At a high level, many in those in the performance marketing space fall under the general umbrella that is affiliate marketing, i.e. acting as commissioned agents promoting a third-party product. But, are those in our space really affiliates? If we look at a vast majority of dollars flowing into the cpa networks, we would argue that their affiliates aren't affiliates. They are different. They are risk takers - seekers of media opportunity who look for an offer not because they run a site which needs it but because they have access to traffic where that offer could turn a profit. (It was that distinction which motivated our piece, "Affiliates are from Mars. Arbitrages are from Venus.") Affiliates and arbitragers occasionally overlap, one that comes to mind is a site like PlentyofFish, but the risk tolerance and risk seeking behavior profiles differ so greatly that each has a different type of company to service it. We could just as easily say, Affiliate networks are from Mars and CPA Networks are from Venus. An account manager from Commission Junction or Linkshare would find their head spinning if dropped into a similar position at one of the leading CPA Networks. There is a downside though of this distinction and the risk taking that drives it, and it shows itself in the number and types of advertisers that work with each company.
As we mentioned in our article two weeks ago, take a look at the top advertisers at an affiliate network, compare that to a cpa network, and don't be surprised when no overlap exists. Risk is not for everyone. In the arbitrage world, publishers aren't the only ones who take risks, advertisers do too. The risk publishers take can at times come at the expense of the advertiser. Making money arbitraging traffic often requires a maniacal focus on data and the profits, when successful, can lead to those running them to put blinders on. So, while the high performance marketer is at one level aligned with the advertiser - being paid on performance - that doesn't imply actual alignment. Take our favorite example of a diet continuity program, one that understands the nuances of the high performance marketing space. The balance they must face is having a high price point to pay the "affiliates" as well as how to make money off customers who enter with low intent and a below average lifespan. A less sophisticated marketer would work on paying a competitive rate but not have the insight to prepare operationally for the different type of customer they will receive. They would assume that those marketing the product would have their best interest at heart (customers who signed up with a definitive interest in the product with an intent to stay subscribed) as opposed to marketers taking a purely transactional view that has them trying to get as many signups as possible, regardless.
The feedback loop isn't quite perfect, and part of the challenge in the system is the value that cpa networks provide and the position of strength that the elite high performance marketers command within those organizations. Speaking to the first point, the cpa networks offer more than access to advertisers. They act as cash flow float machines for their biggest partners - paying on a weekly basis and ensuring their biggest spenders can keep sending the traffic. Two plus years ago before this became common place a large arbitrager might have to shut down the traffic because they hit their limit on the credit cards. Once funds would clear at the end of the month, they could pay off their credit cards and start traffic again. By receiving money before they reach their limit, they can manage the balance (literally and figuratively). Doing that means that the majority of networks with affiliates like this aren't in the dark about their activities. They maintain plausible deniability but not complete ignorance, and they face tough headwinds when trying to promote change. A liquid marketplace for that marketer's traffic exists, so if the network wants to restrict the publisher's activities, several other networks wait in the wings to take the traffic. And, it's not just flogs of which we speak; that's just a more extreme scenario.
An interesting thing has started to transpire as a result of this risk - a new breed of consolidation. The skills needed to navigate between arbitrager and advertiser mean that only the strong can play in this higher risk environment. Others can't make the balance work, losing either the advertiser or the marketer. The rules of the game have changed. Only a smaller number of people can find scale, but that same level of sophistication hasn't reached all networks. More and more find themselves not prepared for the challenges of managing the network. They either aren't prepared or find the balance not well suited to their own risk thresholds. So, what have they done? More and more have decided to try and do it themselves. Affiliate Fuel is just the latest. Here is what they sent out to affiliates March 26, 2009:
Dear Affiliates:
Experian Interactive Media, who owns Affiliate Fuel, has decided to take a different direction with our affiliate network. We are changing our focus from an affiliate network to an internal marketing channel.
Therefore, effective 4/1/09, we will unfortunately need to suspend our business relationship with you. If there are fees owed to you, you will receive your final check on or around 4/15/09. Please note: As of 4/1/09, your Affiliate Fuel login will no longer work and your account will not be credited for any activity as of this date.
