DON’T WASTE YOURINVESTMENT.

GROW YOUR AFFILIATE PROGRAM.

THIS CAN HELP.

SHAREASALEWELCOME KIT

for new program managers

CONGRATULATIONS & WELCOME!

MEET THE TEAM!

THE HELP CENTER• SubmitHelpTicketsDirectlytotheSupportTeam• ViewCommonQuestionsintheKnowledgebase• CheckouttheLibraryofDownloadableTutorials

initial contactSALES TEAM

day-to-day helpSUPPORT TEAM

strategy & best practicesCLIENT SERVICES TEAM

24 HOURS A DAY / 7 DAYS A WEEK / 365 DAYS A YEAR

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK.

1 - COMPLETE THE KICKOFF CHECKLIST.

2 - ASK QUESTIONS! NEED HELP DURING THIS PROCESS? ASK US.

3 - REVIEW ONGOING, DAILY MANAGEMENT TASKS.

4 - RECRUITMENT! SEE OUR TIPS ON RECRUITING AFFILIATES.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK.

MERCHANT CHECKLISTYourAffiliateProgramisLIVE!NowWhat?GreatQuestion--TheMerchantDevelopmentTeamatShareASaleputtogetherahandyChecklistoutliningthemostimportanttaskstocompleteinthefirstfourweeksoflaunchingtheprogram,aswellasafewongoingtasksfordowntheroad.

THE TASK AT HAND WHERE IS IT LOCATED? PAGE COMPLETED?

SetUpAuto-Deposit MyAccountTab>SetupAuto-Deposit PG.5 oReviewProgramAgreement MyAccountTab>EditSettings PG.6 oAddPPCRules(ifapplicable) MyAccountTab>PPCBiddingRules PG.6 oPopulateSearchKeywords MyAccountTab>EditSettings PG.7 oCreateStrongProgramBio MyAccountTab>EditSettings PG.8 oCreateActionableReplyEmails MyAccountTab>EditSettings PG.9 oUploadBanners MyCreativesTab>AddCreatives PG.11 oAddaVarietyofTextLinks MyCreativesTab>AddCreatives PG.11 oLoadCoupons/Deals MyCreativesTab>PostCoupon/Deal PG.11 oCreateWidget MyCreativesTab>Widget PG.11 oUploadVideo MyCreativesTab>Video PG.11 oBuildProductDatafeed MyCreativesTab>ProductDatafeed PG.13 oCreateNewsletterTemplate MyAffiliatesTab>SendNewsletter PG.15 oCreateAffiliateTags MyAffiliatesTab>AffiliateList PG.17 oCreateApprovalRules MyAccountTab>EditSettings PG.17 oMapouta12MonthPromoCalendar OutsidetheInterface PG.18 oBeginActiveRecruitment ---- PG.19 ONGOING

DaytoDayManagement ---- PG.20 ONGOING

UP FIRST: AUTO-DEPOSIT

READY, SET, GO!

WEEK 3

WEEKLY TIME LINEIt’simportanttofinishthechecklistinatimelymanner,howeveritdoesnothavetobedoneinoneday.MostMerchantschoosetospreadthechecklistoutoverafourweekperiod.Thefinaltasksaremoreofanongoingprocesstobedonethroughoutthelifeoftheprogram.Belowisourrecommendedfourweekschedule.

WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 4 ONGOING

Set Up Auto-DepositReview Program Agreement

Add PPC RulesPopulate Search Keywords

Create Actionable Reply EmailsAdd a Variety of Text Links

Load Coupon/DealsUpload Banners

Create Strong Program Bio

Create Newsletter TemplateUpload Video

Build Product DatafeedCreate Widget

Map out a 12 Month Promo CalendarCreate Affiliate Tags

Create Approval Rules

Begin Active RecruitmentDay to Day Management

AFFILIATES AUTO-DEPOSIT!

QIfyouraccountgoeslowduringatimewhenyouarenotintheofficesuchasaweekendorholiday,youwon’thavetoworryaboutgoingoffline.

ON VACATION?

MerchantssetuponAutoDepositreceiveauniqueiconthatappearsduringanAffiliateSearchfornewMerchantprograms.

SPECIAL ICON!

W IfaMerchantprogramgoesoffline,Affiliate’ssitesarefilledwithdeadlinks–whichcouldforcethemtoreplacethoselinkswithotherprogramsifthesituationisnotrectifiedquickly.

NO DEAD LINKS.

DID WE MENTION...

COMPLETE!

AUTO-DEPOSITMyAccountTab>SetupAuto-Deposit

Popular Discussion Points

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!AutoDepositisanessentialkeytorecruitmentandsuccessfulprogrammanagement.Thistoolhelpstoensuretheaccountwillal-waysbefunded.ThisisveryimportanttoAffiliatesbecauseifanaccountgoesofflineorrunsoutoffunds,theAffiliatelinksbreak.

