Calling the future … hello, Siri?
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By Durk Price
The tablet fever continues to ignite online shopping; I am embracing Extreme Trust; and what the late-great Steve Jobs calls a feature, I call a product. Happy Reading!
Aren’t tablets more like a computer than a mobile device? Shoppers Convert as Often on Tablets as PCs
I love this article on developing Extreme Trust. As a company this is something we need to learn how to get better at with our practice. I can’t wait to buy the book. The Only Lasting Competitive Advantage is Extreme Trust
And a pretty good feature at that. DLD 2012 – Drew Houston: “Yes, Steve Jobs Called Dropbox a Feature”
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This post is a short recap by Erin Mead, Affiliate Manager at VigLink, of LinkShare Symposium West.
Last week I had the pleasure of heading out to San Francisco for LinkShare Symposium West – the event is hosted by LinkShare as a way to bring the organization’s merchants, publishers, agencies and team together. Not only was it a great opportunity to skip out on the chilly Chicago weather for a few days, but as I’ve mentioned in the past, these types of events are a great opportunity to stay connected with our top merchants and strengthen relationships with new ones. I was also able to meet with our LinkShare account manager in-person for the first time. It is amazing how a face-to-face meeting really helps build the relationship.
Though the event is just a couple of days, it is packed with great sessions and amazing keynote speakers. Not to mention a multitude of meetings! I’m excited about what the coming months hold with each of the merchants I sat down with and finding innovative ways to grow our partnership with each.
The event wound-down with a cocktail hour at The Tonga Room. It was my first time at the venue and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be telling my friends to stop by for a drink the next time they are in town!
All together it was a great week! I’m already looking forward to next time –
Erin Mead | Affiliate Manager | VigLink
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Aliona Savchenko, a three time world champion and 2010 Olympic gold medalist, has a face that figure skating fans have become accustomed to seeing at almost every major event. Her beauty continues to electrify, her skill is always unmatched, and her absence in the upcoming European Figure Skating Championship will be a lucky break for every other competitor. That’s right. Savchenko will not be defending her pairs title with Robin Szolkowy when the program airs on January 26.
According to reports, while practicing a throw jump on January 12, she injured her left thigh after a harsh fall on the ice. And just when she was almost sure that the nagging ache was gone on Wednesday, another spin caused the pain to flare up. German physicians have said that “she is in pain and unable to perform all elements,” which makes a decision to withdraw all that more difficult. Could she do some of the stunts? Sure. The problem is that she cannot perform all elements, which essentially means her ‘unmatched skills’ from before will not be so unmatchable.
Training coach Ingo Steuer has said that “it was a very tough decision to take because we have come this far but we cannot take the risk of aggravating the injury.” Tough call, but good decision. Savchenko will live to skate another day.
The Brace Shop is an authorized dealer of medical merchandise, giving you the assurance that our products and our services are top notch. Each item comes highly recommended at a reasonable cost to you. No one can beat The Brace Shop prices, their service and their huge selection. The Brace Shop supplies hospitals, sports teams, schools, doctors, therapists, nursing homes & military bases around the world. Shop Where The Pros Go!
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About Audizine
Audizine was founded a decade ago by Anthony Marino, a graphic artist and avid car enthusiast. He started the website as a place where he and his close knit group of friends could discuss all things automotive, namely their passion for Audi.
The site steadily grew and several years ago Anthony decided to focus full-time on building the auto-enthusiast community he started as a hobby. Today, the site boasts a comprehensive editorial section, photo gallery, video gallery and classifieds section, in addition to the forum component which was the initial draw.
The site also sees a sizable amount of traffic each month. Audizine has over 77,000 community members, and nearly 1 million readers visit the site each month, collectively viewing over 5.5 million pages.
Anthony driving a rare Audi Sport Quattro (courtesy Audi of America)
The Challenge: Keeping the Focus on Readers
Anthony initially turned to Google AdSense banners and market-related sponsors to cover the costs of the site, but he chose to remain cautious when it came to other monetization methods.
