| http://www.refer-it.com |
September 6, 2001
internet.com's
REFER-IT.COM INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER
"Affiliate Resources, Revenue and Tips"
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Sponsored by ~ FreeMoneyMakingMagazine.com ~
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[refer-it top ten]
Special congratulations to OneShare.com -
the new Refer-it.com #1 Program.
[merchant of the month]
General Vitamin
[affiliate of the month]
CreationRewards.net
[featured articles]
Jim Gribble, LinkProfits.com
How to choose a good affiliate program and
what to do when you get involved with a bad one.
Cynthia A. Arko, Refer-it.com
How to maintain affiliate focus.
[september webmaster tips]
[3 star programs]
[contact us]
[refer-it sponsors]
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[refer-it top ten affiliate programs] September 2001
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Special congratulations to the New Refer-it.com #1 Program -
Oneshare.com.
1. OneShare.com
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=7291
2. eHealthInsurance.com:
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=6429
3. Qwest Dex
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=5561
4. Merchant Partner Plus
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=7026
5. Juniper Bank
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=6137
6. DreamMates
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=4303
7. Match.com
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=4669
8. uSubscribe.com
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=5976
9. New Century Mortgage
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=7340
10.LowerMyBills.com
http://www.refer-it.com/Main.cfm?screen=displayProfile&id=4092
* Refer-it Top Ten programs are calculated by the absolute
number of clickthroughs each program received on Refer-it.com,
exclusive of Adult sites.
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[merchant of the month] General Vitamin.com
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Program Name:
General Vitamin Affiliate Program
Program Manager:
Sheila Kiliru
Company Background:
General Vitamin Corporation, quality and service since 1963
Online Launch Date:
2001
Homepage url: www.generalvitamin.com
Affiliate info url: www.generalvitamin.com/affiliate.asp
Description of Affiliate Program:
Finally, General Vitamin's affiliate program is online! For almost 40 years,
General Vitamin has been running a successful offline affiliate program by
supplying customers with a free 30 day supply of vitamins when they sign up
for our free trial membership program. We have been paying our affiliates
20% commission on net sales but now if you sign up by September 15th we'll
give you an extra 10%.
Commission:
20% sign up by September 15th and get
30% commission on net sales
Payment Frequency: Minimum payout $25 in net sales.
Program Type: pay-by-sale
Is the program free to join? Yes
Tracking System Used: in-house
Keys to the affiliate program success:
Don't over promise and under deliver. We over-deliver to our customers and
clients so they are always satisfied. We offer a good commission and a good
product. It pays to promote good customer service, good prices and a good
product. "we're so confident you'll like our product that we'll let you try
it free for 30 days..."
Special promotions, give-a-ways:
General Vitamin has been offering its customers a free 30 day supply of
vitamins when they sign up for our free trial membership. We offer a
free mystery gift to customers with every online purchase (no minimum).
Top affiliate success stories:
Since 1963 General Vitamin has been successful in an offline affiliate
program with various clients. Our greatest success can be attribute to
our free offer that we now make available online.
Where do you see your affiliate program in 12 months?
I see our affiliate program continuing to be successful both on and
offline. We have a good internal structure that keeps customer
satisfaction levels high so our customers keep coming back.
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[affiliate of the month] CreationRewards.net
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Name of site:
CreationsRewards.Net
General description:
CreationsRewards.Net is a rewards-based website that allows members to
accumulate points for visiting websites, signing up for valuable online
offers, online shopping, and referring others. Members can
cash in points for gift certificates or a PayPal redemption.
Please tell us a little about yourself and how you came with the idea
for your affiliate site(s)?
Since 1996, I had a liking for online rewards websites. I decided
that I wanted to become a player in the market and start up my own rewards
website. In late 2000, I designed a small website which would later be
turned into a much larger site in early 2001. I wanted to make a website
that would have superior customer service and offer the best offers that
the Internet has to offer to keep users coming back often to see what's new
and improved.
What is unique about your site?
My website is unique since it offers a great way to earn rewards online
and is different from the other sites out on the Internet since there is
superior customer service, and provides everyone with the same earning
opportunities.
Do you have any competitors?
Yes. There are a few sites out on the Internet that are similar to mine,
and they usually try to copy my ideas that I put up on the site and they
try to push their product harder when they see how
successful my site has been doing since I launched in February 2001.
How many people on your affiliate team?
I usually do most of the work by myself at the moment, but as I grow,
I plan to hire a few people to assist me in finding new affiliate programs
and help me with customer service and upkeep of the website.
Is this is full or part time commitment?
I would have to say that my website is a full-time commitment since I
work on the site 7 days a week for a few hours each day.
How many hours/week do you spend in the site?
I spend about 4 hours a day average, 7 days a week working on my website.
What has been the single most effective method for driving
traffic to your site?
Offering users points to visit websites on the Internet. This is the most
popular feature of my website that keeps users coming back daily to my website.
How many affiliate programs have you joined?
I have joined many programs, some are part of affiliate networks, others are
independent programs.
Which ones are your top 5 revenue-generating programs?
SharedGreetings, Sklif, Nicorette, SmartPages, and NiceCards.
What is your average monthly commission revenue?
I usually average at least $6,000 per month in total site revenue from all
of my affiliate programs.
Have you been able to negotiate higher rates from merchants?