Setup Auto Deposit - No Extra FeeYourinformationwillbesentsecurelythroughAuthorize.net,atrustedproviderofsecurecreditcardtransactions.

PleaseturnmyAuto-DepositON:____

PleaseturnmyAuto-DepositOFF:____

LOWBALANCETRIGGER=$500 Whenmybalancereachesmylowbalancetrigger,pleasedepositthisamount: $300

Fromthefollowingfundingsource:(ShareASale currently accepts MC, Visa and American Express transactions)

P

TIP:Yourbalanceshould,atanytime,coveratotaloffivedaysworthofAffiliatecommissions.

HOW CAN AUTO-DEPOSIT HELP?

FIVE

PROGRAM AGREEMENTMyAccountTab>EditSettings>ProgramAgreement

ThisisyourlegallybindingagreementwithAffiliates.Soanyprogramrestrictionsthatwillbeenforcedwillneedtobeaddedhere.Withoutanagreement,yourprogramtechnicallyandlegallyspeakinghasnorestrictions.HereareafewexamplesofwhatcouldbeincludedinaProgramAgreement:

PROGRAM AGREEMENT = YOUR CONTRACT WITH AFFILIATES

• TrademarkRegulations• EmailMarketingPolicy• FTCDisclosureRequirements• GroundsforTermination

• SocialMediaPolicy• Coupon/DealPolicy• SpecialCommissionRules• PayPerClickBiddingRules

COMPLETE!

PAY PER CLICK BIDDING RULESTherearemanyAffiliateswhospecializeinPPCBidding.IfyoucurrentlyrunanyPPCCampaigns(GoogleAdWords,Yahoo!SearchMarketing,MicrosoftadCenter,etc),itwouldbebeneficialtoputafewrestrictionsinplaceforAffiliates.Theserestric-tionsshouldbeplacedwithinyourShareASaleAccountinTWOseparateplaces(seebelow).Spelloutwhichkeywordsarerestricted,andifthereisabidmaximum.Beasspecificaspossible.

(1)INTHEPROGRAMAGREEMENT(MYACCOUNT>EDITSETTINGS>PROGRAMAGREEMENT)(2)INTHEPPCBIDDINGRULES(MYACCOUNT>PPCBIDDINGRULES)

COUPON & DEAL AFFILIATESInthecurrenteconomicsituation,thenumberofcouponbasedwebsiteshasincreasedasconsumerstendtoshoparoundlookingforthebestdeal.

ThereareseveraldifferenttypesofcouponAffiliates,fromacouponaggregatortoamommydealblog.ThisisyourAffiliateProgram-soitisyourchoicetodecidewithwhomtowork.SomeMerchantschoosetoworkwithallcouponAffiliatesandsomechoosetohandselectorrestrictcertaincouponAffiliates.Whateveryoudecideisbestforyourprogram,besuretoexplainyourpolicywithinyourProgramAgreement.

BelowareafewexamplesofhowaMerchantmaychoosetoworkwithacoupon/dealAffiliate:

Popular Discussion Points

WEEK1

-WORKWITHALLCOUPONAFFILIATES-WORKWITHHAND-SELECTEDCOUPONAFFILIATES-WORKWITHZEROCOUPONAFFILIATES

-RESTRICTTHETYPEOFCOUPONAVAILABLE-REDUCEDCOMMISSIONFORCOUPONAFFILIATES-RESTRICTUSER-SUBMITTEDCOUPONS

...ETC

SIX

SEARCH KEYWORDSMyAccountTab>EditSettings

ALL CHARACTERS:Useall255charactersallottedinyoursearchkeywords.

SINGULAR SPELLING: Savecharactersbyincludingthesingularspellingratherthanpluralspellings.

EXACT MATCHES:Exactmatchesonphrasingwillrankhigherinthesearchresults,justliketheywouldinabrowsersearch.Sousefullphrasesonitemsthataremostrelevantforyourprogram.Forexample,ifyouselltoothpaste,acommonphrasemightbewhiteningtoothpaste.Youcansavecharactersbybreakinguplessrelevantphraseswithacomma(Crest,fluoride,toothpaste).

MISSPELLINGS:Ifyouhavecharactersremaininginyoursearchkeywords,includesomecommonmisspellings.

KEEP IT SIMPLE:Don’toverthinkit!Includethephrasesandkeywordsthatbestrepresentwhatyouareallabout.RememberthatAffiliateshavetheabilitytochoosehowtheywanttosortthelistofsearchresults,sorelevancyisjustoneoptionfortheresultsorder.

uv

w

x

y

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!Theprogramsearchkeywordsarelistedonyoureditsettingspage.Thereareafewtipswewouldrecommendwhenfillingoutthesearchkeywordlist:

COMPLETE!

