Introducing another new AvantLink merchant:

Footnotesonline.com

This is the first merchant to populate the Footwear category in AvantLink. And you know if we’re bringing this store to you they are worth having a look at! This is an exclusive AvantLink merchant offering fashionable designer shoes from some of the the world’s top fashion-forward brands, including Stuart Weitzman, Tory Burch, and Juicy Couture.

The Footnotesonline Affiliate program has dedicated support & management, timely promotions, compelling offers in their coupon feed, and high site-wide conversion. Combine all that with their popular, upscale designer shoe brands, and it translates to a great opportunity for Affiliates with related traffic. Their 8% payout and average order size of $180.00 could also justify some ad spending for the PPC marketers out there.

From their program description:

Supported by a professional, friendly and knowledgeable staff, Footnotesonline has gained a solid reputation for quality, service and selection. Behind the scenes, our staff constantly reviews, updates, upgrades and maintains the fashion-forward site and content.

Read the program launch announcement on ABestWeb.

Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting Footnotes using our Affiliate technology. Contact anyone at AvantLink or the Footnotes program manager Dennis McCartney, dennis[at]footnotesonline.com.

Gary & AvantLink

This is a biggie! Affiliates please take note. The Backcountry.com stores roll out a Semi-Annual Sale twice per year where they clear inventory in the warehouse to accommodate the change of season, and the gear that comes with it. This is going on right now, featuring over 12,000 items on sale at up to 70% off! The sale will go from now through September 3rd. Here are the details hot off the press from Brian Boyd’s email that he sent to Affiliates (BTW, if you aren’t opt in to Brian’s emails through AvantLink do so. He does a great job of communicating sales and promos that will help you earn more through the Backcountry Affiliate program):

Dear Affiliates,

The Summer ‘07 Semi Annual Sale at Backcountry.com has arrived! We have over 12,000 items on sale at up to 70% off. Expect HUGE savings from brands like The North Face, Burton, Arc’teryx,Patagonia and more. Make sure to place Backcountry.com creative in the high traffic areas of your website, you can be assured conversions will skyrocket. Hurry the sale only lasts for two weeks; 8/20 to 9/3. This is our largest sale of the year so please take advantage of the opportunity.

We’ve tagged all text links to be added to the Dynamic Coupon Feed. If you haven’t subscribed to this feed, banners and text links have been added to the AvantLink interface.

This is our largest sale of the year so please take advantage of the opportunity.

Sincerely,
Brian Boyd
Affiliate Coordinator
bboyd[at]backcountry.com
801-746-7580 x 5194

Brian posted the sale details to ABestWeb as well. Three of the sites are participating in this HUGE sale. Sites and landing pages for sale listed below:

Backcountry.com
http://www.backcountry.com/store/dc/476/summer07_SAS.html

Dogfunk.com
http://www.dogfunk.com/dogfunk/dc/478/summer07_insane_sale.html

Tramdock.com
http://www.tramdock.com/tramdock/dc/473/summer07_ski_extravaganza.html

Let us know if you have any questions, or contact Brian directly. He’s very responsive!

Gary & AvantLink

There is a lot of talk about “Branded Links” recently. Also known as direct links, these are Affiliate tracking links that do not go through an Affiliate network’s tracking servers and redirects. Rather, the link is direct to the merchant utilizing added parameters to track and credit the sale accordingly. Here is an example of a branded or direct link URL:

http://www.merchantname.com/?network=1611_cl_0_trac

It’s interesting how many merchants are starting to ask the question “Do you offer direct Affiliate links?” as one of the first orders of business when we begin talking about a possible partnership. The answer I give is no we don’t offer branded links, and if we did, it would be the Affiliate’s choice on whether they used them or not. I then go on to explain exactly why we don’t and why that’s not a good idea. In nutshell, building link popularity and pagerank is not the job of the Affiliate. Nor should it be. The Affiliate’s job is to send the merchant their qualified customers. There are many other techniques a merchant can use to build their backlink count.

Most merchants new to the game have an open ear so once I explain everything they look at the whole picture and start to think more reasonably about the Affiliate/merchant relationship. They have to figure out what they want. Do they want inbound links, or do they want sales volume from many highly productive and savvy online marketers.