“My number one responsibility is to the experience and safety of our members,” said Anthony. “While I do have costs to cover, I don’t want advertisements to impede on a reader’s ability to use the site effectively. Early on I made it a point to keep the site design clean and muted. I wanted the content to shine, and certainly not be filled with advertisements. I also went into it with the mindset that I didn’t need to be the biggest Audi-enthusiast site, but I did want to be the best.”
In regards to Google AdSense, that meant keeping ads below the site fold. And in the case of his direct relationships with advertisers, Anthony was careful to check each one out himself to verify a fit for his readers before accepting them onto the site.
Beyond AdSense and banner ads, Anthony is very careful about other monetization methods.
The Solution: Unobtrusive Content Monetization
In late 2010, Anthony found VigLink. The solution’s seamless integration with content was appealing, but he was unsure how much revenue it would actually generate for his site. Because the solution appeared to be so unobtrusive, he decided to sign up and test the solution.
“The VigLink implementation was probably one of the most seamless ones we’ve had,” said Anthony. “And once VigLink was live on the site, I was extremely surprised by the amount of revenue that was coming in, particularly from something that is basically invisible. It’s the proverbial win-win!”
The VigLink service automatically affiliates outbound links to merchants and advertisers on the Audizine site, and also weaves new links into the content when it detects references to products. When a reader clicks on a link in the site’s content that goes to a qualified online merchant, VigLink ensures the site receives a payment or commission on the resulting sale, easily and automatically.
Today, VigLink comprises around 15% of Audizine’s monthly income. VigLink helps Anthony to continue focusing on what matters most to him: keeping Audizine a free-to-use and easy-to-navigate website with great content.
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By Durk Price
I read a lot. Much of what I read is marketing and business books. I find it enjoyable and relaxing to sit down with a good book and get lost in it. The side benefit is that I almost always learn something that I can apply to my business – whether it’s a process or a philosophy or even what not to do.
Here are some of the books I read recently and would recommend you check out:
Boomerang by Michael Lewis: This is a great read on the European money crisis or the area of the world he calls the “new third world countries”.
That Used to Be Us by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum: I’m not sure they got everything right. They totally ignored the entire agricultural industry of the US- but thought provoking nonetheless.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson: I read this one over a week’s stay in Paris. Big, big WOW. Before reading this I knew very little about Jobs as “I am a PC.” Now that I am a very satisfied Phone and iPad user, I found this was a really intriguing read.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck: The portion of this book related to business success was very compelling – slightly less so as she ventured into personal relationships. Related to parenting and the habit of praising our kids for success and how it can actually be a negative. Well, that was eye opening. I know my kids were raised in a “praise-full” environment of teachers, friends and parents. And I have experienced first-hand letdowns when they don’t succeed or are provided with feedback they don’t like and how they react. They are learning that disagreement is not rejection and that feedback can build better relationships in business as well as their personal lives. It took me a long time to learn that as well.
Here are some key quotes from the book:
- ”People may start with different temperaments and different attitudes, but it is clear that experience, training and personal effort take them the rest of the way. Robert Sternberg, the present day-day guru of intelligence write that the major factor in whether people achieve expertise “is not some fixed prior ability, but purposeful engagement.” Or, as his forerunner Binet recognized, it’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.”
- “The passion (my emphasis) for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well is the hallmark of a growth mindset.”
- “The other thing exceptional people seem to have is a special talent for converting life’s setback into future successes.
If anyone reading this has a book suggestion pleas forward it to me or simply comment on this post.
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LeadsCon, the lead generation conference, will be taking place February 28 – 29 in Las Vegas. VigLink will be there, and our Founder & CEO, Oliver Roup, will be participating on a panel that touches on ways to unlock new traffic channels, such as Twitter, Facebook and others.
If you’ll be in town for the event, we’d love to meetup! Email us at success@viglink.com to coordinate a time.
See you in Las Vegas…
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January Offers:
Save Up to 40% and More
- Bring some peace and tranquility into your life with some fantastic products and fantastic prices form BuddhaGroove.com!
- Take advantage of our Sale Products and save up to 40% and more.
- We are giving our customers an opportunity to save BIG, while giving you the opportunity to earn BIG.
- Our sale products are already marked-down so now code necessary and there’s no expiration date.
