Let’s Get Social Affiliates and Social Media Lee McCoy SocialMediaGeezer

Affiliates + Social Media = Monetizing Buzz Affiliates have been doing “Social Media” since Web 0.1 Social media is just one commission generating option that competes for your: Time Attention Money It’s All About Buzz It’s All About Buzz

Affiliates + Social Media = Monetizing Buzz

Affiliates have been doing “Social Media” since Web 0.1

Social media is just one commission generating option that competes for your:

Time

Attention

Money

Wikis Social Networks Presence Applications Video Sharing Photo Sharing Virtual Reality Events Management News Aggregation Livecasting Episodic Online Video Media Sharing Social Bookmarking Online Gaming Social Shopping Not All Social Media is Created Equal ! Wikipedia lists 15 types of Social Media sites: But where’s blogging?

Wikis

Social Networks

Presence Applications

Video Sharing

Photo Sharing

Virtual Reality

Events Management

News Aggregation

Livecasting

Episodic Online Video

Media Sharing

Social Bookmarking

Online Gaming

Social Shopping

What’s Right For You? Not all types of social media will be relevant or suitable Not all types of social media will be relevant or suitable Vidcasting Do you like the limelight? Can you justify the time? Do you have the product knowledge? News Aggregation You’ve got to monitor it Is it easy to monetise? Not easy to get enough users early on. Virtual Worlds Huge Budget Unbelievable Technical Skills Too long term a project? Podcasting Too time intensive? Suitable for product engagement? Can you be bothered? Not all types of social media will be relevant or suitable

Vidcasting

Do you like the limelight?

Can you justify the time?

Do you have the product knowledge?

News Aggregation

You’ve got to monitor it

Is it easy to monetise?

Not easy to get enough users early on.

Virtual Worlds

Huge Budget

Unbelievable Technical Skills

Too long term a project?

Podcasting

Too time intensive?

Suitable for product engagement?

Can you be bothered?

Which Are Profitable? Social Networks 106 of them (Wikipedia) The Easier Options Blogging Social Bookmarking* * Different Reason The Easier Options

Social Networks

106 of them (Wikipedia)

Blogging

Social Bookmarking*

* Different Reason

But Why Social For Affiliates? Think of all the pressures you’ve been under: But Why Social For Affiliates? Think of all the pressures you’ve been under: Merchant Squeeze: No direct PPC Brand Name restrictions Numpty merchant rules Agencies learning fast, leveraging our innovations Competitive Squeeze Many more affiliates pushing up PPC costs & building sites The bigger players are getting bigger Exclusive deals are harder to get (everyone wants them). Google’s PPC Squeeze: PPC Restrictions (1 advert per URL) Minimum Bids Landing page criteria Google’s SEO Squeeze: Gone are the 50,000 pages in a lunchtime. Need to build long term strategies Can’t do big cross-linking anymore Think of all the pressures you’ve been under:

Merchant Squeeze:

No direct PPC

Brand Name restrictions

Numpty merchant rules

Agencies learning fast, leveraging our innovations

Competitive Squeeze

Many more affiliates pushing up PPC costs & building sites

The bigger players are getting bigger

Exclusive deals are harder to get (everyone wants them).

Google’s PPC Squeeze:

PPC Restrictions (1 advert per URL)

Minimum Bids

Landing page criteria

Google’s SEO Squeeze:

Gone are the 50,000 pages in a lunchtime.

Need to build long term strategies

Can’t do big cross-linking anymore

Advantages of Social Media Proliferation of information You don’t have to be a journalist or a big staff. Use Google News Alerts, NewsNow or Technorati Ease Of Publication Anyone can blog Easy to look like an expert Anyone can start a Facebook group Anyone can use Twitter or submit their RSS feeds Rewards Are There Innovate to Success Consumers Hate Marketing They’re getting blind to adverts They’re suspicious of traditional methods Consumers Digest Social Media Tirelessly They actively seek product reviews from their peers They’re eager to tell their story Search: “City link are crap” It Offers and Alternative If you can’t risk PPC, or don’t like design try social media There are so many reasons (can’t fit them all on) Advantages of Social Media Advantages of Social Media There are so many reasons (can’t fit them all on) Advantages of Social Media Proliferation of information You don’t have to be a journalist or a big staff. Use Google News Alerts, NewsNow or Technorati Ease Of Publication Anyone can blog Easy to look like an expert Anyone can start a Facebook group Anyone can use Twitter or submit their RSS feeds Rewards Are There Innovate to Success There are so many reasons (can’t fit them all on)

Proliferation of information

You don’t have to be a journalist or a big staff.

