In all honesty I shouldn’t have to say this but I am shocked and surprised by the amount of times affiliates talk to me about not getting paid from merchants in a timely fashion, its terrible! It’s not that much of a surprise to hear affiliates say they haven’t been paid by merchant X for 5 months, that August!

Paying your suppliers on time will ensure a longer more profitable working relationship, nowhere is this truer than the world of affiliate marketing where there is still a whole host of successful sole traders working from their spare room.

Let me give you a scenario. A search affiliate starts a campaign and spends a large amount of money driving clicks to a site they have built around your brand, the end of the month comes and Google charges this affiliate for those clicks. Meanwhile someone has validated a percentage of the sales generated via the network, the affiliate is happy as they have made a profit. Great. However the network will not release that commission to the affiliate until merchant x has paid them for those sales, fair enough I guess but if merchant x isn’t paying for those sales for 5 months, it means the affiliate doesn’t get paid. It really isn’t rocket science.

Now, although the affilliate is happy with their profit do you honestly think they are going to invest more money or time into you and your brand without being paid? Of course not, so the affiliate pauses their campaign or promotes someone else.

All businesses at one time or another go through cash flow problems, it’s understandable, your affiliates are your online sales force and in lean times are needed more than even, it might be a good idea not to upset them!

Now I have not actually met Karen, I was introduced to her by a mutual friend as she had a few questions about affiliate marketing. Since then we have spoken a lot via IM and email, I can honestly say I don’t think I have met a more passionate person about affiliate marketing and online in general. She has recently started at The Slice and is no doubt a future star in the world of

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Karen and I’ve just started working at The Slice London, which is a reasonably new franchise of The Slice – (but based in London– surprise surprise!). The Slice London is an account management network for primarily financial campaigns. The Slice and The Slice London share a pool of affiliates and software but we both run separate campaigns to ensure our affiliates always the perfect campaigns to run to each of their sites/mailing lists etc. As I’m completely fresh-faced on the affiliate scene, I’ve had a great time this past couple of weeks with Internet World on and being able to chat and get to know the people in the industry!

What is your day to day role?

So far, I’ve been speaking to all of our affiliates and learning about them: their ad models, preferred/ successful campaigns, what type of demographic they market to. I also send out alerts on new campaigns, help get the tracking in place and respond to any enquiries the affiliates may have. Once we’re familiar enough with an affiliate, we’re able to then send out targeted campaigns to them which we know will work well. Basically, I’m here to make our affiliates as much money as possible and help out wherever possible!

What was your previous job and was it related to affiliate marketing?

I worked for an online florist, which meant I ran a lot of digital marketing campaigns, primarily SMM, PPC, SEO, etc., though the role there included a lot of offline marketing as well. I took over the affiliate marketing account towards the end of my time there, so I’ve had experience of the industry, but more from a client’s perspective! I’ve also run a couple of my own SEO based websites which has given me some insight from an affiliate’s point of view, though there’s a lot more to learn still!

What do you love about affiliate marketing?

I simply love the model – pay on results! It’s a win for every side – a sale for the merchant and money made for the affiliate. After working across the channels, I’ve definitely found the affiliate marketing side as the best way to produce both measurable and sizable ROI! It’s also a hobby of mine – I’ve always loved the online environment and while I don’t make a huge amount of money back, I can safely say it’s my first hobby that actually pays me back for my time!

What is on your Ipod?

At the moment I’m re- listening to the Gatsby’s American Dream discography!

How can people get in touch with you?

You can reach me via email or msn on Karen.clarke@theslicelondon.com. Alternatively give me a call

I am Neil Mitchell, former UK Account Manager of William Hill Casino in the UK. These days I run 15 gaming review websites including www.casinosaurus.co.uk, www.bingosaurus.co.uk and www.pokersaurus.co.uk. I also consult for www.easyodds.com and work with 2 or 3 other affiliates on web based projects.

What is your day to day role?

