Affiliate Program Management An Hour a Day -- Introduction -- Who Should Read This Book -- What You Will Learn -- How to Contact the Author -- Part I: History, Terminology, and Introductory Remarks -- Chapter 1: Understanding Affiliate Marketing -- Affiliates, Subaffiliates, and Superaffiliates -- Superaffiliates -- Marketing Channels and Types of Affiliates -- Content Publishing -- Couponing -- Data Feeds -- Email Marketing -- Paid Search -- Loyalty Marketing -- Social Media -- Video -- Popularity -- Chapter 2: Budget, Payments, and Related Considerations -- Budgeting -- Performance-Based Models -- Interaction with Other Channels -- Reversal Policies and Related Considerations -- Duplicate Orders -- Locking Periods and Lock Dates -- Consider a Nonreversal Policy -- Part II: Month 1: Pre-Launch Research and Analysis -- Chapter 3: Week 1: Perform Competitive Marketing Analysis -- Monday: Understand SWOTT Analysis -- Tuesday: Identify Strengths and Weaknesses -- Strengths -- Weaknesses -- Wednesday: Evaluate Opportunities, Trends, and Threats -- Opportunities and Trends -- Threats -- Thursday: Present Your Analysis to Your Boss/Client -- Friday: Develop a Competitive Intelligence Strategy -- Join Affiliate Programs -- Follow Competitor in Other Ways -- Set Up Automatic Monitoring -- Employ Traffic Monitoring Tools -- Chapter 4: Week 2: Understanding Tracking and Reporting -- Monday: Evaluate Affiliate Networks -- Affiliate Networks -- Tuesday: Understand CPA Networks and How They Work -- Wednesday: Assess In-House Solutions -- Making the Choice -- Thursday: Analyze Payment Options -- What Do Affiliates Prefer? -- Outsourced Payment Solutions -- Friday: Understand the Importance of Cookies -- Chapter 5: Week 3: Evaluate Program Management Options -- Monday: Understand the Basics -- Autopilot vs. Proactive Management -- Key Management Elements.

Manage the Program, Not Affiliates -- Tuesday: Set Your Expectations -- Wednesday: Outline Qualifications and Certification -- Education and Certification -- Thursday: Weigh In-House vs. Outsourced Solutions -- Friday: Determine Compensation and Draft Contact -- Drafting the Contracting Agreement -- Chapter 6: Week 4: Finalize Payment Models and Cookie Life -- Monday: Decide on the Payment Models to Use -- Tuesday: Determine Whether You Need a Two-Tier Program -- Wednesday: Study Cookie Retention Data and Make Conclusions -- Cookie Retention Rates -- Return Days Analysis -- Conclusion -- Thursday: Calculate Commission Budgeting in Incentives -- Incentives and Tiered Commission Increases -- Types of Monetary Incentives -- Friday: Finalize Overall Payment Terms -- Qualifying Action -- Cookie Life -- Payment Models -- Commission -- Incentives -- Locking Period -- Part III: Month 2: Setting Your Affiliate Program Up -- Chapter 7: Week 1: Develop Creative Inventory -- Monday: Review Types of Creatives Used by Affiliates -- Deciding Where to Start -- Tuesday: Understand and Put Together Text Links -- Wednesday: Learn About Banner Usage and Popular Sizes -- Banner Sizes -- File Size -- Thursday: Review Banner Creation Mistakes and Work on Banners -- 10 Mistakes to Avoid -- Examples of Good Affiliate Banners -- Check What's Working for Your Competition -- Chapter 8: Week 2: Data Feeds, Coupons, and Plug-Ins -- Monday: Learn About Data Feeds -- How Do You Create a Data Feed? -- Data Feed Standard -- Tuesday: Study and Avoid Common Data Feed Mistakes -- Wednesday: Discover Feed Importing Options -- Computer Programs -- Online-Based Solutions -- Private-Label Solutions -- Network-Based Solutions -- Thursday: Develop Your Coupon Strategy -- Solution to Possible Conflict with Coupon Affiliates -- What Coupons Should Merchants Offer?.