We would like to say thank you for your business and good luck in your future endeavors.
There has long been the notion of a private offer, but now we are finding the creation of a private network. To the outside world, the offers they source they also place. It's not that dissimilar from a display ad network. The display ad network buys traffic from third-parties, but the third parties have only limited control over how the ads get placed. There is also a financial reason for taking things in-house, especially if your network struggles to compete on the big stage - profit. A network that can buy its own media can operate at a higher margin than one who must operate on generally razor thin margins to maintain competitive. This isn't to say that all smaller networks will change or that opportunity doesn't exist for them. But we are entering a different landscape, one more polarized than before where risk is becoming an ever increasing factor. Some choose to take on risk with publishers. Others are now trying to take the risk in-house.
Showing posts with label Belfast Online Sales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belfast Online Sales. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Gasta Tech News: Online Media Shift gears up.
By Robert Moskowitz part 1.
March 24, 2009
Consumers of offline media are shifting to online media by the millions. And while advertisers' dollars are following them, publishers have not yet figured out how to generate the same levels of revenue from online advertising as they traditionally have from offline.
According to Michael Hirschorn, for example, writing in the January/February issue of The Atlantic magazine, "Already, most readers of The [New York] Times are consuming it online. The Web site… boasted an impressive 20 million unique users for the month of October… The print product, meanwhile, is sold to a mere million readers a day and dropping….
"The conundrum, of course, is that those 1 million print readers … are worth about five figures a page to advertisers, [and] are far more profitable than the 20 million unique Web users, who… could support only 20 percent of the [newspaper's] current staff…"
A canary in a coal mine, the nation's "paper of record" is thus struggling financially, another victim of an economic atmosphere that grows increasingly unable to keep today's print publications alive.
Since they depend very heavily on such publishers to reach their prospects, it's important for advertisers to understand why access to 20 million online readers yields only 20 percent of the revenue commanded by access to one million print readers.
The commonly held view is that online avails are heavily underpriced, providing extraordinary ROI that is totally unreflected in the rate card.
"While I understand where you are going with this argument," says Matt Spiegel, CEO, Omnicom Media Group Digital, "it isn't that straightforward. First, most of the time, the online and offline versions of the ads are not truly that similar. Second, calculating ROI isn't as simple for traditional channels like print."
Ted Ellet, SVP, group media director, at DraftFCB in New York, an agency offering creative, accountable marketing programs, suggests that, "The reasons why you might be doing something online vs. offline are so different that it's not necessarily fair to compare the ad prices. There are many different possible explanations for why prices might not be equivalent."
"It's not a black and white situation," confirms Seb Maitra, SVP of media, analytics, search, in the Boston office of Hill Holliday, a national communications agency. "If you just compare CPMs for online display ads to TV or radio ads, you can make the argument [about price imbalances] from a CPM standpoint. But look at the content and real estate you get: A 30-second TV spot allows you to tell your story in a much richer way.
"Sure, offline is probably priced on the high side," Maitra acknowledges, "but I wouldn't necessarily say that's true, carte blanche. Think about outdoor ads. Depending on the location, your noticeability, particularly on a highway, is about 2 seconds, which is about the same time span as a display ad on a web page. And the CPMs are also very comparable."
Online ad salespeople talk about engagement, but there's also distraction. A full-page ad or a page-dominant ad grabs a huge amount of mind share. In contrast, a web page contains many distractions: embedded links, active graphics, scrolling text, video, and more. Your online ad fights for attention in ways your offline ad simply does not.
And there are other differences that can justify discrepancies in relative pricing…
A branding ad, for example, doesn't require measuring the number of people who see it. The mere fact that you have a quarter-page ad on the Op/Ed page of Friday's New York Times is huge. It's enough to attract many of the people who are important to you. When advertisers think beyond reach/frequency/eyeballs to focus on their desired outcomes with specific target audiences, the argument that online is so trackable begins to lose force, particularly in light of current cable TV experiments with similarly specific ad targeting. Savvy advertisers know it's more important to figure out the relative contribution of each ad in a series that nudges prospects toward a purchase. Just knowing an ad has been delivered to a computer is a sub-par argument these days.
