Introducing our newest exclusive merchant in AvantLink:

RamseyOutdoor.com

We are pleased to announce RamseyOutdoor.com, and their new exlcusive affiliate program launch with Avantlink and welcome them to our Outdoor/Recreation category.

For the past fifty years Ramsey Outdoor has been supplying the outdoor community from their three stores in northern New Jersey area as well as online for about 10 years with all the outdoor gear and apparel needed for activities like fishing, camping, hiking, climbing, hunting and more.

Their program offers 8% base commission payouts with 120 day cookie duration on more than 450 of the top brands in the industry and currently offer free ground shipping on all orders over $74. With this program you will be some of the first affiliates to promote RamseyOutdoor.com online and these guys would be a great fit for affiliates with a blog site or anything in the outdoor niche so sign up today to begin earning.

Here is a bit from their detail page:

The 2005 launch of www.RamseyOutdoor.com has created new directions for Ramsey Outdoor. Close relationships with many of the industry’s top manufacturers, including direct links from Columbia Sportswear, Carhartt, PolarMax, Simms Fishing, Patagonia, Native Eyewear, Eureka!, River2Sea, and Red Ledge, have provided a solid foundation upon which we continue to grow. An extensive drop shipping program planned for the future will expand our already diverse and comprehensive product selection.

Read the program launch announcement on ABestWeb.

Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting RamseyOutdoor.com. Contact anyone at AvantLink or email Steve Ogden, sogden/at/ramseyoutdoor.com.

Mark & AvantLink

We had an article drop in PRWeb.com today about our new Video Ad Tool we launched from Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas. Here is a segment of the press release:

Park City, UT (PRWEB) March 5, 2008 — The AvantLink Affiliate network announced recently the release of their Video Ad Tool (VAT), the first network-integrated tool of its kind available in the Affiliate space. Until now, merchants and Affiliates had to work with third party providers for video marketing solutions. This is yet another example of AvantLink’s progressive technology agenda, and commitment to providing cutting-edge marketing tools and data for Affiliate professionals. read more…

We have some exciting news coming to you live from 2008 Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas (where there was a great session we just attended this morning about the demand and effectiveness of video marketing!).

Introducing a new Ad Type on the AvantLink platform: Merchant Video Ads!

With the Video Ad Tool, merchants can now upload any video ad or product tutorial for their Affiliates using the following formats: .avi, .flv, .mov, or .mpg. Once loaded, the video ads will be available to Affiliates through the Affiliate tool center.

Affiliates, to access video ads follow these simple steps:

1. Login click ‘Tools’ from the main menu
2. Under Ad/Link Tools click on ‘Get Merchant Ads’
3. Select the merchant, then ‘Video’ on the Ad Type drop down

If the respective merchant has video ads configured, the campaign will be returned with a preview selection and the ability to get html. Video ads will be served through one line of JavaScript that should go on your web page(s) where you want the video to display.

See live Video Ad Tool examples below from the merchants who now offer this advanced campaign functionality for Affiliates:

Backcountry.com

Moosejaw.com

ToolKing.com

Here is a summary of our Video Ad Tool functionality:

• Merchants can upload their own videos (any .avi, .flv, .mov, or .mpg formats)
• The videos are then converted to Flash format and hosted on AvantLink’s servers
• Merchants can specify a banner image to be displayed prior to the video playing (or we default to their merchant logo if they don’t specify one)
• All of the standard ad attributes (title, destination URL, keywords, expiration dates, etc.) apply to Video Ads just as with any other AvantLink ad campaign
• Affiliates will be able to select a video ad and embed it into a page with a single line of JavaScript (just as they would an image ad, for example)
• While the video is playing, clicking on it will send the user to the ad destination URL and set the appropriate tracking information to give the affiliate credit for any subsequent sales
• When the video finishes it comes back to the merchant logo or banner. If/when the player is clicked at that point the end user will go to the merchant site as well

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. As always, we welcome your feed back.

This morning a press release went out on the highly visible platform PRWeb highlighting the new partnership between SophiesFavors.com and the AvantLink network to point out the opportunities their new affiliate program will give to high quality affiliates. Press releases have been proven to be an extremely successful tool for positioning new merchant affiliate programs center stage.

Combining SophiesFavors obvious commitment to their affiliates success shown by some of the best payouts in the business plus so much more and AvantLink’s available tools and services the program is positioned to do very well.

Here is a quote direct from the press release:

SophiesFavors.com, a highly popular online retailer of unique favors, gifts and party supplies, recently launched an aggressive marketing program through the Affiliate marketing technology leader AvantLink.com.

Committed to the success of their program and to the high quality affiliates already participating in their program they have asked AvantLink to set up a tiered structure to prove it. Combined with a beginning payout of 13 percent up to 18 percent as well as other enticing benefits and their consistently high conversion rates affiliates joining the program can be assured this commitment will remain strong. These are the highest percentage payouts in this market! “High Conversion Rates — Sophie’s Favors lets nothing come between you and your sale. Our website is streamlined and professional, optimized for high conversion.”

