NONE: Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Seeking Info Re: LinkShare
Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Seeking Info Re: LinkShare
Heidi S. Messer (hmesser_at_linkcorp.net)
Fri, 01 May 1998 10:32:52 -0400
As President of LinkShare Corporation, I have been watching with avid
interest the posts made regarding our service. To those who shared
their positive experiences with LinkShare (sent to Mark Welch in
response to his request for feedback and cc'd to me by current members
of The LinkShare Network), I am grateful for their taking the time to
acknowledge the attributes of The LinkShare Network that have rendered
their participation rewarding. As to the constructive criticism posted
on the list, I am also appreciative.
One thing that I think is important to point out is that the feedback
contained in yesterday's post regarding LinkShare pertained more to the
state of commerce on the web and the affiliates model in general than to
our specific service. In short, many of the comments reflect the
underlying reality that too much of the risk lies on site owners in a
pure revenue sharing arrangement. Given that online commerce is in its
infancy, or set forth more succinctly by Mark Welch in this morning's
version of another online digest, "the internet has lots of browsers but
very few buyers," the affiliates model will and should evolve.
Out of recognition of the inequitable risk placed on affiliate sites,
LinkShare is the first program to offer sites and merchants the ability
to strike hybrid deals. In version 2.0 of the software (launched last
month), we enabled our merchants to pay affiliates by CPM (banner or
text), pay per click and/or pay per sale-- all in a single deal. We did
this because we felt that it was unfair to expect affiliates to shoulder
all of the risks involved in selling online. In addition, we also allow
affiliates to earn revenue beyond a user's initial click through. If
anyone is interested in more information regarding the specific features
of these programs, please feel free to contact me directly at
hmesser_at_linkcorp.net.
In fairness to our merchants, I would like to express my belief that
selling effectively on the Net is as complex, if not more, than selling
offline. Posting a banner in a low traffic/content area of a site is
the equivalent of placing a billboard on the back roads of an interstate
highway. I wouldn't expect a high conversion rate from the latter and I
am not surprised to hear that there are low conversion rates in the case
of the former. Reserving excess inventory as a place to post affiliate
banners is a low risk strategy but also typically low return. The
problem feeds on itself-- affiliate deals are placed in less than prime
locations on a site which lead to low sales and high frustration.
With respect to the comments targeting specific LinkShare merchants and
the approval process, please understand that these merchants are the
Internet's premier retailers. Like Brookstone, Avon and the 100
retailers utilizing LinkShare's software, FAO Schwarz and Omaha Steaks
have brands that have been years in the making. LinkShare is the
neutral third party in the relationship, monitoring and maintaining the
network for the benefit of all parties. While LinkShare does enable
sites to e-mail a merchant directly through our Network for offers for
which they await approval, we recognize that the time limitations on
both merchants and sites entering into affiliate partnerships may mean a
bit of patience. As to access speed, with a growth rate far in excess
of our initial projections we have been in the process of expediting our
scheduled upgrades of our system. I apologize in advance for any
inconvenience experienced by affiliates in the interim.
The affiliates model is evolving and we are all learning along the way.
There is no clear formula for success. One product might not sell well
on your site where others might. These issues are all too familiar to
retailers in the physical world. As the leader in this area, we are
constantly attenpting to anticipate issues. Please continue to share
your comments and suggestions with us so that we may improve our
service. In fact, I would like to welcome anyone interested in joining
our newly created listserve created just for this reason. If you are
interested please send an e-mail to majordomo_at_columbia.edu with
subscribe ecommercesig in the body of the message.
Sorry to be so long-winded, these issues mean a lot to me. Thanks for
all of your time.
Best regards,
Heidi S. Messer
President
--
LinkShare Corporation
http://www.linkshare.net
phone: 212.221.8100
fax: 212.221.8341
e-mail: hmesser_at_linkcorp.net
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