1:15 - 2:45 p.m.

Affiliate Networks: The New Muscle in Web Marketing

Introduction: The affiliate marketing landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years. Affiliates once were sites that wanted to pick up a little extra cash by posting a link to a retail site and hoping their visitors would click on it and buy something. Now the affiliates themselves have become big-time shopping sites with loyal, repeat customers. Furthermore, because they engage in online marketing themselves, affiliates have proven to be fertile ground for e-retailers to find new Internet shoppers to add to their loyal customer base. As a result of these trends, affiliate networking is emerging as a new powerhouse in retail web site marketing.

Workshop Content: This workshop session will examine the new realities of the affiliate marketing world and will help retailers:

• Identify and reward best affiliates.
• Devise strategies for developing affiliate relationships.
• Balance quantity with quality.
• Deal with spyware that some affiliates employ.
• Make sure the affiliates are engaging in legitimate marketing tactics.
• Sort through the issue of what terms, including the retailer's brand, affiliates should be allowed to bid on in search engine marketing.

About the Instructors: Gordon Magee, director of Internet marketing and analysis for Drs. Foster & Smith, is an experienced practitioner of marketing for online sales. He recently launched an affiliate program that involved reviewing all the major affiliate providers as well as hundreds of applicants from affiliate sites. Adam Silverman, director of e-commerce at The Wet Seal Inc., has created a carefully crafted program of affiliates that were screened to make sure they suited The Wet Seal's image. Stuart Frankel is president of Performics. Having worked with more than 300 affiliate marketing clients, Stuart brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this workshop.