In addition, there is relatively little competition for specific audiences in the print world. How many other offline availabilities deliver the same audience as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, or TV's "The Oprah Winfrey Show"? In the online world, however, there may be literally thousands of websites all delivering the very demographic you seek.
March 24, 2009
Consumers of offline media are shifting to online media by the millions. And while advertisers' dollars are following them, publishers have not yet figured out how to generate the same levels of revenue from online advertising as they traditionally have from offline.
According to Michael Hirschorn, for example, writing in the January/February issue of The Atlantic magazine, "Already, most readers of The [New York] Times are consuming it online. The Web site… boasted an impressive 20 million unique users for the month of October… The print product, meanwhile, is sold to a mere million readers a day and dropping….
"The conundrum, of course, is that those 1 million print readers … are worth about five figures a page to advertisers, [and] are far more profitable than the 20 million unique Web users, who… could support only 20 percent of the [newspaper's] current staff…"
A canary in a coal mine, the nation's "paper of record" is thus struggling financially, another victim of an economic atmosphere that grows increasingly unable to keep today's print publications alive.
Since they depend very heavily on such publishers to reach their prospects, it's important for advertisers to understand why access to 20 million online readers yields only 20 percent of the revenue commanded by access to one million print readers.
The commonly held view is that online avails are heavily underpriced, providing extraordinary ROI that is totally unreflected in the rate card.
"While I understand where you are going with this argument," says Matt Spiegel, CEO, Omnicom Media Group Digital, "it isn't that straightforward. First, most of the time, the online and offline versions of the ads are not truly that similar. Second, calculating ROI isn't as simple for traditional channels like print."
Ted Ellet, SVP, group media director, at DraftFCB in New York, an agency offering creative, accountable marketing programs, suggests that, "The reasons why you might be doing something online vs. offline are so different that it's not necessarily fair to compare the ad prices. There are many different possible explanations for why prices might not be equivalent."
"It's not a black and white situation," confirms Seb Maitra, SVP of media, analytics, search, in the Boston office of Hill Holliday, a national communications agency. "If you just compare CPMs for online display ads to TV or radio ads, you can make the argument [about price imbalances] from a CPM standpoint. But look at the content and real estate you get: A 30-second TV spot allows you to tell your story in a much richer way.
"Sure, offline is probably priced on the high side," Maitra acknowledges, "but I wouldn't necessarily say that's true, carte blanche. Think about outdoor ads. Depending on the location, your noticeability, particularly on a highway, is about 2 seconds, which is about the same time span as a display ad on a web page. And the CPMs are also very comparable."
Online ad salespeople talk about engagement, but there's also distraction. A full-page ad or a page-dominant ad grabs a huge amount of mind share. In contrast, a web page contains many distractions: embedded links, active graphics, scrolling text, video, and more. Your online ad fights for attention in ways your offline ad simply does not.
And there are other differences that can justify discrepancies in relative pricing…
A branding ad, for example, doesn't require measuring the number of people who see it. The mere fact that you have a quarter-page ad on the Op/Ed page of Friday's New York Times is huge. It's enough to attract many of the people who are important to you. When advertisers think beyond reach/frequency/eyeballs to focus on their desired outcomes with specific target audiences, the argument that online is so trackable begins to lose force, particularly in light of current cable TV experiments with similarly specific ad targeting. Savvy advertisers know it's more important to figure out the relative contribution of each ad in a series that nudges prospects toward a purchase. Just knowing an ad has been delivered to a computer is a sub-par argument these days.
In addition, there is relatively little competition for specific audiences in the print world. How many other offline availabilities deliver the same audience as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, or TV's "The Oprah Winfrey Show"? In the online world, however, there may be literally thousands of websites all delivering the very demographic you seek.
Friday, 13 March 2009
Surfni Marketing: Googles almighty front page
Belfast online marketing with surfni.com
If every site that was promised to be on the front page of Google results page was actually there it would make the page stretch from here to the moon. No wonder Google itself has a disclaimer on its policy pages that puts distance between it and the exhorbitant claims of all SEO companies.
The fact is search engines are dealing with a massive living organism of data that contains all the emotions, temptations and frustrations of human kind. But Google cannot presume to be godlike in its wisdom and allocation.
