The Adworkz Blog

Affiliate marketing for businesses

January 20, 2012 | by Andrea

Affiliate

Affiliates are essentially freelance marketers for your business. Image: Flickr / takapprs_flickr / CC-BY-SA

For any business, marketing can be a huge investment of time, energy and resources. Choosing an affiliate marketing program, especially a performance marketing program, can be a great way to get a proven return on investment.

What affiliate marketing does

Affiliate marketing is essentially an online extension of the age-old idea of a paid-on-commission salesperson. Affiliates are marketers who agree to display your advertisement or market your product/service, and you agree to pay them on the basis of a pre-determined metric. Pay-per-click, pay-per-view and pay-for-performance are all ways of determining compensation for the advertisements. As the business behind an affiliate program, you can control how, where and who runs your advertisements, but you do not have to take the time to individually manage every detail.

The basics of payment

There are three basic ways of paying affiliates for displaying your advertisements.

  • Pay-per-click advertisements pay out for the number of clicks on your advertisement; Google AdWords is one of the most popular pay-per-click affiliate programs.
  • Pay-per-view, also known as cost per mille or CPM advertisements are ads where you pay for the number of times your ad is viewed. Many individual websites that sell advertising use this metric for banner advertisements.
  • Pay-for-performance advertising allows you, the advertiser, to set the performance metric that you pay on. This could be the number of conversions, visits or total amount of the sale. Amazon’s affiliate network is a pay-for-performance network that pays a percentage of the total sale.

Using a network vs going it on your own

It is possible to go it on your own with managing an affiliate program. If you do choose to do it on your own, you will need to attract affiliates, set up management for the affiliate program and handle payments. For large companies that have can handle the time commitment, it can be a good option. For most companies, including small companies, using an affiliate network that manages most of the details for you can be the best option. Affiliate networks usually take a percentage of whatever payment system you choose, so the cost will often be lower than managing your own network.

A guaranteed ROI

For most companies, knowing the return on investment you will get from marketing can be difficult. An affiliate marketing program with pay-for-performance metrics, however, allows you to set exactly what the cost per goal will be, which means you can determine the return on investment before paying out a single dollar.

Getting started

Setting up a basic affiliate marketing campaign with a network can be very quick and simple. Make a list that includes what kind of advertising you are comfortable with affiliates using on your behalf and how you will measure conversions or success. Decide what kind of payment options you would like to use.

Adworkz provides a flexible performance marketing network for marketers and affiliates. Start here to learn more about Adworkz advertiser options.

No Comments   Posted in: Affiliate Marketing

Featured Affiliate Offer: Credit Sesame

January 19, 2012 | by Andrea


A new offer has been launched on an Adworkz affiliate network. Credit Sesame is an affiliate offer that pays out $4 per conversion, and the conversion requires no payment.

Basics of Credit Sesame

Credit Sesame is an entirely free credit report service that provides a numerical credit score to the customer. Credit Sesame does not charge for the service, instead using the credit information provided to the customer to provide offers for loans, credit cards and other financial services. Customers are able to see their scores, model what effect certain actions will have on their score and view debt analysis.

Benefits to Affiliates

For affiliates, Credit Sesame is a very appealing offer. The conversion requires no payment or credit card on the part of the customer. The cookie referral period is 30 days, meaning that any customer who ends up signing up and converting within 30 days of clicking your link counts as a conversion. At $4 per conversion and clean creative options, Credit Sesame is an affiliate offer that well-optimized marketing campaigns should be able to drive conversions on.

Allowed affiliate actions

Credit Sesame offers five methods of driving clicks and conversions: direct links to creditsesame.com, content marketing, banner advertising, Twitter and Facebook are all allowable. Incentivized programs, games and ad bids on a list of keywords associated with Credit Sesame are not allowed. Any website or blog that already focuses on financial products or offers would be especially well-suited to this new Credit Sesame offer.

Check in the “Financial” section of your Adworkz AdZone for more details on the Credit Sesame offer.

Not yet an Adworkz publisher? Sign up for the Adworkz affiliate network now.

No Comments   Posted in: Network Announcements

Building a well-placed, on-page link

January 18, 2012 | by Andrea

Chain

Links are one of the fundamental building blocks of PageRank. Image: Flickr / jamesrbowe / CC-BY-SA

Though the original Google PageRank considered all links equally, that has not been the case for years. Structuring your website in a way that acknowledges how links are read by search engines can help improve both your search engine ranking and your site’s usability.

