Affiliate Program Launch

The Affiliate Program Finally launched this week, and it has seen some good activity in the first three days. I have approved over 100 Affiliates, done a bunch of custom work on a brand-new Affiliate Blog, and published a New Program Announcement on ABestWeb for the launch of the program.
One thing that is really striking is the amount of utterly horrible content on the web that is extremely profitable - quantity, not necessarily quality, pays in the world of Affiliate Marketing. I am hoping that my program can prove that trend WRONG with the ultimate combination of shiny design and maximized profits. I would love to raise the bar for some of the smaller affiliates, offering them custom creative and basic tutorials on CSS and Usability.

In an attempt to keep my sanity in the midst of reviewing over 300 websites with little to no regard for aesthetics, I would like to present the Top Five most hilarious contenders:

5) Jesus as Customer Service Rep?
http://Galaxy333.myauctionteacher.com
4) Huge Internet Billboard
http://www.vnexpressmall.com/
2) Enlightening discourse on Cupcakes vs. Traditional Wedding Cake
http://weddingguidelines.com
3) Number One Russian Affiliate
http://koc.intway.info & & http://www.usa2017.com
1) Italian Animated Gif Madhouse!
http://fabioaltervista.altervista.org/index.htm

Hopefully some of our clicks will start to convert in the next few days so we can see our ambitious revenue goals realized. Until then, I am going to plunge back into the hideous web that lurks behind the safe haven of the higher-ranked and see if I can make it shine...

Affilate Marketing

I have completed extensive research on Affiliate Networks, and have manged to compile a thorough competitive analysis on all the major networks including LinkShare, CJ, Performics, Kowabunga, ShareASale, and more.

This required establishing contacts with each program, research to find the right questions to ask. One of the most enlightening resource has been the ABestWeb Forum which is a collection of insight from a tight community of Affiliate Marketers.
Pretty early on I came across Shawn Collins' Blog which has been tremendously helpful as well. I hope to attend the upcoming Summit in Miami, although it is only a month away and I've no reservation as of yet.

The end of this week marks a milestone for making the final decision on an Affiliate Program, and my first pick is certainly CJ. I think that prestige of LinkShare could be good for the company, but the expense is worrisome, and their slow response time is lame. The CJ network has an impressive reach, and I think their resources will be a great start. Also, going with a network that is not exclusive will allow us to get in with Google PPA when our invitation arrives (oh Google, let me play!)

More to come when we Launch!