KeywordMatches Stats Details Previews

OrganizationName:

WebAddress:

ProductMatch:

ProgramKeyword:

ProgramBio:

ProductMatches(185)

Example Travel Namewww.exampletravel.comCategory:TravelID: 12345Active On:5/1/2000

[ Join Program ]

10.00%PerSale

Search by Keyword: travel

SEARCH RESULTS

TAKE A LOOK FROM AN AFFILIATE’S POINT OF VIEW:

TheKeywordSearchlooksformatchesinthefollowingcategories:OrganizationName,WebAddress,ProductMatchfromDatafeed,ProgramSearchKeywordsandProgramBio.Agreencheckmarkwillappearnexttoeachsectionthatcontainsamatch.

SEVEN

THANK YOU!

THE PRODUCTS

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!WhenanAffiliateislookingforanewprogramtojoinwithintheShareASaleAffiliateInterface,theywillbepresentedwithade-scriptionthatyou,theMerchant,hasprovided.Thisisyouropportunitytomakeagreatfirstimpressionaboutwhatyourprogramhastooffer.Don’tbeafraidtobeefupyourProgramBiotoconveyhowwonderfulyourwebsiteandprogramare.

THE COMPANY

THE PROGRAM

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

COMPLETE!

PROGRAM BIOMyAccountTab>EditSettings

u INTRODUCTION. Includeabriefparagraphaboutyourcompany/products.Describewhatmakesyouuniqueandcompetitive.

v PROGRAM DETAILS. BulletallthereasonsAffiliatesshouldpartnerwithyou.Someexamplescouldinclude:

• CommissionRate• CookieDuration• Coupons

• PerformanceIncentives• RegularNewsletters• Datafeed

• ConversionRate• AverageOrder• ExtensiveCreativeCatalog

w MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES.Thinkaboutthedifferentaudiencesthatyourproductorservicecanbetargetedto.Byhighlightingthisinformation,youmaysparkanideawithAffiliatesaboutwaystheycouldpromoteyouroffer.Datacouldincludeniche,sitedemographics,seasonality,andmarketingverticals.

x IMAGES.TheProgramBiocanbecreatedinHTML.Takeadvantageofthistocreateadescriptionthathasthesamefeelandbrandingasyoursite.YoucouldincludeafewproductimagestogivepotentialAffiliatesanideaofwhatyousell.

yCONTACT INFORMATION.DonotforgettoincludeyourAffiliatemanager’sname,phone,andemail.YouwanttolettheAffiliatesknowthatyourprogramisactivelymanagedbysomeonethatwillberesponsivetotheirquestionsandinquiries.

WEEK2

TAKE A LOOK FROM AN AFFILIATE’S POINT OF VIEW:

EIGHT

EACH MERCHANT ACCOUNT HAS AUTO-REPLY EMAILS

COMPLETE!

AUTO-REPLY EMAILSMyAccountTab>EditSettings

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!Theauto-approvalemail(alsocalledthewelcomeletter)istheemailthatanAffiliatereceiveswhenhe/sheisapprovedintoyourprogram,andisoneofthemostimportantpiecesofcommunicationthattheAffiliatewillreceivefromyou.Itistheirfirstintroduc-tiontoyourprogramandagreatopportunitytoprovidetheAffiliatewithtoolstheycanusetogetactiverightaway.

AUTO-APPLY EMAIL THE GOALReceivedbyAffiliatesuponapplicationtoyourprogram.

WHAT TO INCLUDEBriefreviewoftheprogramTimeframeofapprovalprocess(1-day,24-48hrs,etc)Contactinformation

AUTO-DECLINE EMAIL THE GOALReceivedbyAffiliatesuponbeingdeclinedtoyourprogram.

WHAT TO INCLUDENotificationofdeclinedapplicationPotentialreasonsforthedeclineContactinformation

AUTO-APPROVAL EMAIL THE GOALReceivedbyAffiliatesuponapprovaltoyourprogram.

WHAT TO INCLUDELots!Seeexamplenextdoor!

TOGIVEYOURAFFILIATESTHEOPPORTUNITYTOSTATE

THEIRCASE.

TOSETEXPECTATIONSONAPPROVALSTATUS.

TOMOVEYOURAFFILIATESINTOACTION.

3

NINE

UP NEXT: ADD CREATIVES

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS?

AFFILIATE PROMOTIONS

DATAFEED DOWNLOAD - DEALS & COUPONS - BANNERS/LINKS - CONTACT US

DearJane,

THE PROGRAM

MARKETING TOOLS

AUTO-APPROVAL EMAIL EXAMPLE

MORE MARKETING TOOLS

BRIEF OPENING PARAGRAPHAbriefopeningparagraph(afewsentences)welcomingtheAffiliatetotheyourMerchantprogram.u

RE-STATE VALUERe-statevaluestheAffiliatewillreceivefromtheirpartnershipwithyou(commissionrate,cookieduration,bonuses,anyotherAffiliatetoolsyouprovide).v

AFFILIATE MARKETING TOOLSProvidelinkstosomeAffiliatemarketingtoolssuchasbanners,products,couponsortextlinksw