Use Google News Alerts, NewsNow or Technorati

Ease Of Publication

Anyone can blog

Easy to look like an expert

Anyone can start a Facebook group

Anyone can use Twitter or submit their RSS feeds

Rewards Are There

Innovate to Success

Consumers Hate Marketing

They’re getting blind to adverts

They’re suspicious of traditional methods

Consumers Digest Social Media Tirelessly

They actively seek product reviews from their peers

They’re eager to tell their story

Search: “City link are crap”

It Offers and Alternative

If you can’t risk PPC, or don’t like design try social media

Proliferation of information

You don’t have to be a journalist or a big staff.

Use Google News Alerts, NewsNow or Technorati

Ease Of Publication

Anyone can blog

Easy to look like an expert

Anyone can start a Facebook group

Anyone can use Twitter or submit their RSS feeds

Rewards Are There

Innovate to Success

Be An Opinion-Former So … At The End Of The Buying Cycle So …

Let’s Look At Some Examples Blogging In Detail: Easy to set up People love buzz and opinion Easy to get links Benefit of social bookmarking Basics of SEO are there Great for niche offerings Build up a head of steam before events Blogging In Detail: Short-term Adsense / Shirt / Ticket Sales Long-term travel sales (if we qualify) My Football Site (Chuffing Ruskies)

Blogging In Detail:

Easy to set up

People love buzz and opinion

Easy to get links

Benefit of social bookmarking

Basics of SEO are there

Great for niche offerings

Build up a head of steam before events

Blogging In Detail:

Short-term Adsense / Shirt / Ticket Sales

Long-term travel sales (if we qualify)

Using Buzz / Creating News Effect of Buzz Created page about the new England Football shirt before to launch It was fake Massive links through out football forums Loads of traffic (2500 extra visits in just 1 day) Generated sales Encouraged links off forums Helped SEO My Football Site (Chuffing Ruskies) Using Buzz / Creating News Effect of Buzz Created page about the new England Football shirt before to launch It was fake Massive links through out football forums Loads of traffic (2500 extra visits in just 1 day) Generated sales Encouraged links off forums Helped SEO Using Buzz / Creating News

Effect of Buzz

Created page about the new England Football shirt before to launch

It was fake

Massive links through out football forums

Loads of traffic (2500 extra visits in just 1 day)

Generated sales

Encouraged links off forums

Helped SEO

Effect of Buzz

Created page about the new England Football shirt before to launch

It was fake

Massive links through out football forums

Loads of traffic (2500 extra visits in just 1 day)

Generated sales

Encouraged links off forums

Helped SEO

Missy Ward & Shawn Collins say: They setup WeViews.tv with video content to leverage affiliate sales because they saw it’s impact on traffic generation and interaction on their Affiliate Summit site. They say affiliates should use video content if they have an opinion Videos on YouTube and Revver get preferential treatment on Google. They get comments back Only takes an hour per review to do Missy suggests Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8 Use TubeMogul to submit your video to loads of online video seach and viewing sites DON’T JUST THINK OF YOUTUBE! Interaction & True Social Media Adding Video Content & Encouraging Responses: WeViews.tv http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAp_z8OJYMU

Missy Ward & Shawn Collins say:

They setup WeViews.tv with video content to leverage affiliate sales because they saw it’s impact on traffic generation and interaction on their Affiliate Summit site.

They say affiliates should use video content if they have an opinion

Videos on YouTube and Revver get preferential treatment on Google.

They get comments back

Only takes an hour per review to do

Missy suggests Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8

Use TubeMogul to submit your video to loads of online video seach and viewing sites

DON’T JUST THINK OF YOUTUBE!