Enter small local regional search engines like www.surfni.com
Surfni is so popular in Belfast simply for that reason, that it can offer the advertiser the local market, surfni.com is in the schools, college campus, and workplaces of Belfast, and that is the reason why so many local Belfast advertisers value it so highly.
If every site that was promised to be on the front page of Google results page was actually there it would make the page stretch from here to the moon. No wonder Google itself has a disclaimer on its policy pages that puts distance between it and the exhorbitant claims of all SEO companies.
The fact is search engines are dealing with a massive living organism of data that contains all the emotions, temptations and frustrations of human kind. But Google cannot presume to be godlike in its wisdom and allocation.
Enter small local regional search engines like www.surfni.com
Surfni is so popular in Belfast simply for that reason, that it can offer the advertiser the local market, surfni.com is in the schools, college campus, and workplaces of Belfast, and that is the reason why so many local Belfast advertisers value it so highly.
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Online Marketing in Belfast: Surfni.com
When you want to market online in Belfast, the best place to start is with Gasta.com Most People in Belfast will start an online search campaign with Gasta.com because of its price efficient keywords.
Gasta also owns and controls two very popular websites for West Belfast Surfni.com and Andersonstown.com. As well as this, for Northern Ireland online marketing in general Gasta is the best place to start as they own and control most of the domains for major cities and Key Property websites.
A well established player in European, US, and Asian search, The Gasta.com search engine network currently consists of 450+ Domains, is translated into six languages, offers a contextualised ad system, powerful SEO options, keyword management tools, and full service administration to create, launch, and quickly deploy new search engines in emerging markets and geographical regions as needed.
Gasta has created a very easy to use back-end admin system that is designed for non technical use, within the admin you can add new keywords, manage ad campaigns, replicate advertising codes, and launch new search index's and directories in minutes, Gasta has developed its own text based contextualised ad system, InstantAds™ and the keyword direct hit service SearchMatch™ allowing users to buy targeted keywords for the geographic region they do business in. As well as this there are many seo options including InstantLinks™ the free link exchange system that publishes the main directory.
Gasta Links in Northern Ireland
southbelfast.com
ardglass.com
cathedralquarter.com
derrycity.net
doire.com
eastbelfast.net
andersonstown.net
andytown.com
andytown.net
andytown.org
andytownonline.com
jordanstown.com
Gasta.ie
cathedralquarter.com
eastbelfast.net
glencolin.com
lisburncity.net
lisburnroad.com
maloneroad.com
southbelfast.com
stranmillis.com
westbelfast.com
westbelfast.net
westbelfast.org
westbelfastonline.com
glengormley.net
jordanstown.com
ukproperty.net
penthousebelfast.com
penthousedocklands.com
penthousedublin.com
penthouselondon.com
propertybelfast.com
propertyarmagh.com
dublinproperty.com
andersonstown.com
andersonstown.net
andytown.com
andytown.net
andytown.org
andytownonline.com
aughnacloy.com
baldoyle.com
ballinteer.com
ballyboden.com
ballycastle.net
ballyclare.net
ballyfermot.net
ballygomartin.com
ballykelly.com
ballyhackamore.com
ballymaccaret.com
ballymena.org
ballymun.net
ballymoney.net
ballymurphy.com
ballynafeigh.com
ballynahinch.org
ballysillan.com
banbridge.org
beechmount.com
belfastcitycentre.com
belfastlaganside.com
belfastnireland.com
belfastonline.com
