Before I begin let me first say that since Twitter is a new medium so it is not yet an approved traffic source for most Advertisers. So before you start marketing on Twitter get approval in writing from your affiliate manager per offer you choose to run so not to risk losing commissions for running on a non-approved traffic source. This is a suggestion I make strongly for any offer you decide to run via Tweet, not only on AKMG but across any network.

Tip #1 Targeted Following
If you already have a large following on Twitter good for you! You are one step ahead, however if you are just starting to build your followers, you should keep in mind a targeted user base = higher conversions. So if you keep in mind a central interest theme to your followers - like music, affiliate marketing tips, humor, etc.. you will be more apt to appeal to users to grow your followers while attracting a niche targeted group.

Tip #2 Growing and Keeping your Followers
A well thought out profile will help to attract followers. This is a helpful article that give tips on improving your profile in order to attract followers. To gain a large base of follower there are tools that can help you grow and maintain your user base. Please refer to this article for a whole list of helpful tools.

Tip #3 Relevancy is Key
Think about your following and post offers that your users would genuinely be interested in that is in line with a lot of the topics you normally tweet about. The idea is to make it seem less spammy as possible. If you post random offers you are likely to annoy your followers and lose them not to mention again, it will improve your conversions and revenue.

Tip #4 Do Not Over Market and Provide Value
Be sure not to over market on your Twitter, you will lose followers quickly if you do. It is important to Tweet about topics or add something of value such as humor, tips etc that your followers find VALUE in. Then slip in a Tweet here and there with the offer you are promoting but don’t let it appear as thought your objective is to “sell” something, but rather you are letting them in on a cool secret you found.

Tip #5 Indirectly Link
When at all possible indirectly link to an affiliate link. It is less intrusive and more conducive to the Twitter culture. For example you could link to a blog you wrote that contains an affiliate link.

Whether you have an established user base, like one celeb that recently signed up and started Tweeting with our affiliate links, or you are considering starting a following solely with the intentions to generate revenue always keep in mind that the users are more savvy internet users and are more likely to tune out spammy blatant marketing. So find ways to add value to your followers and only market relevant useful products that your followers will be thankful for and success will be inevitable.

For those who have not seen the 3 Wolf Moon T-Shirt, it’s a prime example of Viral Marketing at it finest! The humorous reviews on Amazon have increased the T-shirt sales 2300%, making the 3 Wolf Moon T-shirt the no. 1 selling apparel item on Amazon.

At first the manufacturer of the T-Shirts was not pleased with the reviews once they came to light as the shirt hit Amazon’s top 10 in the apparel section.

“We appreciate humour as much as the next company, but we don’t approve of some of the remarks. Not everyone can start out at the top and not everyone from our neck of the woods lives in a trailer or cruises Walmart to hook up.”

However as sales grew there tone began to shift, the firms art director - Michael McGloin - said they are actually rather pleased with the publicity.

“We’ll take ironic fashion any day…. and we’re printing another 400,000 more t-shirts…it’s just a fantastic thing,” he said.

The humorous comments left by online users ranged from lengthy paragraphs: “This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that’s when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to ‘howl at the moon’ from time to time (if you catch my drift!).”

To brief 1 line comments equally entertaining: “Unfortunately I already had this exact picture tattooed on my chest, but this shirt is very useful in colder weather.”

2 lessons can be learnt from this case study. A little bit of humor and thinking outside of the box can attract large amount of users not initially in your customer set, remembering the best PR sometimes is to simply admit what you are and have a sense of humor about yourself. The second lesson being it does not have to cost a lot of money to gain publicity and go viral.

This blog is for all of you tech guys and gals out there who are currently involved in, or want to be a part of, the tech side of the internet marketing industry, but don’t know where to begin in regard to what will be needed to manipulate and engineer the associated industry technology.