Example: iSaved CashBack UK One of few UK affiliates giving FaceBook applications a go They saw Facebook as an opportunity to “engage web savvy people who are likely to purchase online”. Using this app as a trial and will look to create others Advise other affiliates to thoroughly research other applications before doing their own Take a look at http://adomics.com for ideas and get the Facebook API documentation Do a thorough spec for your developers By the end of Sept’ 2007 there were 5366 apps Only cost them £4k and 5 weeks Hard part is marketing it – first mover advantage Rock you has a Facebook marketing offering Incentivising the viral element with £10 deposit Leveraging FaceBook If you want to play with the big boys, try FaceBook Applications Leveraging FaceBook If you want to play with the big boys, try FaceBook Applications Example: iSaved CashBack UK One of few UK affiliates giving FaceBook applications a go They saw Facebook as an opportunity to “engage web savvy people who are likely to purchase online”. Using this app as a trial and will look to create others Advise other affiliates to thoroughly research other applications before doing their own Take a look at http://adomics.com for ideas and get the Facebook API documentation Do a thorough spec for your developers By the end of Sept’ 2007 there were 5366 apps Only cost them £4k and 5 weeks Hard part is marketing it – first mover advantage Rock you has a Facebook marketing offering Incentivising the viral element with £10 deposit Leveraging FaceBook If you want to play with the big boys, try FaceBook Applications

Example: iSaved CashBack UK

One of few UK affiliates giving FaceBook applications a go

They saw Facebook as an opportunity to “engage web savvy people who are likely to purchase online”.

Using this app as a trial and will look to create others

Advise other affiliates to thoroughly research other applications before doing their own

Take a look at http://adomics.com for ideas and get the Facebook API documentation

Do a thorough spec for your developers

By the end of Sept’ 2007 there were 5366 apps

Only cost them £4k and 5 weeks

Hard part is marketing it – first mover advantage

Rock you has a Facebook marketing offering

Incentivising the viral element with £10 deposit

Example: iSaved CashBack UK

One of few UK affiliates giving FaceBook applications a go

They saw Facebook as an opportunity to “engage web savvy people who are likely to purchase online”.

Using this app as a trial and will look to create others

Advise other affiliates to thoroughly research other applications before doing their own

Take a look at http://adomics.com for ideas and get the Facebook API documentation

Do a thorough spec for your developers

By the end of Sept’ 2007 there were 5366 apps

Only cost them £4k and 5 weeks

Hard part is marketing it – first mover advantage

Rock you has a Facebook marketing offering

Incentivising the viral element with £10 deposit

Example: Pleo Toy Appreciation Society Linked to from the blog Gives ways to buy the Pleo Has photos Others can communicate and discuss They can invite people in Quick way to get a user base Want Something Lower-Key? Facebook Groups – an easy way to obtain and keep users:

Example: Pleo Toy Appreciation Society

Linked to from the blog

Gives ways to buy the Pleo

Has photos

Others can communicate and discuss

They can invite people in

Quick way to get a user base

Example: ZiiTrend.com A Social event predicting network Used it to drive traffic to Austria-2008.co.uk How likely is it that England will qualify for the finals. You can add your own news stories Build up a niche following Think Outside The Box There are loads of other ways to promote your sites

Example: ZiiTrend.com

A Social event predicting network

Used it to drive traffic to Austria-2008.co.uk

How likely is it that England will qualify for the finals.

You can add your own news stories

Build up a niche following

A guy dominated the Google SERPS with Social Media: 8/9 out of 10 positions taken by 1 guy Used Squidoo Zanga Blip.tv Clip Marks MyblogLog Hub Pages Blue Dot Still Not Convinced? The Silver Surfer Halloween Costumes Domination http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip-eBjlEJGg

A guy dominated the Google SERPS with Social Media:

8/9 out of 10 positions taken by 1 guy

Used Squidoo

Zanga

Blip.tv

Clip Marks

MyblogLog

Hub Pages

Blue Dot

Summary Why should affiliates try social media? It can generate loads of traffic You can dominate the SERPS You can increase click rates to merchants You can increase conversion rates It’s the future of Google Algorithms Your competitors are doing it It’s fun!

It can generate loads of traffic

You can dominate the SERPS

You can increase click rates to merchants

You can increase conversion rates

It’s the future of Google Algorithms

Your competitors are doing it

It’s fun!