- As its name suggests, BuddhaGroove.com exclusively offers a unique selection of popular Buddha-inspired products.
- From Buddha statues, home accents, apparel, jewelry, to a wide range of Buddha gifts, BuddhaGroove.com is the perfect resource for spiritual, yoga, wellness, and Asian decor.
- 8% Affiliate Payout, $60 AOS, 3% CR
Lockers & Book Storage Sale
- ECMDstore.com is having a Jonti-Craft™ lockers and book storage sale! Prices start as low $39.99.
- This sale ends January 31, 2012.
- We have every kind of locker and book storage to fit every need. Be sure to check out our entire inventory.
- Special Offers from ECMDstore.com:
- Don’t forget that this is the year all centers must replace non-compliant cribs before 12/28/2012. We have Angeles® Safe-T-Side™ fully compliant, in-stock and ready to ship cribs.
- Additionally, our New Arrivals are here. We have over 90 new items in several categories – Active and Dramatic Play, Carpets, Classroom Storage and Room Dividers, Infant and Toddler, Art, Block and Science, and Tables and Chairs. Be sure to check them all out to set the items you need for 2012. Shop today!
- 4% Regular Affiliate Payout, $670 AOS, 4% CR
Buy More Save More Now! Plus Free Shipping
- LinensBargains.com is having a fantastic sale where the more you buy, the more you save.
- 10% Off on Orders over $25 at LinensBargain.com Use Coupon Code: LB10OFFH
- 15% Off on Orders over $100 at LinensBargain.com Use Coupon Code: LB15OFFH
- 20% Off on Orders over $200 at LinensBargain.com Use Coupon Code: LB20OFFH
- FREE Ground Shipping on Everything at LinensBargain.com Use Coupon Code: LBFREESHH
- Note: None of these offers can be combined with another offer.
- 8% Regular Affiliate Payout, $88 AOS, 4% CR, DataFeed Available
Eco-Elegant Wintery Flowers & Gifts
- Even though the holidays are over keep the celebrating and smiles going with heart-warming wintery eco-elegant flowers and gifts from OrganicBouquet.com.
- We have beautiful winter bouquets, live plants, gourmet gifts of fruit, nuts, wine, sweets and more.
- Any of our wintery items will make a wonderful gift for yourself or others.
- They’re the perfect way to say thank you to family, friends, and business associates.
- Be sure to pick-up all of our Wintery Eco-Elegant Flowers and Gifts offers in the network program interface. Also, get link from your network program interface.
- 12% Regular Affiliate Payout, $75 AOS, 3.6% CR, DataFeed Available
$6.99 Flat Shipping on All Orders
- DouglasToys.com is offering Standard Shipping for only $6.99 Flat Fee for all orders, big or small.
- It does not matter how much you purchase, shipping charges will be $6.99 Flat Fee for standard shipping. This is a huge savings!
- Through our dedication of using high-quality materials and craftsmanship in all of our unique designs, DouglasToys.com has remained successful.
- We are known for our Douglas faces to have endearing expressions that make them a whole new breed of plush that adds fun and fosters creative play.
- Children instantly fall in love with our animals that have faces ranging from cute to realistic.
- Children of all ages, including those well into their adult years, find our animal’s cuddly softness irresistible.
- We know how important keeping your children’s play things clean is to you, so all DouglasToys are machine or surface washable for your peace of mind and convenience.
- Be sure to take advantage of our $6.99 Flat Rate Shipping-good for any size order.
- 10% Regular Affiliate Payout, $38 AOS, 3.5% CR
Save Up to 35% and More
- CulturalElements.com is passing huge savings on to our customers!
- Now save up to 35% and more on our sale products.
- This is a win-win situation. Our customers save big and you earn big commissions! Sale products have already been marked down so no code necessary. No expiration date either.
- Global home accents, apparel, and accessories are super-hot right now, and at CulturalElements.com, savvy shoppers will find it all!
- CulturalElements.com is a “Passport to World Crafts” with gorgeous products like reverse-glass painted jewelry boxes from Peru, ethnic pillows from India, ceramics from Bulgaria, leather candle holders from Morocco, and much more.
