Effective Affiliate Strategies

Actions and TacticsDixon Jones

Receptional’s Pedigree• We are getting old• We joined some clubs• We’ve got badges• We’ve got bigger mouths than most• We’re quite good at internet marketing

My first affiliate deal (1999)

Why did it crash?• I’ll tell you in a minute

Why one does betterUnderwear Site• 30 pages or so indexed• Obvious affiliate links

all over them• Limited “value add”

Ferry site• 110 pages indexed• Zero affiliate links• Obvious added value

Lessons• Hide the affiliate links• Add value to the user• Create unique content

•…And don’t try to sell womens underwear if you are a straight man…

… who never learnt to undo a bra strap… … without ruining the moment

A Useful Word-Press Plug-in

Redirection by John Godley: http://urbangiraffe.com/

The Number 1 Fundamental

Marketing Strategy

Unique

BE:

CleverOutspoken

Outrageous

Obscene

The Best

The worst

The Fastest

The smallest

Needed

My Life story continues…

Lessons from Family Site• Product Feed content has many links to it for

users, but is taken out of the main search friendly pages on the site – hence affiliate links are off the main pages

• Adding value by changing the paradigm. Parents want good ideas for kids. We have them buried in amongst the other stuff

• Get a merchant to subsidize the build

My Life story continues…

Lessons from Phones• You can own the user. You don’t need a

network• Being the only affiliate has upsides• You can provide phone support where

merchants often can’t or won’t – there’s the added value

• The client eventually learns that proper consultancy is way better in the long run

Tricks to keep the user• If it’s a lead gen site, use your own form to

capture the user data• If it isn’t leadgen, use widgets if you can, to

keep the user on your site for longer• If you can’t do that, use i-Frames to retain

your “brand”• Get them to register for YOUR newsletter, not

the merchant’s

Cash-back SitesEffective in recession (according to Hitwise)• Vouchers are the network way, but think

outside the box…• Doesn’t need affiliate tracking… just a

merchant deal• Get the users to come back to get their

reward from you• You own the client, not the merchant.

Getting offline to online

Lessons• Use sub-domains to track offline affiliate

material• Don’t use the main TLD, so users MUST use

the sub-domain to find the site• If you are a merchant, help the user with

brochures or ideas

Summary• Don’t lie down and accept an affiliate’s lotTry to:• OWN the relationship• OWN the merchant• OWN the websites• OWN the trackingThen you’ll find you have something worth selling

Build an Affiliate Business

Don’t Build an affiliate website…

Effective Affiliate Strategies

Actions and TacticsDixon Jones

DixonJones.com