03-14-2008
Bhs – a merchant who just gets it
OK highlighting a mistake or a problem is not usually the way most people go about things. However, I’ve just been working with a merchant who gets affiliate marketing - even though they’ve only just launched their programme - and wanted to tell a positive story. We had given an affiliate partner a discount code and were contacted by her to say there was something wrong with it. Bhs looked into it immediately and at first found nothing. The next day the error was spotted – the IT team had misspelled the voucher when they created it. Having fixed the error right away, Bhs contacted us immediately, issuing huge apologies with an offer to extend the voucher and refund their customers directly the discount they should have received.
Now mind you, as with most errors, it is not an ideal situation. But here is a great example of a merchant who understands the importance of 1) the traffic generated by our affiliates and 2) the relationship we have with our affiliates. On top of that they are a pleasure to work with, are open to ideas and I think this is the beginning of a bea-u-tiful relationship!
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02-21-2008
Bhs Launches Exclusive Wedding Range
Just a bit of a heads-up that Bhs is introducing their new wedding range, available online tomorrow February 22nd. They are marketing it as “Pure Elegance, Couture meets the high street” with the Art of Elegance created by designer Elizabeth Emanuel.
It’s well known that Bhs has a great range of wedding gowns, accessories and shoes, not to mention pretty bridesmaid dresses, pageboy outfits and stylish groomswear. The brilliant news is that Bhs now has an exclusive new range called Art of Elegance created by designer Elizabeth Emanuel.
The dresses in the collection are made from only the very best fabrics with gorgeous details. The four styles are made of soft tulle, beautiful satin and delicate organza with intricate diamante detail. With all the gowns in the collection priced at just £495 in sizes 8-16, brides who love to shop on the high street can now buy themselves a little couture-style for their wedding day, at just a fraction of the price online.
You will be able to find the deeplink to this page in your management area on Affiliate Window or CJ and please do let me know if you need any more info for this range or any other.
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02-19-2008
One Affiliate Marketing Co-Ordinator with a side of fries please!
Know of any Affiliate Programme Co-ordinators looking to affiliate programme co-ordinate? Equator is looking to hire someone who has the right attitude and skills but we’ll train you up for the experience part. Unless, of course, you are already an Affiliate Manager Extraordinaire! In either case please contact us and we’ll chat. martin at eqtr.com or tara at eqtr.com
The fries are just my pregnant belly crying out for more any chance it gets…
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02-10-2008
Ramada Jarvis Update and Voucher Code
Just some updates on the Ramada Jarvis programme, starting with a voucher code:
Stay 2 Nights, Save 15% with Special Code!
Ramada is offering out a special voucher code for 15% savings on a 2 night stay. This code will be active for all bookings made in February for stays up until August 31st 2008. Please have your customers enter OTASR2 in the promo code box to redeem this fantastic discount.
Ramada Manchester: Injection of £18 million
The Ramada Manchester Piccadilly has just undergone a £18m refurbishment. The updating is nearly complete and we thought we would offer you a sneak peek at the page that Ramada Jarvis will be using to promote the property which is due to open 1 April 2008: www.ramadajarvis.co.uk/manchester. Deals at the fabulously trendy property will start at £59 per person per night. The hotel will now be the most up to date and largest Ramada hotel in the
UK offering up 280 bedrooms, all of which have been completely redesigned with flat screen LCD TVs, crisp cotton linens with billowy soft new pillows and comfy duvets. The beautiful new Arts & Grill restaurant on the third floor secures stunning views overlooking Piccadilly gardens as well as mouth-watering modern cuisine. And the fun and friendly bar offers up fantastic laid-back atmosphere to unwind.
2 Nights B&B with Dinner on the First Night
Another promotion going on this month is the package deal for 2 nights stay from just £119 per couple. This fantastic rate includes a scrumptious breakfast on both mornings PLUS dinner on the 1st night. Customers can easily make it a family break as children stay free when sharing with two full paying adults. The deal can be booked for Monday-Sundays until March 31st 2008.
Ramada’s Fabulous Country Collection
Ramada Jarvis offers the best of both city and country stays. This month our focus is on escapes to our country retreats. We have six properties to choose from starting at £85 per person B&B. Guests enjoy exploring natural beauty spots with strolls through private grounds, free use of the Health Club with pools, spa baths and exercise equipment, and afternoon tea in the lounge. Our country collection includes properties in:
Ascot – The Royal Berkshire Ascot - from £90
Near Bristol – Ramada Grange - from £90
Burton upon Trent – Ramada Newton Park - from £85
Gloucester – Ramada Bowden Hall - from £105
Newbury – Ramada Elcot Park - from £95
Fairfield Manor in York from £112
You can find deeplinks to each of these hotels in your management area on Buy.at or Tradedoubler.
January Banner Competition
Closing up the January banner competition for a £300 and a £200 cash prize for top banner sales we would like to thank all those who have participated. Winners were contacted last week and congratulations!
That’s it for now - next update in March!
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01-28-2008
Bhs Launches!
Ohhhhh I’m so excited that we have just launched the Bhs affiliate programme!!! It’s on Affiliate Window and Commission Junction and it’s going to be great! Here’s a bit of stuff about them:
As you likely know, Bhs is a well-known retailer that offers stylish fashion and homewares at prices that represent outstanding value. They have been recently revamping their site to include:
• A wide range of womenswear
• The latest in menswear
• The tammy line for 8 -16 year old girls with ever changing ranges
• Cool and cute childrenswear including sleepwear and schoolwear
• A wide range of homeware – indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting, accessories, beds and bedding, kitchenware, dining, bathroomware and curtains
• Weddings with bridalwear, lingerie, bridesmaid dresses, menswear, pageboys, accessories and shoes.
