Affiliate Marketing

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate Marketing is a technique in which an online merchant website pays affiliate websites a commission to send the buyer, traffic. In simple terms affiliates don’t deal with inventory, customer service, follow up or anything like that. they simply sell. The affiliate website shares their links to the merchant site and is paid according to the mutual agreement between them. This agreement can be based on the number of people visited, some particular action taken or someone buy’s something etc. Therefore, hiring affiliates is a brilliant way to sell products online and also it cheap and effective internet marketing strategy.

Merchant could try to go and find each individual website he wants to promote, try to setup a deal with them and then become their affiliate but that would take a lot of time. So, here comes the affiliate marketing.

There are at least three parties in affiliate marketing:

1.     The customer (who will buy)

2.     The affiliate site (where the merchant website link would be)

3.     The merchant site (where the action would be taken)

Brief overview how it works:

Affiliate Program Payment

• 1.       Pay per sale - Here the merchant pays an affiliate when the affiliate sends a user (customer) who purchases something.
• 2.       Pay per click – Here the merchant pays an affiliate based on the number of clicks coming to the merchant’s website. It doesn’t matter what that user performs on the website.
• 3.       Pay per lead – Here the merchant has to pay according to some planned action. Action can be information gathering, sign up form, feedback etc.

There can be number of arrangements which can be done according to the agreement between merchant and the affiliate.

Acquiring Affiliates

Affiliate network will help setting up an affiliate program and work to recruit affiliates. As an affiliate you have to fill out an application describing the nature of your business and website details. Thereafter affiliate has to agree to the terms of the affiliate network and make a deposit. This deposit include a onetime charge for a becoming a member, some affiliate networks also charge a yearly fee for their services and some are having their own rules and agreements.

The alternative of this is maintaining an affiliate program yourself. It is highly complicated as here we have to recruit affiliates, maintaining the program, purchasing some tracking technology and maintaining it, further we have to instruct the affiliates and monitoring them.  

Affiliate Linking Methods

An affiliate can link to the merchant in much number of ways. Few of them are mentioned below:

Text links: Just giving the text link in between the content. The advantage of text links in an affiliate program is they are hyperlinked in the content of website and so don't look so much like advertisements. For a lot of affiliate sites, this is the most natural way to link to the merchant site.

Banner links: Here the links are created on images or we can say some sort of graphic element. They may be the best choice when affiliate thinks a text link doesn't do enough to attract visitors.

Search box: This type of link allows visitors to search an online database on another site. The results of the search are links to other pages on the site.

There are several ways affiliate programs use these links:

Link to the home page: This is a straight-forward link to the merchant's home page. If an affiliate wants to introduce visitors to the merchant site in general, this is the best way to link.

Product-specific link: Here the product specific page is directly link. This makes things easier for the customer and simplifies the affiliate program process.

Registration: An affiliate can link directly to a registration form on the merchant site. If a visitor would have to register to use the merchant's Web site, this link is a good time-saver or merchant need’s some information.

There are n numbers of ways how the merchant link can be placed. Further placing the link depends upon the nature of the merchant and each link must suit’s the purpose.

Affiliate Program Networks

Affiliate networks act as mediators between affiliates and merchant Websites with affiliate programs. They track all activity, arrange all payment, and help affiliates set up the necessary links on their Web site. Additionally, affiliate networks help recruit affiliates by including an online merchant's affiliate program in their directory. Different affiliate networks offer different extra features, but most have a help-center and a place affiliates and merchants can go to view reports of their traffic.

Affiliate networks are a real convenience for prospective affiliates because they present a wide variety of affiliate programs in one central location. They make it much easier to find a good program that is appropriate for your site.

Affiliate networks charge fees for the above services.

Affiliate Program Technology

The URL for the page contains several pieces of information from where we can track, including:

•  1            an identification number for the affiliate
• 2            an identification number for the merchant
• 3            the URL of the merchant site

When you click on the link, the network site records a hit on that particular URL, which tells them what affiliate sent a visitor to that merchant. It then immediately sends the visitor to the actual merchant site.  But if you move your pointer over a merchant link on an affiliate site you will notice that the first part of the URL your browser displays is for the network site and not for the merchant.

The network tracks sales using Internet cookies containing these same identification numbers, so they know what affiliate referred the customer to the merchant

.

