Tag: affiliate

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Ryan Eagle: Making Publishers Rich & Lovin’ It.

If you don’t know who Ryan Eagle is, you haven’t been paying attention. He advertises in almost every affiliate publication, website, portal, blog you name it with flashy ads that match his well known flashy personality. His CPA Network, EWA was named one of the top 10 CPA networks by affiliates.  His content Unlocking Network, BLAM ads has come out of nowhere and has become a major player in the space. As part of our ongoing look at the Content Unlocking space, we’ve decided to sit down with him and ask him the hard questions about his business, his personality and what drives him to make buttloads of money. He’s found a place in the industry, and whether you like him or not, he’s here to stay.

How long have you been involved with the industry? Can you give us a brief background on yourself?
For as long as I can remember I’ve been a computer geek, making my first gaming community in 2002. I began generating enough revenue to cover the server costs so at the time it was simply a hobby which expanded into learning SEO to gain more visitors to my community. In little time I realized the full potential of this and developed several other properties until I hit massive success in 2004 during the “easy days” of making money. I became an affiliate in 2005 and hit massive success throughout the years via media buying, social and contextual marketing. After saving capital throughout the years of success, I launched EWA Network in February 2009 and that entity of Eagle Web Assets has grown drastically since it’s inception. After researching market trends, I decided to submerge myself into content locking in Mid-2010 by launching BLAM Ads.

Love me or hate me, I’m here to make publishers rich. You can check the credentials, I’m a man of my word and I work harder than anyone I know – that’s how I’ve reached the success that I have now.

I’m the absolute best at what I do, and that’s why I’m a cocky asshole – but do not mistake that for ingratitude. I’ve been blessed with everything that I have in my life and I never take it for granted.


What can you tell us about your content unlocking business, BLAM ADS?
BLAM Ads was launched in Mid-2010 and his grown immensely since it’s inception, working actively with thousands of affiliates and webmasters. We came into an industry and applied the same values that all my other companies pride themselves on. BLAM Ads is here to outdo what has not been done, and makes webmasters more money than any other content locking network. We’ve learned a lot, made our mistakes, and I’m confident when I’m saying this: we’re unleashing some of the most advanced and innovative technology to our publishers in the next quarter that will revolutionize the industry, as we’ve done before. We make it look easy, but it’s the sleepless nights that have gotten us to where we are at now.


There have been accusations against content unlocking companies that the model is that they bounce from network to network running unauthorized offers. What are you guys doing to prevent this or to ensure the end advertiser is interested in being on your site?
In all honestly, one company gives the rest of the industry a bad name, and I need not name them because they’ve already gotten their fate set. I can confidently say that both BLAM Ads and one competitor you interviewed earlier are the two companies that actually care about merchant quality. Circumventing merchants not only is deceptive and unethical, it’s short-term and is simply a means to an end. We go to lengths to insure the success of our merchants, abide by their rules and regulations, and operate an ethical business model. If our merchants are not successful, we are not successful as a company.

We have never knowingly done this to merchant, and have always handled every compliance issue with seriousness – we are in it for the long-term and we cannot reach our larger goals by damaging relationships with merchants.


Why do you think that your company is better than your competitors?
More offers, higher payouts, faster pay-terms, stronger support, a sense of community, and superior technology – and that’s being modest. BLAM Ads has the strongest solution for content lockers, and in the coming weeks we will be unveiling a new version of our tracking technology entirely with literally hundreds of new functions that make it easier for all levels of webmasters to make more money. If we do not build, we are getting destroyed.


What do you think is the biggest challenge in the incentive based marketing industry in general? What changes would you like to see?
The biggest challenge is overcoming the old “standard” of incentive quality from years before that merchants are still scared of. When we first started EWA, the incentive industry was booming from primarily GPT websites (hard-incent). The entire industry imploded because “hard-incent” simply does not make merchants money (for the most part). Over the past couple years soft-incent and content locking emerged and because it does not offer any tangible product, the consumer is more inclined to actually follow through and generate profit for the merchant. At Eagle Web Assets, we fully understand the metrics required for our advertisers to profit – and our most successful campaigns are deals that we’ve worked hand-in-hand with the advertiser to make it profit. In fact, in several cases we’ve gotten merchants to experiment with our content locking traffic and generated them far more money than display traffic!


If I was going to ask your publishers & affiliates why they work with you over another company, what would they say?
BLAM Ads makes them more money than the competitors. Period. I’m confident that we have the most dedicated staff, most comprehensive training, and several other benefits as discussed above that are all reasons why publishers switch their traffic to BLAM Ads. I’ve made it a point to research the market and outdo every aspect that every network could offer, and I’m not happy until I outdo myself. I don’t even think that’s possible, so I have a long road ahead.