Basics of structuring a link

Building a link with the correct structure and code is the most basic thing about using links in your website. This goes for every link, from a top navigation link to a related posts link at the bottom of the website. While it can feel tedious to fill in the title, text and href of every link, that additional information is what helps search engines index the links you create.

Link placement matters

Originally, every link you placed on a website came with the same SEO authority and power. Now, search engine robots take into account the placement of a link on a particular page. Links that are in the most prominent places on the page are given the most weight, while links in the footer or other less prominent places are given slightly less authority. This means footer links will not carry the same weight as a link in the first 200 words of your main content.

Automating placement will not help

It can be very tempting to automate the placement of links, which means they end up in the same place in your content. Doing this, however, sends a signal to search engines that the content is not as natural as it could be. Be sure to vary where your links are placed and how they are structured in an effort to help search engines index your website as human-created and less spammy.

As Google’s Matt Cutts puts it

More reading on Linkbuilding

Affiliate Marketing basics: Including affiliate links
Linkbuilding 101
Linkbuilding 201

No Comments   Posted in: Website Development

Online reviews are currency for businesses

January 17, 2012 | by Andrea

Five Star

A great review can have a huge effect on your sales numbers. Image: Flickr / tinaxduzgen / CC-BY-ND

For small businesses, online or in a physical location, reviews are the currency of the web. Reviews make word of mouth searchable and have a huge impact on the web. Getting more reviews starts with a very simple question.

The power of reviews

In March 2010, a Nielsen Company survey found that social media and customer reviews play a key role in decisions on purchases of electronics, cars, travel and concert bookings. Up to 40 percent of customers indicate they would not consider purchasing electronics or services without consulting online reviews first. Reviews are an incredibly important element of marketing your website or service online.

Asking for it

Most consumers, especially happy consumers, do not automatically think about sharing their opinion about a product or service. Unhappy customers are much more likely to share their opinion, which means that without some kind of direct action, reviews tend to skew negative. As the person responsible for a brand’s identity, it is important to ask for reviews. Talk to your customers and ask a direct question: “If you are happy with the product/service we have provided, could I ask for you to post a quick review?”

Make a review easy

One of the toughest things for many customers, even if they are willing to post a review, is figuring out how, where and what to post. If you ask in person, provide a card that tells the customer how and where to post the review, including a URL and QR code that goes directly to the review page. Online, this means sending a link to the review page. Reviews are extra work you are requesting of your customers, so make it as easy as possible. Don’t be afraid to offer some kind of small token for the review if you are having trouble getting more of them. A small coupon or reward can help encourage reviews.

Reviews are important and can increase sales, so don’t be afraid to ask for them.

No Comments   Posted in: Social Media

Top 5 things you should know about linkbait

January 13, 2012 | by Andrea

Infographic

Even the most basic infographics can function as linkbait. Image: Flickr / truliavisuals / CC-BY-SA

Getting links to your content has always been a part of a solid SEO strategy, and though the importance of those links has been reduced, they are still a factor. Getting links in is both an art and science, and the art of linkbaiting is one that all marketers and SEO types should be familiar with.

1 – Most linkbait is positive

The most often-linked or most often-mentioned articles and pieces of information are generally positive, often helpful or funny. The most re-tweeted Twitter posts include words like “how to” “check out” “social” and “great,” while the least retweeted posts include words like “tired” “bored” and “work.”

2 – People are visual

Infographics have become very popular and for good reason – people tend to be visual. Large chunks of information broken up into easy-to-understand and visually appealing blocks are natural linkbait. If you are not a designer or do not have a designer available, you can still create infographics with a wide variety of free online tools.

3 – Lists equal love

Just like infographics, lists are a way of making large chunks of information easily digestible and easy to understand. Lists are linkbait because lists provide a promise of what is to come and what kind of time investment there might be.

4 – Make it easy to share

Including social sharing buttons and social elements on any piece of content makes it easier to share and easier to link. Provide social sharing buttons and linking information right there on the page.

5 – Give it away

People love to get something for relatively little work. Provide a giveaway or some piece of very useful information that is consistently updated. Have a giveaway or provide something for nothing in order to turn an ordinary post into good old-fashioned linkbait.