This is going to be an extremely successful program in AvantLink so keep an eye on them. If you are not yet actively promoting SophiesFavors.com at AvantLink apply now and start earning big with their high commission percentage payouts!

Read the entire PRWeb press release here: SophiesFavors.com Introduces Affiliate Marketing Program on AvantLink Platform

We rolled out the Affiliate Link Encoder tool in the network just over ten days ago. I highlighted the technology by announcing the release on ABestWeb and on this blog post from October 30th. Well so far so good with the results on this little gem! In fact I was just emailing an Affiliate this morning who runs a renown backcountry ski blog, and I was happy to report to Lou that he already referred over two dozen clicks and a sale for $859 through the Backcountry Affiliate program…in just two days! These clicks were all a direct result of the ALE script he added to his blog header template. Outstanding!

The latest news distribution surrounding the Affiliate Link Encoder happened today through PRWeb.com. You may or may not know, but we’ve been loyal for nearly two years to the PRWeb distribution (read about effective uses of Press Releases and Your Site). It’s been a consistent and powerful way for us to get the message out on our Affiliate tools, network technology and new merchant partnerships. Review the Press/News category of the blog, or the AvantLink Press Room for more info.

As far as this latest news distribution is concerned, below find a quote and link to the full article:

AvantLink Affiliate Greg Blasko, owner and operator of AlpineZone.com, explains “This tool is a must have for forum owners. We have an outdoor gear forum and members post links to merchant products all the time. Now we can get some deserved commission on sales from these links!” Additionally, bloggers with years of archives have added the ALE JavaScript and instantly hundreds of direct to merchant links on their blog archives now track and credit sales accordingly.

Read Article: AvantLink Releases Technology for Optional Direct to Merchant Affiliate Links

This morning we went live with an exclusive AvantLink merchant (OutdoorCooking.com) on a co-branded news release distribution from PRWeb. The article highlights the benefits of partnering with the OutdoorCooking Affiliate program from the Affiliate’s perspective, and it also discusses their $100 cash bonus opportunity going on right now through the month of October.

Press release and news distribution has been a huge part of our branding initiative for AvantLink since we started the company in 2005. We’ve noted that the same branding benefits can be utilized by new merchants looking to establish themselves in the space as an authority, and as a program worthwhile for Affiliates to promote. More on all this soon in an article dedicated to merchant branding strategies, though!

We’ve done several of these co-branded releases this year. Check out the Press/News category of the blog for details and links to the news articles. PRWeb.com has been our distribution partner of choice for over two years. We pay for the $200 level distribution (which allows your links using the anchor text of your choice in the article), and it’s worth every nickel. For more info see: Press Releases and Your Site

Here is the summary text and a quote from the article we released today with Outdoor Cooking:

OutdoorCooking.com, a premier online retailer for outdoor cooking equipment, recently launched a compelling performance marketing program through an exclusive arrangement with Affiliate technology leader AvantLink.com.

“We would like our current and future Affiliates to be assured that when they commit time and effort to sending us their traffic, we’re going to do everything we can to convert the referral for them,” says Craig McLaughlin from OutdoorCooking.com. “We have the premier store online for our niche, and we take pride in our site and conversion,” he adds. “We want to hear from Affiliates, so let me know what we can do to get you on board.”

Read the entire article on PRWeb: OutdoorCooking.com Introduces Affiliate Marketing Program on AvantLink Platform

This morning we distributed a news article on PRWeb.com featuring the four new Affiliate programs for Massey’s Professional Outfitters that recently launched on the AvantLink platform. These four programs all have very innovative terms which include no sale reversals on returns and 365-day cookie life! More information available on their respective programs detail pages:

• MasseysOutfitters Affiliate Program
• 800-SKI-SHOP Affiliate Program
• WeGotYourPack Affiliate Program
• TheFlipFlopper Affiliate Program

As you may or may not know, we utilize PRWeb as our news distribution channel of choice for everything from new Affiliate tools and technology announcements to features on new merchants in our network. Affiliates and merchants alike, consider adding press releases to your arsenal of traffic driving techniques. This is powerful for a variety of reasons outlined here: Press Releases and Your Site

Our latest distribution with Massey’s features the new programs in general with special emphasis on their dedication to the programs, their innovative terms and their experienced management team behind the effort. I just checked before writing this post and as of 7:25am the article had already been syndicated to over 10,000 distribution points including news portals and relevant industry sites. Not to shabby. (NOTE there are several distribution levels at PRWeb, we recommend at least the $200 level for a number of reasons - dip into that PPC budget and give it a try!).

Here is a quote from the this co-branded article:

“The Outdoor/Recreation category in Affiliate marketing has a true leader with Massey’s Outfitters,” says Gary Marcoccia, Marketing Director at AvantLink. “They understand and embrace the power of high-value Affiliate partnerships. Program terms for all four stores include a 365-day cookie life, and they do not reverse Affiliate sales on returns. For Affiliates in our network with qualified traffic, it’s a no brainer to promote these guys,” Marcoccia adds.