- And CulturalElements.com always takes pride in sourcing ethnic products from their lands of origin, which means customers are assured of authenticity while making a positive contribution to the livelihood of artisans who infuse every item with their heritage, aesthetics, and culture.
- Don’t forget, there’s FREE shipping on every order!
- 8% Affiliate Payout, $60 AOS, 3% CR
Free Shipping on All Speakers & Headphones
- Hear that sound? It’s the sound of the higher commissions you’ll be making with this fantastic offer from Klipsch.com!
- We’re offering FREE Shipping on all speaker and headphones.
- Headphones make a great gift for the holidays and everyone wants their music to sound wonderful for their holiday parties, gathering of family and friends. Don’t miss out.
- Be sure to pick-up all of our Free Shipping offers in the network program interface. See the attached link for a sample of the Free Shipping creatives available.
- 6% Regular Affiliate Payout, $80 AOS, 3% CR
Discount Diabetes Supplies
- Make a measurable difference to your bottom line: become an affiliate of TotalDiabetesSupply.com—an online provider of discount diabetes and medical supplies—and start earning top-line commissions today.
- At TotalDiabetesSupply.com, customers find brand name diabetes supplies at up to 65% off retail prices.
- From glucose test strips and monitor kits to lancets, insulin, and insulin pump supplies, customers will find everything they need from all the top brands like Accu-Chek, OneTouch Ultra, FreeStyle, Bayer–Ascensia, BD, Nova Max, Prodigy, Advocate, and many others. TotalDiabetesSupply.com also carries diabetic food and pet care items, socks, shoes, dietary supplements, durable medical equipment, and other medical supplies—all at amazing discount prices and shipped directly to customers’ doorsteps within 24 hours of ordering.
- See attached link for our January deals.
- Up to 6% Tiered Regular Affiliate Payout, $95 AOS, 7% CR
Save up to 75% on Over 100 Items
- Customers can save up to 75% on over 100 items in the Sale Section at PeaceLoveWorld.com.
- Take advantage of this great sale and great savings.
- Customers will find sale items for both men and women.
- Hurry, this sale is valid while supplies last so don’t miss out.
- Shop Today and Save Big Today!
- 12% Affiliate Payout, $95 AOS, 5.6% CR
Dickies Print Promotion Plus Free Shipping
- MyNursingUnifroms.com is having a Dickies Print Promotion!
- We have over 100 styles and prints now at lower prices than ever before.
- Plus get Free Shipping on all orders over $59!
- Find the Dickies Print scrubs you love at prices you’ve never seen before!
- My Nursing Uniforms offers the largest selection of discount scrubs from Dickies.
- We don’t just have scrubs, we have Dickies jackets too.
- Be sure to check out all the styles and prints.
- Shop today to ensure your favorite prints.
- 8% Affiliate Payout, $84 AOS, 5.7% CR, DataFeed Available
Affiliate Special Offer from TRX Training – 15% Off All TRX Products & Free Ground Shipping
- It’s 2012 and that means almost everyone has goals for being healthier or getting into better shape or staying in shape. And you probably set the goal for higher commissions in 2012.
- TRXtraining.com is here to help achieve both goals!
- Our customers can take advantage of our site-wide promotion of 15% Off PLUS FREE Shipping on all orders to The United States and Canada. And you can take advantage of this offer to continue earning great commissions.
- We have extended our holiday offer to January 31, 2012. Use coupon code: TRXLIVE.
- So keep those commissions rolling in all year long!
- We just have one question: “What are you training for?”
- 15% Affiliate Payout, $190 AOS, 4% CR
10% Off + Free Shipping
- It’s a New Year and that can mean a fabulous New You!
- If being healthier is one of your New Year resolutions, Tech4o.com is here to help you succeed.
- We are offering 10% Off + FREE Shipping on women’s Accelerator watches (Men’s Accelerators and Close-outs excluded).
- Use code: newyou at checkout to receive 10% Off and Free Shipping.
- Tech4o’s women’s running watches and women’s pedometer watches are designed for accuracy and simplicity.
- Whether you walk, run, or hike Tech4o’s pedometer watches provide better performance than pendulum-style pedometers without the need for a foot pod or belt-clip.