Since the internet / affiliate marketing industry’s main means of transport is the internet, it is of utmost importance to learn the best web development / scripting languages available.  The clear winner, and grandaddy of all web-ready programming languages, is PHP (”Personal HomePage Tools,” a Hypertext Preprocessor).

PHP is absolutely ideal for developing utilities (operating consumer-side or server-side) that can best serve our industry.  Since PHP can be integrated with MySQL and other SQL or database systems seamlessly, it is truly the perfect fit.  The affiliate marketing industry is always moving huge amounts of data (involving data mining, respectively), and filtering analytics and outputting reports of every kind. PHP can do all of the above perfectly.

The possibilities are endless, and my trademark slogan here at Advertising Kings Media Group (AKMG) is, “Hey, I’ve got a script for that!”  I really do, and it’s almost always written in PHP with many a MySQL DB integration.

There are many choices out there, but any good programmer or technology project manager needs to know when to use what language in which situation, asking the following questions:
- What will allow me to render my problem into a comprehensive web-manipulatable solution?
- What will allow me to create a GUI should I need to provide access to my non-technically oriented business associates?
- What will allow for database integration and manipulation of lots of data?
- What language will allow me / my team to add/remove functionalities very quickly without recompilation of any applications?

Many use C++, .NET / ASP, JSP, or even CGI, but PHP can always be your answer for the questions above.

Questions?  Comments?  Get in touch!

Funny things happen when the economy turns sour. Food prices drop. The wealthy stop flaunting their wealth in bright colors and instead opt for muted and more conservative hues, say the black Bentley rather than the purple Rolls Royce that just screams old money. And Google sides with affiliate marketers.

Well…them and Google’s shareholders.

As you know, Google has to date allowed affiliate marketers to bid on trademarked keywords, but has not allowed those trademarks to be used in ad copy. Ever so convenient for brand managers, but never so convenient for affiliate marketers - even those with permission to drive traffic to the name brand are not allowed to solicit. Effective June 15th, all that changes.

In Google’s press release the internet behemoth explains that they are sympathetic toward the people reading an AdWords ad and their possible confusion if they search specifically for a brand name but then can’t see it in the ads with which they are presented. Come on G, we’re all about improving the user experience but that’s the best you could do? Really? You didn’t want people bidding on “Kleenex” feeling disoriented at the sight of “facial tissue?” A likely story….

Truth be told, the fact that first quarter numbers came in even lower than the previous quarter’s numbers (with expectations already downgraded to account for the jump ot of the penthouse fest started last september) and the doom and gloom on the horizon as we round out Q2 seems a more compelling story…

So while this now means increased competition on these branded keywords and more competitive bidding on certain terms, now affiliate marketers can finally use more relevant ad copy, and in turn, more clicks. So go on and get mavricky with it my affiliate advertising aficionados. You’ve got three weeks to scheme up all sorts of branded goodness (hit up Shanti or I for the latest and greatest available to you) so make em count!

The Mulah Marketeer

In the affiliate marketing industry, we have several trade shows to look forward to, vacations, and many other non-advertising related shenanigans to participate in.  While you’re away enjoying the above, it’s important to have an arsenal of top-performing offers that respond really well during the summertime so you can really enjoy yourself and rest assured that your publishing efforts are still bringing in success.

Here at Advertising Kings Media Group (AKMG), we specialize in bringing all-year-round performers and amazing seasonal offers (if you ran offers with us this Mother’s Day, you know what I mean!).  While we realize the importance of solid year-rounders, we understand that you, the publisher, pride yourself in bringing fresh, seasonally targeted offers to your list or consumer-base on any other promotional channel.

Come check out what we’ve got going on for the Summer.  Have summer offer ideas or requests?  Let us know!  We are true sticklers when it comes to pursuing offers that cater to your needs and niches.

Ahhh technology. While I may not be the world’s most tech savvy individual, Lord knows I enjoy exploiting all the resources that I can figure out how to use. Just today the hubbster and I are celebrating my birthday…let’s just say for my 22nd…and we spent a fantabulous day poolside.