What do you think about content unlocking for mobile content?
We were the first network to release this and it’s seen a fair amount of interest and traction using it. We’ve developed an entire propriety company to focus on growing our internal distribution which will coincide directly with the release of our new technology.


Do you think brands could benefit from content unlocking? If you could pitch Bose Radio to work with your company, what would you tell them?
Brands are profiting from incentive advertising, just look at the Zynga and their offer walls. The model is simple, BLAM Ads can deliver sales to both small and large brands products. We’ve developed technology that will allow us to work with larger brands which have already been signed on board with our company. BLAM Ads is successfully delivering millions of clicks a day and brands will profit through our service with hands-on support from our company.


You’ve made a great personal brand for yourself that has matured with time. What have you learned in the last few years, and what mistakes have you learned from?
More publicity, more infamy, more money, more problems. I’ve obtained the respect from the right people and generated a lot of haters on the way up to the top; I love them both equally. What’s important is the way I conduct business, and publishers of mine know that I’m entirely serious through direct interaction with me and my companies.


What would be the perfect offer for BlamAds?
Well, I guess one that would have a 100% conversion rate would be a perfect deal – wouldn’t it?


What does the Blam Ads team do on a daily basis that makes the job enjoyable?
Honestly, interacting with our publishers is what keeps us going. BLAM Ads has the most dedicated staff in the industry, the sales team is often up during the zombie hours of the night right along my side. I love waking up every single day and learning through my mistakes, innovating, and outdoing what has not been done. We love our publishers and seeing their success is what keeps us going.

What is your dream car?
I have all my dream cars already, I’m working towards the European Gas Mileage Jet now.

You can Review Blam Ads Here

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Are ISPs Stealing Your Affiliate Commissions?

According to lawsuit filed today by law firm Reese Richman LLP, there is evidence that several ISPs have been engaging in questionable and possibly illegal behavior (according to them) by hijacking search queries.  Using a technology by Paxfire, supposedly DNS redirects from searches on Bing, Yahoo and Google would lead consumers directly to the page of certain brand and credit the ISP’s affiliate account with any possible commissions. [pullquote]Using a technology by Paxfire, supposedly DNS redirects from searches on Bing, Yahoo and Google would lead consumers directly to the page of certain brand and credit the ISP’s affiliate account with any possible commissions.[/pullquote]

According to research done by two researchers at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkely, California, all together some 10 (or more) ISPs were involved with using this technology to hijack customer’s searches and mainly send to Commission Junction accounts for Dell, Bloomingdales and Safeway. If these claims are true, this would also have overwritten valid cookies from other affiliates using this method.

The Paxfire technology was originally made to create search pages for ISPs users for DNS and non-domain errors, but nothing on their website talks about using it to hijack commissions. One thing that should be noted is that the researchers claim that the “believe” Paxfire was involved in doing this, but do not as of this moment have specific proof that Paxfire is behind this scheme or that the ISPs actually were benefiting from this. The lawsuit naming them will obviously help find out if they are involved.

UPDATE: According to Commission Junction they have banned PAXFIRE from their system effective IMMEDIATELY

List of ISPs that are reported to be involved:

Cavalier
Cincinnati Bell
Cogent
Frontier
Hughes
IBBS
Insight Broadband
Megapath
Paetec
RCN
Wide Open West
XO Communication

What are your thoughts on this?

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Byron Kho Unlocks Money Making

Byron Kho is the CEO of IDz Media, formerly InstantDollarz, an affiliate network and advertising solutions provider.  After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, Byron helped build and develop IDz Media from loyalty website specialization to an affiliate network handling tens of thousands of clients.  IDz Media continues to do all development in-house, including its affiliate network software, the now ubiquitous Content Unlocker software it debuted in 2008, and exciting new products scheduled for release in late 2011.

1) Byron, tell us briefly about yourself and how you got started in this industry. Before moving into this industry, I was conducting biomedical research into neurodegenerative diseases at Penn.  While fascinating, the bureaucracy and politicization of science was very frustrating and prompted me to look at opportunities elsewhere.  Initially as a side project, my business partner and I started developing websites back in 2004 and 2005 to varying degrees of success.  We ran all kinds of content sites, including a very popular MCAT preparation site, several ringtone sites, credit card comparison sites and other such ventures.  Our first financially successful hit was a shopping cash back program that very rapidly grew in sales and volume to grab a place right behind Inbox Dollars and FatWallet for a time.  We started out as affiliates working with content we enjoyed creating and sharing, but we picked up a lot of experience on the way and realized that we could do a lot more with our talents.  We then switched business models to helping others monetize their own content and generating value for advertisers.  Currently, we operate as an affiliate network and as an advertising solutions provider for all types of clients.

