Tag Archive for "Network"
We started an account at Twitter about a year ago. All we did at first was syndicate our blog headlines using their API, and we were getting some followers here and there. I think we were in the first wave of Affiliate networks to use the service.
In February of this year we added a few social networking icons to our site, under the login form on the homepage. Since, we’ve seen the Twitter account grow steadily and I’ve been trying to engage everyone there on a more personal level. I’m getting better at it, so come on over and FOLLOW AvantLink 
-Gary M
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AvantLink Newsletter March 30, 2009 Vol 1, Issue 2 |
Affiliate Newsletter
Our Affiliate newsletters feature technology news, promotional opportunities, new merchants, industry insight and more.
Anyone interested in being featured on our Affiliate network blog? If you have something good to say about your experience with AvantLink, send us your Testimonial and we’ll consider publishing it with links of your choice.
Table of Contents:
1. Rock/Creek Offers Daily Deal Widget
2. Product Ad Widget Public BETA
3. Attention Bloggers & Forum Owners
4. Affiliate Tax Laws
5. Welcome New Merchants
Rock/Creek Offers Daily Deal Widget
Rock Creek Outfitters, one of the first merchants to launch in our Outdoor/Recreation category, is now offering dynamic campaigns via our Deal of the Day tool! Note that all products featured in the Rockcreek Affiliate program daily deal qualify with a minimum 30% off retail prices.
Remember you can promote RSS subscriptions (with your tracking links embedded) to daily deal feeds, as well as the daily deal itself.
Product Ad Widget Public BETA
We are pleased to announce the Product Ad Widget BETA. This is the next generation of our Product Display Builder tool. It has a completely redesigned configuration interface that makes use of the Yahoo User Interface (YUI) JavaScript library.
The Product Ad Widget has three widget display options.
- Product Display – This is the default html widget that can be integrated using JavaScript or using the server side language of your choice.
- Content Match Ad Widget – This widget provides the same options as above, but products are returned based on a keyword analysis of the content on the calling website page.
- Flash Widget – This is a carousel type flash widget that also has an integrated product search option.
Product Comparison Widget Screencast (see blog post)
Attention Bloggers & Forum Owners
Bloggers and forum owners should pay special attention to the Affiliate Link Encoder (ALE), but any Affiliate marketer can benefit from this innovative tool we rolled out in October of 2007. In a nutshell, the ALE allows webmasters to place one line of Javascript on any page and/or site-wide template, and if a direct link (without Affiliate tracking data) to an AvantLink merchant exists on the page, the script will automatically convert the direct link to a tracking link on the end user’s browser. The script scans the page for domain matches, than does it’s thing. (Also, read about the ALE v2.0…)
Affiliate Tax Laws
If you are not already aware, various states are proposing new tax laws that could have a direct impact on your business, and livelihood. The “Amazon Tax” is already law in New York, California and Connecticut are not far behind, and several other states have proposed the same type of legislation.
We encourage all Affiliates to organize a concentrated opposition by contacting your state representatives. By enacting this type of legislation it is likely that individual states would see an adverse impact that far out weighs the benefits of the increased taxation. For more information on the various tax laws, sample opposition letters, fact sheets and more, visit AffiliateTaxLaw.com, powered by ABestWeb.
Welcome New Merchants
Latest merchants to open their Affiliate programs on the AvantLink network (March 2009). Click here to browse all merchants.
- TopSleepingBags.com (Outdoor/Recreation), 10%-12% commission
- MaknTracks.com (Pet Supplies), 5% commission
- Overstock Jeweler (Jewelry), 12% commission
- Laguna Tools (Tools), 4% commission
- Grim Reapers (Costumes), 10% commission
- InTheHoleGolf.com (Sports), 8% commission
- TetonVillageSports.com (Outdoor/Recreation), 7% commission
| © COPYRIGHT 2009 Avant Marketing Group. |
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AvantLink Newsletter January 15, 2009 Vol 1, Issue 1 |
Affiliate Newsletter
Introducing the first AvantLink Affiliate Newsletter. In our newsletters we will feature technology news, promotional opportunities, new merchants, industry insight and much more.
Anyone interested in being featured on our Affiliate network blog? If you have something good to say about your experience on our platform, send us your Affiliate Testimonial and we’ll consider publishing it with links of your choice. Email your AvantLink contact or use the site form to find out more.
Affiliates, this newsletter will be distributed bi-monthly, and we’ll also send out a periodic email featuring compelling merchant promos for the high-profile shopping days. You can manage your contact settings by clicking on “Account” from the main menu, then “Contact/Payment Information”.
Table of Contents:
1. AvantLink Screencast Series
2. Flash Ads for Affiliates
3. Best Practices: Link Building for Datafeeds
4. Affiliate Tools: Affiliate Link Encoder
5. Welcome our New Merchants
In late 2008 we produced a series of screencast tutorials for Affiliates and merchants. We have already covered a lot of important topics, and there are more to come. You’ll find that each screencast tutorial/how-to has a permalink in the Tutorials category of our Affiliate network blog.