I start each morning at 7.30. Working from home means that I can get a lot more done in the day without any ‘water cooler moment’ distractions. My day consists of checking stats and analytics, writing content, tweaking SEO, learning to program (I currently outsource all programming) and keeping up to date withwhat is happening in the market. For consultancy I research new markets and opportunities, conduct userbility studies and generate new revenue by introducing operators to the company.  For the other projects I work on with other affiliates it will purely depend on the work split – we utilise each others strengths to build the best possible sites.

What was your previous job and was it related to affiliate marketing?

I have been in Affiliate Marketing for around 8 years now, and have worked at SEO companies, Affiliate Networks and, in my role, as a Merchant running the UK Affiliate Management arm of William Hill online. I had a portfolio of around 5500 UK affiliates and would work with them to increase their conversions, provide new offers and to help them with any problems that they would have.

What do you love about affiliate marketing?

I love the fact that this is a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week industry. Even when you are asleep, you can potentially make money. I also love the fact that Affiliate Marketing is at the forefront of the retail economy – over the last couple of years merchants and Agencies alike have realised that using the Internet allows for maximum ROI and maximum targeting, leading to smarter through the line campaigns. Online is constantly evolving and there is always something new to learn, and always someone innovating. The other thing about Affiliate Marketing is that pretty much anyone can do it – this is a career that doesn’t depend on you having a degree, or access to vast sums of money to allow you to get a foothold – get a good idea, work hard and you can make a living on your own terms. The freedom to choose my own hours means that I also get a lot of quality time with my family.

What do you hate about affiliate marketing and what would you change if you could?

Hmmm…there’s not a lot I would change to be honest. I think any problems that exist are as a result of a lack of understanding between merchants and affiliates. Not everyone at a merchant understands how an affiliate works, and vice versa. This causes friction when terms and conditions are changed, or a program is pulled or amended. Maybe because I have worked as a Merchant, an Account Manager and now as an Affiliate I can see a more holistic view of all sides. Having said that, there are just as many affiliates that pull sharp practices as there are merchants – I guess thats endemic in any industry – even in areas like restaurants and garages there are more reputable people than others, I guess that because we work in an online space its easier to verbalise these niggles and grumbles anonymously!

List your top 5 resources that help you with your day to day job?

I use the usual websites – Affiliates4u, GPWA, CAP etc, but most of my knowledge is learned by talking to other people in the industry – sharing best practices is n my mind the way forward. Why work against another affiliates to get to position 1 in Google, when you can work *with* them and attain positions 1, 2 and 3?

If you were an affiliate how would you help someone in your role?

All Affiliates work different ways, at different speeds and with a different amount of outside input. There is no ‘wrong’ way of being an Affiliate (well…there are a couple!) but I think that more understanding of an AMs role and the pressure they can be under, and the limits they have within the role would make for a smoother relationship. When I was an AM, I would have Affiliates msning 5 times a day about a bonus code, or a missing player. Neither of which were actively done by myself – I would have to feed the information up to the relevant department for them to sort. After that I could feed back to the Affiliate. I realise that as an AM I am the focal point for the Affiliate, but now I am an Affiliate myself I realise what my AM can do immediately and what they have to refer. Pretty much all problems between Account Managers and Affiliates are just down to a lack of communication and understanding. There aren’t too many AMs who are also affiliates, so they don’t necessary understand the implications of their actions and vice versa.

In your opinion what is the future of affiliate marketing and how can affiliates take advantage of this?

I know what the future of Affiliate Marketing is in my particular sector, and I aint telling . However, as I say all the time, Look East. Look at the developing trends and products coming out from Asia – they are technically forward thinking and innovative, and almost all the products that are developed normally end up in the UK market about 12 months later. Look at mobile phones, computer games and TVs – all massively developed from China, Taiwan and Japan. So what have they got over there that will come over here? 3d TV anyone? A little bit of research and playing the long game (ie buying a domain with the understanding that you may not get anything from it for 12 months until the product is available over here) could mean that you pick up the premium domain for that particular sector.

What is on your Ipod?