For ex

Merchant Name:  sulekha.com

Affiliate Name: freekamaal.com

There is a deal of hub port which is listed on freekamaal.com (affiliate website) and a when a user clicks on it; user will redirected to merchant website (sulekha.com) 

http://freekaamaal.com/2012/09/lowest-online-enter-hub-4-port-usb-2-0-e-4u2-worth-rs-450-at-rs-160/

http://deals.sulekha.com/enter-hub-4-port-usb-2-0-e-4u2-26240?affid=134054 (affiliate id)

Successful Affiliate Programs

Affiliate programs work best when affiliates choose products, services and companies that match the content/theme of their Website and would interest their readers. If a content Website chooses affiliate programs well, everybody involved in the process wins.

Here the winning process can be

• ·         affiliate helps in selling the product to its visitor (increases the reliability),
• ·         the merchant win as he gets the sale or the desired action,
• ·         Customer wins as he gets product easily.  

Therefore to be in a winning process choose a program which suites the theme/content of your website, it should be easy to lead your user participate in them. If the merchant is having a business of clothing the link should be on fashion or clothing website.

Points to Ponder:

• ·         Know the Products You Are Marketing

·         Rank for the Right Keywords

 

(Be reminded that conversion rates in Affiliate Marketing are very low. You might get a high click-through if you have written an awesome review about the product, but out of 500 clicks, only one or two will convert into sales. So it is a numbers game. The higher the numbers, the better are your chances.)

 

 

Amazon

 

https://affiliate-program.amazon.com

 

Ebay

 

https://www.ebaypartnernetwork.com/files/hub/en-US/index.html

 

 

Ad Exchange Program:

Ad exchanges are technology platforms for buying and selling online ad impressions, and represent a field beyond ad networks as defined by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and by advertising trade publications Advertising Age, iMediaConnection and ClickZ. An ad exchange is a marketplace that allows advertisers to bid on access to targeted ad inventory.

The exchanges

Currently, there are only a handful of “major” ad exchanges:
àAdBrite
àAdECN (Microsoft)
àContextWeb
àDoubleClick Ad Exchange (Google)
àRight Media (Yahoo… currently testing real-time bidding)

àMobclix for Mobiles

These media entities have direct deals with publishers, networks, or publisher tools to sell inventory on their open platforms. On its DoubleClick Ad Exchange, for example, Google has migrated inventory from its very successful AdSense program, which enables it to sell advertising this way on literally billions of web pages. Exchanges negotiate rates with the media providers and get paid to simply handle the transaction.

App Marketing

Mobile app marketing process starts with  analysis of your app and other apps of similar kind. After a thorough study of your app and similar apps,  nail down the Unique Selling Point (USP) of your app. On deciding your selling point, frame promotional strategies based on your USP. Below is a brief of  any app promotional process.

Breaking through the clutter

With the mobile app industry growing in leaps and bounds, every other app store – be it Apple's App Store or BlackBerry's App World or the Android stores – are cluttered with thousands of apps. Breaking through the clutter is the first thing that any app needs to do to reach out to consumers.

·      Pre-launch campaign to create expectation about app

·      Strategically-timed launch to grab attention of maximum users

·      Post-launch viral campaigns via mobile, web, videos, podcasts etc

·      In-app campaign via app store's other popular apps

·      Exciting updates to make existing users revisit your app

·      Paid promotion and review generation to drive downloads

·      Suggestions for new upgrades based on user feedback

Activities:

·      Monitoring Social Mentions

·      Blog & Article Writing

·      Social Updates

·      Buzz Marketing

·      PR Outreach

·      Review Site Submission

·      Press Release

·      Keyword Research

·      App Description Optimization

·      Guaranteed Reviews

·      Social Media Boost

·      Application Analysis

·      Competitive Research

·      Custom Reporting

·      Review Site Submission

·      Youtube Review Submission

·      PR Outreach

·      Monitoring Social Mentions

·      Guaranteed Reviews

·      Social Design Pack

·      Link Bait Creative

·      Additional Reporting

Pre- Launch:

Market Research

·      Pre-Launch to Tech Influencers

·      Keyword Research

·      App Description Writing

·      App Monetization Strategy

·      Implementing SDKs and Analytics

·      Social Media Sites Setup

·      Pre-Launch Press Release

·      FREE Custom Campaign Reporting

Launch:

Announcement to Influencers

·      Outreach to PR Database of 1.4 Million

·      Social Media Updates & Monitoring

·      Creative Social Media Campaigns

·      In-app & Mobile Ad Management

·      App Store Optimization

·      Launch Press Release

·      Launch Mobile Ad Campaign

·      FREE Custom Campaign Reporting

Post- Launch:

Campaign Optimization

·      Description Optimization

·      Reputation Management

·      Cont. PR Outreach

·      Social Media Fan Acquisition

·      New Features Request & Development

·      Outreach to 300+ Reviewers

·      Creative PR Material Release

·      FREE Custom Campaign Reporting

App Audit

Initiate the process by analyzing the uniqueness of the app to understand its working and determine what sets the app apart from its competitor. Let the  marketing team measures your app in terms of innovation, usability, popularity/position in the app store, online visibility etc. Then, Gauge the scope and design a strategy on how to proceed further.

