Disqus - Latest Comments for mikeallen

Re: Epcot Wine Festival Opening with Gary Vaynerchuk

mikeallen — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:57:05 -0000

Gary is very good at what he does. I also like his positive, "can do" entrepreneurial attitude. He lives the American Dream and encourages others to do the same.

Re: Beach Sunrise

Tim_Jones — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:40:47 -0000

Oh yeah, the silhouette one was done with my XShot. :) -- little product plug. :)

Re: Beach Sunrise

Tim_Jones — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:40:04 -0000

Air travel used to be a great place to get some thinking and reading, done. Now, with wi-fi becoming more prevalent, it's harder to get anything other than internet surfing done. :)

Re: Beach Sunrise

mikeallen — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:07:46 -0000

Nice pics, Tim. I think the one with your silhouette is especially good.

As for thinking, nature is a great place for thought I agree. I also find the daily time showering and shaving especially productive. Another great way to generate ideas is during a conference. It seems the concentrated immersion in a specific subject area provides lots of spin-off ideas for me. Driving and air travel can be helpful if I'm alone and are great times to prepare for or reflect on the materials from a conference.

Re: DIY In The Digital Age

mikeallen — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:42:18 -0000

I've used a digital camera or my iPhone for the same kinds of things. Other great uses are 1) to "remember" where I parked by snapping a pic of the lot number and location in the parking garage at the airport and 2) to compare products and prices between stores. Of course there are many, many more.

Re: Cafe Press Fail

StephARC — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:08:23 -0000

Great I added Threadsmith to the list of alternatives. Wow I can't believe they dropped coupon sites. These people are ridiculous and in the end it is going to catch up with them; they are going to lose a lot of business.

Re: Cafe Press Fail

mikeallen — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:40:39 -0000

I've been dissapointed with CafePress as well. They dropped "coupon sites" several months ago which I found frustrating. I've not bought from them since then but I have bought from Threadsmith several times including a big order last week.

Re: Plan of Action

mikeallen — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:35:15 -0000

Thank you for what you are doing in this vital effort, Stephanie. Keep up the good work!

Re: Take a cut in pay, stop selling so much or we will drop you!

mikeallen — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:59:35 -0000

This is about as senseless as it would be to say the following: "The affiliate channel is performing better than we anticipated. Since we don't want to earn more than [insert value here] per month, we will have to cut back our marketing efforts. We know affiliate marketing works and so we are reducing our efforts there since we can track exactly how much we have to cut to avoid exceeding our earnings limit."

Re: Ten Years in Affiliate Marketing

mikeallen — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:07:47 -0000

Thank you so much, Stephanie, for those kind words. It has been a very interesting 10 years to say the least. The industry has changed and matured so much over that timeframe. Of course, there are many remaining growth needs and opportunities. I am, however, very optimistic about the future in this space.

I expect we'll see you named affiliate manager of the year in the near future since you do such a great job! Thank you again for this complimentary post. It has been a joy to work with you as well.

Re: Linkshare and Overstock Part Ways

mikeallen — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:20:14 -0000

Angel Djambazov wrote a detailed piece on this split at Revenews - http://www.revenews.com/angeldjambazov/overstoc... - that lays a few rumors to rest.

Re: Describe me in one word

mikeallen — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:47:53 -0000

Stephanie, this is such a creative idea. I really like it. Too bad you can't trademark and sell it since it's that good. :)

Re: Loyalty Sites, Toolbars and Networks Oh My!

mikeallen — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:39:03 -0000

I applaud ShareASale for hosting this forum and allowing an extended debate over this issue. I too expected fireworks at the Roundtable -- Jamie Birch wrote a detailed summary of this Roundtable at http://www.revenews.com/jamiebirch/shareasale-t... -- but am confident that Brian and team will do what is right.

I have no problem with the notion of toolbars as long as they don't interfere with affiliate links and the purchase process. Some toolbars are very helpful for search, accessing multiple webmail accounts, and so forth. The problem comes when they interfere with what you and I have done to attract and convert customers and they inject their affiliate links over ours. That should never be allowed.

Re: Clean Data - Why it’s important to honor coupon policies.

JEBCommerce — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:35:38 -0000

Right on the money Mike!

Re: Clean Data - Why it’s important to honor coupon policies.

mikeallen — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:41:34 -0000

Friend and Family coupons are fine for small groups but they are often sent out to a broad base of potential customers. (From an affiliate's perspective, we know the merchant can offer a bigger discounts directly when they don't have to pay us commission and also pay affiliate network fees.) For true Friend and Family coupons, I would suggest single use individualized coupon codes sent to a small group of people. That protects the merchant from them being spread around. If the F&F base is small, it doesn't discourage affiliates as much.

Coupons are marketing tools and should be creative and sophisticated to maximize their effectiveness. They should be somewhat limited or else customers think "ah, they just raised their prices so they could offer us a coupon discount." True, coupon links do require some sophistication on the merchant side of things but the improvement in sales and prevention of tracking leakages would probably more than make up for the development costs. For starters, coupon code boxes should be intelligently displayed and hidden when a coupon link is used. Obviously the discount should be highlighted in the shopping cart but there is no need for a code to appear.

