URL's and tel. numbers on banners

[KieronD]

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There seems to be a bit of a pattern emerging lately when it comes to new merchants launching on the various networks.

It goes a bit like this:

Network: Accouncement - we have a great new merchant going live today, log in to your admin area and download the banners now!

Us affiliates: Great news, but the the banners all have the URL on and a nice big freephone number. Can you do anything about this?

Network: Apologies, we'll try and get something done about it.

2 to 3 weeks later we may be lucky and get some new creatives.

But wouldn't it be much easier if the Networks told merchants that affiliates don't respond too well to banners with URL and freephone numbers on them BEFORE they went live?

I know it's not always as simple as this, especially when a Network brings on a merchant who is completely new to Affiliate Marketing; but it just seems that I see this scenario all the time and surely it can be avoided at least some of the time??

Rant over, apologies!

Kieron

[Shane]

rant ?? ...what rant mate

it's a feckin Fundamental aspect of affiliate marketing that we get paid for the required action, bit hard to track when it goes through to some mildred in sales on a phone line isnt it? somewhat Conveniently

although maybe only the people that get shafted on an ongoing basis (us affiliates ) see that.

I won't push anything with a phone number on it, even get twitchy about it being bigger than a size 6 font on a site lol.

I am in affiliate marketing to get paid, not be a free branding charity

[KieronD]

Originally posted by ShaneRbn21
when it goes through to some mildred in sales

ROFLMAO! Well said mate!

Kieron

[drivetowin]

Agree 100%

Networks should play their part in educating merchants as to what affiliates expect.

[ianm]

I'm more than happy to promote an agent that has URLs or Phone Nos on their banners ........................................... as long as the merchant in question is happy to pay for impressions - a quid an impression should do it!

[Malcolm Cowley]

You guys are going to love some of the new programs we got coming up then loads of phone number usage and visitors going offline .........

but guess what :-) They are all tracked to the affiliate so no worries about leakage.

One is financial and one is Travel

As the Travel one is setting up in the right way to reward decent traffic they shared some info with me on Travel leakage and check this 70% of their sales go offline

Are you telling me there the only travel company with leakage this high - no chance - so looking at it that way how stiffed are other travel affs getting with the programs they use now that dont have phone tracking - 70% is a massive figure no wonder you need shed loads of traffic for travel to make it cost effective to promote.

Anyway the bottom line is and I know I am not the only one here doing this - there are some of us out there trying for a better deal for everyone and the more we can get to do it the more will have to do it and then the whole industry benefits.

Cant wait to roll out some of these Brand names who have taken affiliate marketing seriously right from the get go.

[Shane]

Cool,

Nowt wrong with that as long, offline tracking is cool, that's oakly doakly and I am sure it will get copious regular "affiliate checking" lol to ensure it does

nice one malc

70% of their sales go offline

wow so when leakage due to spyware, Norton etc is taken into account basically I should be driving a ferrari now if everything tracked and I got paid,

[Jenny]

We have a really adverse credit product, been running for 2 years. They assign an ID to each aff url ie the landing page is different for each aff. To date the only sales we've had have come from phone leads. Interesting point, and something to bring up with other merchants I think. Could be a good way forward, particularly for finance as there are still plenty of peeps nervous about giving personal info over the net.
Cheers
Jen

[FleaPit]

Never understood why merchants can't setup different landing pages for affiliates. Remove large telephone numbers, or at the very least put a unique reference code on the end of the number for the sales operator to request. With all the technology available it really shouldn't be that hard.

[Mogga]

Originally posted by Jenny
They assign an ID to each aff url ie the landing page is different for each aff. To date the only sales we've had have come from phone leads.]

So do affiliates get credited for these sales? Or do they miss out?

[Supercod]

Originally posted by FleaPit
Never understood why merchants can't setup different landing pages for affiliates. Remove large telephone numbers, or at the very least put a unique reference code on the end of the number for the sales operator to request. With all the technology available it really shouldn't be that hard.

It's not hard in the slightest, and when affiliate traffic returns to your home page you could redirect the visitor to the affiliate version without them even knowing.

However the issue is it takes work to set-up and a network can recommend the best practice, but if you push for to much before they understand the relationship they end up going off to a network that doesn’t bother checking stuff and just set's them up because they can pay the money.

I think in time the clever merchants will invest time and money in to setting up the type of things that gets affiliate to promote them harder without having to effect any offline, PPC or other adverts they do.

Offline tracking is something you will see starting to come in to place but no point having it if the merchant doesn’t train staff or have the resources to make sure it's correctly monitored and reported back to the network.. however don’t expect for 2 seconds it will capture 100% of the offline sales you send along, as it's got the human element it means it will fall down.. but it's better than not having it.

[SillyJokes]

Do those merchants that have offline tracking pay the same commission as those that don't?

[Jenny]

Hi Mogga
The telephone leads are tracked as each affiliate has a different code on their specific landing page.
Cheers
Jen

[Supercod]

Originally posted by SillyJokes
Do those merchants that have offline tracking pay the same commission as those that don't?

A very valid point.. for example if we said 10% of all sales went offline, and the merchant said.. to make up for that I will give the affiliates 1% more... then that would actually balance things out. The problem is everyone still moan.. "your nicking my sales" LOL so you can't really win

The way I have always done it as an affiliate is, if the commission rate is fair and I am happy with the return I am getting from promoting the merchant then whatever else happens who cares.

However the problems come when a merchant is out and out taking the Mickey.. for example when call to order with a big phone number is on every page.. then I wouldn't even bother trying to find out if the merchant converts or not.

And here in lies the problem with every deal, in my experience there is always something to have an issue with, but as long as you look at the offer in a reasonable fashion and said merchant is also being as reasonable as they can then it's as good as you will get.. Phone numbers on banners is not on and other such things and it really should be the networks saying look mr merchant that's not how this works.. but as on any given day may networks don't have a clue about what banners are in there system I am not surprised that this doesn’t happen more frequently.

[qwerky]

Premier direct have got to be the worst on affiliate window

heres the landing page for the Road Angel camera detector

http://www.radarzone.co.uk/startroadangel.htm

Would you buy online or phone?

I admire networks like DGM who seem to only keep merchants who convert, i cant see many people making Premier Direct working on AWIN, all AWIN must get out of it is some sort of network management fees and the odd affiliate sales commission.