Affiliate Marketing

Commission Junction Now Listing States

Posted on Jul 25, 2008 in Affiliate Marketing |

Just noticed this in my CJ account today…they’re now telling us merchants what state the publisher is in.

CJ State

I think this will be beneficial, but also it could be unduly prejudicial with the states looking at similar laws to New York with taxes.  Thoughts?

Read More

Online Marketing Glossary: Client

Posted on Jul 25, 2008 in Affiliate Marketing |

Client:

  • A software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a server software program on another computer.  Each client program is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of server programs and each server requires a specific kind of client.

glossary bookOkay, in plain English for those that are not uber geeks, a client is an external program that is powered and contacts the internet.  Some examples: Twhirl is a client for TwitterTrillian is a client for multiple instant messenger services like AIM, Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger), and Yahoo! Messenger.  Ya dig?

____
Glossary Definition From
ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine

Read More

Online Marketing Glossary: Search Engine Marketing

Posted on Jul 24, 2008 in Affiliate Marketing |

Search Engine Marketing (SEM):

  • Tactics that seek to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results.  SEM methods include SEO, paid placement and paid inclusion.  It includes the practice of buying paid search listings with the goal of obtaining netter free search listings.

glossary bookTraffic to your website is the name of the game.  SEM is primarily used to drive traffic; from there it’s the marketing and web designer’s job to convert that traffic.  While there are many firms that focus on just SEM, many website companies also employ in-house teams to work on SEM.  Often times, an in-house employee will be the best at SEM because not only do they know the useful tactics, but they know the product or service background enough to delicately utilize the right tactics effectively.

____
Glossary Definition From
ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine

Read More

Online Marketing Glossary: Shopping Cart

Posted on Jul 23, 2008 in Affiliate Marketing |

Shopping Cart:

  • The term for software that is used to make a site’s product catalog available for online ordering, whereby visitors may select, view, add, delete and purchase merchandise.

glossary bookWe’re all pretty savvy people reading this, so I’m certain that you know (at least in vague terms) what a shopping cart is.  Many larger online retailers build their own software for this process, while smaller affiliates and other retail operations often rely on third-party applications to power their stores. Without the shopping cart, e-commerce would be a major hassle and would never have risen to the prevalence it has now.

As an example one of my most frequented online stores, Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, still uses Yahoo! Shopping to power their cart.  As retail is just a small arm of the View Askew operation, they have relied on this solution to get them through the bare bones online shopping experience.

____
Glossary Definition From
ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine

Read More

Online Marketing Glossary: Listing

Posted on Jul 22, 2008 in Affiliate Marketing |

Listing:

  • The information that appears on a search engine’s results page in response to a search.

This is basically just the ad unit if it’s a sponsored link or the relevant portion of the website for organic links.  Much weight is put on the position of the listing since most users click on the organic listings Non sponsored) first.  As well, most needs are met within the first 3-5 links, making any listing position lower than that significantly less effective.  Highlighted in the image below is an example of a listing.

listing example

____
Glossary Definition From ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine

Read More

Online Marketing Glossary: Parasite

Posted on Jul 21, 2008 in Affiliate Marketing |

Parasite:

  • Software that works on a person’s computer, typically without their knowledge or consent and without a visible interface.  It can include software that’s installed along with another application.

glossary bookParasites are pretty universally looked down upon amongst white-hat, legit affiliate marketers.  Recently there was a class-action lawsuit against Commission Junction for allowing affiliates using parasitic software to continue earning commissions, so this is serious business.  More specific types of software that tend to fall under this category are malware, spyware, and adware.

Whenever you’re installing a program you’ve downloaded from the internet, always pay attention and look into the Custom Installation options to see what unnecessary features or secondary programs might be automatically installed onto your computer.    I also periodically take a look at my list of installed programs through my Control Panel to make sure nothing that I don’t recognize got past me.  For Mac users check the /Applications/ folder.

____
Glossary Definition From
ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine

Read More