Dear affiliates
 

If you wonder why your ratio's are turning into shit... let's say from 1:300 to 1:1000+
Before you blame it on my program; the tubes; the recession or anything else....

Please remind yourself this is not 2003!
-You expect to make $$$ by just having a webpage online?
-You expect to make conversions with your auto/rotation updates of the same older fhg's on your pages without taking the effort to grab the latests promos?

Get back to work!

Thank you!:thumbsup

*slow clap* :thumbsup

Dear program owners,

Please stop putting all of us affiliates in the same category.

Get back to work!

Thank you! :thumbsup

Nigga what?

all my biz is three banner farms on blogspot, any problems with that?

good point

Except it goes both ways. If you're still using 1999 type tracking to track affiliate sales then it's true that the affiliate is increasingly losing their commission while you're keeping it. Cookies are being retained less and less every year.

Then you have the "oops! we forgot to credit you for that processor" or "oops! there was a 'programming error' and your link code wasn't tracking when people clicked join from the tour page. It's now been fixed and no I won't compensate you for the last six months of it being that way. I'm entitled to that money." (or invariable the sponsor claims that this only affected three affiliates.... blah blah blah)

Of course the program owner still gets the sale the affiliate doesn't in these cases. So the program owner doesn't care and goes on to GFY and writes about how lazy the affiliate is or how they are a bum because they sent 5,000 hits this month and made no sales (because due to errors, shitty tracking, or shaving the program owner kept the sale without crediting them).

GFY is 90% reps, sponsors, shill affiliates, and service providers so I know I'm going to get slammed but where there is smoke there is fire. Affiliates aren't leaving that part of the industry because it is too appealing to them. This is lost on most and that's the bottom line.

Affiliates who think being a program owner is a better way to make money should become program owners. Program owners who think affiliates have it easy should become affiliates. Most people have figured out that it is not hard to be either or both. One side whining about the other is ridiculous from either point of view. You either need to find ways to pay more per click, find ways to earn more per click, or both. All the rest is nonsense.

Yes we do take abuse in this forum. Funny thing is, if we all SUCK so much why don't they close their affiliate programs? It's because they need us.

(Note: There are many good programs on here I work with - and likely many I don't work with - who are excluded from my point above)

good clearing.work hard earn more

You are trying to put yourself somewhere i didn't put you....
I can't find the name mopke1 in my post... :winkwink:

I use Epoch for tracking and paying... so...
I'm sorry but on all my sites you won't find shady shit; links replaced, etc, etc...
So... no oopses in my place:thumbsup

I'm not saying all of you suck... who said i said that?

Yes i need my affiliates... i based my model on it... so yes it would be great if they would take their job seriously... same way i take my job seriously and never ever screw or fuck over my affiliates...

2 years ago i was wondering if i should hire an affiliate manager... now unfortunately i'm thinking about hiring an traffic/advertisement expert...

No you didn't use my name or anyone specifically but your title of this thread is, "Dear Affiliates" ...

That sounds like you are referring to affiliates in general of which I am one.

Says someone who has never converted and blames everyone else but himself for it.


If you want to learn how to convert talk to someone who can. Plenty of affiliates who do still. Complainers can only teach you how to complain more--whats that worth to you?

This time I was replying to signupdamnit's reply and was referring to some here at GFY who dish out abuse towards affiliates. Not you in particular ...

I believe you are just venting in this thread and likely referring to those affiliates that expect to do nothing and want instant money. No worries.

Solid. :thumbsup

I think i was very clear about what my issues were... if you're not that one you should not have feel spoken to...

My advice to you would be that you should build up your internal traffic sources first because you can, for the most part, control that. If you have good content and treat affiliates well, the good ones will find you in your niche.

[QUOTE=Relentless;20065758]Program owners who think affiliates have it easy should become affiliates.QUOTE]

I absolutely understand affiliates are in heavy weather... decline of traffic, etc... I feel their pain... literally :) and i feel bad for them...
but what i don't understand is that some don't try harder to convert the traffic they still have. Like i said... old fhg's in auto/rotation update... that's not really doing the best you can to convert your traffic. It's not only their own money they are playing with... it's frustrating for me to see that some who made $1000+ a month a year ago now do $200/$300 a month... and i believe that often it's totally unneccessary... I think it's bad for them and bad for me... so bad for us...

:thumbsup

Remember when CollegeFuckFest first launched? Holy shit. I've never made so much money so fast. That first weekend was the stuff wet dreams are made of. Sweet memories. $$$$$

No bro no problems at all... from you i would even accept a fake password site who send visitors to me with fake passwords that don't work so they have to sign up anyway :winkwink: :thumbsup :1orglaugh

I hear you on that. I am always looking for the newest tools and wish sponsors would make more. I also create my own.

Try hitting them up and offer them a deal. A good deal. One they can't refuse. :) But understand that affiliates often get offers from people trying to scam them. We tend to be cynical with program owners. I remember one program owner emailing me and telling me that his new animated flash banner (complete with his url in HUGE LETTERS - I mean all the way across the banner vertically and horizontally) would look great on one of my premium domains at the top and that I should use it instead of the other ones without the big url. Of course if I did it the surfers would just type it in instead of clicking the link or banner. He wasn't offering me a flat rate. Basically he thought I was stupid and he was trying to take advantage of me.

