Some online merchants consider Performance Marketing their only strategy, while others don’t consider it at all, begging the question: Is Performance Marketing for everyone?
Well, the short answer is, of course, Yes. The longer answer, however, isn’t quite so simple. Many new merchants tend to think performance marketing is the only marketing they need, while established merchants think of it as a red-headed stepchild (my apologies to red-headed stepchildren).
Oakstone Publishing, LLC, a well-established online retailer in the medical and dental industries, has steadily improved its performance within the LinkConnector Network (LC) over the last year. What’s the secret behind Oakstone’s thriving affiliate program? We’re convinced it is a direct reflection of the constant efforts put forth by its Outsourced Program Manager (OPM) MGECOM. The loyal relationship between the two organizations is admirable, to say the least, and has not gone unnoticed by the LC staff. Merchant Representative, Aaron St. Gelais, recently sat down with MGECOM’s Lara Holloway, for a few fun facts about the successful merchant-OPM pair.
I have been part of the Affiliate Marketing industry for over 15 years—10 of which have been with LinkConnector. I consider myself a very lucky man! Every day, I get to work in an industry filled with smart, dedicated people driven by the entrepreneurial spirit.
Tax Day, April 15th in 2014, was a major revenue day for a variety of industries across the nation. Two industries that immediately come to mind are government and banking industries, as they are of the largest tax season influencers. But who else plays an influential role?
For the past few days we have seen numerous articles about the Heartbleed Security Flaw and how it has affected a large percentage of sites across the internet. This flaw essentially allowed for the retrieval of protected information from encrypted SSL endpoints.
Affiliate Management Days just wrapped in San Francisco last week. This two-day conference is a true gem for Affiliate Marketers on point to accelerate their programs with specific, proven, up-to-the-minute approaches and techniques. The food was great—the people top notch. An intimate setting of 200 or less attendees, AM Days goers network with marketing and program managers for Fortune 500 companies, marketing and technology experts, and some of the founding fathers of the Affiliate Marketing industry.
Just over a decade ago, longtime business partners and friends, Choots Humphries and Ernie St. Gelais, put their heads together and created an Affiliate Marketing Network that would focus its efforts on creating innovative industry technologies. The two sold their company, DotCom Corporation, a multi-million dollar business that had been profitable since its inception in 1999, and together they created LinkConnector.
“We all work in an industry that requires strong relationships to thrive. One challenge we face every day is building and developing lasting relationships in a fast-paced, high turnover industry.” – Choots Humphries
It’s easy to let happen–you do the initial work of uploading creatives, testing tracking and writing a description–and vavoom, you’re active! The problem is, though, that very few campaigns (if any) thrive on auto-pilot. You’ve already done the hard work of establishing your presence in the network. You might as well reap the rewards of your effort with further investment. For Self-Managed Accounts, here are a few ways you can give your campaign a quick check-up, and places can you tweak to increase your returns.
Today LinkConnector publicly announced a well-deserved promotion for one of its key team members, Tara McCommons. With over 18 years of relevant sales management experience, Tara sets the stage for LC’s rapid growth. As VP of Sales and Marketing, Tara and her team will play a pivotal role in identifying new merchant and affiliate opportunities to continually expand the LinkConnector Network, while also taking a hands-on approach to optimize existing merchant and affiliate relationships.
Thanks to you, LinkConnector is the #6 Network, and climbing!
Thanks to your loyalty and tireless support, LinkConnector has earned a position as the 6th most popular network this year, according to the 2012 AffStat Survey (www.affstat.com). We are not content in the #6 position, and believe that with our dedicated merchants and affiliates behind us, we will continue climbing to the top. We know our customers sing our praises and have helped propel us to where we are today. Thank you for your support and we will continue to work hard to earn your loyalty.
How does a merchant decide to apportion the credit for a sale? Should the commission be paid to the last affiliate who touched the customer, or to the first affiliate who initiated the sale process? Or, a mixture of the two? What if there are several affiliates involved?