- The Tech4o Women’s Accelerator watch comes in stylish sorbet pink while providing great accuracy and many features including a chronograph, countdown timer, and daily alarm mode.
- 8% Affiliate Payout, $75 AOS, 3% CR
Eco-Friendly Plants
- OrganicBouquet.com has wonderful potted fruit trees and eco-friendly plants make great gifts.
- We have miniature fruit trees, such as lime, orange, lemon and more.
- Additionally, we have tropical plants such as orchids and bromeliads. And even bonsai trees!
- Our eco-friendly potted fruit trees and plants start at just $29.95.
- Be sure to check out our entire selection.
- Be sure to pick-up all of our Eco-Friendly Plants offers in the network program interface. Below is just a sample of the Eco-Friendly Plants creatives you will find.
- Sustainable grown live plants are a wonderful way to tell someone you care about them and the earth.
- Potted fruit trees are especially popular gifts because they offer fragrant blossoms and full sized fruit year after year.
- Also, our potted fruit trees are a wonderful way for children to see how fruit grows and they get to harvest it and eat in their own homes.
- 12% Regular Affiliate Payout, $75 AOS, 3.6% CR, DataFeed Available
Save Up to 40% and More
- Start the New Year with Ganesh by picking up a beautiful Ganesh statue, jewelry or hand-painted slate.
- GaneshMall.com is passing big savings on to our customers of 40% or more on our Sale Products page.
- Any of our Ganesh products add beauty to any home.
- This is a great opportunity to earn some great commission while passing huge savings on to our customers.
- Sale products are already marked down so no code necessary.
- Drawn from India and Hinduism’s most popular cultural and religious icon—Ganesha—GaneshMall.com offers an extensive, unique collection of products.
- As its name suggests, every product at GaneshMall.com is inspired by the Hindu God Ganesh, such as Ganesh statues, wall art, home accents, apparel, jewelry, and much more.
- Don’t forget, there’s FREE shipping on every order!
- 8% Affiliate Payout, $60 AOS, 3% CR
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Come join the VigLink Team at the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s 2012 Web Conference! We’ll be sponsoring and attending both days.
Interested in meeting up? Send us a note at success@viglink.com.
For more information, and to register, click here.
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This post is a short recap by Oliver Roup, Founder and CEO of VigLink, of Affiliate Summit West.
Earlier this month I was in Las Vegas to lead a session on the value of community-building and social behavior at Affiliate Summit West. It’s no surprise that social media has transformed the way consumers are reaching purchasing decisions, but it’s less clear what that means for affiliate marketers and online publishers.
During the session, I focused on the ways website owners can leverage the monumental shift towards “social-buying” by including spaces within their site where purchasing decisions are made. Easier said than done, of course, but here’s a quick recap of the things we talked about:
- If you are doing something “non-social,” and it works — keep doing it. So, if you are successfully purchasing paid traffic, sending it to a landing page, and earning revenue, great. Don’t stop. But do augment.
- Create a framework for interaction within your site. This could be a robust commenting system or a forum component. Facebook pages are great, as are Tweets, but building a community goes beyond what you are doing on social media sites — it brings the community to your site.
- Don’t overdo it. The goal of a community is to create a richer site experience for visitors, which will in turn create additional opportunities to earn revenue (via banner ad sales and affiliate marketing). If you attempt to force the monetization piece of a community — by introducing excessive advertisements or overly commercial product content — you will not succeed. Twitter, which was founded in 2006 and has an estimated 175 million users, has only recently begun to focus on monetization (of course, this is an extreme — for most sites there is no need to wait that long or for that many community members to start monetizing — but it’s an interesting point of reference).
An increasing number of marketers are succeeding at introducing a community component to their site. But, similar to a decade ago when some companies still considered websites “optional,” today many still view community-building as optional. Those that realize that shaping their user-base into a community is a necessity, rather than a nice-to-have, will be leaps and bounds ahead of those that don’t in terms of traffic, revenue and influence.
A few more details on the ins and outs of community-building and driving social behavior can be found in my slides below…
Oliver Roup | Founder & CEO | VigLink
View more presentations from VigLink
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