belfastonline.net
belfastproperty.com
belfastwest.com
bellaghy.com
bellvue.net
belvoir.net
bessbrook.net
bogmeadows.com
booterstown.net
botanic.net
botanicavenue.com
boucherroad.com
braniel.com
carnlough.net
carrickfergus.net
carrickmineswoods.com
carryduff.net
castlecourtbelfast.com
castledawson.net
castlederg.org
castlejunction.com
castlereagh.net
castlewellan.net
cathedralquarter.net
cathedralway.com
cavehill.net
chapelizod.net
churchtown.org
clarendondock.com
cliftonville.net
clonard.net
clonskeagh.com
cloona.com
coalisland.net
colerainetown.com
comber.net
cookstown.org
coolnasilla.com
cornmarket.com
craigavad.com
crawfordsburn.com
cregagh.com
cromacwood.com
crumlin.net
cullybackey.com
cultra.net
cushendall.net
cushendun.net
dalkey.org
danesfort.com
dartry.com
dartry.net
deansgrange.net
deramore.com
dermotthill.com
derryvolgie.com
doire.net
dollymount.com
dolphinsbarn.com
donaghadee.net
donnybrook.net
donnycarney.com
downpatrick.net
downtownbelfast.com
draperstown.net
drimnagh.com
dromore.net
duncrue.com
dundonald.net
dungannon.net
dungiven.net
dunlaoghaire.org
dunmurry.net
edenmore.net
finaghy.com
finglas.net
firhouse.net
fivemiletown.net
forestside.com
foxrock.net
foyleside.com
fruithill.net
garvaghy.net
gilnahirk.com
glasnevin.net
glenavy.net
glenbryn.com
glengoland.com
glensofantrim.net
goatstown.com
gortnamona.com
gransha.com
greatvictoriastreet.com
greenisland.net
groomsport.com
hannahstown.com
hawthornglen.com
helensbay.com
highstreetbelfast.com
hillhead.net
howth.net
inchicore.com
irishtown.net
irvinestown.com
islandbridge.net
jordanstown.net
kilbarrack.com
kilbrook.com
kilkeel.net
killester.net
killiney.net
kilmainham.com
kilmore.net
kimmage.com
knockbreda.com
knockdene.com
knocknagoney.com
ladybrook.com
laganside.net
lagansidebelfast.com
laganvalley.com
lagmore.com
lanyonplace.com
lanyonquay.com
lenadoon.com
ligoniel.com
lisburnroad.net
lisnaskea.net
lowerfalls.com
lowerwhack.com
lurgan.net
maghera.net
magherafelt.net
maguiresbridge.com
mallusk.com
malonepark.com
maloneroad.net
markethill.net
merrion.org
merrionsquare.com
milltown.net
monkstown.net
mountmerrion.com
moyard.com
newbarnsley.com
newrycity.net
newtownabbey.net
newtownards.net
newtownardsroad.com
newtownbreda.com
newtownbutler.com
newtownstewart.com
nirelandplc.com
northbelfast.net
northwall.org
oconnellstreet.net
oldpark.net
orchardville.net
ormeau.com
ormeauroad.com
owenvarragh.com
pettigoe.com
stranmillis.com
westbelfast.com
westbelfast.net westbelfast.com
westbelfast.net
westbelfast.org
westbelfastonline.com
westdublin.com
Gasta also owns and controls two very popular websites for West Belfast Surfni.com and Andersonstown.com. As well as this, for Northern Ireland online marketing in general Gasta is the best place to start as they own and control most of the domains for major cities and Key Property websites.
A well established player in European, US, and Asian search, The Gasta.com search engine network currently consists of 450+ Domains, is translated into six languages, offers a contextualised ad system, powerful SEO options, keyword management tools, and full service administration to create, launch, and quickly deploy new search engines in emerging markets and geographical regions as needed.
Gasta has created a very easy to use back-end admin system that is designed for non technical use, within the admin you can add new keywords, manage ad campaigns, replicate advertising codes, and launch new search index's and directories in minutes, Gasta has developed its own text based contextualised ad system, InstantAds™ and the keyword direct hit service SearchMatch™ allowing users to buy targeted keywords for the geographic region they do business in. As well as this there are many seo options including InstantLinks™ the free link exchange system that publishes the main directory.
