Travel Affiliates: Expedia is Live on CJ
Just in case your notice about Expedia’s transition went into the junk box, travel affiliates should know that the Expedia affiliate program went live on Commission Junction today.
The signup was considerably easier than the he** I went through when Dell moved from Linkshare to CJ. As an existing Expedia affiliate, I just agreed to the terms and I was in… congratulations! 
Expedia will continue to credit transactions sent through the BFAST interface until December 31st, 2007, however affiliates will not be compensated for new sales through the old platform after December 31st, 2007.
Expedia advises that benefits of the move include a higher commission payout (only available through the CJ platform) ranging from 2.00% - 5.50% USD, and up to $20.00 USD for a cruise booking. They’re also offering more linking flexibility and easier access to both the Expedia.ca & Expedia.com links which are all now available in one place.
Amen to that!
I just hope you don’t have massive amounts of Expedia links to change over the Christmas holidays!
Popularity: 28% [?]
SO Glad I Checked the Junk Mail…
Found this note dated November 21st from the Expedia affiliate program in my Junk Mail box today… and I’m glad I checked!
We will be migrating the Expedia.com Affiliate Program from the BFAST/BeFree Affiliate Network to the Commission Junction Network. The migration is scheduled to start during the second week of December.
Some of the benefits of the migration include:
- Increases in air and agency hotel standard commission rates
- A bonus program for package sales during the first 90 days after the migration
- Use of the Commission Junction interface technology
- Automatically updating banners
- Return Days (coming summer 2008)
You will have to apply to the Expedia.com - Commission Junction Affiliate Program once our program goes live in December.
They further advise that existing affiliates will have to apply to the Expedia program again through CJ, and that they’ll be sending additional details including a link to join the new program in the coming weeks.
Man, I hope it’s not another They Love Me, They Love Me NOT situation similar to the one I experienced with Dell. That would mean I’ll be removing (instead of replacing) a LOT of links from the travel blog.
Aargh… either way, I think I’m way overdue for an ad server.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Ingenio Acquired by AT&T
AT&T Inc. announced today that an AT&T subsidiary has agreed to acquire Ingenio, the leading provider of Pay Per Call® technology.
The transaction is expected to close in early January 2008 and AT&T plans to integrate Ingenio’s Pay Per Call solutions into its directory service and local search advertising portfolio, including the YELLOWPAGES.COM Network, AT&T Real Yellow Pages and 1-800-Yellow Pages. To read the full press release, click here.
What does this mean to Ingenio Affiliates?
Ingenio advises that they “don’t have a lot of specific information to share with you” but that “your Ingenio Pay Per Call affiliate account will continue to operate in the same manner you are accustomed to” and that they will “keep you posted on key developments as they occur“.
Please… no more link changes! I’m already overwhelmed by the thought of Expedia’s upcoming migration to Commission Junction. 
Ingenio
Popularity: 9% [?]
Amazon Affiliate Program: Holiday Promotions
Black Friday (November 23rd) is traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year and Amazon has some great deals and promotional opportunities for its affiliates to earn increased revenue this holiday season.
First, there is the Black Friday Deals page, a page for holiday shoppers to which you can direct your visitors for hourly deals from 6am to 6pm PST along with thousands of products on sale for a limited time. Amazon is also offering gift wrapping for $.99 per item.
Next, there’s a new Deals Widget for associates which displays Amazon’s Gold Box Deals including Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals, and Best Deals in real-time. The widget is available in sidebar and banner formats in a range of sizes.
Last but not least is Customers Vote, which begins on Thursday, November 15th and runs through Monday, November 26th. Customers vote for their favorite deal among 3 products and there are 6 rounds of voting. Winning products will be announced starting on November 22nd, and randomly selected customers will be able to purchase the item for which they voted at a great discount.
Products included are:
- 1,000 Nintendo Wii Game Systems (see prices on Customers Vote page)
- 500 Panasonic 7.5MP Digital SLR Cameras, $499 (*normally $1,149.95)
- 1,000 Razor E100 Electric Scooters for $29 (*normally $89.99)
- 200 Samsung 46” 1080p LCD HDTVs, $719 (*normally $1,899.98)
* “Normal” prices quoted are subject to change at any time.
For linking formats, visit Amazon’s affiliate program page.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Dell Affiliate Program: They Love Me, They Love Me NOT
The Dell Affiliate Program recently migrated from Linkshare over to Commission Junction. During the transition, I received the following 3 emails from Dell, encouraging me to sign up for their new program.
- August 17, 2007 - Dell Home Migrating To Commission Junction!
- October 10, 2007 - Dell Home: You are missing out on great commissions! Join the Dell Home Affiliate Program at Commission Junction Today!
- Ocotober 11, 2007 - Dell Home Affiliate Program: Still haven’t migrated? You could be missing commissions!
The following snippets indicated that Dell really wanted affiliates to continue the relationship and move over to their program at CJ.
- We are excited about the new opportunities joining Commission Junction will bring our publishers and look forward to an even more successful relationship with our affiliates.
- Please let us know if there is anything that we can help you with regarding transferring over to the new Dell Home Affiliate Program or the program itself. We would be happy to help you.
- As one of our dedicated LinkShare affiliates, your application will be fast tracked for approval during this time, so that you can begin to adjust your promotions accordingly and earn commissions right away!
Well, I gotta tell ya, I’m not convinced. I applied and my application was summarily rejected. Despite sending 2 emails in reply, I have yet to receive a response.
Gee… do you think that this experience - after nearly 10 years as a very enthusiastic Dell customer who has sold umpteen Dell computers by word-of-mouth alone - might influence the brand that I buy when it comes to getting my next desktop?
Hmmmm… It might just be time to check out Sony’s other computer offerings. after all, I liked my first VAIO so much that when airport security in Toronto wrecked it, I replaced it with another one.
