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LinkConnector Turns 15—Reflections from its Co-Founder

As the first quarter draws to a close, LinkConnector has a significant and exciting milestone to commemorate—March 2019 marked LinkConnector’s 15-year anniversary.  In our industry, where change is constant, fifteen years is a very long time.

Reflecting back, we certainly have seen much transformation in our industry. For example, Google entering as an affiliate network and then leaving several years later.  Last click attribution, once the only solution available, is now one of the least popular forms of attribution.  Affiliate Marketing becoming Performance Marketing to try to separate from the early black hat days of our industry.  Now, some are trying to rebrand as “Partnership Marketing” and some affiliates became influencers overnight.  Due in large part to this constant evolution, entrepreneurship and innovation within our industry has changed how consumers all over the world find products, brands and services online.  How cool is that‽

One thing that hasn’t changed over the past fifteen years is how essential relationships are to our industry.  Make no mistake—networks are not simply technical tracking solutions.  Instead, they are the linchpin of creating and sustaining vital relationships.  Of course, the backbone of our industry is the relationship between the affiliate (or publisher) and the merchant (or advertiser).  Without this relationship, the performance marketing industry wouldn’t exist.  Both sides of this coin are equally important and, both sides heavily rely on each other to advance their business interests.

As a network, LinkConnector gets to personally interact with these core relationships.  We have had the pleasure of getting to know many, many of these affiliate and merchant partners over the past fifteen years and then getting to introduce them to each other where mutual ambition for new growth ignites.  As relationships are established, LinkConnector’s team members work passionately to grow and optimize each relationship not only through the use of technologies, but also with a human touch and empathetic energy creating an intimate experience not possible through automation.

Additionally, propelling this industry with so much potential, is the immense orbit around these central affiliate/merchant relationships.  Over the past fifteen years, LinkConnector has had the pleasure of collaborating with a wide variety of professionals ranging from OPMs to competitors to fellow industry advocates at the PMA—all working as hard as LinkConnector to elevate and advance our industry.

Thank you to our merchants and affiliates, both past and present for your trust and confidence. You are the reason we remain undeterred in our mission to be the catalyst for merchant brands and affiliate partners to develop trusted lasting relationships that achieve and exceed goals in ways once not thought possible.

We can’t express enough gratitude for LinkConnector’s employees (the heart and soul of our company) and our investors.  We have been extremely fortunate to have met and worked with so many talented people over the years and very much look forward to forging new relationships in the future.

The future is bright and we are excited to be a part of it.  If we haven’t had the opportunity to be a part of your affiliate marketing experience, our team would love to talk with you.  Reach us at [email protected].

As a final note, we are honored to achieve global recognition as a Performance Marketing Awards Industry Finalist (for the both the Industry Disruptor and the Publisher’s Choice of Network awards).  If you’ll be attending the Performance Marketing Awards ceremony in London on April 30th, we look forward to connecting in person.

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10 Years in the Making

Building strong, lasting relationships has always been a priority for LinkConnector. Why? Because success in performance marketing hinges on the relationships we create for our merchants and affiliates. The loyalty and dedication our 10-year merchants have committed to their LC programs has been a huge driver in the success of their campaigns over the years. We are proud to welcome the following brands into LinkConnector’s 10 Year Anniversary Club
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Are you a Major League Player?

As affiliate marketers, we are hustlers. Pivoting our strategies around industry shifts and wearing multiple hats while keeping our eye on the ball(s) has become common practice, and how we thrive. Just as in baseball, there are players in our industry that outperform others—those that are called up to the major leagues and (sometimes unknowingly) manifest themselves as mentors for others to learn from.
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Here’s to Outstanding Partners in Performance Marketing

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.
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Affiliate Marketers for President | Election Day

The earliest polls opened at 6:00 AM EST to kick off Election Day 2016. As you know, Affiliate Marketers for President, parts one and two have presented a thorough analysis of revenue resulting from affiliate marketing promotion by LinkConnector affiliates and merchants in each U.S. state (and D.C.). Leading up to week four of cumulative revenue data, neither the Affiliate party nor the Merchant party had achieved the 270 electoral votes needed to win the Affiliate Marketing Election. LC affiliates, however, have maintained a slight lead over LC merchants throughout the entirety of this race. The affiliates’ consistent campaign promotional efforts over the last four weeks have paid off, and have ultimately earned them bragging rights. Read More...

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Affiliate Marketers for President | Part 2

In the four weeks leading up to the Presidential Election, we are keeping a close eye on revenue resulting from Affiliate Marketing promotion in each state. The affiliate marketing electoral map represents online revenue attributed to LinkConnector merchants and affiliates between 10/10/16 and 10/30/16—a three-week timeframe. Total revenue numbers determine a winner in each state, and the state’s electoral votes are awarded to the appropriate party. Read More...

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Affiliate Marketers for President

Over the next two weeks, we will be keeping a close eye on the revenue generated by LinkConnector merchants and affiliates, and what may be contributing to various spikes and drop offs in their numbers. Each Tuesday between now and the 8th of November, we will refresh our affiliate marketing electoral map with cumulative revenue data in the four weeks leading up to Election Day. The current map represents online revenue generated by LinkConnector merchants and affiliates between 10/10/16 and 10/23/16. Read More...