Below is a list of the version one Affiliate and merchant screencasts from AvantLink. These screencasts will also be accessible via our YouTube account.
| Affiliate Screencasts | Merchant Screencasts |
Get your Flash Ads here! Did you know that there are several merchants now offering Flash Ads in AvantLink? Flash is one of five pre-configured ad types merchants can offer you through our platform. Other advertising types include banners, text, html and video ads.
Merchants can now easily integrate Flash banner ads into their ad list by simply uploading a compatible .swf file (1MB size limit)*, which we’ll store and serve to Affiliates through one line of Javascript. Affiliates can then embed flash ads by pasting this Javascript on their site pages or blogs.
Rich media such as Flash has been measured as a more effective ad type, converting at higher rates than static or animated banner campaigns.
Best Practices: Link Building for Datafeeds
It’s getting easier and easier to add product catalogs to your site(s) using any number of different tools and scripts. In fact, we have some of the most robust Affiliate tools right here at AvantLink. But remember more datafeeds does not necessarily mean more sales. Adding the feeds is the easy part.
Below find tips on how you can help product pages get good search engine placements, and some of the best converting Affiliate traffic on the web. This article assumes the use of our Web Service Datafeed Client, but the link building techniques can be used with any Affiliate datafeed.
The most successful Affiliate sites have authority, and good standing in the search engines. A vast organic presence on the SEs takes hard work, dedication, perseverance and original/useful content that naturally gains links over time. But you already know all this, so now the question might become: How would I pass that authority on to my product level datafeed pages?
There are a number of ways you can help the crawlers get to and index these pages, but let me first mention that each Datafeed Client subscription you configure allows you to target that feed to specific categories, product groups or even brands. So consider this when working out your strategy. For example there is no real need to publish the entire Backcountry.com datafeed on your ski related site, when you can just utilize their Ski category.
Affiliate Tool: Affiliate Link Encoder
In October of 2007 we rolled out the Affiliate Link Encoder (ALE). This is an innovative tool and concept that converts direct-to-merchant links to Affiliate tracking links. The ALE conversion takes place on the end user’s browser, and does not change the html source code of the web document. v2.0 of the ALE was released in November 2008, adding a new layer of technology that matches and converts keywords in addition to URLs.
If you’re a blogger or forum owner, you can add one line of javascript to a page or site template and instantly convert all direct-to-merchant links (or even keywords, now with the ALE v2.0!) to Affiliate tracking links. This will track any transaction back to you as the referral, and rightly earn you a sales commission. Of course, the merchant will have to be in the AvantLink network for the ALE to work properly.
This saves you from the need to log in to the network and generate a tracking encoded link everything you link to a product or merchant. There are other creative applications of the Affiliate Link Encoder. For more information browse the list of articles and discussions below.
- Introducing the Affiliate Link Encoder
- New Innovative Tool – Affiliate Link Encoder
- Installing the Affiliate Link Encoder on a WordPress Blog
- A must have for forum owners…
- Attn: Bloggers & Forum Owners
- Affiliate Link Encoder v2.0
- AvantLinks’ Advanced Link Encoder – One Cool Tool
Below is a list of the latest merchants to launch on AvantLink (November/December 2008). Click here to browse all merchants.
- Tahoe Mountain Sports (Outdoor/Recreation), 7%-11% commission
- Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works (Outdoor/Recreation), 8% commission
- SteepandCheap.com (Outdoor/Recreation), $5 new customer bounty
- Tramdock.com (Outdoor/Recreation), $5 new customer bounty
- Chainlove.com (Outdoor/Recreation), $5 new customer bounty
- WhiskeyMilitia.com (Outdoor/Recreation), $5 new customer bounty
- SnowboardFusion.com (Outdoor/Recreation), 8% commission
- deLa Flowers (Special Occasion), 20% commission
- Muttropolis (Pet Supplies), 7%-12% commission
- HaberVision.com (Eyewear), 10% commission
| © COPYRIGHT 2009 Avant Marketing Group. |
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AvantLink Newsletter January 2, 2009 Vol 1, Issue 1 |
Merchant Newsletter
Introducing the first AvantLink Merchant Newsletter. In our newsletters we will highlight our latest technology releases and network news.
We recently posted a comparison of our features/functionality vs. what other networks offer. If you are in more then one network we encourage you to take a look at how we stack up against our competition. If your other network(s) aren’t keeping up, email us about special incentives for going exclusive with AvantLink.