Read the entire article: Massey’s Professional Outfitters Opens Affiliate Program on AvantLink Platform

A lot has been happening with the Altrec Affiliate program lately. Big changes are taking place, and they are all positive developments for an already healthy program at the top of our Outdoor/Recreation category. This program has come a long way since they came on board with AvantLink a year and a half ago! We posted the new program announcement for Altrec in early Spring of 2006 at ABW, but perhaps the best news came a couple months later: Altrec is now PARASITE FREE …from that point on the program has continued to improve every month!

One thing I would also like to do is welcome Sharon Page as their new Affiliate Manager. As you may or may not know, Greg Toledo moved on to focus on his graduate work. We’ll miss him that’s for sure, but we’re excited to work with Sharon to keep things pushing ahead.

Below is a summary of the upgrades to the program that were recently announced. Oh BTW, drop in on the new Altrec Affiliate Forum at AbestWeb. We’re happy to be lined up with them on the best Affiliate marketing community online! Sharon will be sure to keep everyone informed on important announcements there. She’s off to a great start with it already.

Improvements to the Altrec.com Outdoors Affiliate Program (September 2007):

• Higher Baseline Payout - Effective October 1, 2007, Altrec will be raising the base level commission percentage for ALL AFFILIATES by 2 percent.
• Seasonal Commission Bump - Get an additional 1 percent commission from October 1st until the end of February ON TOP OF the permanent 2 percent improvement.
• Datafeed Improvements - On September 13th Altrec released a major upgrade to its AvantLink datafeed with new content and functionality focused on SEO and increasing conversion. Here are a few of these feed enhancements:
• Dynamic and static cross links of similar products
• Rotating user reviews for fresh and unique content
• Fit tip guides will help reduce return rates

Sharon and team have also communicated through this upgrade that more promotions will be moving through the channel, effective immediately. On behalf of everyone at AvantLink, nice work guys! Great job with the feed and new commission structure.

For more information, read Altrec’s recent news release on PRWeb.com. Here’s a quote from Sharon and link to the full article:

“First I would like to say how excited I am to be taking what has been a very stable and solid affiliate program and group of partners and take both it and our partners in new and exciting directions,” Page said. “Everything we do at Altrec will be highly affiliate-centric and focused on delivering market leading tools to maximize the SEO, conversion, and ultimately, sales for our partners. With that in mind, I am thrilled to announce several major upgrades to our program…”

Read entire press release at PRWeb…

Gary & AvantLink

We’re happy to bring your attention to program upgrades and a powerful Affiliate promo from The House Boardshop and their sibling store ProBoardShop.com. These Affiliate-specific specials are in place to help celebrate their 25th anniversary, and they both warrant your attention! These programs have been with AvantLink since the very early days of our network and they are compelling merchants to consider. With great payouts, performance incentives, regular coupons and promos, dedicated management from Michael Schaeffer and all the top brand names in board sports…don’t hesitate to step it up with them.

If you aren’t yet promoting these programs now is the time to start. With the upcoming 4th quarter holiday crunch, you won’t regret it.

If you’re not familiar with these programs, here are snippets respectively from The House Affiliate program and ProBoardShop Affiliate program detail pages on AvantLink:

The House carries all the major board brands in stock. Our 80,000 square foot warehouse contains hundreds of thousands of items, i.e. 38,000 boards, 36,000 pairs of boots, and much more, all ready to be shipped within 24 hours!

ProBoardShop.com is the premiere online store for serious boarders. Whether you ride on snow, pavement or water, we offer you the best brands in the business including Roxy, Rome, Nitro, Ride.

Details of the 25th Anniversary Specials for Affiliates are as follows:

• Both programs now offer a 365 day cookie life! This should get your attention as this is the only outdoor/recreation retailer online to offer a one year cookie. This is an ongoing upgrade to both programs that will not expire.
• 10% storewide coupon codes for both programs!* From 9/5 through 9/11 customers who enter coupon code “House25” or “PBS25” in the respective cart of The-House.com and ProBoardShop.com will receive an extra 10% store wide discount. This can mean up to a 70% savings on snowboard gear, apparel and skate shoes, including most 2008 products!

Mike Schaeffer and team also posted a press release to PRWeb.com highlighting these 25th Anniversary Affiliate Offers:

St. Paul, MN (PRWEB) September 2, 2007 — The-House.com and its sibling ProBoardShop.com are saying thank you to their affiliates and customers. “We are so thankful for our partnership with our many affiliates that we wanted to give a little something back for our 25th anniversary” said Michael Schaeffer, Affiliate Manager. Affiliates of The-House.com and Proboardshop.com in the Avantlink network will now be able to refer sales on a 365 day cookie- the longest cookie available to affiliates of any outdoor and sports companies. “We want our affiliates to take advantage of this deal before our busy season starts.”

Read full article…

Let us know if you have any questions or need help getting started with these two programs. Happy converting with The House and ProBoardShop.com!

* 10% discount coupon excludes 2008 Burton gear.

Gary & AvantLink