As for compliance, nothing seems to beat policing and following up threats with real action. Three strikes and you're out or some policy even more aggressive will get attention. The death penalty (permanent removal) is needed sometimes but temporary removal can also be very effective. Of course, any action should be preceded with clear policy and communication which is why transparency of affiliates is so important because it enables merchants can know who they are dealing with. I think long-term transparent relationships should be rewarded on both sides (affiliates offering better placements and merchants offering better commissions and/or exclusive coupons). And one final thought -- about exclusive coupons, if a merchant makes a policy that only the affiliate the exclusive coupon was issued to will receive commission for sales that used that coupon then they remove incentives for other sites to scrape and republish that exclusive coupon as their own.

Re: Clean Data - Why it’s important to honor coupon policies.

JEBCommerce — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:18:02 -0000

Thanks for stopping by again Mike! To your first point, when managing FactoryCard's program, we did a lot of that. Unfortunately, some of the coupons we weren't allowing affiliates to use were friends and family coupons. These were large discounts that the client could never afford to be out there widely used. It was a coupon intended for a small audience. What do you suggest in that instance?

Your second point is a huge one. Often times, the networks' or the merchants own resources and technology keep them from doing the appropriate things, things like coupon links. I'm not sure many merchants use them at all, or know how to. Even with some coupon links though, the code is shown in the checkout, it would have to be around that. Anyone know technology that merchants could use?

Thanks for your comments Mike. We've talked about the merchants side a bit, but what is a better way to get affiliates to comply. You and I have worked together for a long time and you definitely are one I am proud to discuss with any executive.

Re: Clean Data - Why it’s important to honor coupon policies.

mikeallen — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:24:22 -0000

Great article, Jamie. I have a few things to add having been in this industry 10 years now.

1. Merchants would be wise to work with and not against human nature. If they are doing a test of their catalog channel, it would be helpful to offer an equally valuable coupon through the affiliate channel. That is especially true given the fact that user-input coupon sites exist where no one will edit the coupon codes posted. From a human nature point of view, though, it is very tempting to dishonestly post a better coupon when you know you have only been authorized to offer an inferior one and your customers are expecting you to deliver the best. Remember, we don't want to lose our customers, especially our repeat customers, to a less than reputable coupon site.

2. Use coupon links instead of coupon codes. Coupon codes can be copied, scraped, republished and so much more. They are fluid and difficult to track. Coupon links or coupons embedded in a specific URL are fixed and easy for merchants to manage. They track well and can be authorized to specific affiliates. They give the merchant control over the landing page and provide very specific data that can enhance decision-making for merchants.

3. Police and communicate. You said it above but I must restate how very important this is. It is unfair to play by the rules and watch others abuse them and get away with it. Even user-generated sites should comply with coupon guidelines. I also like the idea of sending a list of forbidden coupon codes so affiliates can confidently know they are in compliance. That is a great feeling since the waters can appear muddy when managing hundreds of programs with varying terms and conditions.

4. Build personal relationships with your top players. People are less likely to mistreat those they have a professional relationship with. Reward transparency and compliance with better and exclusive offers. Take care of those who take care of you. It's a win-win situation that way.

Thank you for this article, Jamie. We take great care to follow coupon policies and promptly remove when asked (which is very rare). I would also suggest that merchants verify their coupon codes or links before sending out and re-verify frequently because there are a surprising number of errors in this space. Coupons should be verified after every site or server change. Also, be sure to submit exclusions, expiration dates (and the applicable time zone) and any other terms and conditions. Early submission is a real plus as well and can even get premium placement before our space becomes crowded.

Re: Obama’s Inauguration

Tim_Jones — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:02:42 -0000

Thanks, Mike. I could not agree with you, more. We've been out of debt for about 3 years and it is very liberating. I just wish some of our politicians would learn the value of reduced debt. I won't hold my breath for that one.

Re: Obama’s Inauguration

mikeallen — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:19:27 -0000

Good advice, Tim. I especially liked the part about getting out of debt. Debt is so enslaving as we are seeing so much these days.

Re: My Affiliate Summit Recap

StephARC — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:46:00 -0000

I will work hard I'm aiming for later down the line I'm gona go big for Legend award. Just Kidding but thanks for the kind words and for reading! Congrats on the win Mike! We have lots to do now and a bright future ahead. Also I think I realized we didn't take any pic for the blog! Big Fail! Next time we have to you need to be on the homepage!

Re: My Affiliate Summit Recap

mikeallen — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:32:34 -0000

Great visiting with you at Affiliate Summit. It wouldn't surprise me if you're an awards nominee next year! Nice report.

Re: My Guide to Affiliate Summit

mikeallen — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:42:16 -0000

Thank you for this detailed guide, Stephanie. I look forward to this jam-packed event. Of course, it will be great to see you and the ARC Team again.

Re: Coupon Use - more stats from Internet Retailer

JEBCommerce — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:40:52 -0000

They definitely are. I think a lot of it is a function of the economy, but there is a bit to be said about the traffic that coupon sites are generating on their own and how important they are.

Re: Coupon Use - more stats from Internet Retailer

mikeallen — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:31:47 -0000

Looks like many retailers are getting more creative and doing what works. Good to see this effort.

Re: Coupon sites becoming increasingly important - #3 in series

JEBCommerce — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:31:16 -0000

Wow, great comment Mike. I totally agree. I think that demand curve also gets shifted, and those products most likely influenced by price increase, as the economy turns downward.