<atarget=”_blank”href=”http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=15231&u=!!USERID!!&m=397&urllink=&afftrack=”><imgsrc=”https://www.shareasale.com/image/ACFA.gif”></a>

BANNERTRACKINGCODE

<atarget=”_blank”href=”http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=76698&u=!!USERID!!&MID=

CURRENTBESTSELLERS

GENERAL MARKETING TOOLSProvideothertoolsAffiliatescouldusetostartmarketingrightaway.Thiscouldincludesomecontentaboutyourproducts,consumerdemographics,websiteconversionrate,seasonality,testimonials,etc.x

CURRENT AFFILIATE PROMOTIONIfapplicable,includecurrentAffiliateincentives,suchasfirstsalebonusorotherperformancemetric.y

CONTACT INFORMATIONListcontactinformation,suchasnameandemail,ofthepersontheAffiliatecangetintouchwithshouldtheyhaveanyquestions.

z

WEEK2

TIP: Youcanusethe

newslettermacrosto

simplifythistask.

p.15

BANNERS

TEXT LINKS

WIDGETS VIDEOS

COUPONS/DEALS

Adynamiccreativethatcancontainbanners,productlinks,deals,couponsand/oranyothercontentthatyouwouldlike.

Previouslyrecordedvideoscanbeuploadedandlinkedtoapageonyourwebsite.

Avisualcreativeimageadvertisementthatlinkstoapageonyourwebsite.

Aphrase,sentence,paragraphoranytextthatlinkstoapageonyourwebsite.Textlinksareessentiallyahyperlink.

Currentconsumerfacingpromotions.

INTERACTIVE CREATIVES

u

v

w

x y

COMPLETE!

ADD CREATIVESMyCreativesTab>AddBanners/TextLinks

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!Developacreativeinventorythattargetsyourconsumer.Affiliatescandrivetraffic,butyouaretheexpertonyourconsumer-andwhatappealstothem.GoodcreativescangoalongwayinconvertingAffiliatetraffic.Typesofcreativesareasfollows:

LookingforareliableandinventiveAffiliateNetwork?CheckoutShareASale.com!

FreeShippingonorders$100+-NoCouponCodeRequired!Save15%onallordersthrough12/12-UseCodeSAVE1212

FOREXAMPLE:

FOREXAMPLE:

FOREXAMPLE:

ELEVEN

POPULAR SIZES

120 x 240

88 x 31

392 x 72

160 x 600 468 x 60

120

x 60

0EachAffiliatemayhavedifferentpreferencessurroundingthesizeandtypeofabanneradvertisement.Forexample,someAffiliatesmaybelookingforaskyscraper,whileothersmightwantasmall125x125toputwithinablogpost.It’simportanttoprovideawidevarietyofoptionsforyourAffiliates.

INTERACTIVE CREATIVES

Category Focused. Doyouhavepopularcategoriesonyourwebsite?Createbannersspecificallyaroundthosecategories.

Product Focused. Bestsellingproducts?Developcreativestargetedtowardsthesepar-ticularproducts.

Seasonal & Holiday.Thisisbig!Createholidayorseasonalspecificbanners.HolidayGifts,HalloweenCostumes,BacktoSchoolBooks,Valentine’sDay,etc..

Deep Landing Pages. Takeoutasmany‘clicks’aspossibleforyourconsumer.Targetedban-nersshouldlandondeeplinkingpages.

Traditional Advertisement.Areyourunninganadcampaigncurrently?Usethosetodevelopaconsistentmessageacrosstheweb.

GET CREATIVE

UP NEXT: PRODUCT DATAFEED

AwelldevelopedcreativeinventorywillgoalongwayinconvertingAffiliatetraffic.“ ”

THE 88 X 31 BANNER SHOULD BE YOUR LOGO.Insider’s Tip:

WEEK2

250 x 250

300 x 250

125 x 125

234 x 60120 x 90

...Imagine a giant spreadsheet of your entire product inventory where each row represents a specific product and each column provides product details.

WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?

AFFILIATES DATAFEEDS!

HELPFUL TIPS

IT’S FOR EVERYONE!Youdon’tneedahugeinventorytobenefitfromhavingaproductfeed.Adatafeedcanconsistofjustahandfulofproducts.

AUTOMATIC UPDATES:YoucanautomaticallyuploadyourdatafeedviaFTPaccess.Tosetup,submitaHelpTicketincludingthestaticIPaddressfromwhereyouwillbeuploadingthefeed.

KEEP IT UP-TO-DATE:Affiliatescanseethedateofthelastdatafeedupload.Soevenifyourinventorydoesn’tchangefrequently,submitafreshuploadatleastonceamonth.

TOOLS:LotsoftoolsarepoweredbyDatafeedsincludingtheMerchantWidgets,News-letterMacrosandtheAffiliate’sMake-A-Page.

