27 May 2009 22:02:48 +0000 http://www.keithbond.co.uk/?p=410#comment-9598 Good Post Keith. Ive never actually been given content by a merchant. Having spoken to Hannah from Existem AM for just 20 minutes on MSN she was already offering me content, so my eyes/ears are now open to the idea! Mark Good Post Keith.

Ive never actually been given content by a merchant. Having spoken to Hannah from Existem AM for just 20 minutes on MSN she was already offering me content, so my eyes/ears are now open to the idea!

Mark

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