2) Do you think being an Asian in this industry has hindered or helped you achieve the level of success you currently have or anticipated?I would throw age into the mix as well.  As a very young entrepreneur trying to pitch my wares to networks and advertisers way back in the day, age and race were definitely considerations I had to think about.  I assumed that everyone would take young people less seriously, and knowing some of the stigmas against Asian marketers, I felt that I also had a duty to ensure I presented myself as a serious, educated businessperson with some solid ethics.  This rather obligated me to set aside some time to review what I wanted for myself and for the company, how I thought I could get there, and then putting all of that to paper as our future plans.  In reality, I found the industry to be extremely diverse and accepting – which was exceptionally rewarding and helped let me know this was a business I wanted to be in.  Looking back, I realized that the time I spent planning was the best possible thing I could have been doing to get started properly, and get ahead.

3) What are the top 3 factors that you feel contribute to your success? First is definitely technology.  I’m the front-end designer and my partner is the back-end programmer, and together, we’ve built a whole slew of advanced products that have helped establish our little niche in this industry.  A case in point: a few years ago, we sat together in a little room for ONE WEEK and cranked out the software for our affiliate network.  Today, our affiliate network software handles tens of thousands of clients; hundreds of advertisers; tracking and adserving for millions of impressions, clicks and leads every month; robust IP filtering and fraud detection/prevention measures; and rigorous accounting and quality control management modules.  With only minor modifications and periodic upgrades to newer versions of PHP, SQL and other necessary items, our programming has stood the test of time – no major failures or technical loopholes (fingers crossed, of course).  Back in 2008, the release of our Content Unlocker software got a whole new channel of online marketing started and a whole bunch of our competitors busy replicating.  At the moment, we’re even working on a new technology that will hopefully break open a channel of its own.

Second, planning.  I find it a great idea to keep up to date on all sorts of news, from tech updates to entertainment tidbits.  Everything is of use to an affiliate marketer, and can help you figure out the Next Big Thing.  We sit down and figure out what’s working in the industry and what people want, and from there we plan what products and services we need to be offering to keep up with the times.  Same with managing content – you need short-term and long-term analyses of what will be hot, and you create and release content and marketing plans accordingly.

Third, being prudent with risk.  After being around this long, we’ve seen dozens and dozens of companies rise and fall, many of them catapulting their way to short-term fortune with poorly prepared forays into new channels and abusive marketing methods that provoke consumers, advertisers and the government to react – and react hard.  When releasing our Content Unlocker technology, we chose to ease into the markets and grow conservatively, constantly monitoring advertiser response to these new business methods and practices.  We take the time to properly introduce and acclimate our current and future clients to our new products and services, leading to more steady growth, manageable cash flow and an overall positive experience.  Six years after our founding, it’s this approach that has ensured that the issues and scandals plaguing our industry have not touched us in any significant way, and which sees us still around when many of our more wild competitors have disappeared or have garnered terrible reputations and frequent lawsuits.  Much of our aversion to risk is because it will eventually lower the value of the business: largely unethical behavior will generally make up a significant portion of that risk, and it is that kind of behavior that advertisers and the government will eventually target for punishment and over-regulation.

4) How important is it to you to communicate with your partners? Is there a particular message you are wanting to convey? Lines of communication should always be open.  To build strong healthy relationships between partners, both sides need to be convinced of what the ultimate goals are, and whether or not the other side is stable, honest and trustworthy.  The more they know about what we do, why we do what we do, who we are and the problems we face, the more likely they will be there for us when we need it – and it’s a two-way street.

5) Talk to us specifically about your experience and frustrations in dealing with people in the industry. Personally, I love learning, so hearing about or debating new advances in technology and how they can propel the industry forward is a supremely attractive proposition.  My frustration comes around when dealing with companies that are less interested in ideas and very narrowly focused on numbers, or on things that are comfortable.  We see it often: companies go stagnant, doing the same old thing year after year, and don’t adapt with the market and with new discoveries until it’s rather too late.  We’re often in the front of the room pitching new business models and technologies to clients and having to persuade them that new ways aren’t bad, that they shouldn’t play defensive and always be retreating on their marketing, and that figuring out what the “next big thing” is doesn’t include doing the same thing you’ve done for the last 5 years.  We’re a technology company, so for us it’s easy for us to have an idea in the back of our mind one day, and a working advertising platform to play around with the next; creativity is our lifeblood, and so we’re always trying to preach the religion of change.