There is quite a bit of discussion these days on this issue, as the big 3 networks, as they’re known, are all offering branded links. Here is a lively discussion at ABestWeb about just this:

• Branded Links Now On All 3 Major Networks

Similarly, we’ve started to see cases in which the network and merchant have cut the Affiliate out altogether! Downtown Ecommerce Partners, an interactive services firm specializing in ecommerce consultancy, recently posted a great blog article about this. In many ways, it’s similar to networks using the selling point of Affiliate branded links to attract merchant business. They have it all wrong, though. Merchants go where the Affiliates are, not the other way around! Interested parties (Affiliates, namely) should have a look at this write up. Here is a quote:

The negative impact to our business is not the point. What is more relevant to the Affiliate Marketing Industry is the dynamic of the traditionally three way relationship. This dynamic is changing and Affiliates and Merchants will have to choose their partners wisely. The former “three-way” pie is rapidly consolidating to just two hands - the Affiliate Network (soon to be renamed as simple a “Network”) and the Merchant.

Read the full article: Affiliates Beware - You may be next

Let us know what you think..

Gary & AvantLink

This is an excellent opportunity for high conversion and payout from the Backcountry.com Affiliate program! From now through August 19th Backcountry, BackcountryOutlet and Dogfunk are running their summer Ski and Snowboard Clearance sale. Incredible deals on all of last years top brand name snow gear with discounts of up to 70%. Brands including Burton, The North Face, Salomon and Volcom are featured. These are high converting brands from a high converting merchant.

Brian Boyd has updated banners, text ads and the coupon feed to feature this promotion so have a look. He’s also posted to ABW about this sale, and sent out emails to his opt in list of Affiliates. (Note: If you’re not opt in to receive Backcountry’s Affiliate emails in AvantLink considering doing so. Between their four sites, Brian has high converting sales and promos to bring to your attention on a regular basis. You don’t want to miss these Backcountry promotions!)

There are landing pages for each of these clearance sales. The creative in AvantLink will land your customers on the respective sale landing pages, or you can use the Custom Link Builder to create your own site or PPC ads.

Ski & Snowboard Clearance from Backcountry.com - Landing Page:
www.backcountry.com/store/dc/465/ski_snowboard_clearance.html

Ski & Snowboard Clearance from BackcountryOutlet.com - Landing Page:
www.backcountryoutlet.com/outlet/dc/467/ski_snowboard_clearance.html

Snowboard Clearance from Dogfunk.com - Landing Page:
www.backcountryoutlet.com/outlet/dc/467/ski_snowboard_clearance.html

If you have questions feel free to contact Brian Boyd from Backcountry.com directly, bboyd[at]backcountry.com

Just a quick note to let merchants know that we’ve added ad campaign filter options to the management interface. These filter options include ‘Active Ad Campaigns’,  ‘Expired Ad Campaigns’, and  ‘Ads expiring within 7 days’. This new filter gives program managers quick and easy visibility into campaigns currently available for Affiliates to review and access, which campaigns are expired (and not accessible or seen by Affiliates), and what campaigns are soon to expire and thus be hidden from Affiliate view.

Merchants/Program Managers…You can’t miss the Ad Filter Options. Have a look at this new feature by following these steps:

1. Login and click on ‘Tools’ from the main menu
2. Click on ‘Add/Edit Ad Campaigns’
3. On the ‘Your Current Ad Campaigns’ page your see Ad Filter Options

Let us know what you think or if you have any questions.

Gary & AvantLink

Three Affiliates have the opportunity to make $500 each this month with the GourmetStation Affiliate program (10% payout on all sales referred). Not too shabby! That $500 bonus justifies some PPC spending with a merchant that converts like GourmetStation (Gourmet Food Gifts)…3% plus on all traffic!

Here are the specifics of this bonus opportunity:

Be one of the first three GourmetStation Affiliates that reach $4000 in gross sales in August 2007 and you will get a $500 bonus!

More info at the AM Navigator category on ABestWeb:

GourmetStation - Three $500.00 GBs Bonuses for Jul-Aug

As always drop me a line if you have any questions.

Gary & AvantLink