Merchants, this newsletter will be distributed quarterly. In part with each issue, we’ll solicit your targeted promos to be featured in seperate network-level distributions to our opt-in Affiliates. Including your special offers in our Promo Newsletters will help increase sales and recruit new Affiliates. More info…
Table of Contents:
1. Feature Your Valentine’s Day Promos
2. AvantLink Screencast Series
3. Value Proposition for Merchants
4. Affiliate Testimonial: Why AvantLink?
5. Affiliate Tool: Affiliate Link Encoder
Feature Your Valentine’s Day Promos
One of our new features for 2009 includes a “set” of newsletter distributions that are scheduled to go out to both Affiliates and merchants. These newsletters will include a bi-monthly publication for Affiliates, a quarterly publication for merchants (this being the first) and several promo-specific newsletters centered around the highest profile shopping days of the year.
We are now soliciting your Valentine’s Day Promos for inclusion in our first Promo Newsletter, scheduled for distribution on Monday, February 2nd. Including your Valentine’s Day promos in this newsletter is FREE, and it will help you increase sales and attract/recruit new Affiliates to your program.
If you’re interested in having your promos featured the deadline for submission is January 20th. Please email support/at/avantlink.com or any AvantLink representaive. Make sure and use “Valentine’s Day Promos” as the subject line, and include the following for each offer: Specifics of Promotion, Start-End Date
In late 2008 we produced a series of screencast tutorials for Affiliates and merchants. We have already covered a lot of important topics, and there are more to come. You’ll find that each screencast tutorial/how-to has a permalink in the Tutorials category of our Affiliate network blog.
Below is a list of the current Affiliate and merchant screencasts from AvantLink. These screencasts are also accessible via our YouTube account.
| Merchant Screencasts | Affiliate Screencasts |
Value Proposition for Merchants
In uncertain economic times merchants need to be sure their online marketing dollars are spent wisely. AvantLink runs on a true performance marketing model with no nickel/dime fees or monthly minimums. Couple this with many additional platform benefits, and it’s the best deal going for serious web retailers.
Read AvantLink’s Value Proposition for Merchants from Scott Kalbach, CEO
If you’re responsible for your company’s online marketing, chances are that you will or already have been asked to analyze where best to spend your online marketing dollars.So how can AvantLink help, and why should I invest my marketing dollars in AvantLink’s performance marketing Affiliate network?
- True performance marketing.
- Thorough network level Affiliate screening.
- Industry leading support.
- Innovation.
- Brand protection.
Affiliate Testimonial: Why AvantLink?
We often receive emails from Affiliates and merchants alike that offer support and encouragement for our efforts. We take great pride in these testimonials. If it’s agreed to in advance, we publish these testimonials on our blog. The following is quote from Dave MacLeay of Trailspace.com.
Why AvantLink? In a nutshell: they have robust, reliable tools for datafeeds and reporting, outstanding personal customer service, and a great philosophy and approach to the business. They’re more flexible and nimble than any other network I’ve worked with, and are very responsive to new ideas from both merchants and publishers. Rather than trying to enforce a top-down, network-centric relationship, they really seem to understand that their role is to facilitate, enable, and support productive relationships between merchants and affiliates.
Affiliate Tool: Affiliate Link Encoder
In October of 2007 we rolled out the Affiliate Link Encoder (ALE). This is an innovative tool and concept that converts direct-to-merchant links to Affiliate tracking links. The ALE conversion takes place on the end user’s browser, and does not change the html source code of the web document. v2.0 of the ALE was released in November 2008, adding a new layer of technology that matches and converts keywords in addition to URLs.
The simplicity of the ALE tool (pasting of one line of javascript on a web page or site template) has enabled high-powered blogs and forums to instantly monetize years worth of archived content that may include direct-to-merchant links.
There are other creative applications of the Affiliate Link Encoder. For more information browse the list of articles and discussions below.
- Introducing the Affiliate Link Encoder
- New Innovative Tool – Affiliate Link Encoder
- Installing the Affiliate Link Encoder on a WordPress Blog
- A must have for forum owners…
- Attn: Bloggers & Forum Owners
- Affiliate Link Encoder v2.0
- AvantLinks’ Advanced Link Encoder – One Cool Tool
| © COPYRIGHT 2009 Avant Marketing Group. |
Merchants, is your Affiliate network keeping up?
| AvantLink Network | Other Networks |
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Learn more about AvantLink.com by visiting our web site, or from the links below…
AvantLink Value Proposition for Merchants
AvantLink Affiliate & Merchant Testimonials
AvantLink Support Forum at ABestWeb
Just wanted to post a quick follow up to this post from March 24th (it was about our nomination in the ABestWeb “Best Of 2007″ awards). Well the polls are now closed and we finished in second place (see poll) behind ShareaSale and ahead of Commission Junction for the Best Network 2007…as ABW sees it. Not to bad when you consider the reach of of that community. 40,000 plus members who were eligible to vote.
We appreciate the continued support from all our partners in business!
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