June 2009
Email is dead, long live Twitter?
I expect a lot of people reading this will think “argh, not another article about twitter” which would not be far off the mark. Look in Google for some stats on affiliate marketing, or recent trends and you can’t find anything, but look for twitter and affiliate marketing and there is an abundance of articles. So why has the affiliate world gone Twitter mad?
I will profess to be well and truly sold on the benefits of Twitter. To generalise there are two schools of thoughts for the benefits of twitter: Firstly, it is a social media tool and enables companies to effectively build a brand identity online. Secondly, it is a direct sales channel that clients, affiliates and networks can utilise. I am of the school of thinking that it is both.
Twitter as a Sales Channel
Dell are probably the most famous of companies so far to show the value of Twitter as a direct sales channel reportedly generating millions of dollars of revenue through their Twitter channel and having tens of thousands of followers.
It does offer a great opportunity to directly target your consumers who have opted to follow you, so are already open to being engaged. Short term offers or best sellers will naturally work well as you have a limit of 140 characters and you need to capture the consumers attention amongst tweets from their friends. Timing could be key as well, if there is a subject that is being talked about then jump on it. A great example was the tube strike which companies like Streetcar took advantage of immediately.
This lends itself to affiliate marketing and a number of voucher code affiliates have already taken up the use of Twitter. The main disadvantage of the channel is that, as yet, the reach is only a very small percentage of thepotential consumer base and is not likely to increase massively. As long as you realise it is just one of many online marketing channels and do not place much emphasis on it then I think it is a viable direct sales channel and worth a try to see how it works for you. You can of course create links to be able to track anything that comes from Twitter if sending traffic directly to the client or with a unique landing page. If you have any questions regarding this feel free to talk to your dgm account manager.
Twitter as a Communication Channel
Twitter can be used in a variety of ways other than direct sales, such as for creating a brand identity, a customer service channel or simply communicating to your customers.
To me the beauty of this channel is that the customer has to opt-in to follow a brand, so they are already pro-actively engaging with the brand and want to receive the communication. As a customer it is not obtrusive as the customer chooses to login and read their twitters unlike email where it can be seen as obtrusive and unwanted.
In the world of affiliate marketing Twitter seems to be used more for its original use which is social networking. It is a way for affiliates to interact with other affiliates and affiliate managers. It is also a great tool for keeping up to date on any news or developments in the industry. I know some people cringe at the thought of this and knowing that someone has eggs on toast for their breakfast is not exactly riveting but if you look past that and use it as a relationship building tool it can be invaluable.
As a network we have found the web of communication channels available to us a headache. It is becoming clearer that email is becoming a necessary evil rather than an effective communication tool. As affiliates get so many emails it is very difficult to break through the noise using email. Twitter is a channel that we are now using but only a few affiliates are using this, (perhaps up to 1% at best) so it is only a very small part of our communication strategy but it can be a very effective one.
A good example is where I recently tweeted about a new dynamic, deep linking banner that we have introduced for Haven. Immediately I had several replies and many affiliates started using the banner. I’m not sure we would have got this action from email. Based on this I would be keen for more affiliates to start using Twitter.
People will love Twitter and people will hate it, its longevity is questionable as it can ironically become less effective as it gets larger. I would suggest trying it and see what you think; any suggestions of how dgm can make better use of this channel are welcome.
You can follow us at Twitter:
www.twitter.com/dgmuk
www.twitter.com/HelenMarie21
www.twitter.com/JessNathan
www.twitter.com/Kevmsutton
https://twitter.com/dancohen243
Some other useful “tweeps” to follow:
www.twitter.com/IABUK
https://twitter.com/EasyContentUnit
http://twitter.com/spotify
http://twitter.com/a4uexpo
http:twitter.com/hitwise_UK
Enjoy the weekend,
Hot Spots:
Tiscali- Following the recent acquisition of Tiscali by the Talk Talk Group, we wanted to remind you about the Tiscali campaign and explain the benefits of promoting Tiscali now that the takeover has been announced.