I usually don't ask merchants for pay increases since I am usually satisfied
with their offerings that are given to me upon joining their program.
What are the most important factors for you when choosing an
affiliate program to join?
The payout, and the time it takes for them to pay. Some affiliate programs
make you wait over 90 days to receive payment, which is the biggest downside
of an affiliate program. If more programs paid commissions on a monthly basis,
they would be more successful on the Internet. Sometimes I am skeptical that
the program will close up before I reach their minimum payment.
Do you prefer 3rd party hosted programs (i.e. Commission Junction, Linkshare)
or programs developed in-house?
I usually prefer 3rd party programs, as long as they pay on a monthly basis.
Some of the Linkshare and Reporting.Net merchants pay quarterly and it's up
to the merchant to pay you. As long as the website is reputable, I have no
problem using the affiliate program, just as long as I know they will pay
when the time comes.
Is your site profitable? If so, How long did it take for your
site to become profitable?
Yes. It took me just a month to start generating profit for my website since
it started to grow quickly after I had launched it.
What is your projected revenue for 2001?
At least $30,000.
Do you have any final comments for people looking to start
their own website?
Be sure to carefully watch the affiliate programs you join. Try to avoid programs
that have high minimums and take a long time to pay you. If you join reputable websites,
you should have no problem in being paid by the affiliate program when
the time comes and if you have met the minimum amount to be paid.
Plans for the future?
I hope to expand my website in the future by offering more ways to earn points
on my website, and offer more user features that would keep users coming back.
I am thinking of adding forums to my website where people can post things
about other websites and just have general discussion. I plan to continue
growing as the months go on and I plan to have my website online for several years!
Contact info:
Christopher Basista
CreationsRewards.Net President
cbasista@creationsrewards.net
http://www.creationsrewards.net
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[featured article] Jim Gribble, LinkProfits.com
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How to choose a good affiliate program and what to do when you get
involved with a bad one.
In his role as both an affiliate program manager and affiliate,
Jim Gribble's daily ritual includes reading the posts of many affiliates
on various message boards. Commonly, posts center on an affiliate that
didn't get paid by a merchant/advertiser, which typically brings a
torrent of responses echoing the sentiment. Some accept the fact and
it seems like all they do when they add a merchant is "cross their
fingers" and hope they'll get paid. However, there are ways in which
you can improve your chances of joining a "good" program.
[full story]
http://www.referit.com/main.cfm?screen=articles&id=165
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[featured article] Cynthia Arko, Refer-it.com
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Less is More: How to Maintain Affiliate Focus
According to Merriam-Webster, focus is a point of concentration, a
center of activity, attraction, or attention. It's important to maintain
focus in your affiliate marketing efforts as promoting too many merchant
offers may be detrimental to your cause.
[full story]
http://www.referit.com/main.cfm?screen=articles&id=166
[submit an article]
mailto: refer-it@internet.com
Refer-it.com is now delivered to more than 14,000 subscribers.
Submit an article on an affiliate marketing topic and we'd be
happy to promote your site or service.
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Don’t miss out on this lucrative opportunity!
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[affiliate news]
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Submitted by: Jason Shumaker, VP Beyond Limits
One of our affiliates benefited from our last trip. This particular
affiliate owns a bike store in White Plains, NY called High Caliper.
He joined our affiliate program and pushed one of our upcoming bike
journeys to northern Italy. Two of his regular customers saw our banner
on his site and signed up for the trip and our affiliate received
$100 for the sale. The big money came into the picture when his two
customers spent $14,000 in his store for two new bikes specifically
for the trip! We see a lot of this kind of residual sales from
affiliates who own outdoor stores and have our banners on their site.
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[webmaster tips]
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Twelve Cool Sites and Tools for Searchers
Display thumbnail images of search results, translate terms in dozens
of languages, find related sites based on what you're viewing - check
out the dozen sites and tools covered in this roundup.
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/01/sd0830-roundup.html
Talk to Us - Have a comment? Got a great tip?
Email us! mailto:refer-it@internet.com
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[3 star programs]
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New three star programs include Chase Online, NY Times, FurnitureFind,
and Space.com
Check out the latest 3 star rated programs at:
http://www.refer-it.com/countads.cfm?id=315
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[cancelled programs]
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For a complete list of cancelled programs, visit:
http://www.refer-it.com/main.cfm?screen=articles&id=112
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* ATTENTION MERCHANTS:
Running an affiliate promotion? Increasing commissions?
Creating new coupons or discounts? Let us know about it!
Contact refer-it@internet.com
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[contact us]
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As always, contact the Refer-it team with any questions or comments.
Contact: Brian Farrell, Sales Manager
mailto: bfarrell@internet.com
Webmaster Inquiries and Merchant News?
mailto: refer-it@internet.com
* As Cynthia Arko winds things down for maternity leave, she can be
reached after September 12th at: cynthia_arko@yahoo.com. Best of
Luck with her new baby girl!
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[refer-it sponsors]
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eHealthInsurance.com (Insurance)
http://www.ehealthinsurance.com
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OneShare.com (Gifts)
http://www.oneshare.com
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Qwest Dex (Search Engine)
http://www.qwestdex.com
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NewCenturyMortgage.com (Finance)
http://www.newcenturymortgage.com
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Match.com (MatchMaking)
http://affiliates.match.com
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DreamMates.com (Matchmaking)
http://www.dreammates.com
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