No matter what the communication piece (a 140-character-long tweet or a newsletter), or the context (affiliate-oriented, customer- or client-focused, etc), it will benefit from the following 3 Ps. In fact, I believe these 3 elements to be integral components of any effective communication. Let me illustrate each by looking at […]
The 3 P's of Effective Communication Read More »
In over 7 years of managing affiliate programs I have never seen this happen, and when I did I simply loved it, and surely took a screenshot to share with other affiliate program managers and affiliates. After approval into an affiliate program, an affiliate emailed me the following text: While
Better Safe Than Sorry Read More »
Communication failures abound in affiliate marketing. Every day merchants are mistreating their affiliate partners but failing to keep them informed on what’s going on in their affiliate marketing programs. And here I’m not referring to keeping affiliates up-to-date on the customer-oriented promos and bestselling products, sales and discounts, new affiliate
Communication Failures in Affiliate Marketing Read More »
A few days ago, I published a brief article based on the data retrieved from both Econsultancy’s U.S. and U.K. 2009 Affiliate Census reports, and from the newest Affiliate Summit’s 2010 AffStat Report. The article was entitled: Communication with Affiliates: Methods and Frequency, and appeared at Econsultancy.com. I think everyone
Do Affiliates Want Relationship, Communication, or Neither? Read More »
The very last Affiliate Summit West 2010 session that I have attended has been the “Creating Lasting Publisher & Advertiser Relationships” panel. It was a good and well-balanced panel — with three publishers (Offers.com, FatWallet, and Cashbaq) and two advertisers (Target.com and Overstock.com) participating. One thing that especially did my
Broadcasting Versus Two-Way Communication Read More »
We hear it being repeated time again: affiliate marketing is a relationship industry. But how do affiliate program managers build the relationships? One way is by attending events like the upcoming Affiliate Summit, or other affiliate gatherings where you can meet affiliates face to face; another one — by participating
Birthdays and Manager-Affiliate Relationship Read More »
Let me start by saying this: I admire AJ Madison’s customer support, aggressive pricing, and marketing methods. What follows in this post stems from an unfortunate affiliate experience that serves as a vivid illustration of the affiliate communication channel breakdown. While it may in no way be characteristic of the
Poor Affiliate Communication: AJ Madison Case Read More »
A solid online retailer, voted one of Internet Retailer’s Hot 100 Companies of 2009, visited by over a million of unique visitors every month, has sent out their affiliate newsletter. It was written well, but some of the things could certainly use some improvement. Here’s a screenshot of a part
Affiliate Newsletter: Format is Important Read More »
In my previous posts I have spoken about the structure of the affiliate newsletters, the three Ps to remember at all times, the necessity for clear distinction between customer-oriented vs affiliate-geared promos, the art of getting attention, and other things. Today I would like to address a basic, yet very
How Often to Send Affiliate Newsletters Read More »
In a reply to my recent “Most Affiliate Newsletters Never Get Opened” post a super affiliate and good friend of mine, Mike Allen, posted: I know affiliate managers likewise don’t read all the email messages they receive from affiliates. And I have the numbers to prove it. I thought: “I’ll
Do Affiliate Program Managers Open Emails? Read More »