Oh ya, and that link to Sony? It is an affiliate link.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Tiny*Prints: BIG EPC’s for Affiliates
At the last Affiliate Summit, I picked up a Tiny*Prints ‘Last Minute Card Kit’ (shown here to the left). The card kit was originally designed for the 2007 Golden Globe Style Lounge event where celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Brooke Shields and Jessica Simpson placed orders for the unique cards. The pack of 10 foldover cards, each with a coordinating colored envelope was also placed in the Entertainment Weekly Oscar gift bags.
The cards were of such high quality that I checked out the Tiny*Prints site and affiliate program. I went straight to the Customer Testimonials page where I found 100’s of testimonials from satisfied customers, most of whom note not only the great product quality, but the exceptional customer service that they received from Tiny*Prints.
It was easy to understand why their customers are so pleased when I noticed that Tiny*Prints offers a a convenient pre-ship envelope service to all customers purchasing birth announcements. They send the announcement envelopes before the actual delivery date, which allows customers to address the envelopes in advance and get them out quicker after the baby is born. Nice touch!
Tiny*Print also offers photo greeting cards, which are great for custom birth announcements and family holiday greetings.
Their affiliate program is administered by the ShareaSale affiliate network. Here are some of the details:
- Base commission rates of 10%
- up to 15% commissions with volume sales
- Monthly affiliate promotions - e.g., $250 for the first five affiliates who reach monthly volume target
- $175 average holiday order size and $35 EPC!
- 180-day cookie
- 5% holiday coupons for customers
- Product data feed
Tiny Prints reports that they are expecting a tremendous holiday season in 2007 with expected order volume of over 5 million cards, and reminds affiliates that the peak season for their holiday orders begins in mid-October and runs into mid-December.
Card categories and products include:
- Baby Shower Invitations
- Baptism & Christening
- Birthday Party Invitations
- Bar & Bat Mitzvahs
- Holiday Parties
- Corporate Holiday Parties
- Holiday Party Favors
- Baby Shower Favors & Gifts
- Dogs and Pets
I’d highly recommend signing up to promote the Tiny*Prints program through ShareaSale over the holidays (or at any time) on almost any niche site.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Ipsos Survey Panel Program Now on ShareResults
I just got word from Share Results that IPSOS is the latest merchant to join their affiliate network. That’s awesome news for affiliates.
Ipsos is one of the largest survey-based research companies in the world, among the most trusted research brands in North America and conducts over six million surveys each year in over 100 countries in the areas of marketing research, advertising research, consumer satisfaction, media research, forecasting and public affairs.
As a Share Results affiliate, the IPSOS program pays $3 CPL for each double opt-in sign-up that you refer and Share Results reports that “IPSOS’ conversion rates are rather impressive. Targeted clicks convert at 20%, email marketing converts at 25%-35% and co-registration campaigns convert at 45%“.
Ipsos offers prize incentives that will increase your conversions too. This month’s prize is a HALO 3 XBox edition and game, and there is also a quarterly cash prize of $5000.
Sample creative includes the “Hey Boys.. Like Beer” shown above left and the “Ladies: It’s Time to Have Your Say!” post at Sage-Hearts.com. I will soon put up a permanent link to Ipsos at Sage-Hearts.com that is attractive to both genders.
This program definitely qualifies as ‘easy money’ on just about any niche affiliate site.
Share Results, owned and operated by my friend Nicky Senyard, is a boutique affiliate network built on reliable tracking software and comprehensive real-time reporting. The flexible user interface makes it easy for both affiliates and merchants to measure performance and grow online leads and sales. The affiliate management team offers truly personal one-on-one support and has a serious commitment to maintain a clean network.
Popularity: 3% [?]
BidClix Closing Today
Recently purchased by aQuantive, advertising network BidClix is shutting its doors today. Today is also the last day to verify your contact information with BidClix f you have an account balance and are entitled to a payment or refund.
Too, as of August 6th, you’ll no longer be able to login to your BidClix account - so if you have an outstanding balance, get in there and make sure you are set up to receive your due.
Final checks to all verified accounts will be sent between August 8th and 30th.
Popularity: 4% [?]
No Skype Promotions in Mainland China
Here is a portion of a note that I just got from the Skype Affiliate Team regarding promotions of their product to people in Mainland China.
“Due to legal reasons, affiliates are no longer authorised to promote Skype in Mainland China. It is with great regret that we request you to cease the promotion of Skype in this country, with immediate effect.
We will be honouring the 90-day cookie policy and will be awarding commission for all sales generated prior to today, 17 July 2007. Please ensure all banners, text links and ad campaigns are removed as soon as possible, as no commission will be awarded to sales generated from China after 31 July 2007.”
Interesting considering Skype reportedly had over 25 million Chinese users toward the end of 2006, and supposedly growing at 100,000 users a day.
Hmmm… but they didn’t explain reasons for the change.
Perhaps Skype can’t afford to pay the commissions? Hmmm…
Popularity: 4% [?]
New at Clickbank: Recurring Billing
On June 19th, Clickbank announced that it will offer a recurring billing option to merchants that sell subscription services and/or have membership sites.
This is great news for merchants and affiliates alike.
As an affiliate marketer, I’ve always specifically sought out those affiliate programs that pay recurring monthly commissions on product sales, such as for dating site memberships and web hosting services.
So, the next time you’re in Clickbank looking for a recurring product to promote, do a search sorted by “Future $” which is the average total rebill revenue earned by the affiliate due to sales from a site. Generally this equates to the average sum of all rebills.
Granted, it may be awhile before anything shows up in this category, but well worthwhile to keep checking Clickbank to see who comes on board to offer recurring commissions.
Popularity: 28% [?]