6) What do you think is the impact of the “new” media on today’s generation? Are they leveraging it effectively and more importantly – are they leveraging it for the betterment of our industry? A lot of the time, today’s generation is creating the new media and leaving others to leverage it!  The business news section is filled with an incredible amount of innovation shown by tons of young technology and marketing firms and their subsequent acquisitions by industry behemoths, and the fact that this growth and creativity hasn’t let up and continues to attract advertiser dollars is a testament to its positive effect on the industry.  These newcomers create new technologies, leverage other technologies to create new products and services, and then incidentally create huge public demands for all these new things.  It all adds up to more methods of reaching consumers, some in more meaningful ways than the “old media” that came before it.  Even when there are speed bumps, there have always been community-minded companies and professional organizations that step up and help develop industry guidelines, best practices and even lobby for changing the legal and regulatory atmosphere to better serve society and business together.

7) Being a minority myself, there are constant stereotypes that I have to overcome, have you ever experienced this? Yes and no.  I try to combat those stereotypes before I ever have to face them, so it’s mostly preparation and a little bit of luck that has limited my exposure to any negative stereotyping.  With the reputation that certain rings of Asian “marketers” have, I have always prepared well ahead of time to defend my ethics, traffic quality and goals and beliefs in a coherent fashion.  That job gets easier and easier as time goes on, as the reputation I’ve built for my company can now speak for me.

8) What are some effective tools and products that help you keep your life organized? We use a lot of internally designed software to manage our marketing campaigns, financial accounting, quality control, etc.  We designed them to streamline, centralize and automate as many of our tasks as possible, so it ended up being more efficient, decreasing the amount of repetitive daily tasks and leaving us time for R&D, and saving us a ton of money that would have otherwise been spent on hiring out some third-party applications.  For my own life, I go simple.  The calendar on my phone keeps my schedule intact, OneNote holds my “Giant List of Stuff to Do and Look Into”, and Google Docs was the easiest way to coordinate development projects and issue tasks to my team.

9) If you had a money tree in your back yard and could purchase anything for your business tomorrow, what would it be? A few motivated and dedicated programmers are worth their weight in gold.  That’s what I’d get – you can never have too many programmers.

10) Any words of wisdom for my readers looking to get into this space? As a technology house, we are a fan of marketers who really know the mechanics of their tools.  Put your time and effort into figuring out the products and services you use.  You should always have an edge, and being intuitive and improving efficiency can always make you money – whether you’re creating your own products and software, or trying to streamline campaigns for clients, or just fiddling with landing pages and driving leads.  Knowing your stuff is always good for the sales pitch!

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PeerFly has few Peers.

Recently PeerFly was awarded the #2 Network in our Annual Survey of Networks. Their CEO Chad French was pretty damn happy about that, considering he only opened the doors in 2008. We decided that it was about time we sat down with him again and see what he is doing with himself, and what we can expect from his network.

We spoke to you a few months ago; you seemed really excited about the future. How does it feel that half a year later your network has blown up and you’re one of the top CPA networks in the world? It’s been an awesome experience.  When I started building the platform for PeerFly in 2008, I had no idea we’d be one of the top networks in less than 3 years time. I attribute our phenomenal growth to my team and the long hours we put in every day to make sure we’re the best we can be.  We’re never content with where we are at any given moment so we continue to push ourselves to the next level. If there isn’t a next level, we create one. We’ve done so much in 3 years… watch what we do within the next 3!

What do you think that you are offering that other CPA Networks can’t provide? I believe the advantages we have over other CPA networks are two things: creativity, and in-house development. We have a list a mile long of ideas that we want to implement into PeerFly and future assets that are not found elsewhere. We are extremely inventive and think outside of the boxes box! Myself, and two others on my team, have web-based programming backgrounds with varying levels of skill. So, when we come together and conjure up something super creative, we’re able to easily implement those ideas within our system. We’ve never relied on a 3rd party to provide value to our affiliates/clients.

Other things we provide that others don’t are several payment schedules based on revenue, several payment methods, daily payments (over a year now), over 1,300 offers in many different verticals, live chat support, a rewards program, and a lifetime 5% referral program.

