Viewpoints from a new merchant vs an experienced affiliate program manager about starting a new affiliate program. Presented at Affiliate Summit East 2011 in New York City. Check out our merchant podcasts and training at http://merchantabcs.com

1. Merchant BasicsLaunching a New Affiliate Program Presented by: Jeff Grill, Mimeo.com And Deborah Carney, Merchant ABCs

2. 2 Jeff Grill VP, Marketing Mimeo.comOnline Printing PublisherDeborah Carney Affiliate: since the early days Affiliate Manager: Former In-house for CaféPress.com Consultant: for many ecommerce companies Outsourced Program Manager: (OPM) since 2006 – Multiple programs in Shareasale Top 100 Merchant:LoxlyGallery.com Training and Podcasts: ABCsPlus.com –for Affiliates, Bloggers, Merchants and more Who We Are

3. 3 How to Avoid This

4. 4 What We’ll Cover Getting Educated Preparation Key Decisions Program Launch Lessons Learned

5. 5 Education: Get Smart LinkedIn Affiliate Groups Listen to Affiliate ABCs.com Geekcast.fmVariety of podcasts Learn about fraud Check AffiliateFairPlay.com Blogs – Read a variety Visit Affiliate Sites Join Affiliate Summit ForumAsk questions, get to knowpeople

6. 6 Competitive Analysis Senior Management Commitment Documented Revenue Goals by Month Staffing Tracking Systems Profit Margins to support: Product or Service Offers Multiple Commissions (Affiliate, OPM, Network) Conversion rates Payment Models Network, OPM, Publisher Reversal Policies Cookie Life Nexus Tax Channel Conflict Considerations Affiliate Payment Options Preparation: Get Set

7. 7 Performance Based Models Pay per Sale (PPS/CPS) – 80% of all programs Pay per Lead/Cost per Lead 20% of all programs Pay per Click/Cost per Click (PPC/CPC) Pay per Call

8. 8 Tip: Do Not Launch Until the Machine is Ready!

9. 9 Tip: They All Look the Same at First. Develop OPM Selection Criteria.

10. 10 Choosing an OPM: Experience + Chemistry Experience Knowledge of your category Point of view regarding coupon sites Team assigned to business – who, how much time, chemistry Reporting frequency and what does it include Who was contacted each week Monitoring capability Fees (monthly, %) Reputation References Network Familiarity and Access Network OPM vs. Outside OPM

11. 11 Network Selection: Not All Created EqualTIP: Pick Your OPM First Review the Majors CJ, Linkshare, Google Affiliate Network, ShareASale, Buy.at Niche Networks Might Make Sense Avantlink Similar Merchants Fees – Network Access, emails, newletters, ala carte fees Publisher Access – Networks allow various degrees of access Services Offered – Network Tools for Affiliates Reputation Promotional Opportunities Sponsored Conferences Competitive Presence Industry Reputation

12. 12 Pre-Launch – Make Sure Your Site is Affiliate Friendly Does Your Site Have Elements That Build Trust? Transparency Public Whois The Big 5 About Us Privacy Policy Returns Shipping Policy Clear Contact Us Info

13. 13 Pre-Launch – Make Sure Your Site is Affiliate Friendly Plug the Leaks No outbound links Phone number with tracking or walk customer through completing the sale online Sell only your own products, no affiliate links to elsewhere Adsense – remove it Non-commissionable items – remove or rethink Live Chat – make sure it keeps affiliate tracking

14. 14 Pre-Launch – Make Sure Your Site is Affiliate Friendly Product Pages – clean, clear images, professional looking Site Navigation Consistent Branding Clear and easy Checkout No distractions during checkout Make sure your site is converting already, affiliates drive pre-sold traffic, but YOU have to convert that traffic.

15. 15 Pre-Launch Program Terms and Conditions PPC Guidelines Brand and Keyword protection Fraud Coupon Guidelines If you don’t prohibit affiliate behavior in your Program Terms, it means affiliates CAN and will do what you haven’t prohibited Creative and Affiliate Content Development Not just banners! CRM Considerations (publisher, customer) Program Funding

16. 16 Launch! Network Promotion Plan Does the network have a launch plan? If not, create your own! Recruitment TrackingTip: Shared Google Doc to Track Targeted Publishers You Can’t Recruit Unless Your Program Stands Out Above Your Competition – You Need to be Better to Get Affiliates to Change or Add Your Company to Their Affiliate Marketing Mix

17. 17 Look for an Outsourced Program Manager at the beginning of the process. You can hire most as just a startup consultant. They can guide you to the right network, help develop your Affiliate Terms, help with Competitive Analysis and with developing your creatives Join your network of choice as an affiliate to see what affiliates see and what your competitors are doing Talk to affiliates pre-launch to get their opinions and get them invested in wanting to run your program because you reached out and listened to them Join affiliate forums like the Affiliate Summit Networking Forum where you can interact with affiliates and get their opinions. Also OPMs hang out there and you can see how they handle questions etc. Lessons Learned

18. 18

19. 19 Now that your site is all ready for recruiting, get out there and start talking. Join the Affiliate Summit Networking Forum to talk to OPMs (Outsourced Program Managers), networks, and affiliates When you are ready – post a free job notice for a manager http://forum.affiliatesummit.com Next Steps

21. 21 Thank You!Be sure to fill out your session review form! Find Deborah at: forum.affiliatesummit.com merchantabcs.com @loxly dc@merchantabcs.com Phone: (702)582-6742 Facebook.com/loxly Linkedin.com/in/loxly Find Jeff Grill at: @JeffGrill jgrill@mimeo.com jeffgrill@gmail.com The RogueMarketer.com linkedin.com/in/jeffgrill