Associate Programs Newsletter #182
CONTENTS:
1. Why I don’t want these advertising dollars
2. How I earned an extra $1,288 using pop-unders
3. High school dropout creates profits from mini sites
4. “Give Amazon a break,” says Joshua
5. Don’t switch to another bookstore
6. Amazon loses market share to B&N
7. You can’t just “install and forget” Amazon scripts
8. NextCard promises payouts as usual, and other news
9. Why some readers received multiple copies
10. Tracking without showing affiliate ID
11. NEXT WEEK: Techniques affiliate heavyweights use
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1. Why I don’t want these advertising dollars
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I rejected an ad this week. Boy, it felt good!
I received $160 via PayPal along with a request for an ad in the Associate Programs Newsletter.
Unfortunately, the money was sent by an affiliate merchant who uses predatory advertising (placing advertising links on your web site without your permission – see https://www.scumware.com for details).
So I said:
“No thanks. I’ll refund your money. I don’t accept advertising from companies which use predatory advertising.” It’s one small step towards making the Internet a cleaner place.
Say “No” to people who use scumware.
(If you’d like to forward this to a friend, please go right ahead. Spread the word that scumware isn’t wanted in our global village.)
P.S. If you want to advertise in this newsletter, please join the queue. Bookings are heavy. Ask my friendly robot for details:
classads AT AssociatePrograms.com
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2. How I earned an extra $1,288 using pop-unders
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Pop-ups usually annoy me so I’ve been very cautious about using them.
However, pop-UNDERS are much more unobtrusive. They slide under the web pages you’re viewing, so you can carry on exploring a web site without seeing them.
The world might be probably be a better place without them, but I don’t think pop-unders are too offensive.
In an experiment last month I displayed 57,263 pop-unders on two web sites. I received only two complaints and added $1,288 in affiliate commissions to my bank balance.
Your experience may differ, but the pop-unders I used don’t appear to have affected the sites’ normal revenue at all. So that $1,288 I earned was EXTRA revenue.
Perhaps you’re thinking that $1,288 isn’t a lot to earn from 57,263 impressions. It’s $22.49 per 1,000 impressions. These days, that’s very good. Your mileage may vary.
However, the important points are that this was EXTRA income and earning it was really easy.
All I did was paste in a bit of code supplied to me by veteran Internet marketer Jonathan Mizel.
Jonathan is the author of “Amazing Pop-Ups”. Version 2.0, which has just been released, includes a new “Pop-Up Power Tool”.
You can use it to instantly create your own:
Cookie pop-ups
Entrance pop-ups
Pop-unders
Exit pop-ups
Just click on the features you want and it instantly creates the perfect pop-up for you.
To see the pop-under I used to earn an extra $1,288, just visit https://www.PayPerClickSearchEngines.com . When you close or minimize the page you’ll see the pop-under, followed by a smaller pop-up.
You’ll probably want to choose something different to advertise with your pop-under or pop-up, something which will appeal to YOUR audience. Some publishers use a neat little pop-up to increase subscribers to their newsletters.
The new version of Jonathan’s book has brand new information on the latest effective ways of using pop-ups, installation instructions, 15 expert case studies, FAQs and trouble-shooting tips – stuff you won’t find anywhere else.
For people who get the book, Jonathan has an affiliate program paying 40% commissions on a choice of products.
“Amazing Pop-Ups” is very reasonably priced. In the first DAY I used a pop-under I earned more than the price of the book.
Jonathan guarantees that in 12 months you’ll earn 100 times the cost in extra profit. I’m on track to do a lot better than that.
[UPDATE: Amazing Pop-Ups is no longer available.]======================================================
3. High school dropout creates profits from mini sites
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Phil Wiley calls himself a “no good high school dropout”.
For a dropout, he’s really clever.
In his new book, “Mini Site Profits”, Phil provides a step-by- step guide to building a money-earning mini site in under an hour for less than $10.
Mini sites are simple 1 to 5 page web sites that focus totally on selling one product or pre-selling an affiliate product.
Phil has been using mini sites to sell affiliate products since 1999, and sites untouched since then are still earning him money.