Oddly enough I don’t have an iPod – I think I would lose it, so I tend to have all my music on my phone! I listen to all kinds of music, and in a previous life was in quite a few bands (I was signed to 4 different record labels both in bands and as a solo artist), but I got stagefright and so had to give it up. I like a lot of bands like Midnight Juggernauts, the Presets, Grandaddy and other similar sounding bands, but also have a soft spot for Indie, Rock and Metal – essentially anything written from the heart that has a pulse I can appreciate. My favourite band of all time is Nine Inch Nails – musically and sonically they are 10 years ahead of anyone else.

How can people get in touch with you?

Easy peasy – neil.mitchell@sohorocks, TheBoyMitchell@hotmail.co.uk, Twitter me – TheBoyMitchell, call me – 07815293507, and I have finally got round to starting a blog (even though there isn’t anything on it yet!) – can you guess the name? Yep – www.theboymitchell.com If anyone wants to contact me about working together on a project, doing some consultancy or just need help and advice with contacts or anything, then feel free to get in touch

The video can be seen below but please be warned this is not for everyone.

M.I.A. – “Born Free” [EXPLICIT]

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

They say a picture paints a thousand words, enough said then I guess….

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you and what do you do?

For those of you that don’t know me – I am Karel , despite the funny sounding name I am originally from Bristol and have lived in Berlin for the last 4 years. I am affiliate marketing manager at German affiliate network belboon-adbulter GmbH.

What is your day to day role?

I spend a lot of my time dealing with affiliate and merchant enquiries, I am responsible for 3 different industries so the questions can vary somewhat. Due to my past experience I have also recently been given the role of contact person for all our price comparison affiliates, I currently have a list of around 180 so I imagine this will keep me out of trouble for a while. It’s my first completely German speaking role and so I was really worried to begin with – but so far it seems to be holding up quiet well!
Oh, drinking coffee and looking out of the window as well – we have an amazing office with a fish tank with a lift through it one side and the Berliner Dome the other. If anyone comes to Berlin come and visit!

What was your previous job and was it related to affiliate marketing?

I spent 2 and a half great years at Idealo, my first role in affiliate marketing. I joined initially as an English content worker and managed to work my way through to UK country manager. It was a great role as I got to meet all the people I now in the UK affiliate marketing arena, firstly through MSN and then at A4U’s and a few lucky people in Barbados last year with Affiliate Future.  One worry about leaving Idealo was the lack of contact I would have with the UK…

What do you love about affiliate marketing?

You people. As I said I have met some fantastic people over the last few years and made some great friends.

What do you hate about affiliate marketing and what would you change if you could?

Hmm – good question. I personal hate of mine is being based in Germany when you are all having pub meets, football tournaments and having fun etc. – but that’s really more a geography hate…

People bitching on the forum I guess. Makes me not want to post as often as people will pick up on small irrelevant points and turn a good thread into a slagging match or into a voucher code thread – boring!

List your top 5 resources that help you with your day to day job?

A4U, XING, Linkedin, 100partnerprogramme.de and my iPhone for cheeky Facebook and Twitter checking. Twitter used to be big for me but in my new role I honestly don’t have the time – sorry guys.

If you were an affiliate how would you help someone in your role?

That’s a hard one as I am still pretty fresh to being network side – obviously sign up to our network, my programs and make lots of money with us and make me look great.

As an affiliate I would have asked Merchants and network account managers to get in touch when they honestly had a good promotion or merchant that I should have been pushing, and if it was worth getting in touch with me for then pester me until it I actually dealt with it.

In your opinion what is the future of affiliate marketing and how can affiliates take advantage of this?

Mobile Affiliate Marketing – without a doubt this is the future.

What is on your Ipod?

Not enough new stuff to be honest but a bit of everything really. Have been listening to Arctic Monkeys,  Murs and Royskopp recently – random mix I know!

How can people get in touch with you?

Karel.ellis-gray@belboon.de

Skype: karel.ellis.gray

msn: karelwork@hotmail.com

I was personally nominated in the Affiliate Manager – In House or at an Agency category and it was a massive surprise. Thanks to everyone who voted for me and fingers crossed I win!

See you at the awards.

I’m Helen,  my role is senior online marketing manager at BSkyB. More specifically I work across the ppc search and affiliate channels.  I manage the in-house team for both these channels and work closely with the rest of the marketing team to ensure integration and online support for all campaigns.

