The past week or two, has seen a lot of affiliates being messed around by networks and merchants with suspensions and partnership deals ending left, right and centre.
A bit of fuss has been stirred up following one instance where one merchant appears to have sent a blanket email culling most affiliates even without the network’s knowledge – more can be read on Jasons blog.
So to help networks & merchants better understand why affiliates get hacked off, this is how it works for me personally, and a lot of other small affiliates;
We trawl through 100′s of emails every day and spot a new programme announcement on a network we’d like to promote in the future. Maybe not right now but in a month or so.
Every now and then, we affiliates receive an email from merchants that are currently;
reviewing their programme
entering an efficiency drive
addressing market changes
Whatever way you look at it, the above phrases are nothing other than meaning an AFFILIATE CULL.
I’ve never understood a cull for generic purposes, and the latest to join the ever increasing drives for xxxx, is SeaSalt on Affiliate Window. In their email to affiliates, they openly call their actions a cull (transparency at its best);
This review will result in a Cull of numbers to produce a more efficient programme
More often than not, the excuse given by a merchant is because the affiliate hasn’t made X sales in X months. Joules, another Affiliate Window merchant, did this to a number of affiliates back in November, myself included. Sadly their email informing me that they had removed me from their programme, was the very first time Joules (or their agency/account manager) had actually made contact with me in relation to the Joules programme.
I expect merchants, networks and agencies to jump on the defensive band wagon and try to justify their reasons. However I really don’t understand, and never have done in the 10 years I’ve been involved in affiliate marketing, the reasons for an affiliate cull. There must be some logic behind the decision?
Merchants don’t pay networks or agencies based upon the number of affiliates that subscribe to their programme, and if an affiliate has a website that is prime, then where is the problem? They’re getting free brand advertising!
There are legitamte reasons why some merchants don’t want to be seen on particular sites. Maybe a Childrens Toy Merchant may not want to appear on a lingerie website, or a well know brand may choose not to be seen on a discount code website. But why would you remove a merchant just because of low sales (as appears to be the case both Joules and SeaSalt.
When there is no cost associated with having a poor performing affiliate on the books, why would you remove them and wouldn’t you be better to engage with the affiliates before you upset them? I sincerely hope SeaSalt don’t follow in Joules footsteps and see sense.
Let’s presume you want to grab the attention and reward your hard working affiliates, yet at the same time, have them sell more of your goods or services.
Better still, how about motivating not only your top affiliates, but also the old, dormant affiliates – the ones who could suddenly turn out to be the NEXT BIG THING! How are YOU going to do it Mr Merchant?
The way you communicate your incentive, has to stand out from the 10′s of others we, as affiliates, receive on a daily basis. Be realistic as to who will be tempted by your incentive and who you are hoping to target in the first place.
A 2% increase in commissions is unlikely to tempt new or dormant affiliates, yet may gain extra exposure with existing, well performing ones.
In the past we’ve seen some merchants taking the decision to cull dormant affiliates when, in my opinion, opening up communication channels would have been mutually beneficial. I’m not suggesting every merchant should need to offer extravagant prizes or incentives, but a small cost (in money or time) could reap huge rewards.
One that recently caught my eye is being offered by DFDS Seaways. To promote their latest incentive, they aren’t relying on the usual email from a network, or a tweet or post on the A4U Forums grabbing my attention. They’ve actually gone and produced a video!
We also have the usual suspects who continually lead the way, ones that other merchants could learn a great deal from – and its not all about giving stuff away!
Prezzybox regularly offer great incentives and are this year planning on offering a “holiday or two” for their Christmas incentive and are open to other suggestions! As usual, they’re a step ahead most by already offering affiliates with the tools and seasonal support need for planning a Christmas site.
BuyAGift kick of their Q4 incentive that lasts for 3 months, meaning all affiliates have an opportunity of obtaining entry into the prize draw. With a possible jet set weekend to Monaco up for the offering, this is one most will want to win!
SunShine have in the past taken affiliates away to Barbados as part of Affiliate Futures annual networking event.
Red Letter Days have kicked off their Christmas Campaign, set to run for 3 months, with rewards for all affiliates at different tiers. Any affiliate that reaches a particular level is guaranteed a reward!
With such cracking incentives and rewards being offered already, it’ll be interesting to see what comes along in the next few weeks in order to tempt affiliates to promote one merchant over another. At this time of year, I’m greatful I’m an affiliate and not a merchant!
OK, so Christmas is once again fast approaching, and most affiliates who have planned correctly, have most things in place for their Christmas websites. Once again, this year I will be offering merchants the chance of taking up tenancy on pages of my Top Christmas Gifts website.
Last year, I offered the sponsorship opportunities in November and all space were snapped up extremely quickly. This year, in line with better planning, I’ve decided to open the opportunity as early as possible meaning everything can be in place before the visitors start arriving in the 1000′s.
I’ve put together an overview document that should help explain and answer all your questions such as pricing, what’s on offer, last years statistics etc. I am in the process of passing this information around networks, and already am in discussions with a number of merchants wanting to reserve places. Please note it is offered purely on a first come first served basis.
The PDF Document is password protected, so if you’re a merchant or network that wants access;
At the weekend, while out at the Trafford Centre, I found myself in Thorntons although I am not quite sure how it happened.
Anyway, whilst looking around I noticed Thorntons have only gone and taken taken two of the most individually beautiful tasting products and lashed them together in a pan thinking it would be a good idea. Chocolate and Balsamic Vinegar! What on earth were they thinking?
Some people know that after experiencing Willies (not the male variety!) I’ve got a tad snobby when it comes to Chocolate. I’m no longer a fan of the standard milk chocolate bar as I find it doesn’t actually have any taste. It’s just sweet, smooth, fatty textured brown stuff and it’s unhealthy! Don’t get me wrong, I will still eat it if it’s being offered!
Good, dark chocolate with a high Cocoa count however, not only taste lovely, but has been scientifically proven to be good for helping burn fat while exercising. Therefore my training regime for the Sheffield 10k (in aid of Diabetes… now there’s a contradiction!) will see me gain 3 stone in weight whilst I try out the many different slabs of Chocolate available from Thorntons. At the same time, my being able to run at a faster pace for the same feelings of effort as running at slower speeds without the chocolate drink. Makes sense to me!
So back to Thorntons and their Balsamic Vinegar Chocolate. Believe it or not, it’s actually extremely nice. The 75% high cocoa content gives you the slightly bitter taste that’s found with proper chocolate. This is quickly followed and overcome by the sweet tang of the balsamic vinegar that lingers a little longer. For me personally, I think maybe just a hint more vinegar would make it even better.
The box says “Best Before March 2010“……….. Yeah right! Next is their Chilli version I think!
Definitely worth giving a try if you’re already a dark chocolate fan and they’re on the Buy.At network as a merchant too!
Merchants, Networks 
5 Comments 
The past week or two, has seen a lot of affiliates being messed around by networks and merchants with suspensions and partnership deals ending left, right and centre.
So back to Thorntons and their Balsamic Vinegar Chocolate. Believe it or not, it’s actually extremely nice. The 75% high cocoa content gives you the slightly bitter taste that’s found with proper chocolate. This is quickly followed and overcome by the sweet tang of the balsamic vinegar that lingers a little longer. For me personally, I think maybe just a hint more vinegar would make it even better.