Another week, another tweak from Google. This week Google announced it will be launching a new feature called ‘+1’ which amounts to a somewhat simpler version of Facebook’s ‘like’ button.

Here’s how it will work. When you run a search on Google, a little +1 button will begin appearing next to each result – this includes all organic and paid results. When you click on the button, the result will get a little vote from you as to its quality. Right now, there is actually a little pop-up window that will ask you to confirm your +1 selection and give you some options about how your vote is shared with others. Google says they will be rolling out the +1 feature slowly, beginning with English searches on Google.com.

Filed under: Advertiser Tips, Affiliate Tips, Industry News by Tom Wozniak
View Comments

Many (probably the vast majority) affiliate marketers share a common dream when they get into the business – quitting their day jobs and making affiliate marketing into a career. Some may have more modest goals of creating a solid stream of recurring revenue every month to supplement their regular income. But, whatever the goal, many affiliates also share another common trait. They haven’t achieved those goals. There are plenty of reasons why an affiliate marketing business may not have become as successful as possible. But, I think that many of those reasons can fall into four categories that can create barriers to achieving success.

Filed under: Affiliate Tips by Tom Wozniak
View Comments

Recently, Facebook began a test that delivers real-time targeted ads, based on user status updates. The test involves a group of 6 million users, so it represents only a tiny percentage of the Facebook universe right now. Chances are you won’t be seeing these tests yourself (unless you happen to be selected for the test group), but here is a quick rundown on how it works.

Facebook will deliver immediate, real-time ads to users based on current status updates. For example, if someone posted “I’m gearing up for some home improvement projects this weekend” they might immediately see an ad or coupon from Home Depot or Lowes.

Filed under: Advertiser Tips, Affiliate Tips by Tom Wozniak
View Comments

With ad:tech San Francisco coming up in a couple of weeks (be sure to swing by and see the affiliate.com team at booth #1717), I thought it would be a good time to write an updated post on getting the most out of industry events. Over the years I have been to a lot of conferences and trade shows. Attending various industry events can be a great way to stay up to date on new developments in the space, meet with current and potential business partners, and drive new business. But, getting the best return on your trade show investment (time and money) takes more than just showing up at the show on opening day and hoping for the best. So, I here a few ideas to help you get the most out of ad:tech San Francisco or whatever your next trade show happens to be.

Filed under: Advertiser Tips, Affiliate Tips by Tom Wozniak
View Comments

Here are a few interesting articles from the last week or so.

Data Mining: How Companies Now Know Everything About You
Here is a really interesting article from Time.com that tries to explain data mining and ad targeting to the average consumer. We have written about the do-not-track movement for some time and this article offers another take on that discussion. The author does a good job of explaining why people get nervous about having their personal information gathered and used in advertising, but also works to defuse a lot of that concern by explaining how the information is used.

Filed under: Industry News by Tom Wozniak
View Comments