Updated: A4UExpo Social Media Presentation

Slide 1: Let’s Get Social Affiliates and Social Media Lee McCoy SocialMediaGeezer leemccoy.

Slide 2: 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 leemccoy.

Slide 3: Not All Social Media is Created Equal! Wikipedia lists 15 types of Social Media sites: • • Wikis News Aggregation • • Social Networks Livecasting • • Presence Applications Episodic Online Video • • Video Sharing Media Sharing • • Photo Sharing Social Bookmarking • • Virtual Reality Online Gaming • • Events Management Social Shopping But where’s blogging? leemccoy.

Slide 4: What’s Right For You? Not all types of social media will be relevant or suitable Virtual Worlds Vidcasting • Huge Budget • Do you like the limelight? • Unbelievable Technical Skills • Can you justify the time? • Too long term a project? • Do you have the product knowledge? Podcasting News Aggregation • Too time intensive? • You’ve got to monitor it • Suitable for product • Is it easy to monetise? engagement? • Can you be bothered? • Not easy to get enough users early on. leemccoy.

Slide 5: The Easier Options Which Are Profitable? Social Networks Blogging Social Bookmarking* 106 of them (Wikipedia) * Different Reason leemccoy.

Slide 6: But Why Social For Affiliates? Think of all the pressures you’ve been under: Google’s PPC Squeeze: Merchant Squeeze: • PPC Restrictions (1 advert per • No direct PPC URL) • Brand Name restrictions • Minimum Bids • Numpty merchant rules • Landing page criteria • Agencies learning fast, leveraging our innovations Google’s SEO Squeeze: Competitive Squeeze • Gone are the 50,000 pages in a • Many more affiliates pushing up PPC lunchtime. costs & building sites • Need to build long term strategies • The bigger players are getting bigger • Can’t do big cross-linking anymore • Exclusive deals are harder to get (everyone wants them). leemccoy.

Slide 7: Advantages of Social Media There are so many reasons (can’t fit them all on) Consumers Hate Marketing Proliferation of information • They’re getting blind to adverts • You don’t have to be a journalist or a big staff. • They’re suspicious of traditional • Use Google News Alerts, NewsNow or methods Technorati Consumers Digest Social Media Tirelessly Ease Of Publication • They actively seek product reviews • Anyone can blog from their peers • Easy to look like an expert • They’re eager to tell their story • Anyone can start a Facebook group • Search: “City link are crap” • Anyone can use Twitter or submit their RSS feeds It Offers and Alternative • If you can’t risk PPC, or don’t like Rewards Are There design try social media • Innovate to Success leemccoy.

Slide 8: So … Be An Opinion-Former At The End Of The Buying Cycle leemccoy.

Slide 9: Let’s Look At Some Examples 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 Monetising: • Short-term Adsense / Shirt / Ticket Sales • Long-term travel sales (if we qualify) leemccoy.

Slide 10: Using Buzz / Creating News Example: Austria-2008.co.uk 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 leemccoy.

Slide 11: Interaction & True Social Media Adding Video Content & Encouraging Responses: WeViews.tv 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! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAp_z8OJYMU leemccoy.

Slide 12: 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 leemccoy.

Slide 13: 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 leemccoy.

Slide 14: 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 leemccoy.

Slide 15: Still Not Convinced? The Silver Surfer Halloween Costumes Domination 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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip-eBjlEJGg • Hub Pages • Blue Dot leemccoy.

Slide 16: 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! • Check out leemccoy.co.uk for more information leemccoy.