There I was with all a gals’ fun in the sun essentials… spf, a cold mojito and of course my blackberry closely in hand. Between the obligatory  status updates and pool photos, I stayed in the loop with a few of my publishers. Still scratching my head as to how the world function pre 3G? For while the office may close at 5pm Friday and reopen Monday at 8am, the internet never stops.

It comes to no surprise that the iPhone was awarded numero uno in the ranking of the world’s 100 most social brands according to Virtue. Even though I’m a BlackBerry gal (BB came in 20th)  I have to give props to Apple and give credit when credit is due. Apple dominated the list, coming in at third under Apple, 7th for ipod and 16th for Mac.

Well done Mac Attack. Tonight,  between the revelry of ringing in a new year fabulous sure to ensue shortly after publishing this blog, I’ll be sure to raise a glass to life’s little innovations that had not so little  ramifications and changed the way we live, work and most importantly, play.

I hear all the time of affiliates complaining that theirs ads do not get approved in FB, so I thought its time to finally address it. If you look at FaceBook’s Advertising section it will list “Best Practices” and “Common Reasons for Rejection” I would suggest reading these pages, however from listening to my affiliates frustrations over ad submission it seems a wee bit more tricky.

A few tips I have found:

1) Choose offers that fit into the Facebook environments for an easier time with approval.
2) In order to keep keywords and target market details in your ad text iFrame your offer and put a title above the iFrame that related your ad to the offer.
3) Make sure the copy matched the offer and do not use offers that are misleading. State exactly what it is that the user has to do in order to receive the promotion.

I have also heard of some slightly more blackhat tricks, oops I mean tips .
I’ve heard multiple submissions and patience works. Have heard of affiliates submitting an offer over the course of 2 days and finally gets approved without changing anything. Some have said it’s the time of day – at midnight, later getting approved early morning around 10. And of course I am sure a majority of ads are approved by even more blackhat ways such as cloaking, redirection, and sneaky ways to use tools in Prosper202. I however cannot recommend using these suggestions if you value your account, as sooner or later one will get found out and kicked off. But hopefully for them they have made some money by that time.

I must say what really upsets me is when I have talented white hat affiliates complain they have never had an ad approved on FB, when I constantly see ads that have no business getting approved. Which I am sure is thanks to all the blackhat methods. So Facebook – your strict approval methods are causing affiliates to turn to the dark side in order to Advertise on your site. Which is only going to get trickier and more difficult for you to catch. So lighten up will you!?!

I’ve always likened dating to affiliate marketing. There are a few basics in both the performance-based advertising space and the dating space that are presumably common sense but surprisingly rarely get followed out and in turn, lead to trouble. The overarching theme in the offline world and the online world, and just about all areas of life, what you put in is what you get out.

Sure, it would be romantic for one offer, er, person to seek you out and sweep you off your feet and to live happily ever after with that first true love….but I’ve seen enough episodes of Sex In The City to know better than that. You owe it to yourself to constantly perform split a/b tests. Have your testing parameters and success metrics clearly defined before all tests so you can accurately gauge results, pick a winner or two, and keep him, her or it into regular rotation. Rinse. Repeat.

When you’ve found the real winner and it’s working out for both of you, it’s time to take things to the next level and request a private, personal comentment. Sure, sometimes things dont go as planned. Stuff happens. They have an off day. Hey, we can’t wow you every time. Sometimes you can’t get wined and dined with champaign and kobe. Sometimes you settle for a stiff cocktail and a burger. But you can do that because the relationship is there. You already invested in each other and you know you can count on him or her in the long run. And you know they love to surprise you with big nights out again and again.

Just as the sexy, flashy members of the opposite sex, and offers, oftentimes can disappoint…so too can the plainer, simpler ones surprisingly prove to beat out their attention-hogging counterparts and win your heart. So just like your mama always told you - don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Test it out!