Gasta Links in Northern Ireland
southbelfast.com
ardglass.com
cathedralquarter.com
derrycity.net
doire.com
eastbelfast.net
andersonstown.net
andytown.com
andytown.net
andytown.org
andytownonline.com
jordanstown.com
Gasta.ie
cathedralquarter.com
eastbelfast.net
glencolin.com
lisburncity.net
lisburnroad.com
maloneroad.com
southbelfast.com
stranmillis.com
westbelfast.com
westbelfast.net
westbelfast.org
westbelfastonline.com
glengormley.net
jordanstown.com
ukproperty.net
penthousebelfast.com
penthousedocklands.com
penthousedublin.com
penthouselondon.com
propertybelfast.com
propertyarmagh.com
dublinproperty.com
andersonstown.com
andersonstown.net
andytown.com
andytown.net
andytown.org
andytownonline.com
aughnacloy.com
baldoyle.com
ballinteer.com
ballyboden.com
ballycastle.net
ballyclare.net
ballyfermot.net
ballygomartin.com
ballykelly.com
ballyhackamore.com
ballymaccaret.com
ballymena.org
ballymun.net
ballymoney.net
ballymurphy.com
ballynafeigh.com
ballynahinch.org
ballysillan.com
banbridge.org
beechmount.com
belfastcitycentre.com
belfastlaganside.com
belfastnireland.com
belfastonline.com
belfastonline.net
belfastproperty.com
belfastwest.com
bellaghy.com
bellvue.net
belvoir.net
bessbrook.net
bogmeadows.com
booterstown.net
botanic.net
botanicavenue.com
boucherroad.com
braniel.com
carnlough.net
carrickfergus.net
carrickmineswoods.com
carryduff.net
castlecourtbelfast.com
castledawson.net
castlederg.org
castlejunction.com
castlereagh.net
castlewellan.net
cathedralquarter.net
cathedralway.com
cavehill.net
chapelizod.net
churchtown.org
clarendondock.com
cliftonville.net
clonard.net
clonskeagh.com
cloona.com
coalisland.net
colerainetown.com
comber.net
cookstown.org
coolnasilla.com
cornmarket.com
craigavad.com
crawfordsburn.com
cregagh.com
cromacwood.com
crumlin.net
cullybackey.com
cultra.net
cushendall.net
cushendun.net
dalkey.org
danesfort.com
dartry.com
dartry.net
deansgrange.net
deramore.com
dermotthill.com
derryvolgie.com
doire.net
dollymount.com
dolphinsbarn.com
donaghadee.net
donnybrook.net
donnycarney.com
downpatrick.net
downtownbelfast.com
draperstown.net
drimnagh.com
dromore.net
duncrue.com
dundonald.net
dungannon.net
dungiven.net
dunlaoghaire.org
dunmurry.net
edenmore.net
finaghy.com
finglas.net
firhouse.net
fivemiletown.net
forestside.com
foxrock.net
foyleside.com
fruithill.net
garvaghy.net
gilnahirk.com
glasnevin.net
glenavy.net
glenbryn.com
glengoland.com
glensofantrim.net
goatstown.com
gortnamona.com
gransha.com
greatvictoriastreet.com
greenisland.net
groomsport.com
hannahstown.com
hawthornglen.com
helensbay.com
highstreetbelfast.com
hillhead.net
howth.net
inchicore.com
irishtown.net
irvinestown.com
islandbridge.net
jordanstown.net
kilbarrack.com
kilbrook.com
kilkeel.net
killester.net
killiney.net
kilmainham.com
kilmore.net
kimmage.com
knockbreda.com
knockdene.com
knocknagoney.com
ladybrook.com
laganside.net
lagansidebelfast.com
laganvalley.com
lagmore.com
lanyonplace.com
lanyonquay.com
lenadoon.com
ligoniel.com
lisburnroad.net
lisnaskea.net
lowerfalls.com
lowerwhack.com
lurgan.net
maghera.net
magherafelt.net
maguiresbridge.com
mallusk.com
malonepark.com
maloneroad.net
markethill.net
merrion.org
merrionsquare.com
milltown.net
monkstown.net
mountmerrion.com
moyard.com
newbarnsley.com
newrycity.net
newtownabbey.net
newtownards.net
newtownardsroad.com
newtownbreda.com
newtownbutler.com
newtownstewart.com
nirelandplc.com
northbelfast.net
northwall.org
oconnellstreet.net
oldpark.net
orchardville.net
ormeau.com
ormeauroad.com
owenvarragh.com
pettigoe.com
stranmillis.com
westbelfast.com
westbelfast.net westbelfast.com
westbelfast.net
westbelfast.org
westbelfastonline.com
westdublin.com
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