Launch Strategy Consultation

There are a lots of factors to keep in mind when you submit your app to the store if you want to make your app a successful one. Marketing experts will help you with App store submission, App pricing and indulge in promotions of all kinds to make the app visible and popular during the launch. Distributing press releases to highly targeted media outlets and contacts will be carried on launch of the app. The message about the app and its availability in the market explaining its features, uniqueness etc will be sent out to major online PR distribution sites.

App Store Submission

Prospective customers often browse within the top apps listed in the app store via iTunes on their computer or via App Store. The main goal to make your app visible to people searching within the App Store. We will make sure that the app is optimized for the App store search.

Building Buzz around your App

Ensure that news about your app is sent to media sites and critics to generate significant buzz. We will use our expertise in mobile app marketing to get increased awareness through marketing on multiple channels at once to increase brand impressions. Spread word about the app via the social media, popular technology sites, review sites, forums, blogs etc. to improve the online visibility of your app. Viral video promotions about the app also form part of this stage of marketing.

Revenue boost strategies

Let marketing team goes one step beyond the usual promotions to suggest revenue/download boost strategies for your app. This may involve running a contest, promo codes give away, promotion through free offers etc. All these will be appropriate and relevant to the app, its theme and the target customers it addresses.

Basic approach to Android apps marketing:

 

• App Analysis Report

With thousands of apps developed every month and many new app stores coming to light, developers fight hard to attract customers. Gauge your app for usability and uniqueness and begin surveying its prospects in the Android Market. Create an analysis report that would give you a clear idea about the pricing of your app, the suitable strategies for launch and execution of the market plan. It proposes you the road map to move forward.

• App Optimization & Android App Stores Submission

Let experts guide you through the submission process and prepare a launch pad for marketing.  As a customer, you can also avail our guidance in naming, app description, app screenshot, images, videos etc. Through all these, you can find your target users easily. Make it sure that the app is also available for download in all the major Android app stores including the Android Market to increase the number of downloads and visibility through other channels.

• App Launch Strategy

There are some important factors you have to consider while launching your app and one of the most critical of these is pricing. Hundreds of apps are launched daily across multiple Android app stores. Get started with Pre-launch strategies that include word of mouth promotion, advertisement campaigns etc. Press Releases and YouTube promotional videos are some other useful techniques we implement. I, also suggest the right timing for the launch.

• Delivering Your App Message:

Engage your potential app customers through social media like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs etc. in order to make it popular.Time your marketing activities according to the app buying cycles and help you hit the grandslam. Publish and distribute press releases for every update through effective outlets.

• Boost Your App Earning:

I won't stop with these few steps, but you keep on exploring effective techniques to increase your revenue from the app. This may include free offers, promo code offers, running contests etc. We make sure that these strategies hit the target by making it relevant to the theme of the app and its target users.

In the Android stores, you could find big corporates fighting with small developers to attract customers. So it is essential to have an expert marketer on your side to make your Android marketing campaign a successful one. Dot Com Infoway has the industry knowledge and market expertise to make any app popular. With Dot Com Infoway, it is guaranteed satisfaction for clients as we make sure that they get good returns from their app.

Market or Die

The very first thing you should do is sit down and work on a marketing plan. You don’t have to have an MBA to create this document. There are tons of free online marketing plan samples that can show you how to do this. Basically just write out your initial ideas and strategies that you plan to implement to drive clients to your Android App. It doesn’t matter how great your app is, if no one can find it then no one will buy it! This process typically involves researching what competitors are doing and developing methods that will help set you apart.

Stand out from the crowd: Have a bold icon. Engage your customer with a catchy name and snazzy tagline. Put the time and effort into your product description. Use relevant keywords that will make your app easy to find. Google has also released some new badges for developers that they can display to promote their apps. There are two badges, both available in two sizes: large: 60 x 172 and Small: 45 x 129.

Consider price: According to researcher Mobclix (www.mobclix.com), the average price of an app on the Android Market is $4.10 compared to $3.37 on the iTunes App Store.