As you know, fraud is a serious issue. What is PeerFly doing to combat fraud? What types of fraud are you seeing personally? We have been described as one of the most strict and rigorous in terms of fraud and compliance. To begin, our compliance department is composed of two different segments: approvals and traffic. Among other things, all applicants have to verify their phone number using our pin verification system as well as upload a government issued photo ID. If verification passes, they still have to pass another additional 20+ internal points of assessment.  If an applicant is approved and becomes an affiliate, our dedicated traffic manager audits their traffic closely and works proactively with our clients to ensure quality is where it needs to be.

We don’t really see “fraud” like we used to when we first started. Rather, we see non-compliant traffic. IE; traffic that may be legitimate but is not an accepted method or type as described on the offer page. Some affiliates just don’t know how to follow directions. However, most of the time we’re able to catch it before it becomes an issue and steer that publisher in the right direction.

We’ve talked about those networks that don’t pay their bills. What is your philosophy about this? Paying our affiliates on time is something else that sets us apart as well. It shouldn’t even be an advantage because that’s CPA network predicate 101! But, unfortunately for this industry, it is. For the first two years we were in business, we had an extremely low overhead that allowed us to save, save, save. It wasn’t until the beginning of this year that we actually got an office. Even with the office, only a couple of us work there – one being part time. We have had no investors and we’ve bootstrapped everything. Our savings has allowed us to continue to pay everyone on time even when our clients are several weeks or months late on their payment. We’ve been fortunate enough to float money without issues and I attribute that to our non-flashy, low budget, saving mentality style.

For networks that have trouble keeping up with payments and are starting to build a reputation of bad payment issues, you need to step back and reassess what you are doing in this business. The #1 priority we’ve had since day one is paying people what they earned, on time. We will make sure our affiliates are paid on time before our own pockets are paid on time. With the power of the Internet, it’s super easy for a handful of affiliates to take your business down because of your bad financial decisions. I’ve seen it time and time again. Always make sure your output is never more than your input or else you will see failure.

What do you think the biggest mistakes most affiliates are making right now? Giving up. Unfortunately, a lot of people equate this industry with a “get-rich-quick” scheme. They get into it looking to make an easy dollar and then give up when they discover it’s a lot harder than they perceived. I believe there is nothing “hard” about this business. You just have to know what you are doing so you can formulate a strategy. The only thing that separates new affiliates from super affiliates is information. That’s it. You don’t need to have any money, special talent, skills, or degrees. We have affiliates who make $20k a day and it’s not because of their good looks! They understand how to take an offer, formulate an action plan and know whom to target.

Are you offering training for affiliates? Why or why not? What specifically? We’re currently developing a whole new interface and website layout. With the launch of the new design we will also be introducing a “Training & Resource Center” which will focus on providing the information our affiliates need to succeed.  We want to start doing live Q&A sessions, video walkthroughs, a dynamic FAQ system, message board and more. We don’t think our affiliates should be paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars on coaching programs when we can provide all of it plus more for free.

Where do you think affiliates need to go to learn how to be super-affiliates? I believe our upcoming resource center will prove to be a valuable asset and will be able to take our affiliates from “newbie” to “super” in a short time. Other places to frequent for free guidance in this business are forums like: WarriorForum (http://warriorforum.com), DigitalPoint (http://forums.digitalpoint.com) and reading all the latest industry related blog posts at AffDaily (http://affdaily.com) where lots of industry bloggers provide valuable insights and information.

Do you recommend that affiliates try many networks, or stick with a few proven networks? Why or why not? Stick with the proven networks. There should be no need for you to go out looking for or working with new networks that don’t have any history. If anything, let them prove themselves first. If they seem attractive because of payout claims on a certain offer or the types of offers they have, simply ask the current proven network you’re with if they can get those offers or match those payouts. Nine times out of 10, not only will they be able to get that offer but also beat the payout on it as well. The proven networks have a lot more clout and can negotiate better payouts with advertisers. Not to mention – if you work with an unproven or unheard of network, they are more than likely brokering the offer from a bigger, proven network anyway.

What is your opinion of all the FTC lawsuits? How are you guys protecting yourselves from legal actions by the government, and what do you recommend for affiliates? Our industry obviously needs regulation. I want to help build an industry of value, integrity, and sustainability. Not scams, lies, and falsehoods. Advertising powers the Internet so we really have a bright future ahead of us just as long as we can stay accepted and compliant! I applaud the efforts of groups like the Performance Marketing Association, the Executive Council of Performance Marketing and even the Federal Trade Commission for creating standards and keeping both sides straight.

As for us, we work with our attorney to ensure our practices stay within FTC guidelines. We have absolutely no intentions of going outside the realm of veracity and standards this industry relies upon to grow.