Bhs is paying an introductory commission of 8% on all sales however please note this rate will change on April 30th 2008. Commission will be 5% thereafter.
As a launch initiative we are giving away £25 Bhs in-store vouchers to the first 10 affiliates to put up a Bhs banner or link (site or PPC). Please email your link, address, phone number and affiliate ID to tara@eqtr.com and I’ll let you know if you’ve won.
We will be offering more competitions, bonuses and vouchers throughout the year and a feed will be up shortly - we’ll let you know as all this happens. Also, as ever please just let me know if you need anything to help you promote this fantastic retailer.
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12-21-2007
Bhs
Well well well as we round up near Christmas we’ve got something special spinning around in the Equator cogs. We’re warming up to launch the Bhs affiliate programme. We’re just in the testing stages now and it’s set to be a whopper! Be prepared to hear about this one as soon as the new year hits - it will be on Affiliate Window and Commission Junction paying out a launch rate of 8% (which will turn to 5% 3 months after launch). We’re also launching with some quick prizes to win. If you’d like me to contact you when it launches please just post a comment or email me at tara(at)eqtr.com
Happy holidays everyone from snowy snowy cold Canada!!!
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12-21-2007
Ramada Jarvis January Banner Competition
I’ve just updated some new Winter creative for Ramada Jarvis and next month we’re looking to boost banner sales. This might be a bit premature but thought I’d get the word out there for anyone sneaking any pre-holiday work. So it goes like this: the affiliate who generates the largest number of sales via banner ads during the month of January will be awarded £300. We also have a second place prize of £200. A lot of our banners are deeplinked and feature a discounted deal.
Ramada Jarvis pays 8% commission on a 30 day cookie, has a 99% acceptance on sales and is on Buy.at or TradeDoubler.
Good luck y’all - and be sure to contact me if you need anything - even if it’s just to know your standings!
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11-02-2007
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
There are so many people in the affiliate marketing industry whose dogged hard work has lifted the perception of this channel to the level where it is today. It would be a horrible shame to taint the professionalism of affiliate marketing with only a few disrespectful actions.
Admittedly, our type of industry provides a lot of opportunity to represent yourself by making comments and voicing opinions – whether on forums, blogs or general sites. We also get the chance to represent ourselves in person. Expressing our opinions and acting on them is completely acceptable as long as you’re not hurting anyone or passing the boundaries of respect.
One of the components of affiliate marketing is that a lot of people work for themselves or own their own companies. This means that at events or anywhere in the public eye they are representing only themselves. You would think that this type of setting would encourage a respectful environment. We are all working together to benefit after all.
The feeling of respect should therefore be one of the main underlying ingredients of every relationship built in affiliate marketing. Although there will always be those few people who take liberties, I hope that for the most part our acts at events and in public forums always reflect that the players in affiliate marketing value mutual respect.
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11-01-2007
Great Resource
A fantastic resource, an aggregate of affiliate blogs, has just come to my attention: Aggregate Blog Site
Excellent work Keith!
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10-30-2007
One is the loneliest number
On the principle that many of anything (especially maltesers) is better than one, this must apply to networks too right? A conversation in Kieron’s hot new ride on the way to the affiliate expo got us to debating the worth of having multiple networks over just one. Yes, this has been a long-standing debate (in fact I even remember asking the question in my first months as an affiliate manager). But thought I’d wrap up my view, based solely on my experience.
With the dozens of programmes I’ve managed I know that the number of networks a programme can support relates back to how big the programme is. It takes time to manage a slew of networks, getting across branding messages, making sure there are no duplicate sales, making updates, consolidating reports. But in my experience I can say that a programme gets a minimum 10-20% uplift when it launches on a new network. And I don’t mean by existing partners just swapping links.
Need some facts? When we took over Ramada Jarvis on TradeDoubler over two years ago we believed there was room for another network. We decided to launch the programme with Buy.at. After just over a year of launching (admittedly it does take awhile to get going), the programme is generating over 300% more sales month over month than in 2005. Now, TD has also increased it’s sales so the programme has grown naturally but its undeniable the results adding an extra network has produced.
Some question the value of having more than one network, arguing that if its a decent programme affiliates will find you, no matter which network you are on. Again, my response goes back to experience and having come across affiliates out there who will NOT deal with certain networks. There are also affiliates who can significantly add to your campaign that haven’t had the time to sign up to another network (I spoke to a big Ramada Jarvis affiliate about this just last week - he only deals with 4 of the UK networks). You want to cast that net as far as you can to reach as many people. I know this goes a bit against the whole 5-95 rule but you never know who your next big affiliate is going to be and I’m a staunch believer in supporting the guys who bring in a handful of sales a month.
Again, it comes down to value. If your programme is big enough to support multiple networks and the time it takes to manage them all then of course its worth it. Depending on the size of your programme a network might not be as interested in becoming the secondary network and so charges you set up fees and network fees. Although there are some who just want the biz. So you need to shop around for secondary networks that fit into your goals, then calculate the investment and extra time it takes to set up and manage. Is it worth getting that 10-20% more sales?
Two networks should cover you off - more than that and you’re spreading yourself a bit thin. Just make sure you’ve squeezed everything you can out of your first network before making the leap!
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