Read More

SEOMoz

No Comments   Posted in: Search Engine Optimization

Large companies investing in the promise of content

January 12, 2012 | by Andrea

Ampersand

Many large brands are hiring content teams and editors, creating jobs that did not previously exist. Image: Flickr / takomabibelot / CC-BY

The rise of the web and best practices of Search Engine Optimization have led to an unexpected reality for many businesses: the need for content. Many businesses that are very good at what they do are finding that the need for content is requiring them to branch out, and new businesses are popping up to help them.

The Kapost business

Kapost is just one of a variety of companies that have begun springing up to help businesses with content. Kapost is currently a service that provides content, insights and social media integration for big businesses. The workflow features allow for content creators, content editors and brands to manage the content being created in their name. Investors have recently put at least $1.5 million additional financing into the business, along with the $1.1 million in initial financing for the business.

The importance of content

Content marketing is quickly becoming the strongest basis of search engine optimization possible, and that is being reinforced by updates to search engines and social networks. Content is king on the modern web, and becoming the recognized content authority in a particular topic area can be especially effective for small and medium businesses that do not have the kind of name recognition that brands like Fortune, Mashable and TripAdvisor are able to boast.

The affiliate implications

The strong move toward content marketing has a few big implications for affiliates and marketers. First, it means that an essential element of any marketing team is a strong writer and social media person who is able to both create and share content. Second, it means that being able to show a history of content creation makes you a much stronger candidate for any job. Third, it means that many big brands are hiring content teams and editor-in-chief positions, meaning that it could be possible to get a job in a business where writing and marketing would not have traditionally been a possibility.

Read more

AdAge

No Comments   Posted in: Search Engine Optimization

Engaging fans creates reputation but not necessarily followers

January 11, 2012 | by Andrea

Blog Comments

Comments on your blog do not nessisarily increase viewership, though more viewers often leads to more comments. Image: Hubspot

The conventional wisdom of social media is that engaging in conversation is the best way to grow followers. Recent research, however, shows that conversation is not the best way to grow your follower count, but it is the best way to build your reputation.

Treat each social network differently

Different social networks have different vibes and expectations. Twitter and Facebook have a different focus than Pinterest or Quora. Above all, keep your activities in each social network within the focus and scope of that network. Get a good feel for the look, feel and purpose of a network before you put it to use.

Conversation does not increase immediate reach

In research on the way conversions and engagement affects follower count, Dan Zarrella found that blog comments do not necessarily lead to more views or links, and Facebook comments do not lead to more impressions of a particular post. In short, engaging your fans and followers in conversations does not necessarily increase your follower count immediately. Increasing your follower count starts with following others, advertising your presence on a social network and creating content that is worthy of being shared — all of the best practices of creating amazing content and sharing it socially.

What conversation does do

Even though conversations with your fans and followers do not necessarily increase your follower count, those conversations are important. Building a social reputation online starts with talking with others and maintaining a consistent brand voice. Those conversations need to be authentic to your brand. Statistics show that the most re-tweeted Twitter accounts respond to others between 10 and 20 percent of the time. It starts with creating content that is compelling and useful and content that encourages social sharing by individuals who are outside your social circle. Conversation creates reputation, which makes it easier to get shares, and shares will increase follower count.

Read More

HubSpot Blog
DanZarrella.com

No Comments   Posted in: Social Media

Search Plus Your World further personalizes SERPs

January 10, 2012 | by Andrea

For years, Google has been personalizing search results. These modified search engine results pages (SERP) provide both an opportunity and a challenge for optimization that small businesses and affiliates will have to continue to pay attention to in order to maintain an effective web presence.

PlusYourWorld

Google's Search Plus Your World provides heavily personalized search results. Image: GoogleBlog

Basics of Search Plus Your World

Starting today, Google has introduced Search Plus Your World, a feature that integrates Google+, Picasa, and social signals into search results. With the feature turned on, Google SERP will display heavily personalized content in response to searches, including simple, basic searches. For example, a search for “affiliate marketing” in a non-personalized search may return a page of the top-ranked results in affiliate marketing. With the new personalized search turned on, the page would contain articles that people in your social circles have authored or shared, Picasa graphics tagged with that keyword, and pages that the Google Algorithm, based on your circles and sites you have visited in the past, thinks could be helpful. A search for a name will now return results from Google+ first and some topic searches, such as “music,” will display results of individuals connected with that keyword who are on Google+ – like Britney Spears and Alicia Keys.