Check out Peerfly here

 

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Sam Sim Isn’t a Guppy Anymore

Of all the recent posts I have done – I am frankly not sure where to start with this one 🙂 . From his nipple turning antics to constantly picking on his employees or eating more and working less at his office. I am honestly not sure how they get anything done business-wise with all this but he seems to be doing something right. In a recent trip to Seattle, Sam was gracious enough to pick up myself, my wife and my brother to show us his office and introduce us to his team and show us the inner workings of the aquarium aka offices of Guppy Media.

Sam was born and raised in Honolulu and LA and resides in Seattle, WA.  Currently marred to Christine, has a daughter Jessica and son Justin.  On his spare time, he plays on a club soccer team, practice kendo, plays guitar, Xbox live (at night) and heavily involved a volunteer board member at my church.  Also, active with volunteering for world missions at his local church and of course spending time with family.  His favorite sports teams include UW Huskies, Seattle Sounders FC, Seattle Seahawks, LA Dodgers, Boston and Vancouver Canucks.   Graduated from University of Washington in 1995.  Favorite foods are:  Pho, Bibimbap, Sushi and Red Mango and Bubble Tea.

Sam, tell us briefly about yourself and how you got started in this industry.
My career in affiliate marketing got started when I changed my career as a stockbroker for Smith Barney and started business development with Zango / 180Solutions (current day Pinball Network).  I knew I wanted to be on more on the ‘tech” side of the industry, as I saw that many of my clients were making much more money than I was J And particularly in the late early 2000’s with the initial dot com bust, it was a perfect transition for me, with no prior experience in tech, to start in a biz dev role at Zango, driving installs and distribution.  I had always been a top performer and receiving sales and production awards as a stockbroker and fortunately, this naturally carried me over to the interactive ad world.  My spheres of influence, contacts and relationships started in the interactive advertising and affiliate marketing world from here on out.  I owe Zango quite a bit in terms of my initial training and fundamental understandings of interactive media buying.

Do you think being an Asian in this industry has hindered or helped you achieve the level of success you currently have or anticipated?
Honestly, I feel that actually one of the positive characteristics of our industry is that is so diverse and progressive to begin with.  I believe that these two characteristics actually define our industry as a whole, as well as many other adjectives which come to mind such as “hip”, “glamorous”, “trendy”,”youthful”, “energetic”, etc.  I do feel that it is actually because of this culture of diversity, that I feel, personally, I was able to actually flourish more, in the sense of reaching my true potential from a career perspective.  So, to answer this question, I would have to say that given the environment and the surroundings which I live and breathe everyday within our industry, I would actually have to say the celebration of diversity has actually help to foster and proliferate my career.  This is actually one of the key traits about our industry (affiliate, performance marketing) which I actually admire most – cherish and encourage your diversities, uniqueness, and creativity.

What are the top 3 factors that you feel contribute to your success?
1. First and foremost is to always keep your “creativity” cap on.  In my honest opinion, creativity and novel and unique ways of marketing will allow our industry to thrive and flourish.   Innovation is the key to not only survival of a company but also ongoing success as well

2. We are in a service and relationship industry – we should never lose sight of this.  With our industry, being as competitive as it is, the only real way to stand apart from the crowd is to always place an emphasis on best possible client service, to the absolute best of your ability.  Much like the golden rule states, treat others as you would like to be treated.  This hold so true in our service and relationship oriented industry.

3. This is also somewhat related to point #1, but just like Jack in the Box say’s, we must think “outside the bun”.  Our industry, at times I believe, just tends to stick to standardized norms and processes at times and if everyone then begins to follow the same process, this could then lead to what I call “idea saturation”.  We must encourage ourselves to go against this grain and think of and develop new and innovative ways of conducting business, from an operational, marketing and relational perspective.

How important is it to you to communicate with your readers? Is there a particular message you are wanting to convey?
If there is one word of encouragement that I could communicate to my fellow peers and industry colleagues, can all be summed up in one word – “value”.  I encourage everyone, particularly as a daily reminder to myself, to always provide value in all that you do.  Value in the sense that we must give our clients a reason to work with us.

Talk to us specifically about your experience and frustrations in dealing with people in the industry.
It’s really a pet peeve when I go out of my way to do favors for fellow industry colleagues and I often stick my neck out on the line for them.  In many cases, they in turn do not return the favor; much less appreciate what I have done for them.   I do feel at times that albeit we are in an “online” world, we should always remind ourselves that we are all human beings ultimately behind the keyboard and we should all treat each other with mutual respect and courtesy, as is the natural laws of humankind and the universe.  I do believe that we shy away from the tendency to think that we are not email aliases and Skype ID’s behind our PC’s…and that if we were doing business face to face, would things be done differently?