Maybe offer them a prepaid pay-per-click deal with some minimal conditions. Put in there that it renews month-by-month and you only need give 7 days notice to cancel it. If it doesn't work out, oh well, you tried and you only lost a month's worth, right?

Somehow sponsors need to sweeten the pot for affiliates. The bottom line is if the money isn't there the affiliate isn't going to be there eventually either. They are going to notice. Tricky promos with asterisks and scammy deals isn't going to do the trick. The thing is most sponsors don't want to do that. They LOVE the deal. The affiliate sends the traffic and a lot of it they aren't even getting credit for. Don't be like these guys.


And your biggest problem these days is affiliates like me who tend to believe it's difficult to convert natural affiliate traffic below 1:1000 with pay sites. You have to get their attention and make them believe in you again.

PR_glen, if I went around stalking you and posting screenshots of how Pimproll converts for me every time you post on the forum as you do to me I'm pretty sure you would be whining to Eric. If you want to be treated respectably you should consider returning the favor. One of these days I might decide not to turn the other cheek. When that day comes I'm sure you'll (along with pimproll) be whining despite the warning and your karma. The sad thing is I think there is a double standard here when it comes to affiliates. If I acted like half the ass you do to me and said this stuff about Pimproll I would hav ebeen out of here long ago.

THIS is another reason why affiliates left this industry. No respect.

it seem there's reasonable explanation.we can expect the same stats 10year ago and now

links pulled and shit on

Some of those affiliates might have left the industry, but kept the sites on autopilot until they expire.

Me like Amsterdam :)

"Work hard, adapt or stay broke." ~Affiliate


Simple.

As an affiliate manager I constantly see issues like these.

I frequently say that its usually something to do with the traffic source which as my experience as an affiliate is usually true.

so what are the others tracking methods except cookies - for people revisiting sites etc. (not current surfers browsing/joining after click sponsor link....)...enlighten me please, i'm curious....

For starters using email addresses or even tying the affiliate to the credit card. Perhaps also LSOs. Anything. But see the thing is right now sponsors profit off of the poor tracking so not surprisingly no one is in a hurry to improve things. :upsidedow Every year standard cookies are less effective. The sponsor still gets the same sales regardless. The affiliate, not so.

I mean most sponsors are now using pre-join forms which collect email addresses, right? So if an affiliate sends you the visitor and they enter in that info then retain it. If they come back two days later, cookie or not, give the affiliate credit. Ideally the same with the credit card. If they join, cancel, come back next month and join again then the affiliate ought to still get credit. Some people just don't like rebills so they cancel immediately.

You can also use sub-domains (or domains) assigned to the affiliate. There are all sorts of things. Put the affiliate's sub-domain (or domain) on the promo content too so they get credit when the visitor types it in. What I'm saying is work harder to be fair to the affiliate. Part of the reason affiliates left is the pay site decline but it's also that increasingly they get screwed one way or another. It's not acceptable for an affiliate to lose even one sale which they faithfully sent you. That is the attitude you should have.

these are solutions only for surfers/members who already sent voluntarily some of their info....not for surfers who browse sites, get their cookies deleted every 24 hours etc...how to track these guys ? :-P
+ lets say that they dont have steady IP....

1. LSO's (flash cookies)
2. Assign a domain or sub-domain to the affiliate (the surfer will come back there)
3. Browser fingerprinting (but this is complicated)

The pre-join idea is good because people will often enter the form once and put in some info to see the price. If you even snag 5% this way it's still 5% more for the affiliate which they should have. Every little bit counts and together it all adds up.

If most affiliates knew how much $$$$ they lose due to the urls appearing on the promo content alone they would be fucking pissed. I make hundreds and sometimes thousands a month just off of type-ins with no link whatsoever. It's all people typing in a url with that part of my business. Affiliates are mostly pissing that away and it's going in the program owner's pocket. The same for the other shitty tracking. This is one reason why a sponsor will claim they do 1:300 while you do 1:3000. Well they are getting the other half of your sales which you sent and then some. :upsidedow

Dear Sponsors
Don't shave
Don't cross sell on revshare
Don't blame us, when a paying member cancels or trial member doesn't convert, because you have old and shitty content that can be found on every tube site

This is exactly what I thought in my head when I read that bit from mopek1... except AMPLIFIED!

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instanc...x/33137045.jpg

very interesting ideas actually....Just yesterday I had few "submits" without joining/paying...so if these guys will join later/ won't get scrubbed...(unless they dont clean their cookies), i wont get credit for that.......

your name foretold the future!!! :1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

You're clueless... i see affiliates drop from 1:1000 to 1:300 within a year while others don't... when checking out their sites/updates it's obvious why....

My shit still sells... what do you think? I just open my window and money flies in?

I don't shave
I don't cross sell
I shoot new content constantly and update twice a week so rebills are high and members are happy!

:thumbsup

Did you even fucking read what i wrote?

Me neither...

bound babes do the struggle 4 (our) bucks...

lol very good point , no easy $$$$

Exactly.

BTW: MOST Program Owners are also Affiliates, as in Mem Area trades, their own traffic sources, etc. But not all Affiliates are Program owners.