Announcements
- Google Affiliate Network Exclusive Opportunities program available. This program which requires exclusive, short-term affiliate offers was launched for the 2010 holiday season and was so successful that we decided to implement an ongoing program. Each quarter, advertisers have an opportunity to provide an exclusive offer that will be included in publisher marketing efforts across Google Affiliate Network and other Google publisher properties. Do you want to increase publisher applications and increase sales? Click here to learn more about the Exclusive Offers program for Q2. Participation deadline is 5/16.
- Don't forget to provide your Dad and Grads offers in our next publisher promotional communication. Offers are due 5/25. Click here to submit your offers and review the editorial calendar for additional information.
- Want to attract publisher attention? Tweet your offers, affiliate toolkit and publisher incentives. Submit content for distribution on @GoogleAffiliate via our Twitter form and we'll get the word out!
Google Affiliate Spotlight
The Google Affiliate Network Publisher Management Team is focused on optimization and acquisition across the head, torso and tail of the publisher network. The key publishers have dedicated account managers who work across all advertiser programs to optimize for growth. We also have staff dedicated to inbound support and engagement. But as the network grows and we leverage new opportunities, we think it's the perfect time to showcase two key members of our Publisher Development team who focus on publisher Acquisition and Activation.
- Sarah Braunstein: Publisher Activation Lead
- Joined Google in 2007, working with the Ann Arbor-based AdWords team. Moved on to the Google Affiliate Network team in Chicago toward the end of 2010
- BA in English from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- High school mascot: Raiders; North Farmington High School, Farmington Hills MI
- Favorite band: I can't nail down an all-time favorite but I'm currently listening to Warpaint, Wye Oak, PJ Harvey, James Blake, and Ke$ha
- Fun fact: My cat is named Richard
- Erica Sievert: Publisher Acquisitions Lead
- Joined Google in 2006 as part of the AdSense team based in Mountain View. Moved to Chicago in 2010 and joined Google Affiliate Network
- BA in English at Wellesley College and Oxford University
- High school mascot: Colts; Logan High School, Union City CA
- Favorite activity: Exploring Chicago with my husband
- Fun fact: My fish has over 7,000 followers on Twitter
One of Sarah's priority initiatives on the Publisher Management Team is identifying and activating new-to-network and high potential publishers. It's an exciting undertaking as we continue to grow our productive publisher base and produce high quality results for the merchants in our network. Take a glimpse at a handful of Sarah's latest Jumpstart publishers:
Erica is focused on bringing new-to-affiliate publishers into Google Affiliate Network. She works closely with Google engineers to promote our product to prospective publishers who use related Google products, such as AdSense, Blogger, Analytics, and Webmaster Central. Here are a few of Erica's Google Affiliate Network acquisition marketing opportunities:
A variety of efforts are used to on board and activate new affiliate publishers:
- A robust jumpstart program for the highest-potential publishers, who are provided premium support and individually matched to advertiser programs
- Consultation Calls for mid-tier publishers, who are provided with a phone consultation and given optimization advice for immediate revenue gains
- Webinars, forum and email support for long-tail publishers
- High-potential publishers who show consistently strong conversion rates and have sustained growth are awarded with a Rising Star or VIP status and quality for premium account management support
Thanks Sarah and Erica for your effective acquisition and activation efforts! For additional tips and information, please see Network Insights below.
Network Insights
- 2/7/11 was the highest volume day leading up to Valentine's Day 2011
- Advertisers who have Google Affiliate Network co-branded application pages see more qualified publishers through this channel. Publishers who join a program through a co-branded application are more likely to be productive and more likely to be approved by advertisers. This suggests that co-branded applications do a good job of educating and qualifying publishers about your program before they join, saving you time and increasing the productive rate of your program. To learn more about how to create a co-branded application link on your website for Google Affiliate Network, please visit this Help Center article.
- The base of Google Affiliate Network new-to-network publishers has grown substantially over the last 18 months. The growth is due in large part to Google Affiliate Network's integration into other Google publisher products such as AdSense, Google Analytics, Blogger and Google Webmaster Central, exposing our network and our strong base of advertisers to thousands of new-to-affiliate publishers.
Industry Insights
An essential part of any digital marketing campaign is the post-click experience from advertising. Is your website easy to navigate? Are there any hurdles to conversion that you can remove? These are the same questions that you should consider for your mobile user experience.
Source: Google Retail Blog March 2011
Retail ecommerce sales are growing much faster than overall US retail sales, according to eMarketer's estimates and figures from the US Department of Commerce, and ecommerce sales continued to post growth throughout the recession. "Three major developments will spur this growth: mobile commerce, social commerce and daily deal sites."
Source: eMarketer April 2011
Olivia Newton-John's famous early 80's song, Physical , sums up the thoughts of frantic out-of-shape Americans rushing to get in shape before being forced to bare their recently hibernating bodies in a swimsuit. Google Insights for Search 2010 trends indicate that there is a spike in interest for weight loss programs & exercise plans in April and May.
Source: Google Retail Blog March 2011
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