You are well known in the industry, who has been your motivation or inspiration, in other words, who is your driving force?
First of all, I give all the credit and all blessings to God in Heaven.  Through Him all blessings flow.  Secondly, my family is my number one motivational force.  Finally, in terms of inspiration, I actually believe and admire myself.  It may sound pompous, but when I look back at my previous trials and failures and how I was able to maintain a positive attitude and continue to survive and succeed each time; it is a constant reminder and inspiration to me.

What do you think is the impact of the “new” media on today’s generation? Are they leveraging it effectively and more importantly – are they leveraging it for the betterment of our industry?
New media is the reason we are progressing as a society and is one of the few economic sectors still experiencing rapid growth and progress from the financials markets sense.   It is because of this innovation, that new jobs are created daily and I truly believe will continue to be the driving force behind the salvation and comeback of our current domestic economic situation.  Reciprocally, I would hope that with the onset and growth of “new media” that this does not preclude us from continuing to be in touch with our human side as well as the value of real interpersonal relationships and the human touch.
Being a minority myself, there are constant stereotypes that I have to overcome, have you ever experienced this?
Growing up in the south (brief time in elementary) I did experience this, but primarily living on the west coast for the good majority of my life, I have not really experienced it.

What are some effective tools and products that help you keep your life organized?
Google Docs is the only tool you need!!  I also highly recommend Basecamp for CRM as well Assembla for ticket and task management.

If you had a money tree in your back yard and could purchase anything for your business tomorrow, what would it be?
Definitely.  I always wanted to have my own 59’ lifesize “Gundam” robot – http://sneakermaniac.com/59-foot-tall-gundam-to-be-displayed-in-tokyo-park/

Any words of wisdom for my readers looking to get into this space?
Be real and genuine.  Remember you are dealing with humans and not AIM ID’s.  Always remember the golden rule and the basic laws of the Universe and you’ll be fine.  Lastly, always believe in your “inner superstar” – you just need to find the right outlet to release it and let it shine.

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Ricky Ahuja is the CEO of Affiliate Venture Group

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Three Types of Offers that Always Work

Despite the growing popularity of Internet TV, both DishNetwork and DirectTV are a growing business.  A lot of it has to do with the huge population of sports fans that know that they can get the best quality games via these methods, but a lot more probably has to do with the aggressive affiliate programs that the resellers use. If there is one program that year after year is a constant, it is the affiliate programs for DishNetwork and DirectTV. This search will show you DishNetwork Affiliate Programs at OfferVault. I’ve also heard a rumor that HybridAds has a private email submit for DishNetwork that is killing it.

With the Price of Gold Going up, Gold Kits and Gold Seller Offers are probably still one of the hottest offers for mailers, but also for all types of people. These offers are partially doing well because of the economy and the price of Gold, but also because of the enormous advertising push being done on FoxNews and late night TV. With people like Glen Beck pushing gold companies and talking about it, tons of people know about these programs. Thus, when they are given the opportunity to redeem their gold for money via a mailing, they are more interested. Try Envyus Media and their CashForGold offer.

I have talked about how to make money on Dating Affiliate Programs many times.   Dating Affiliate Programs will always be hot, because for whatever reason people are always searching for new loves. I read in a study that as more and more people get on dating sites, more and more people try OTHER dating sites – because it’s almost like an addiction. People love the attention of an unknown suitor or admirer.. who might be stalker, but still its fun.  If you haven’t tried already, try NICHE dating.  For example, Hispanic Dating can be huge, partially because its less competitive  but also because there are a lot of keywords that cost a lot less money than the rest. For example, Online Dating goes for as much as $4.00 per click, while Domincan Women goes for $.43 per click on Google. Let’s also be honest, nothing really sells like the photos of Sexy Dominican Women too, there is are just a plethora of great photos out there for your ads!

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Affiliates Need Face Time

ADOTAS – Even though it’s early February, you might still be recuperating from Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas. If you weren’t there – big mistake!! The affiliate community was out in force (more than 4,600 delegates), taking part in the mayhem that Vegas has now become renowned for – endless seminars, impromptu networking, crazy parties and casino games beyond your wildest dreams. Safe to say, you need a vacation after the show to fully recharge your batteries before you can get back to business, but it’s so worth it.