In simple, easy-to-understand language he describes – and shows you – a site he created in about 20 minutes which grossed $40 income for every $12 he spent advertising it. He also describes why everything suddenly went wrong and the site stopped producing income – and what he quickly did to solve the problem. It’s a fascinating little case study.
He also shows you other affiliate mini sites, such as:
Chet Day’s weight-loss site, which is relying on search engines.
Scott Dantzer’s musical instrument site, which averages $4,000 to $6,000 a month in sales (over $13,000 in December, 2000).
Mini sites have advantages and disadvantages. (For details, see “What’s right – and wrong – with affiliate mini-sites” Research affiliate mini-sites. )
The main advantages are that they’re cheap and you can build them FAST.
For a guy like Phil, who has a full-time job as a newspaper photographer, that’s really important.
He needs to be able to concentrate on techniques which generate revenue without tying up a lot of time.
Come to think of it, that’s probably what we all want.
Joanna and I enjoyed meeting Phil at the Guerrilla Marketing Boot Camp in Las Vegas. Funny how we had to travel halfway round the world to meet someone who lives a few hours drive up the coast from us here in Australia.
Phil’s book is worth getting for the Scott Dantzer case study alone. You’ll learn how Scott earns $4,000 to $6,000 a month from one little site. That’s a real gem.
All the rest of the tips are a wonderful bonus.
[UPDATE: Mini Site Profits is no longer available.]
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4. “Give Amazon a break,” says Joshua
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I received a unusual letter last week – one which PRAISES Amazon.com’s associate program.
Joshua Meisler of Kilima.com – https://www.kilima.com – writes:
“I know what you mean regarding Amazon.com concentrating on making money. But your constant complaining about Amazon over time gets a bit annoying. When you originally complained about the new landing page for individual links, your reaction was that big bad Amazon was trying to take away 15% commissions. Of course this does help to reduce 15% commissions but it also provides a range of related choices for the customer. And of course Amazon left the option open to avoid the landing page with the “ref=nosim”. They didn’t have to.
“And now with Amazon Recommends your complaint again is Amazon is conspiring to take away 15% commissions. Once again yes Amazon makes more money if 15% commissions are 5% commissions but you forget to mention that the new Amazon Recommends feature is a wonderful way for websites to feature dynamically updated Amazon products without having to keep updating their links.
“I joined Amazon.com in 1996 and found their pioneering concept of an associate program fascinating and brilliant. And how many times has Amazon changed its rates since then? Zero. As I watch hundreds of associate and affiliate programs offer great commissions and later lower them again and again, I am a bit appalled at your constant bickering about Amazon when you seem not to realize that Amazon is the steady constant in the very volatile world of associate and affiliate marketing.
“Thanks very much for looking out for us but give Amazon a break once in a while by pointing out the pros as well as the cons.”
Joshua, you’re right. I hardly ever have anything nice to say about Amazon – even though it is my favorite bookstore.
Amazon is in a very special position in the affiliate marketing industry – and it abuses that position.
With more than 500,000 associates, Amazon has the most prominent associate program on the Internet. Many people think it had the first associate program. (It didn’t.)
It’s such a shame that instead of setting a shining example to other affiliate merchants, Amazon uses its associate program as a blatant branding exercise, repeatedly introducing new methods of depriving its associates of commissions.
For example…
Weren’t you disappointed the first time you learned that you earn commissions only on the CURRENT SESSION when other merchants track return visits for weeks, months or even years?
Weren’t you disappointed when Amazon began diverting customers to used books which don’t pay a commission?
Don’t you feel you’ve earned a commission if someone buys a gift certificate?
When those “Amazon Recommends” links were introduced, weren’t you upset when you saw that they pay only 5% commission? Didn’t you expect a direct link to a product to earn you 15%? I did.
Weren’t you surprised when you read in the affiliate agreement that commissions on some high-priced products are capped at $10?
Weren’t you disappointed when you experimented with “ref=nosim” links and discovered that the “ref=nosim” link takes you to a much WEAKER selling page? For example, compare these landing pages:
https://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471441090/YOUR-ID
The first page has a STRONG selling message but tries to divert you to other attractive choices.
https://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471441090/ref=nosim/YOUR-ID This “ref=nosim” page has a WEAK selling message – much less likely to achieve a sale – and the page also tries to divert you to used books, saying “Get it for less! Order it used.”