IT’S FREE:ThereisnochargetoutilizetheDatafeedFeatureonShareASale.MerchantscanuploadaDatafeedupto31xpermonth;withnolimitonnumberofproducts.

u

v

w

y

x

COMPLETE!

PRODUCT DATAFEEDMyCreativesTab>Datafeed

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!ManyAffiliates-Bloggers,ShoppingComparisonSites,NicheStorefrontPages-utilizeaProductDatafeed.ADatafeedallowsAf-filiatestopromotespecificproductsrelevanttotheirwebsite,asopposedtosimplydisplayingabanneradvertisement.AffiliatescansimplysearchyourDatafeedforrelevantproducts,andeasilygrabthetrackinglink.

THIRTEEN

THESE CATEGORIES ARE REQUIREDAT THE VERY LEAST...

THESE CATEGORIES ARE RECOMMENDEDBUT GO ABOVE & BEYOND...

SKUAuniquevalue,specifictooneproduct.

5A5256,45894,oranyuniquevalue...

URL DirectURLtotheproduct. http://www.mystore.com/product5A5256

PRICE Listedpriceoftheproduct. 19.99

CATEGORYProductcategory,useShareASaleCategories.*

13

SUB-CATEGORYProductsub-category,useShareASaleSub-Categories.*

125

MERCHANTID YourShareASaleMerchantID. 25698

DATA TYPE WHAT IS IT? AN EXAMPLE, PLEASE!

*CategoriesandSub-Categoriesarelistedathttp://shareasale.com/m-productmassupload.cfm

NAME NameoftheProduct. SunflowerSummerDress

FULLIMAGE Largeimageoftheproduct.http://www.mystore.com/product5A5256/image-xl

THUMBIMAGE Smallimageoftheproduct.http://www.mystore.com/product5A5256/image-small

DESCRIPTIONInformativedescriptionabouttheproduct.

Brightandcolorfulsummerdressgreatforweekendgetaways...

SEARCHTERMSCommaseparatedlistofproductsearchterms.

Dress,Women’sClothing,Summer,Sun-flowerDress,CasualWear

BESTSELLERSNotifiesAffiliatesthatthisisabestsellingproduct.

Populatethiscellwitha1toindicateabestsellingproduct.

DATA TYPE WHAT IS IT? AN EXAMPLE, PLEASE!

UP NEXT: NEWSLETTER

NEED MORE SPECIFICS?VISITHTTP://SHAREASALE.COM/M-PRODUCTMASSUPLOAD.CFM

WEEK3

SEND IT MONTHLYFormostprograms,monthlywillbeafittingschedule.Ifyourprogramoffersahugeinventorywithlotsofdetailschangingonaregularbasis,itmaybodewellforyourprogramtosendmorefrequentnewsletters.JustkeepinmindthatyoureffortswillhaveadverseeffectsifyoubeginspammingyourAffiliatebase.

v

w

x

COMPLETE!

u

NEWSLETTERSMyAffiliatesTab>SendNewsletter

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!UtilizethenewslettertooltomaintainconsistentcommunicationwithyourAffiliates.Thekeyistokeepyournewsletterrelevantandconcise.ThinkofthenewsletterasyourmarketingtoolkitforAffiliates.IncludeinformativedetailsthatwillhelpyourAffiliatestobettersellormarketyourproductorservice.

MAKE IT ACTIONABLE“Actionable”asinusable.IncludeitemsthatAffiliatescanputtouserightaway.UtilizemacrostoincludetheAffiliate’sspecifictrackingcodefortoolsandtopersonalizeyouremail.

INJECT PERSONALITYLetthenewsletterreflectwhoyouandyourcompanyare.Affiliatesreceivehundredsofemails–mightaswellmakeyoursinterestingtoread.

TARGET AFFILIATESUtilizethefilterstosendspecificallytargetedcommunicationtocertaingroupsofAffiliates.Forexample,youcouldsendkeywordliststoyourPPCAffiliates,anactivationnewslettertolowperformerswithsometipsongettingstarted,specialincentivestoyourtopperformers,contenttipstoyourbloggers…yougetthepicture.

TAGS:((Blogger))or((Coupon Site))or((Shopping Comparison))

Commissionsthismonth:morethan_____andlessthan_____Commissionstotal:morethan_____andlessthan_____Hitsthismonth:morethan_____andlessthan_____Hitstotal:morethan_____andlessthan_____

Joinedyourprogrambefore_____after_____AffiliatesfromthefollowingState:____________

AffiliatesfromthefollowingFeaturedPrograms:___________

AVAILABLE FILTERS

FIFTEEN

- INSERT CONTACT INFORMATION HERE -

EXCLUSIVE AFFILIATE BONUS CAMPAIGNS

NEED HELP?CHECK OUT THE VIDEO TUTORIAL

AT SHAREASALE.COM!