That said, test smart. Do your homework before selecting offers and prospective dates. What do your account managers recommend? What do your peers find to be working? We are here for you, armed with the latest stats and feedback. You never know until you try, but life’s to short to choose blindly. Accordingly, reciprocate the communication. A little friendly feedback can go a long way - not only in helping us give that feedback to the advertiser to help them make an offer go from good to great, but also so we can better understand your business and what works for you.

Keeping AKMG fresh since Jan 2009…

E-licious

Mobile platforms are getting increasingly sophisticated at an astonishing rate, and the usability and capabilities of mobile, web-based applications are becoming more powerful.  This is not just good news for the end-consumer, but for the affiliate marketer as well.

Industry-wide, advertisers and affiliate marketers are seeing a rapid growth in the number of conversions originating from mobile devices and the potential for advertising on such devices. New smartphone applications are also providing a successful means of delivery for such advertisements, and more and more of them are being developed daily.  The possibilities for tailoring these promotional channels to provide targeted, high-converting ads are endless.

The Google Android, for example, is just one of the many devices that allows for such transportation.  All Google Adwords accounts are already capable of targeting text or image ads to be displayed exclusively or inclusively on browser ready devices.

Are you finding success in the realm of Mobile Advertising? Are there certain mobile-only or mobile-ready offers you’d like to see on the AKMG Affiliate Network?  Let us know.

We pride ourselves in bringing the highest quality, top-performing offers to you, the affiliate marketer, so you can find new success and continue to strike it big in the niches/promotional channels that you specialize in! As always, your success is what we are all about at AKMG.  Let’s make it happen together.

Request an offer (even if it’s a completely new and fresh offer idea) . Drop us a line!

So last night I was out to dinner with the hubba bubba celebrating a recent bonus of his - I wish I could say I was also raising a glass to a Bulls victory, but alas, my hometown heroes did not pull through and I have lost a bet to which I am not looking forward to delivering on. Anyhoo, we were waiting at the bar for our table and started chatting it up with a couple next to us.

The topic of occupations came up, as it often does (or is that just here in La La land?), and when the other couple mentioned they were marketers, I explained how I worked for an affiliate network, and how we allow advertisers to only pay for converted sales, or at least qualified leads. It’s a no brainer really, I explained. I mean let’s face it, in an economy like this, the long-term benefits of branding aside, the CPM model just seems a little inefficient, and dare I say it, archaic.

“Brilliant!” they though. “But what’s the catch?

“The catch? There is no catch. It’s performance advertising.” I gleefully touted as I ordered one last martini just as the hostess arrived to take us to our table.

I reflected on my words for a bit, and mind you this was my second martini which, if anyone knows me, is at the tipping point of one too many, and I started to really think about if there was a catch or not. Mr. P, gotta love him for putting up with my rants set down the menu, took a deep breath, and gave me the promoting my sighs and huffs were asking for. “Yes?.” He could tell this was not going to be a quickie.

Given the green light, I gushed that there really is no catch to affiliate marketing. Sure, the advertiser will have to relinquish a bit of control and trust my AKMG affiliates will promote their product or service in the ideal fashion/location, but the beauty of the CPA model is that the affiliates aren’t going to invest their work into something for too long if it doesn’t work, aka convert for the advertiser. Affiliates know their traffic, and are more nimble to tweak and adjust their tactics to optimize performance far quicker than a bureaucratic behemoth of a brand could even get a “sign-off” to pull results…

As the appies were served, I went on that AKMG is a high-energy, fast-paced, results oriented organization with like-minded affiliates that we are selective in working with. My merry marketers want to build something sustainable. They are in it to win it in the long term, not after a quick, unsustainable buck in the short term. And that is the natural check and balances in place that keeps Cost Per Action marketing without the catch.

And to that, I finished my second martini, got off my soapbox, and and enjoyed my own catch…the oh so yummy salmon.

Cheers,

Bloggita Rita