For affiliates who work independently or with a small team, a conference is paramount to maintaining their sanity and reigniting their zest for the career they have chosen. You could feel the buzz in the air during the entire show, and one can only sympathize with the other Wynn guests who weren’t part of ASW; there was a perpetual sea of bodies in every bar, restaurant, meeting area or hallway with those tell-tale Summit badges.

A quick scan of a badge and you’re instantly chatting with a super affiliate, a blogger, your affiliate manager, etc. Everyone is really approachable and down-to-earth, no superstars here.

For those of you spending your days pouring over performance metrics, having face time with your account manager is really important to be able to get a network-wide perspective of trends or opportunities you may see. Yes, much of this can be done by e-mail or IM, but we all know that sitting down with someone in front of data is a whole different experience than the sound-bites you might pick up when multi-tasking.

A Reciprocal Arrangement

Ad networks require truly effective listening skills to be able to deliver exactly what their affiliates need; is there a more efficient forum than a private meeting or dinner at a trade show?! If you’ve expended the time, energy and finances to attend, you should demand a positive return and assume the responsibility for achieving that.

Your physical presence will increase your recognition amongst the strategic partnerships you wish to develop and continue, which in turn may result in preferential treatment plus more regular attention from your AM.

Effective Time Management

Once you’ve made the decision to attend an industry event, don’t just leave it to chance to have a productive experience. Plan your time wisely to cover as much ground as possible and ensure that your interactions leave you with actionable take-aways, and you return home buzzing with fresh ideas to implement.

Some things to consider:

  • Schedule meetings with your network AMs, and if possible get an introduction to their Department Head. Find out what’s hot on their network, successful campaigns with other affiliates working in your space, discuss your anxieties about testing new categories and get their opinions. Are there any product enhancements in the pipeline and how can you get advance notice of such developments? Identify some common ground, maybe a sporting interest, leisure pursuit – this will give you an edge and help put you on their radar of “memorable” clients.
  • Attend relevant workshops. Identify key industry trends (blog monetization, the impact of social) or regulatory updates and see which sessions can make you more efficient and productive in the pursuit of your revenue goals.
  • Networking. Whether you target some key super affiliates (maybe you’re looking for a mentor?) or just want to meet like-minded individuals to brainstorm and share ideas with, this is the real beauty of a trade show.

The next time an “Affiliate Dream Team” is assembled, use the opportunity to block out some time and consider it a worthwhile educational/networking expense; better still, include it in your personal ROI calculations and await the returns. If 2011 trumps last year’s online sales, you’ll want every tool possible to claim your slice of the pie.

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Greg Bayer is general manager of the affiliate division for Adknowledge and has over 15 years experience in affiliate marketing and digital media.

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Have we confused Affiliate Marketing with Get Rich Scams?

Regardless of what you personally think of all the guys who are trying to sell their newest program about how to make money on the internet, there is something to be said for those people who believe that it has nothing to do with affiliate marketing. Yes, some of their blogs are extremely popular, but then against so is Scientology and I wouldn’t recommend anyone join that unless they want to be scanned and probed anally by aliens. And honestly, I think many of the make money guys might do the same thing to you if it made them money. Come on guys, Affiliate and Performance marketing has nothing to do with “get rich” schemes.

I’ve probably with that statement pissed off 10 of the most popular bloggers on the internet. Yeah, some of them probably have something to do with affiliate marketing, but most of them are just trying to get as many people to sign up to their newsletter so they can promote their or some other guys DVD that claims that for $5,000 you can buy all the secrets to Affiliate Marketing. While more than a few of them have made money in the industry, most of them are just guys who made a few thousand dollars here and there and figure that they could make more money convincing idiots that they learned the secret to affiliate marketing and how to make money.

As a friend of mine Jon (the owner of wickedfire, and hopeful DWTS contestant) pointed out to me, most of these guys are just selling DVDs that teach basic thing that you can find on the internet. Honestly, I give them credit in being able to market these products, but I’m curious how ethical it is to charge someone $5k to teach them how to login to Google and add keywords. Many of the people who read these blogs are honestly desperate to learn about interactive marketing, and will believe anyone who tells them that a DVD will teach them the secret. Selling them this crap is really preying on them, especially in this economy.

There are some people who are real superstars in our industry and really know how to make money in the industry. These guys aren’t selling DVDs on how they made money, because they are often too busy to make money. I’ve personally made millions in this industry, owned a major display network, ran one of the largest affiliate networks in the world – because I’ve been doing it for ever. Frankly, I don’t have time right now to create a program and sell people my “secrets.” I’m too busy trying to figure out the next secret for myself.