Comparing Search Plus Your World to Bing

These new, modified search engine results on Google will, in many ways, follow the lead of Bing, which has long had a search partnership with Facebook. Currently, searches on Bing return heavily personalized pages on the basis of your Facebook account, friends, shares, and information. The biggest difference between these two search engines and their integration may come down to two factors: how you use their proprietary partnered social network and the algorithm that decides what and who will be most helpful or most important to you.

What this means for marketing

As always, a change in search engines means a change in how that search engine affects affiliates and small businesses. The good news is, however, that the Search Plus Your World change does not have a huge effect on how businesses and affiliates should go about connecting with and engaging their friends, associates, customers and potential customers. A strong content strategy that focuses on useful, well-written content will always be the basis of a strong web presence. Connecting carefully on social networks, sharing like the real human being you are and having engaging conversations will help you rise to the top of search results. Deeper SEO activities based on Search Plus Your World should be based mainly on purposefully creating and maintaining strong networks of individuals and ensuring that the content you create, no matter where it is on the web, is connected to either you or your business in a way that it can be read and indexed by search engines.

Read More

GoogleBlog

No Comments   Posted in: Search Engine Optimization Social Media

Determining advertising ROI

January 9, 2012 | by Andrea

Advertising can be a lucrative industry for publishers, when managed carefully. For Google, advertising alone has accounted for more than 95 percent of the $33.3 billion in income. For affiliates, advertising your own website can be expensive but provide a great return on investment if your conversion strategy is ready for it.

The most expensive advertisements

According to WordStream, the top 20 most expensive advertisements on Google’s AdWords system range from $54 per click to $27.80 per click.

Expensive Adwords

Determining return on investment

The return on investment for advertising has to be determined from two different directions. If you are the publisher who is putting advertising on your website, you need to determine whether income you will be getting from the ads is enough to offset the cost of maintaining your website. For advertisers, the math is a bit different. The amount of money you put in to an advertisement needs to show a return. If you do not have historical data, make an educated guess on return based on the number of visitors to your website and what the average value of a conversion from those visitors will be.

What this means for affiliates

For affiliates, this research means one very important thing: advertising in the most expensive categories can be an costly commitment. Aiming for the longtail of these categories can help reduce the cost of the clickthroughs. Longtail keywords will get significantly less traffic, but that traffic will be more targeted and much less expensive.

If you do intend on trying to rank highly in the most competitive non-longtail categories, make sure your conversion landing pages are well-designed and ready to provide the clickthroughs that will pay back the amount you spend on the advertising. The cost of your advertising will go down if you have landing pages that are well-optimized for both customers and search engines.

No Comments   Posted in: Affiliate Marketing

A good Facebook presence is in the details

January 6, 2012 | by Andrea

Facebook

Facebook fan pages get more and better interactions with fans if you pay close attention to details. Image: Flickr / owenbrown / CC-BY

For businesses, maintaining an active and interactive Facebook presence can be incredibly beneficial. The small details of posts, however, are what create an active and interactive fan base.

Facebook mirrors other social networks

Social networking is a mirror of actual in-person social networks. Personal social networks are based on how we feel around one another, what kind of people we like being around and who we enjoy talking to. Research has shown that individuals who post more positive things, more interactive things and longer updates all tend to have more friends and followers. The six most common features of businesses and individuals with more friends are:

  • Longer, more detailed updates
  • Aware of and refer to pop culture naturally
  • Use more second-person pronouns such as “you”
  • Use present tense verbs, but do not often refer to time
  • Tend to be less emotional in updates
  • Talk less about families and more about activities

Keeping your Facebook fans engaged

The secret to keeping your Facebook fans engaged is a matter of keeping things interesting. Social media is about two-way communication, and keeping that line of communication open with your fans will help keep them engaged. Ask questions. Post relevant, interesting information. Be positive, but don’t be afraid of talking about challenges. In short, keep fans engaged by actually being engaged and valuing that interaction.

Be authentic

While positivity and engagement are important as a business or fan page on Facebook, being disingenuous is just as frustrating to your fans. Every person, every business and group experiences challenges or difficulties. Do not ignore problems, and do not be afraid to address them on your Facebook page. This doesn’t mean you should create problems merely to talk about them, but if a problem does crop up, spin it in a positive way and go from there. Server go down during a big sale? Let your fans know that is the case, then let them know that means the sale will go on for an extra day. Have a difficult discussion on your blog comments? Post it to your Facebook page and ask for fan input. In short, be a good friend and an authentic person, even when writing as a business.

No Comments   Posted in: Social Media

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