RevLifter makes 1:1 personalization possible; their award-winning, AI-powered approach translates into revenue for merchants. We are excited to be hosting a webinar with RevLifter, one of our technology affiliate partners, for LinkConnector merchants. Here’s a sneak peek into their capabilities.
We recently caught up with Newchic’s affiliate marketing team to find out what’s been working for their affiliate program during these challenging times and to learn more about their upcoming summer sale, which launches on July 1st.
Wade Tonkin of Fanatics leads a LinkConnector sponsored AM Days workshop.
Affiliate Summit West 2020 (#ASW20) just wrapped in Las Vegas, with over 6,000 affiliate marketers in attendance. One of the outstanding additions to this year’s conference was a series of AM Days (@AMDays) workshops which proved to be an exceptionally valuable experience for everyone involved. On day one, LinkConnector sponsored the session Identifying and Recruiting Targeted Content Partners – a hands-on, interactive session targeted toward affiliate managers, brands, and advertisers.
Wade Tonkin, Senior Affiliate Manager at Fanatics, led the training, sharing tools and tips to help advertisers identify the right partners for their brand. He also covered effective outreach strategies to engage and recruit content partners who can drive significant incremental sales. Attendees left the session ready to map out successful recruiting campaigns that will have an immediate impact on ROI.
AM Days events never disappoint. Founded by acclaimed marketing guru Geno Prussakov, these workshops and conferences consistently feature the most knowledgeable experts in our industry. The events provide invaluable networking opportunities and take the audience, step-by-step, through useful tools, tips, and techniques that they can readily bring home and put into action. The AM Days events attract big brands like Zappos and Shutterfly, providing affiliate marketers with unique access to high potential partners.
LinkConnector is proud to be a longstanding AM Days supporter. After this amazing series of workshops at #ASW20, we can’t wait to see what Geno has up his sleeve next.
“LinkConnector has been heralding AM Days as a ‘must-attend’ conference to our merchants since its inception 10+ years ago. Geno’s workshops deliver education and training for affiliate marketing managers to grow and sharpen skillsets needed to launch or advance their company’s affiliate program. This hands-on education plus the in-person networking with peers and industry trailblazers continue to make AM Days a conference we are proud to support and sponsor!”
LinkConnector will be heading to the Paris Las Vegas Hotel on January 27-29 for Affiliate Summit West, the leading performance marketing event in the world. Are you planning to attend? Let's meet!
In this season of gratitude, LinkConnector gives thanks to our amazing network of collaborators and supporters.
LinkConnector is incredibly proud and honored to be recognized amongst the best of the best affiliate marketing networks worldwide on mThink’s BLUE BOOK Top 20 Affiliate Network rankings for the past eight years in a row.
This recognition is a testament to the trust of our merchant and affiliate customers, agency partners, and industry peers in our commitment to make a positive difference in their affiliate marketing goals and relationships.
The definition of trust is “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something and one in which confidence is placed.” Trust is the bedrock of relationships; building and reinforcing trust is at the heart of everything LinkConnector does.
If you are an affiliate, merchant or affiliate marketing agency, now is your chance to vote for your favorite affiliate network(s) by completing mThink’s 2020 Top 20 CPS/Affiliate Network Rankings survey. The questionnaire takes only a few minutes to fill out, and we hope you’ll include LinkConnetor in your answer to the 2nd and 4th questions.
Three pillars of LinkConnector that demonstrate our worthiness of a Top Network spot and make the most difference in setting us apart from other brilliant networks on the Top 20 list are as follows:
Innovation is a hallmark of LinkConnector and an expected deliverable from our customers. Affiliates and merchants count on us to help them creatively overcome challenges – from tracking issues (such as Safair’s ITP and Google’s Parallel Tracking) to creating simple solutions bridging the monetization opportunity between influencers and brands – LinkConnector listens to our customers’ needs and purposefully develops innovative solutions to encourage their growth.
On the closing day of Affiliate Summit East (#ASE19) in New York City, LinkConnector’s Co-Founder and Co-President, Choots Humphries, presented on the topic of 5 Benefits and 5 Techniques that Add Value to Affiliate Networks. We are excited to recap actionable takeaways from this presentation.
Choots opened by making the point that all Affiliate Networks are not created equally and there are many types of networks. There are affiliate networks, like LinkConnector, offering a full range of technology and tracking solutions along with management services and program optimization. There are Ad Networks (or CPA Networks) which generally act without transparency to promote an advertiser’s offer based usually on an insertion order. And, there are networks which would be better classified as a pure tracking solution which offer advertisers tracking solutions for all forms of online advertising and aren’t exclusively geared towards an affiliate program. Choots further elaborated that the contents of this presentation were going to be focused around traditional affiliate networks.
