I hear a lot of affiliates ask this question, wondering why their applications to some affiliate programs are declined. As an affiliate manager, there’s a lot of reasons why I might decline an application. I’m a very responsive affiliate manager, and will always answer this question when asked, however I know there are many managers out there that are, shall we say, less than stellar in the communications department. In an effort to bridge this gap, here are some things affiliates should consider when their applications are declined.

Are my website URLs correct?
I’ve seen instances where affiliates have misspelled their domain names accidentally, added an extra http://, left off the extension (.com? .net?). Many affiliate managers are, of course, savvy enough to just omit the extra http:// or try adding the .com to see if a website comes up, but I know some are not so diligent, so it’s best that you make checking your websites as easy as possible for the affiliate manager.

Have I been declined a lot?
There may be a bigger issue at hand, like your website’s hosting company being down or your pages not loading correctly. If you’re experiencing a lot of declined applications, you should check to ensure that all your sites are up and running and displaying properly. Try viewing your website in different browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc) to see if something isn’t loading correctly. Some affiliate programs are very sensitive to the content and look of a site where their advertisements will potentially be seen.

Do I have any unprofessional or questionable content on my website?
Some brands are much more sensitive when it comes to the content on a website where their ad will appear. For example, the Apple Store has very strict guidelines relating to website content and where you can and cannot place the banner advertisements for the Apple Store. Larger brands tend to have more guidelines regarding their advertising, and may choose to decline you if your websites do not convey a likewise professional image that is on par with the brand. You can consider changing your website, removing the possibly unprofessional content, or finding an alternative merchant with more lenient standards on the website content.

Are all my websites listed in my profile?
Of course, some networks like Linkshare and Google Affiliate Network give you a separate profile to apply per website, so this isn’t necessarily a blanket issue. But in other networks, this may be a detriment not to list all your sites. Often affiliate managers are checking the affiliate’s websites and looking for a good niche or category fit. If you’re applying for a sports gear affiliate program and only have your knitting website listed, the affiliate manager may not see a good fit and choose to decline you. Having all your websites listed shows the affiliate manager that you work in different verticals and they can see more potential for appropriate promotions. Personally, I don’t know why an affiliate would ever not list a website unless it was less than ethical, but please comment if you have a good reason for not listing all websites.

I’m sure there are hundreds of other individual reasons why you might be declined. Some affiliate managers really check content for a good niche fit, while others allow multiple categories in. It all ultimately depends on the merchant and if their product would appeal to a wider audience or a more narrow audience of customer. Always attempt to reach out to the affiliate manager if you’ve been declined for a program you really want to promote. Most of the time you should receive some kind of response, either explaining why you were declined or giving you a chance to promote the program.

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

As forewarned, the “affiliate nexus” language has been added to the state’s budget in an effort to generate more revenue for California.  So, we need support again!  LinkShare sent out a letter to all affiliates on behalf of the PMA, and Commission Junction sent out one of their own.  In part, the PMA email read:

You may remember the grass-roots campaign we waged in April, to defeat an anti-affiliate tax bill that would have a detrimental effect on affiliate programs. Even though we defeated that bill, it has been revived, in a desperate hope to help California’s budget crisis. The bill was originally defeated thanks to the affiliate community in California, who was responsible for convincing the sponsoring committee that this bill was a bad idea. Now it is time to repeat that stellar effort, because we have a few more people to convince.

So we need your assistance again!  Below is a list of important California officials that need to hear from you that this is a BAD idea!  Also below is the copy you can feel free to paste into the email you send to them!  Some folks are going back to Sacramento today to do what they can, and unfortunately I won’t be able to join them this time.  So I sent emails.  I checked these against the website and they all seem accurate even though several of mine bounced back, so I’m also including a link to their website’s contact form.  Note, however, that some won’t accept correspondence from an address outside their district, which I think is complete fail of the system, but that’s just me.

• Senator Lois Wolk – Senator.Wolk@senate.ca.gov – Contact Form
• Senator Darrell Steinberg – senator.steinberg@sen.ca.gov – Contact Form
• Senator Elaine Alquist – senator.alquist@sen.ca.gov – Contact Form
• Senator Roderick Wright – Senator.Wright@senate.ca.gov – Contact Form
• Senator Ronald Calderon – senator.calderon@sen.ca.gov – Contact Form
• Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod – senator.mcleod@sen.ca.gov – Contact Form
• Senator Lou Correa – senator.correa@sen.ca.gov – Contact Form
• Senator Denise Ducheny – Senator.Ducheny@senate.ca.gov – Contact Form
• Jennifer Kent (Gov. Schwarzenegger’s tax adviser; please address as “Ms. Kent”) – Jennifer.Kent@gov.ca.gov

Here is the email copy you can paste into the email.  Remember to edit the parts I’ve italicized in red below.  Commission Junction’s template can be found here.

Subject: OPPOSITION to Sales/Use Tax Nexus Bill (AB 178 Skinner)

Dear Senator [Insert Last Name]

I am a small business owner with a website, and I am in strong opposition to Sales/Use Tax Nexus Bill (AB 178 Skinner), which would require retailers that receive referrals from advertising on websites, such as mine, to collect sales tax in California.

I am opposed to this bill because it would substantially harm my small business by reducing a large source of revenue that I depend on to survive. This revenue results from providing advertising on my website on behalf of out-of-state retailers. [Describe briefly how your business model is set-up and what you contribute to the local economy.]