Tiscali are currently offering great value products in the broadband market. As the recession bites, consumers are looking for internet providers that can offer them the best value in terms of product and service - which Tiscali can provide.
Commision Rates
- Broadband Packages £30 CPA
- Broadband + Phone packages £35 CPA
- Broadband + TV packages £45 CPA
For more information on the campaign please click here for the dgmKnowledge page.
New Campaigns:
Mopay.co.uk lets customers sell and recycle their old mobile phones in return for cash or other rewards through a simple and fast shopping cart process.
Mopay.co.uk are the UK’s longest running online provider and to date have paid out over £3 million to customers. They are the only site to offer 6 payment options including Marks & Spencer vouchers and Arcadia Group Gift Cards as well as offering traditional cash payment methods.
Why choose Mopay.co.uk?
Mopay.co.uk is one of the UK’s fastest paying services offering BACS payment within 3 working days after receiving and testing the phone.
Mopay.co.uk also lists over 1,500 mobile phones and offers some of the most competitive prices in the market.
Commission Structure
Mopay.co.uk offers a commission payment of £3.80 per basket and £1.60 on all subsequent orders. On average each user recommends the site to at least two friends.
For more information please go to dgmKnowledge or contact Matylda Kosieradzka.
Campaign updates:
Helpucover - are offering an excellent commission rate of £40 per sale on their (award winning) Mortgage Payment Protection and Income Protection Insurance.
helpucover offers great value, award winning Mortgage Payment Protection and Income Protection Insurance. Given the current uncertain economic climate, with house repossession’s on the rise and unemployment increasing, more and more people are looking to take steps to protect themselves and their families should the worst happen.
For more information on these products please go to the dgmKnowledge page.
Jacobs Digital - new voucher codes available but be quick because they are only available until the 30th June 2009.
Please click here to view the new voucher codes.
Be- be broadband double Amazon gift certificate offer to £48 on 12 month products. Use code 24OfferBTC1 until 30th June 2009.
Optimax - new commission structure will replace current commission structure on all sales starting from 1st July. The new commission rates are outlined below:
£1 CPL per every new lead generated
£50 CPA per every attended consultation*
£100 CPA per every new patient*
*Consultation/Treatment has to be within 3 months from the lead
The new commission structure will give you opportunity to earn £151 per every booked treatment! The mixed CPL/CPA model will replace the previous £5 CPL offer.
For more information on the campaign please contact Matt Swan, Matylda Kosieradzka or go to the dgmKnowledge page.
RUCraft - higher commission on the campaign throughout July!
Following the soft launch of the RUCraft campaign, we want to work closely with the affiliates already registered with us and appreciate the efforts already made on our behalf!
As a thank you and a way to celebrate our launch and attract new affiliates to a program with great potential, we are temporarily upping the commission bracket to 3.5%, across the board, for the whole of July!
For those already working with the program, the change will be automatic. For those affiliates out there wishing to take advantage of a great commission rate, join the program and get earning!
At the end of July, the commission will return to the 2.5%standard level.
If you have any questions about the campaign please contact Kat Jones.
Quick Fire
Name: Helen Southgate
A4U Handle: HelenMarie
Age: 28
Role: Head of Affiliate
How long have you been at dgm?: Nearly 2.5 years
Tell us an interesting fact about you: I have been a season ticket holder at Norwich City FC since the mid 90’s
First CD you ever bought: hmmm my first LP was Tiffany, I think we are alone now, tape was Top Gun soundtrack, first CD was probably one of the Now’s
Favourite drink: Wholefood organic cola
Last film you watched: Quantum of Solace
Tell us a joke: Q: How many data base people does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Three: One to write the light bulb removal program, One to write the light bulb insertion program, and one to act as a light bulb administrator to make sure that nobody else tries to change the bulb at the same time.
Which campaign would you promote if you were an affiliate?: Too many to mention, Tiscali is on a comeback, Jacobs is flying and JD Williams has just released product feeds
One last crucial question…Pepsi or Coca cola?:
Coca cola