Choots kicked off the presentation by listing five benefits of Affiliate Networks and announced he would be offering five techniques or considerations for each to extract value from network relationships. Here are the five benefits…
Proper tracking and crediting for merchant and affiliate customers is one of the most critical functions of a network. Here are five consideration points shared to demonstrate such:
ITP 2.2 Compliant and Supports Parallel Tracking
Make sure your network is ITP 2.2 compliant, if not Apple’s changes to Safari’s privacy policy will increasingly erode at your ability to track sales or receive credit from Apple devices. Also, if you are a Search affiliate or work with search affiliates, ensure your network supports Google’s new requirement for Parallel Tracking.
It takes a special group with a passion for relationships, entrepreneurship, innovation and technical talent to make our industry thrive. The Performance Marketing Awards, hosted by PerformanceIN, represents the extraordinary in performance marketing and LinkConnector is privileged to be a part of this esteemed group.
We graciously request (and appreciate in advance) consideration of your vote for LinkConnector as the Publisher’s Choice of Network; you may cast your vote here before 7:00 PM EST on March 5, 2019.
Innovation is a hallmark of our culture and an expected deliverable by our customers, particularly our affiliates as we deliberately develop innovative solutions to propel their unfettered growth. This award nomination is a testament to the contagious passion of LinkConnector for the advancement of our industry and benefit of our affiliate and merchant partners.
Inspiring the excitement, energy and engagement from affiliates is one of the many coveted skill-sets affiliate managers proudly possess. And, it’s one that can be the most challenging.
LinkConnector’s Tara McCommons took the stage at Affiliate Summit in NYC last month to speak about ways affiliate managers can gain attention from affiliates; she also shared difference makers to spark affiliate growth.
Tara started with underscoring the importance of understanding what may motivate one type of affiliate, may not work for another. Whether it be a Google AdWords affiliate, a blogger or a social media influencer, each type of affiliate has different needs at different times. Techniques to find out what those needs may be and glean the needed ingredients that will boost growth include:
Questions aren’t only important when you are unsure of something or trying to figure out something new–they are a catalyst to deepening discussions. Harvard Business Review published a study noting how “asking questions unlocks learning and improves personal bonding”. An example of one powerful question to ask of affiliates is “What can I do to make our brand’s promotion better for you?”
To demonstrate value learned from asking thought provoking questions of affiliates, Tara spotlighted award-winning blogger, social media influencer and LinkConnector affiliate partner, Kim Rowley of ShoppingKim.com who shared the following as items that empower her to thrive when promoting merchant partners:
“120 x 60 banners, and images sized for social media,
True top selling products – not simply those showcased on merchant homepages,
Vanity coupon codes tracked exclusively to me,
Higher payouts attainable for bloggers and not solely available as a bonus to the top-selling affiliate,
Unique content from merchants,
And, Sharing my posts is so appreciated!”
Sometimes when you tirelessly reach out to affiliates and don’t hear back, it may be tempting to give up. Keep trying (in a non- annoying way of course); find new things to emphasize with your affiliates. For example, notice the good content they are using in promoting seasonal brands —compliment them on this and share ways in which your brand aligns with their seasonal focus. Creative yet meaningful messaging can help you get a response. Don’t give up. You’ll find that hard work eventually pays off.
Are you working with only one or two affiliate segments? Diversifying your affiliate portfolio and welcoming multiple types of affiliate disciplines (e.g., Paid Search, Content, Coupon etc.) will set your program up for greater success. You can always talk with LinkConnector to discuss benefits that any particular type of promotion can provide based upon your unique program goals.
You are more likely to get a response if you message affiliates by their name and also share your name and a way to reach you by phone or email. Adding humor to your emails and conveying an energetic tone can also result in better response rates. Be available to help your affiliates and be someone they would like to have a conversation with – your personal touch will go a long way!
Don’t spend the entire conversation talking about how great your campaign is. This is your opportunity to listen, to gain valuable insights from your affiliate partners. They will tell you what they need to best promote your campaign. Now, empowered with this knowledge, you can equip affilaites with the tools, resources, data, etc. they need to be successful with your campaign.
Don’t lose your best affiliates to lack of attention or communication. Keep them interested with new bonus structures, incentives and promotions that are fresh. Learn from others in the industry and see what works for them—it may work for you too!
Block off time on your calendar to follow up with your affiliates and set up calls to learn more about what they need to be successful with your campaign. Be consistent in your communication with your affiliates and try to accommodate their needs. In turn, they will be able to drive more traffic and sales for you.
Affiliate Summit West 2017 is all said and done, the events of which can be relived through #ASW17. Twitter, Instagram and Facebook all attest to the phenomenal networking, educational sessions, collaborative meetings, industry parties and extravagant exhibit halls that the biggest conference in our industry boasts. With Las Vegas as the backdrop and 6,000+ marketers in attendance at the Paris Hotel, the opportunities presented by this ever-growing trade show are second to none.
Looking back on 2016, many special moments with our friends, colleagues and clients stand out. Conferences, like Affiliate Summit West and East, Affiliate Management Days and Internet Summit, transcend learning and networking opportunities to be truly enjoyable experiences. These times are valuable on both professional and personal levels. Here are a few highlights of our 2016. Read More...