If retailers believe that doing business with me will result in their having to collect sales tax on all California sales, they likely will sever ties with my business, putting the viability of my business at risk. Such was the case in New York State where Overstock dismantled its affiliates program and hundreds of other business followed Overstock’s example. This left thousands of small and medium-sized affiliate businesses with a 50% loss of income.

Unfortunately, this bill is futile. If enacted, retailers will drop me as a partner, California won’t collect sales tax as a result – and my business will be devastated in the process.

For these reasons, I respectfully oppose this legislation.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Please be sure to spread the word to your fellow affiliates potentially affected by this bill!

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

Yesterday I had the privilege of accompanying 9 of my fellow affiliate marketers to the California State Capitol building in Sacramento to help lobby legislators against the passage of California Assembly Bill 178.

I have to say on a personal level, this was my first trip to the Capitol, and the most involved I’ve ever gotten with politics in general.  It was a pleasant experience overall.  And yes, I got a little “star struck” for lack of a better term walking by Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office.  I had to fight the urge to knock on the door and demand court!

Back to business.  10 of us were able to make it up, some coming from Southern California.  We had appointments set for almost all day, so we split into two groups so we wouldn’t run the risk of running late or overcrowding offices.  Our group had a few lack luster meetings with staff that really didn’t understand what we were talking about or weren’t really familiar enough with the bill to care yet.  But we also had some good meetings with other staff members who were incredibly receptive to our message and offered us a lot of advice regarding how to go about the lobbying that we’re doing.  Some even went so far as to call other offices we didn’t already have appointments with and help to make us appointments.

It was equal parts optimistic and pessimistic.  While it looks like it’s going to be incredibly difficult to outright kill the bill because of the eagerness of the state to collect any income possible.  Focusing on the message that it’s best to keep the bill as broad as possible in the definition keeps it as fair as possible.  In a perfect situation the Streamlined Sales Tax Project to require the collection of sales tax across every state would make the playing field as fair as possible, but that’s already been in the works for almost a decade and doesn’t look promising to be enacted any time soon.  So in the meantime, we do what we can.

You can still do what you can.  Now that we’ve taken meetings at the capitol, feel free next week to take meetings in your district in California.  The members will be on vacation and potentially available at their district offices.  Staff will not be on vacation and will still be in Sacramento working, so if you weren’t able to join us under such short notice, feel free to schedule your own appointments and talk to the Assembly Members on the committee for Revenue and Taxation.  The meetings were generally short, 15-20 minutes of a staff members’ time.  We were able to leave behind the letter that Linkshare wrote in opposition along with the opposition letter from the Performance Marketing Alliance, co-signed by over 300 affiliates.

If you’d like copies of these documents for your own leave behinds materials and have the intention of taking a meeting either in the district offices or in Sacramento, please leave a comment and I’ll see  how we can get those materials to you.  Here’s information on the committee members to reach out to.  If you live in their district, all the better (they prefer to hear from constituents whenever possible).

• The Committee for Revenue and Taxation: (916) 319-2098

• Charles M. Calderon (Chair) – Dem. 58th District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0058, Phone (916) 319-2058
  • District Office: 13181 N. Crossroads Pkwy, Suite 160, City of Industry, CA 91746, Phone (562) 692-5858
• Chuck DeVore (Vice Chair) – Rep. 70th District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol Room #4102, Sacramento, CA 95814, Phone (916) 319-2070
  • District Office: 3 Park Plaza, Suite 275, Irvine, CA 92614, Phone (949) 863-7070
• Jim Beall, Jr. – Dem. 24th District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0024, Phone (916) 319-2024
  • District Office: 100 Paseo De San Antonio, Suite 300, San Jose, CA 95113, Phone (408) 282-8920
• Joe Coto – Dem. 23rd District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0023, Phone (916) 319-2023
  • District Office: 100 Paseo De San Antonio, Suite 319, San Jose, CA 95113, Phone (408) 277-1220
• Diane L. Harkey – Rep. 73rd District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol Room #4177, Sacramento, CA 95814, Phone (916) 319-2073
  • District Office #1: 29122 Rancho Viejo Rd., Suite 111, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675, Phone (949) 347-7301
  • District Office #2: 300 N. Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054, Phone (760) 757-8084
• Fiona Ma – Dem. 12th District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0012, Phone (916) 319-2012
  • District Office: 455 Golden Gate Ave., Suite 14600, San Francisco, CA  94102, Phone (415) 557-2312
• Jim Nielsen – Rep. 2nd District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol Room #6031, Sacramento, CA 95814, Phone (916) 319-2002
  • District Office #1: 280 Hemsted Dr., Suite 110, Redding, CA 96002, Phone (530) 223-6300
  • District Office #2: 1527 Starr Dr., Suite U, Yuba City, CA 95993, Phone (530) 751-8351
• Anthony J. Portantino – Dem. 44th District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0044, Phone (916) 319-2044
  • District Office: 215 N. Marengo Ave, Suite 115, Pasadena, CA 91101, Phone (626) 577-9944
• Lori Saldaña – Dem. 76th District
  • Sacramento Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0076, Phone (916) 319 – 2076
  • District Office: 1557 Columbia St., San Diego, CA 92101, Phone (619) 645-3090

 Powered by Max Banner Ads