Types of Deals That Convert Best -- What Makes a "Killer Coupon"? -- Landing Pages for Coupons -- Friday: Understand Add-Ons and Plug-Ins -- Chapter 9: Week 3: Research and Develop Program Policies -- Monday: Work on Your Coupon and Discounts Policy -- Pseudo-couponing -- Examples of Coupon Policies -- Tuesday: Develop Your Trademark Policy -- Trademarks and Paid Search -- Trademarks and Domain Names -- How to Word the Agreement -- Wednesday: Formulate Policies Regarding Loyalty and Rebates Affiliates -- The Rotten Apple -- Thursday: Word Your Recommendations on Affiliate Disclosures -- Implications for Affiliate Marketers -- Everyone Is Accountable -- How to Word Disclosures and Agreements -- Friday: Finalize Your Affiliate Program Agreement -- Chapter 10: Week 4: Final Brushstrokes -- Monday: Implement Tracking and Test the System -- Tuesday: Prepare the Text for Three Email Templates -- Application Receipt -- Approval Email -- Denial Email -- Wednesday: Set Up Your Affiliate Program Support Base -- Sign-up Link -- Nonexistent Link -- Broken Link -- No Real Info -- Vague Verbiage -- Program Bio -- Mini-Sites -- Five Common Problems with Text -- Email Address -- Thursday: Prepare Announcement Text -- The Checklist -- Three Types of Calls to Action -- Sample Announcement -- Friday: Compile Lists of Keywords and Best Sellers -- Keyword Lists -- Best-Seller Lists -- Part IV: Month 3: Program Launch and Affiliate Program Management -- Chapter 11: Week 1: Launch the Affiliate Program and Recruit -- Monday: Announce Program Launch -- Press Release Websites -- Affiliate Marketing Websites -- Affiliate Program Directories -- Social-Media Channels -- Affiliate Networks -- Tuesday: Study Affiliate Recruitment Tools and Techniques -- Seven Avenues of Affiliate Recruitment -- Wednesday: Develop a Direct-Contact Recruitment Strategy -- How to Make It Shine.

Sample Texts for Affiliate Recruitment -- Thursday: Formulate Your Social Media Approach -- Types of Social Media and Where to Start -- Essential Points to Remember -- Blogging Tips -- Get Ready to Rock 'n' Roll! -- Friday: Plan to Attend Conferences and Shows -- Affiliate Marketing Conferences and Events -- Other Conferences on Online Marketing -- Chapter 12: Week 2: Plan Your Affiliate Communication -- Monday: Study Affiliate-Preferred Channels of Communication -- Global Problem -- Preferred Communication Channels -- Two-Way Symmetric Communication -- Types of Communication -- Tuesday: Decide on Frequency of Newsletters and Approach -- Communication Frequency and Response Time -- Formulate Your Approach and Stick to It -- Wednesday: Learn How to Put Together Affiliate Newsletters -- Affiliate Newsletter Format and Characteristics -- Three p's to Remember Before Hitting Send -- Thursday: Launch Social-Media Efforts -- Affiliate Forums -- Microblogging -- Social Networking -- Friday: Start Writing Your Affiliate Program's Blog, Developing FAQs and Tutorials -- Basic Questions -- Detailed Instructional Section -- Chapter 13: Week 3: Program Management -- Monday: Categorize Affiliates -- Tuesday: Develop Fraud Prevention Policy and Enforcement Rules -- Fraud Prevention -- Wednesday: Start Profiling Affiliates -- Thursday: Forget About Managing, and Start Leading! -- Twenty Differences Between Management and Leadership -- The Four Most Valued Characteristics of a Leader -- Friday: Become a Transformational Leader -- Chapter 14: Week 4: Affiliate Motivation -- Monday: Learn About Motivation in General and Marketing to Marketers in Particular -- Motivation Is Always Multifaceted -- Keys to Moving Mountains -- Focus on Personal Advancement, Needs, and Goals -- Forget About "Motivation" by Threat -- Tuesday: Study Contingency Theory -- Contingency Approach.

The Nature of Affiliates -- Applications of Contingency Models to Affiliate Program Management -- Wednesday: Understand How Extrinsic Motivation Works -- Five Golden Rules of Successful Extrinsic Motivation -- Examples of Incentive Campaigns -- Thursday: Learn More About Intrinsic Motivation -- Intrinsic Motivation-The Ultimate Goal -- Motivating Culturally Diverse Affiliates -- Friday: Arrive at Your Own Optimal Approach -- Part V: Month 4: Advanced Management and Analysis -- Chapter 15: Week 1: Study and Learn to Deal with Parasitism and Problematic Affiliates -- Monday: Monitor Red Flags in Affiliate Applications -- Tuesday: Learn About Affiliate Parasitism -- Three Types of Parasites -- Program Agreement -- Cookie Stuffing -- Wednesday: Educate Yourself on Adware and Toolbars -- What Parasites Are and How They Work -- What Affiliates Think -- Thursday: Police Trademark Violators -- Platform-Based Tools -- Independent Tools -- Friday: Learn About Coupon Theft and Copycat Sites -- The Problem -- The Solution -- Copycat Sites -- Chapter 16: Week 2: Master Affiliate Program Analytics and Optimization -- Monday: Understand What KPIs and Metrics to Focus On -- KPIs for Advertisers/Merchants -- Tuesday: Split Test to Improve Conversions -- Conversion Optimization -- How to Test Effectively -- Wednesday: Explore Alternative Tracking Solutions and Compensation Models -- Cookieless Tracking -- Alternative Compensation Models -- Thursday: Engage in Ongoing Competitive Intelligence -- Why? -- How? -- Friday: Analyze Progress and Stay Informed -- Monitor Affiliate Program Performance -- Be on Top of Industry Trends and Developments -- Chapter 17: Deadliest Mistakes to Avoid -- Mistakes, Errors, and Lessons to Learn -- 15 Mistakes Committed by Merchants -- Mistake 1: Leaky Websites -- Mistake 2: "Autopilot" Approach to Affiliate Program.

Mistake 3: Unclear or Absent Program TOS.