Proper Keyword Use: This  is a major factor in the Android market. Unlike the Apple store, search is the primary means of organic discovery for apps on Google Play.

KEYWORDS

1. Use a Keyword in the App Title. A keyword in your app title is the most important element that impacts search rank. The right keyword in your title can affect rank position 80 to 100 spots.
2.  Use Keywords in the App Description and Promo Text. Within the app description, frequency of keywords increases search rank. Try to use a keyword up to five times. This can impact rank position 10 to 20 spots.
3. Also, include the app name in the body of the app description. Unlike iOS, the body description is searched under Google Play.

Linking & Loading

Google Play provides several link formats that let you bring users to your products in the way you want, from Android apps, web pages, ads, reviews, articles, social media posts, and more.

The link formats let you:

·      Link to a specific app’s product details page

·      Link to a list of all of your apps

·      Link to a search result of your choice

·      Link to a collection on Google Play

If you are linking from an Android app, you can also control whether the link launches the Play Store application or the browser, which takes the user to the Google Play web site.

After you publish your app, you can bring Android users to your app’s product details page by providing links in your social network posts, ad campaigns, app reviews and articles, your web site, and more. You can use the resources in this section to create deep links for your online placements. Google Play badges are an especially great way let Android users know that your app is available, and link them directly to your download page. Using the badge generator, they’re also really easy to make.

Make sure that your app ad loads quickly. Before going on to promote your app, make sure that your load time is no more than 5 seconds. Otherwise, there is a high likelihood that your audience will get bored of the wait and hit the Back or Skip button. Remember, mobile app purchasers suffer from extreme ADD. You should do everything you can to grab their attention.

The ultimate target for Android App marketing is to make your app appear in the top 5 Apps in any market list (ex: Top Free, Trending, Top New Free ...etc) and for this to happen you need your users to do the following

1- Install your app (many installs daily)
2- Review your app +rating
3- To +1 your app
4- Does not uninstall your app soon

All factors above are used by the market to decide whether to add/push up your app in a list and whether to show your app in the top search results or not

Saying so i have reached the conclusion that most important part of app marketing is the App itself, is it valuable for the user, will he/she keep it installed,  does it have a good UI/Icon/Name is it related to a trending topic at the moment , do you think the user would show your app to a friend ?

Also note that "Games" when are well created are easier to market than other apps

7 Must-DOs to Optimize Facebook Fan Page | Facebook & SEO

There is hardly any real evidence that supports and says that Facebook activity has something to yes, it has to do with Google Ranking. But still a lot has been said and Facebook pages are optimized for SEO. You never know when Google changes its algorithm.

Ways to optimize your Facebook Fan page:

1.     Choose the best name for your Facebook fan page- Choose that represent real businesses, brands, personalities, etc.

Quick Tip: The first word in your fan page title is given the most weight (importance) by Google.

2.     Use custom fan page vanity URL (Facebook calls it username for fanpage) - When you choose a Facebook username for your Page, your Page’s URL becomes www.facebook.com/YourUsernameHere. (Usernames can be selected at www.facebook.com/username.)

Quick Tip: choose a username that authentically represents your business or brand.

3.     Keywords Usage-Use keywords in strategic locations on your fan page. The most important pieces to pay attention to are the About section, Mission, and Company Description. These sections are actually pulled from your fan page as SEO elements. Here is an example of how a search engine would index your page:

SEO Title = your fan page name

Meta Description = Fan page name + the about section of your page

H1 = your fan page name

4.     Local Search Optimization of Fanpage- Include your Address, City, State, and Zip and phone number too. For product-related searches, the Company Overview, Mission, and Products fields should be filled in with your appropriate information. 140 character description of the fanpage get displayed in the search engine’s snippet. Google places higher importance on pages with specific information like your business's phone number and address.

5.     Backlink your other channels with Fanpage link.

6.     Optimize your post updates: Remember that the first 18 characters of a Facebook post serve as the Meta description.

7.     Facebook Notes:  It the ability to create multiple "pages" underneath the main fan page. The SEO elements pulled in from Facebook Notes are:

SEO Title = the title of your note

             Meta data = your fan page name wrote a note titled, your note's title

LinkedIn & SEO - SEO techniques for LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a perfect example of search and social colliding. To increase audience engagement on LinkedIn and boost SEO while spending less time doing it, consider these three tactics.

Similar as with SEO for Google, LinkedIn search rankings are predicated on:

• Authentic and high quality content:- Share quality content frequently
• Keywords
• Authority (engagement from audience):- you can target based on company size, job function, industry, seniority and geography.