So if you use that “ref=nosim” link there are two reasons why your sales are likely to decline sharply.
Worst of all, remember Amazon’s weasel clause – and how hard it is to earn that 15% commission. You earn 15% ONLY from….
“…the sale of each Individually Linked Book that, on the date of order, is listed in our catalog at 10% to 30% off the publisher’s list price and that is added to the customer’s Shopping Cart directly from the first page that results from following a Special Link to the Individually Linked Book.”
Here’s how I understand that clause. You can send a visitor to Amazon on a direct link to a book you recommend and if the visitor clicks around and investigates other options before buying the book you recommend, you’ll earn only 5%.
What a long list of ways to annoy your associates – and it’s not a complete list by any means.
Amazon has a grossly unfair program. It’s not surprising that many associates are bitter and angry about it.
Imagine what it would be like if Amazon had a FAIR program and had 500,000 affiliates whom it treated with respect as true business associates.
What an immensely powerful sales force that would be.
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5. Don’t switch to another bookstore
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If you’re considering switching away from Amazon to another books program, I DON’T recommend that.
Among consumers, Amazon has 30 million customers and a good reputation that outweighs all the weak points in the associate program.
This holiday shopping period, Amazon.com is the clear favorite of online shoppers with 46% intending to spend part of their holiday budget at Amazon. eBay is second (24%) and BarnesandNoble.com is third (21%).
Books will top the online gift list this year, with CDs/videos and toys/games as the next most popular choices, according to a NextCard survey.
More details:
nextcard.com/PR/pr_holidayshop10_22_01.html [This link no longer works.]
However…
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6. Amazon loses market share to B&N
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Amazon has lost market share to Barnes and Noble, according to estimates for the last quarter.
In its third-quarter earnings report, Amazon said sales in books, music and video declined 9.8% from the second quarter. Meanwhile, Barnes&Noble.com’s revenue rose 15.7%.
Compared with sales a year ago, Amazon’s were down 12.1% while B&N’s were up 6.5%.
More details:
https://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-7765107.html
Amazon promises “up to” 15% commission but pays 5% in most cases.
Only high-traffic sites will earn more than 5% from B&N.
Barnes and Noble pays:
5% commission on sales under $20,000.
6% on sales of $20,000 to $999,999.
7% on sales of $1,000,000 or more.
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7. You can’t just “install and forget” Amazon scripts
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If you install a script aimed at boosting your Amazon sales and commissions (see last week’s article for more details) keep an eye on it to make sure it keeps working.
Stewart Hutton of https://www.PracticalDotComBusiness.com says he’s a longtime user and affiliate of the Anaconda.NET scripts.
“Potential users need to be aware that these are not ‘install and forget’ solutions,” Stewart says. “Amazon (understandably) are constantly tinkering with their servers, software and formats – frequently rendering these scripts useless until they are updated by their authors and you install the updates.
“Consequently, the cost-benefit calculation is a complex one that has to include not only increased commission size and frequency, but also downtime with no commissions at all and maintenance effort.”
Anaconda.NET has now begun to charge an annual maintenance fee that reflects the frequent updates.
“I notice that amazon.pl (David Cusimano’s script) was released only at the beginning of October, so I’d like to see how quickly the updates follow Amazon changes…” Stewart says.
“I know this sounds kind of negative – and I’ve no reason to believe that amazon.pl won’t be quickly and frequently updated – but the Anaconda forums are full of messages from new users who shriek in terror when everything stops working for the first time.”
I questioned David about Stewart’s warning. He agrees that all of the Amazon.com related scripts are not “install and forget” solutions.
“If and when Amazon.com revises their web site all of the amazon.pl type scripts may require updating by the author of the script and installation of the updated script by the webmaster,” David says.
“We update our amazon.pl script and notify our users as soon as possible so as to minimize any downtime and potential loss of commissions for the webmaster. We have designed the amazon.pl script so that updating it requires minimal effort on the part of the webmaster. When an amazon.ini configuration file is used as described in the amazon.pl documentation, the amazon.pl file can simply be overwritten with the updated script.