UP NEXT: TAGS & APPROVAL RULES

EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

SPECIAL PRODUCT OFFERINGS

DATAFEED DOWNLOAD - DEALS & COUPONS - BANNERS/LINKS - CONTACT US

DearJane,

CURRENT BEST SELLERS

NEWSLETTER EXAMPLE

PROGRAM UPDATES:Besuretocommunicateanychangeswiththeprogramagreement,commissionstructure,cookieduration,programmanagerchangesoranyotheritemthatpertainstotheprogramsetup.

u

BEST SELLERSIncludeafewsampleproductsofwhatisnewandhotinyourinventory.v

w

<atarget=”_blank”href=”http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=15231&u=!!USERID!!&m=397&urllink=&afftrack=”><imgsrc=”https://www.shareasale.com/image/ACFA.gif”></a>

BANNERTRACKINGCODE<atarget=”_blank”href=”http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=76698&u=!!USERID!!&MID=397&urllink=&afftrack=

BONUS CAMPAIGNSIncludeanyAffiliatesalesincentiveorbonuscampaignthatisrunning.Thiscanbeagreatopportu-nitytoencourageAffiliatestogeneratesalesorpushaspecificproduct.

x FEATURED PRODUCTSIfyouhaveproductinventory,includecontentaboutyourproductsorbrands.UsethisasanopportunitytoeducateAffiliatesonwhatmakesyourproductsunique.

y EDUCATIONAL CONTENTHighlightanynewcoupons,dealsorcreativesthatarecurrentlyavailable.BesureeachofthesecreativesarelistedwithintheShareASaleInterface.MakeitmoreactionablebyusingmacrostoincludetheAffiliatelink.

SpecialRedBookPrice:$15.00URLtoProduct

BlackBinocularsPrice:$210.00URLtoProduct

H54CalculatorPrice:$199.00URLtoProduct

AUGUST

LookingforareliableandinventiveAffiliateNetwork?CheckoutShareASale.com!

TEXTLINKTRACKINGCODE:

WEEK3

AUTO

APPROVAL

EXAMPLE

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!AffiliateTagsprovidemerchantswithawaytosegmenttheirAffiliatelist.TagscanbecreatedtoorganizeAffiliatesandgivesMer-chantstheabilitytocreatespecializedandtargetedactivationcampaigns.OnceTagsareassigned,Merchantscanpullreports,sendnewsletters,providespecialcommissionandevenuploadcreativesthatwillbeavailableonlytospecificAffiliateTags.

TAGS & APPROVAL RULESMyAffiliates>AffiliateList&MyAccount>EditSettings

COMPLETE!

AFFILIATE APPROVAL RULES CAN SAVE YOU TIME!Oneofthemosttime-consumingandtime-sensitivetasksofmanaginganAffiliateprogramisreviewingtheapplications.Affiliatesdon’tliketowaitandMerchantswanttomakesureapplicationsarecarefullyreviewed.CustomAffiliateapprovalrulescanhelpcutthatloadsignificantly.YousetupthefilterstoautomaticallyapproveordeclineonlythoseAffiliateswhomeetthecriteriayouselect.

“I want to auto approve US Affiliates with a Full Membership Level and who have a Top-Level Domain that does NOT use coupons or incentives.”

“Auto decline any Affiliate who uses Coupons and is NOT from US or Canada.”

Tip: Approval Rules can be used for more than just auto approving or auto declining. If your program is currently set-up to Auto Approve everyone, you could use Approve Rules to Pend those applications that you know you may want more time to review.

P P PP P

SENDNEWSLETTEROFFERACOUPON/DEALCREATEABANNER

DEVELOPABONUSCAMPAIGNSETASPECIALCOMMISSION

...ALL BY A SPECIFIC TAG!

WHAT FILTERS ARE AVAILABLE?ThereareoverfifteenautoapprovalfiltersavailabletoMerchants,includingAffiliateLocation,SpecificAccountDetails,PromotionalTechniquesandAdultContent.

CONFERENCEMANAGEMENT

PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENT

PROMOTIONALMETHODS

VIOLATIONMANAGEMENT

ASW2013

BlogHer2011

Meetup-Oct2012

TopPerformer‘12

VIPs

TopGainers‘12

MommyBlogger

Coupon/Deal

PPCAffiliate

Strike2-Coupon

Strike1-PPC

Strike1-Twitter

*Applicable for Merchants using ShareASale StoresConnect.

STORESMANAGEMENT*

SampleStore1

SampleStore2

SampleStore3

POPULAR STRATEGIES FOR TAGGING:

AUTO

DECLINE

EXAMPLE

SEVENTEEN

WEEK4PROMO CALENDAR

OutsideoftheInterface

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!Takeanhourtositdownanddraftoutafulleditorialcalendar.Byhavingamarketingplaninplacefortheyear,youwillbemoreorganizedandreadytoputoutmeaningfulandrichcommunicationtoAffiliates.Createaplanwiththefollowingitems:

Whenthemarketingplanismappedoutfortheyear,managersknowinadvancewhatmaterialstosendto

theirAffiliates.AplancanbetterarmamanagertosparkinterestandactionfromAffiliatepartners.