What is your day to day role?

Every day is completely different. In general  I work with my teams to optimise both the PPC channel and affiliate channel to drive more sales and efficiency.  I also work closely with the rest of the online team to ensure campaigns are integrated, budget is being deployed effectively etc.  Additionally, I try my best to get involved in other parts of the Sky business such as 3D TV to sell in the role of PPC and affiliate to these business units and help support their activity.

What was your previous job and was it related to affiliate marketing?

My background is purely in affiliate marketing, I have worked at two affiliate networks since leaving university, most recently DGM where I spent a very enjoyable 2.5 years.

What do you love about affiliate marketing?

I love that affiliate marketing is a microcosm of all online marketing.  Affiliates do PPC, SEO, email, DM etc. I love the variety of this and the enthusiasm of the affiliates that goes with this.

What do you hate about affiliate marketing and what would you change if you could?

There are a lot of people in this industry that profess to be experts and publicise themselves widely as just that. In my experience those that are really good at it keep quiet, are modest and are very successful from doing just that.

List your top 5 resources that help you with your day to day job?

Twitter – keeps me posted on industry news

Google Reader – keeps me updated on the blogs I like to follow

Excel – couldn’t live without it

DART tracking – lets me know everything, all the time

Sky News – keeps me posted and grounded on what’s happening in the real world

If you were an affiliate how would you help someone in your role?

Be transparent about what you are doing and be open to testing new ideas.  Sky is an incredible place to work in that everyone is always open to trying new things. I’d love more affiliates to come to us with more ideas about how to generate sales.

In your opinion what is the future of affiliate marketing and how can affiliates take advantage of this?

This is the first time in a few years now that i have felt really positive about the future of affiliate marketing.  I think we went through a bad patch with a real reliance on brand traffic but stakeholders in the industry have really broadened their reach and as a result affiliate has become an invaluable channel.

This needs to continue and I can see more affiliates developing themselves as brands. I also think there is still a huge opportunity for the long tail affiliate, especially on a campaign such as Sky where there is so much scope to tap into a content niche.  I don’t like to jump on a well travelled bandwagon but multi-channel attribution has to become part of affiliate marketing at some point, if only to protect the real content affiliates.  I also, controversially, think post impression may make a comeback for those affiliates that can create a brand / sticky / high trafficked site.  Exposure for brand such as Sky is really key and if affiliates can offer this then I think there is an argument for remuneration.

What is on your Ipod?

Spotify with a very varied music taste, I like anything from Take That, to Phil Collins to Lady gaga and The Killers, weird I know but I love all music.

How can people get in touch with you?

www.twitter.com/Helenmarie21

helen.southgate@bskyb.com

MSN: helen.southgate@hotmail.co.uk

Our good friends over at A4U towers have been busy working on the launch of the new look site. It has officially launched today and I must say its a real Booby Dazzler (its a northern thing) It comes with a host of jazzy new features but don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourselves here.

Gossip has been rife over recent weeks and chatting to a few industry contacts a whisper of a merger between two well know networks seemed to be the talk of the town.  Today’s news that Digital Window has acquired the Newcastle based Perfiliate Ltd, better know to us as Buy.At, ended that speculation. This acquisition signals the formation of the UK’s biggest performance based marketing group. AOL purchased Buy At in 2008 for a whopping $125 million CASH!

What does this mean for affiliates?

An official statment sent to all affiliates signed up to Affiliate Window reads:

As existing affiliates of AW, you will see no change to the day-to-day service we provide. It will be business as usual, with the same desire to provide industry-leading service and technology to all our affiliates. There will be no change to the frequency or structure of your payments.

This deal will allow us to leverage the rich expertise in both businesses to deliver exciting and ground-breaking solutions for the market at a much more rapid pace. Digital Window solutions such as ShopWindow, Darwin, AWin Analytics, Snoopy and Agent99 will, over time find space alongside trusted Buy.at solutions like Offer Central, EventEngine, ProfitPlus and FlexTrack.

Exciting times. Watch this space.