“In order to minimize the loss of commissions, the latest version of amazon.pl includes a ‘safety net’. In the event that Amazon.com has changed its format to such an extent that amazon.pl is no longer able to extract product information from the requested Amazon.com page, amazon.pl will automatically present a “Click here” link that links to the requested page at Amazon.com. That link includes the webmaster’s Amazon.com affiliate ID.”
While Anaconda.NET charges an annual fee for updates, David’s updates are free.
“If in the future we are required to introduce an annual maintenance fee for updates similar to our competition, I can assure you that those webmasters who will have purchased our amazon.pl script prior to the introduction of such a maintenance fee will continue to receive any updates from us for free.”
At https://www.cusimano.com/scripts/amazon/revisions.html you can see a list of the updates made to the amazon.pl script so far.
“We are ourselves an affiliate of Amazon.com and from our own experience we have found that the cost-benefit analysis of using amazon.pl type scripts versus manually cutting and pasting individual items greatly favors using amazon.pl rather than not. In addition, some features available through amazon.pl can be accomplished only by using a script such as amazon.pl,” David says.
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8. NextCard promises payouts as usual, and other news
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NextCard, which is seeking a buyer, has told affiliates that they will be paid as usual.
nxcd.client.shareholder.com/news/20011031-63420.cfm
Epinions.com, one of the most useful sites on the Web, will discontinue its affiliate program next week.
Amazon.com has launched what it calls the online equivalent of a department store credit card, without the actual card.
internetnews.com/ec-news/article/0,,4_915491,00.html
E-mail marketing is tipped to rocket next year. Jupiter Media Metrix expects spending on e-mail marketing to jump 79% next year to $1.8 billion, with outlays reaching $9.4 billion by 2006. Those estimates could soon be revised upward, depending on the impact of anthrax fears.
msnbc.com/news/651760.asp
Dr Ralph Wilson, in an interview with Inc.com, talks about tools he uses to run his popular web sites and newsletters. He also offers useful tips for anyone starting out. It’s an interesting article.
www2.inc.com/business_on_the_internet/articles/23567.html
Scumware company eZula, which can steal your income by placing advertising links on your web pages without your permission, has a new friend – LookSmart. “By becoming a part of eZula’s innovative online reference tool, our directories of destinations and information will be available to millions of additional users,” says Cinthya Goliopoulos, Director of Business Development at LookSmart. What a dreadful decision by LookSmart.
ezula.com/news/press_release101501.asp
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9. Why some readers received multiple copies
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Because of a glitch at Postmaster General, which distributes this newsletter for me, a small number of subscribers received multiple copies of last week’s newsletter.
I’m very sorry about that.
As soon as I learned about the multiple copies going out, I phoned Postmaster General, which quickly fixed the problem.
Postmaster General, which usually does a very good job, says the problem was “a bug in our outbound server delivery monitor which should have taken alert procedures for high volume on the server bank”. A fix has been applied and tested.
Postmaster General believes fewer than 10 readers were affected, says Customer Service Manager Susan Dunn.
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10. Tracking without showing affiliate ID
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I-Developer Digest, Issue 052, offers an interesting range of solutions to this question:
“Most affiliate tracking systems send the surfer to a location that contains the affiliate ID in the URL. What I’d like is an affiliate tracking system that does the same thing but without showing the affiliate ID in the URL and without using cookies.”
https://list.adventive.com/archives/archives.html
[UPDATE: This link is obsolete.]
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11. NEXT WEEK: Techniques affiliate heavyweights use
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Next week I’ll start a five-part series written by guest experts.
They’ll describe the techniques that affiliate heavyweights are using to generate substantial affiliate revenue.
The articles will be written by experts right in the midst of this stuff.
The numbers and details will surprise you.
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12. Thought for today: How to get things done
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“By really cracking down and getting laser-focused on doing what matters most to you first each and every day, you’ll find that the things that are really important to you WILL get done. – Adam Boettiger.
All the best
Allan Gardyne
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