Shane
You are very welcome to your opinion and naturally working for yourself set your own business rules I
am not on forum for arguements or have any hidden agendas.
With regards the PPC guidelines I have set at Hotel Chocolat, I have worked closely with my network, search agency, my internal team; I did consider asking my Mum at one point but most importantly my affiliates...
My merchants/retailers invest phenomenal amounts of resource into the brand experience their consumers receive whether during the experience, in store and now more apparent online. As Online Marketing Manager of Hotel Chocolat is it my responsibility to aim for the highest possible customer experience online but from a holistic point of view to ensure multi-channel brand consistency.
Working closely with my search agency we strategically ensure that all the brand touch points are correct to achieve loyalty beyond reason from our customers. PPC is a the ultimate direct response tool, especially for emerging retailers (such as Hotel Chocolat) and it is one that a merchant can have total control. It is one I have decided to take control of, and I
am already pleased by the response from affiliates in respecting that. Day to day I’ll continue working my PPC affiliates (who request/need the assistance) and my search agency to guarantee continual growth in our paid for search results therefore success for Hotel Chocolat online.
If you would like to discuss this further and/or like to become a member of the Hotel Chocolat affiliate program please feel free to
contact me and I’ll call you or meet you to discuss.
I’ve worked in affiliate marketing since 1999 and I have seen first hand how the industry has matured year on year, this industry is one I
am very passionate about as you can see in the following
blog post. It technology and the skills within have become more and more sophisticated and I personally
am all for an industry body or team. As the maturity and investment continues on all levels so must the regulations which naturally include PPC.
These do differ from network to network and merchant to merchant but for the longevity of affiliate marketing all parties must continue to promote the self policed best practice.
Thanks
Chris