Ø  Fill out your profile completely

Ø  Include relevant search keywords in profile areas: As you're completing your profile, include the keywords for which you'd like your name to appear in LinkedIn's internal search results.

Ø  Keywords you target in your LinkedIn profile shouldn't be the same long-tail search engine optimization phrases you target on your website. Instead, the keywords in your profile should be those that a potential client or employer would probably enter into the LinkedIn search bar.

Ø  Expand the size of your network

Ø  Participate in LinkedIn Groups

Ø  DoFollow URLs:-LinkedIn is one of the few social networking sites that actually allow you to include what are called DoFollow links as part of your profile. A DoFollow link is one that passes some search engine love (as in authority and link value) from the LinkedIn site to whatever sites you choose. As a matter of fact, you get to use three DoFollow links that can point to your company site, your blog or even your Twitter account.

Ø  Customize your URL with your name.  My LinkedIn profile URL is http://www.linkedin.com/in/aprajita - and you can have one just like it with your name in the URL making it more likely for your profile to rank for searches for your name because the search engines do look at keywords in the URL. 

Ø  Company Profile Page: LinkedIn gives you the option to add up to three hyper-linked banner images to each of your company profile pages. You can create targeted campaigns and measure the ROI from your company page.

Ø  Groups

Ø  Company Pages

Ø  Personal Feeds

Ø  Linking your company’s website to an employee’s LinkedIn profile improves the page rank of those sites and helps in increasing the search engine rankings.

Ø  Answer questions on LinkedIn answer

Ø  Keyword-Optimize Your Job Titles: - Instead of “Blog Manager,” bait search engines by clarifying “Inbound Marketing Strategy Blog Manager.”

Any more tips to share?Do remind us.

8 Facebook Marketing Ideas that can Trigger your Presence on Social Media

Facebook Pages have become a essential part of any social media plan and for startups they need to devise a strategy to take a plunge.

Category	Strategy
Target Market
Positioning Statement
Offering to Sellers / Customers
Price Strategy for Sellers
Distribution
What’s most important to my ideal customer when they are buying what I’m selling
Facebook Page Promotion Strategy	Link to articles | Blog Post, Videos or other resources
	Contest
	Fans
	Events
	QR Codes
	Image | Image with Text Sharing
	Questions
	Create Facebook Store & Link to Facebook Page

Link to articles | Blog Post, Videos or other resources:

ü  Give away a checklist

ü  Share your DIY for a product 

ü  Ask Fan to share DIY product

ü  Sponsor for a charity contest

ü  Link blog posts & other resources

ü  Ask fans to write Blog Post for you

Contest: Facebook Contest Ideas that could be run on Timeline

1      Like  | Comment to WIN

o   Example: What do you like the most in our Products?

o   Wanna Win? Like this post to win a pair of earrings

o   Comment on the picture to WIN a Product of Your Choice

o   We are running a contest this Independence Day. Enter the contest by leaving a post about your favorite leader | how much patriotism is in you and like the post so that we can collect your entry. What you love the most: product 1, product 2 or product3?

Three randomly drawn winners would get a gift of their choice. So get ready and post | Like asap

2      Caption Contest

Example: Leave your caption for the photo. The Most original captions win BIZ Coupons.

          Fill in the Blank Contest

Example: Use a photo and caption it with an incomplete sentence.

         Photo Contest: There are two ways in which these could be run

·         Ask fans to submit pictures in the comment & winner is selected based on the theme or number of likes

·         Ask fans to post picture on your timeline and winner would the one with maximum likes

       Crowd sourcing Contest

ü  Example: Ask Fans to design your timeline photo

o   Ask fans to help you decide on creating your calendar cover photo

o   Ask fans to write (based on your theme) tag lines that you would be using at different places.

Fans

ü  Example: Ask fans to share content, pictures, their biggest challenge etc

ü  Reward fans who tag our biz

ü  Offer coupons for fans only

ü  Start a monthly contest

Events:

ü  Example: Debut of a Product Launch 

ü  Guest Post on Other Pages

ü  Stream a Press Release

ü  Throw online party for customers | sellers where they can share pictures, talks

QR Codes:

ü  Link to Product line page

ü  Link to website url

ü  Show product Options

ü  Display Custom Landing Tab

ü  Virtual Tour

ü  Used on Packages

Image | Image with text Sharing

Question & Answer

Facebook Store Integration

Facebook Ads

These are few basic things that you can do with your Facebook page.It is ongoing process, you need to engage your audience.

Do comment if anything i have left.