“ ”

THEMEThemonthlythemeisgoingtobetheoverallmessageoritemthatbringstogetherallmarketingtoolspro-videdforagivenmonth.Lookforeventsthatcouldtieintotheproductlinesuchasmovieandvideogamereleases,sportingevents,productlaunches,productsalesseasonality,fashionshows,popcultureevents,andevenholidays.

v

w

u

AFFILIATE PROMOTION/BONUSProvideAffiliateswithanincentivethatwillenticethemtogeneratemoresalesfortheprogram.Don’tbeafraidtogetcreativewiththebonusesandofferpromotionsinadditiontothecommoncashforsalesbonus.

MARKETING TOOLSUtilizingthethemeselectedforthemonth,createsomenewcreativeorhighlightcreativesthatcoincidewiththetheme.Thiscouldmeanprovidingastorefrontofrelatedproducts,creatingnewbanners,publishingconsumercouponsoruploadingrelatedtextlinks.

COMPLETE!

January February

Theme SnowDay Dr.Suess

AffiliateCoupon BOGOSleepwear 15%offDr.Suess

BannerRequest 468x60:Winter&300x250:Winter 125x125:Suess&160x600:Suess

ProductLaunch FootieSleepwear Dr.SuessHats

AffiliatePromotion Generate$2,500infootiesleepwear,receivesleepwearforayear

Drive$1,000+inDr.Suessproductsales,getVIPcommissionforallsalesinMarch

Est.Spend $1,000 $2,000

AffiliateNewsletter BOGOCoupon,NewCreative,&Promotion Coupon,Dr.SuessStorefront,andPromotion

QualifiedAffiliates 10 35

FOR EXAMPLE

EIGHTEEN

ACTIVE RECRUITMENTOutsidetheInterface

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!AffiliateRecruitmentisoneofthemostimportantaspectsthatwillcontributetothegrowthandsuccessofyourAffiliateprogram.Affiliaterecruitmenttakesonvariousforms.SomeAffiliateswillfindyouonShareASalebasedonyourprogramset-up,butit’salsoimportanttosetasidetimededicatedtoplanningandproactivelyreachingouttoprospectiveAffiliates.

FEATURED PLACEMENTS ON SHAREASALEMerchantscantakeoutadspaceontheShareASaleAffiliateinterface.It’sagreatwaytoadvertiseyourpro-gramtoallAffiliatesthatarepartoftheShareASaleNetwork.

COMPLETE!

PUBLISH AFFILIATE PERFORMANCE INCENTIVES Affiliatesarelikeyouronlinesalesforce-sometimestheyneedalittleincentivetogetmotivated!

REACH5SALESINYOURFIRSTMONTH-GETA$100BONUS!{ }

ShareASaleThinkTank-AffiliateSummitEast-AffiliateSummitWestType-A-ParentConference-BlogHerConference-InternetRetailer

INTERNET SEARCHESGooglesomeofyourkeywordsandseekoutAffiliatesthathavebuiltcontentsites,PPCcampaignsorblogsforthem.Whenyoufindasiteyouwanttoworkwith,contactthemdirectlywithapersonalmessage.Letthemknowwhythiswouldbeagoodpartnership--and--

SEND THEM YOUR CO-BRANDED PAGE!

v

w

u

y

ATTEND INDUSTRY EVENTSThereareseveralmeet-upsandindustryeventsyoucouldgetinvolvedwith.FacetofacenetworkingisagreatwaytoboostrecruitmentandbuildsolidrelationshipwithyourAffiliates.

SPONSORED MERCHANT AD!

ADD CO-BRANDED PAGE TO YOUR WEBSITEYourco-brandedpageisapersonalizedlinkprovidedbyShareASalethatincludesyourProgramBioandaformforanAffiliatetojoinyourprogram.

Co-BrandedPage:http://www.ShareASale.com/ShareASale.cfm?merchantID=YOURMERCHANTID

x

NINETEEN

IT’S IMPORTANT - DON’T WASTE YOUR INVESTMENT!Aspreviouslymentioned,AffiliateMarketingisalongtermgrowthchannel.It’srequiresregularandongoingmaintenanceandmanagementjustlikeanyothermarketingcampaign.Affiliatesareapartofyourteamnow,sobesuretoworkontheongoingtaskspresentedbelowtoensureasuccessfulprogram!

MANAGEMENT TASKS

ONGOIN

G

COMPLETE!

DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT

ONGOING RECRUITMENT

CONTINUOUS & TIMELY COMMUNICATION

REPORT GENERATION & ANALYSIS

ProvideAffiliateSupport&AnswerQuestionsReviewAffiliateApplications-ApproveorDeclineDatafeedUpkeep-EnsureAccurateDataCreativeMaintenance-ReviewRelevancyofCreatives

ShareASaleFeaturedProgramsAttendIndustryEventsInternetSearchesforRelevant&PotentialAffiliatesPublishAffiliatePerformanceIncentives

MonthlyNewslettersShareASaleAffiliateAquariumPersonal/CompanyBlogVariousSocialMediaOutletsParticipationinAffiliateForums

TransactionDetailWeeklyProgressAffiliateTimespanBannerPerformanceMonthlyPaymentReviewAffiliateComparisonYearinReview

Trytoremembertokeepthefocusonthe

qual-

ityofAffiliatesratherthanth

equantity.Itcanbe

easytofocusonlyonthenum

berofAffiliatesin

aprogrambuttheeffortshouldbeonfi

nding

qualityaffiliateswhowillhelpgrowaprogram.

ConcentrateresourcesonAffil

iateswhoare

motivatedandwellmatchedtomarketyour

productorservice.

Closing Tip

TWENTY

WHAT IF I WANT TO PAY 10% ON ONE PRODUCT AND 5% ON ANOTHER?ProductcommissionscanbesetuponaSKUlevel.Inordertoaccomplishthis,youwillneedtomakechangestobothyourexistingShareASaletrackingcodeandyourproductdatafeed.IfyouareinterestedinsettingupproductSKUcom-missions,pleaseopenasupportticketandourteamcanwalkyouthroughtherequiredchanges.

WHY AM I GETTING SO MANY COUPON/DEAL AFFILIATE APPLICATIONS?UponactivationintotheShareASaleNetwork,anewprogramannouncementissentoutviaRSSFeedtoallsubscribingAffiliates.Typicallycoupon/dealAffiliateswillapplyformost,ifnotall,oftheseprograms–astheycanpromotenearlyeverytypeofMerchant.Donotbesurprisedifthefirstmonthortwoisanoverloadofcoupon/dealAffiliates–itisverycommon.

WHY AREN’T MY AFFILIATES PUTTING UP MY LINKS?ItcantakealittletimeforyourAffiliatestoaddlinkstotheirwebsite.Affiliateshavetodeterminewhere,whenandhowbesttopromoteyourprogrambasedontheirparticularaudience.RememberAffiliatemarketingisalongtermgrowthchannel.YoucanhelpactivateyourAffiliatesbyprovidingthemwithsolidmarketingtoolsinyourreplyemailsandnews-letters.

WHY AREN’T ALL OF MY AFFILIATES CONVERTING SALES?EachAffiliateprogramisunique,howeverindustry-wideabout30%ofaMerchant’sapprovedAffiliatesshouldbedrivingclicks,andofthat30%,about10-15%shouldbedrivingactualsales.Thisdoesvaryprogramtoprogram-butshouldbeagoaltoworktowards,andthenagoaltobeat!

HOW MUCH SHOULD AN AFFILIATE PROGRAM DRIVE IN SALES?Again,eachAffiliateprogramisunique,butasageneralindustryaverage,Affiliatesalesaccountforabout10%ofoverallonlinesales.Therearecertainlyprogramswhoseemuchmorethanthatamount,itjustdependsonthetypeofprogram,andpre-existingonlinepresence.

CAN I PAY MY AFFILIATES A HIGHER COMMISSION FOR NEW CUSTOMER SALES?Certainly!YoucanutilizetheAdvancedCommissionStructurestocreatea“rule”thatpaysAffiliatesahighercommissionfornewcustomers.Thisisanadvancedfeaturesthatrequiresalittleprogrammingandmodificationtoyourcurrenttrack-ingpixel.Ifyouareinterestedinsettingupthisfeature,pleaseopenasupportticket.

HOW DO I RUN THE SAME TYPE OF REPORT EVERY MONTH?Therearetwowaystocompletethistask–onetechnicalandonelesstechnical.Forthemoretech-savvy,youcansetupyourAPItodeliveraparticularreportataparticulartime(deliverthetransactiondetailreporttomydesktopat12ameverymonth-end).Forthelesstechnical,youcanutilizetheSavedReportsfunction.Youcansaveanyreportbyitselforasatemplateforfuturereports.Thesecanbeaccessedontheparticularreportinquestionorunderthe“hockeypuck”starintheupperleftsideofyouraccount.

I INVITED AFFILIATES INTO MY PROGRAM. CAN I GET THEM APPROVED QUICKER?YoucanbreezeinvitedaffiliatesthroughtheShareASaleNetworkApplicationprocessby“Pre-Approving”themintothenetworkbasedonyourinvitations.ThiscanbecompletedviatheEditSettingsPageunder“AddCustomApprovalRules”.

ADVANCED QUESTIONSCongratulations!You’vemadeitthroughtheMerchantKickoffChecklist.It’slikelyyouhaveafewadditionalquestions-sowe’vegatheredthemostpopularnewMerchantFAQs(notdiscussedpreviously)foryourreference.Afewofthesequestionsreferencecontactingoursupportteam-clickthe“SubmitANewTicket”optionintheHelpCenter(pg.2).