Affiliate Video Ad Trick

[Linda Buquet]

We all know video is hot and a well done product demonstration or TV commercial video clip can super charge your pre-selling efforts and boost conversion rates. However VERY few merchants are offering video ads to affiliates yet, even though the merchants themselves may have great sales videos on their sites. What's a poor affiliate to do? Here is a video marketing trick I just thought of that could work very well in certain circumstances.

<center>Click Below to Watch - Top 10 Tech Products Countdown Video
<a target="_new" href="http://www.buy.com/buytv/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/427018300_fc9f515688.jpg?v=0" alt="top ten tech products video"</a/></a></center>

So what happens after you click to play the video? It takes you to the merchant site to watch the video. The image above was just a screen grab image of the video with player from the merchant site and could have had an affiliate link embedded. (I didn't use an affiliate link.)
Note: above is not the perfect example - normally you'd want to link direct to the Tech Top 10 video - but it's in java so I couldn't.) The Buy.com site also has consumer review videos and their latest TV commercial you could direct link to.

So now picture a golf club merchant or exercise equipment merchant. They have great sales and product demonstration videos on their site but don't offer a way for affiliates to add the videos to their site with your affiliate ID embedded. Just take a screen grab of the title video screen or the best action shot, add it to your site and link to the video with your affiliate link. When people hit play to watch it, they'll be cookied and sent to the merchants site to watch.

When merchants don't have good banners you make one right? Well if they won't give you videos, take a screen shot of their video and link to it.

TSK TSK A big company like Buy.com should not need to monetize their site with Adsense. Just noticed the Google ad on top right of the page. Why would a company with a wealth of products like Buy.com has, want people to surf off their site to buy tech products somewhere else for a few Adsense pennies? STUPID! Bad leak for affiliates too Adsense ads are even on all the product pages. STUPID, did I say that yet??? Side note, someone should tell Zvue all their PAID ads on Buy.com go to a <a target="_new" href="http://www.zvue.com/zvue_ggle_01_mp4.aspx">404 error page</a>.

STOOOPID Advertisers! (My tip turned into a rant) ;-)

 

[otakucat2]

I think networks are starting to move that way. The network I'm thinking of using is apparently now offering customized video with CPA and when I googled the terms I saw another network was completely video (though their website makes me wonder if its true). Its nice cause it means merchants don't have to pay to make the mini videos and neither do we, but we'll get more click-throughs and conversions

 

[Linda Buquet]

I just saw a press release about an affiliate VIDEO network that launched at Affiliate Summit this week. I meant to post about it.

 

[otakucat2]

I was looking at affiliated.net but I see a network called 10 speed out there and saw your other post about gaiam videos that let you just add in your affiliate id to track it

 

[Linda Buquet]

Oh ya Affiliated.Net - The 1st Video Affiliate Network is the one I read about. They say they are the 1st affiliate video network. What strikes me funny though is that even though they tout Web 2.0 the site reminds me of an OLD fashioned movie theater. The site just not fit what they are doing IMHO.

Then yes AMWSO has lots of affiliate videos - not just Gaiam.
Here is a list of all of them. Affiliate Marketing with Video

 

[Louis34]

We were discussing this for one of our merchants that sells an insurance type product for pregnant women (Maternity Card). The idea was to build a video clip of a news story on the brand into the landing pages that we gave affiliates.

The question is, would this kind of thing be good (certainly it would help to build trust in the brand), or would it potentially be too much of a distraction from the ultimate goal, which for an affiliate is getting the visitor to click on the link and fill out a lead.

Interested to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

 

[Linda Buquet]

"The question is, would this kind of thing be good (certainly it would help to build trust in the brand), or would it potentially be too much of a distraction from the ultimate goal, which for an affiliate is getting the visitor to click on the link and fill out a lead."

My feeling is that if it's COMPELLING it will help get the customer to the merchant to take action. Especially with a product that has emotional impact like that one does. I can't imagine a text link or banner could pull someone in better than a video of a mother saying how much it helped her.

Or better yet a cute little 2 year old saying how happy they are that Mommy and Daddy were 'smart' enough to get the maternity card!

(if they use that last idea tell them I want a cut of the millions they'll rake in!)

If you just offer the video as one option for creative, then affiliates that know their audience will like it and have room for it will use it. Others that just want a banner wont bother.

 

[Louis34]

Thanks for your input Linda!

Its actually from a major television news report, so that adds a lot of legitimacy to the service, and does feature interviews with moms. I believe there are some shots of a kid playing in the background as well

I can't post the link to the video itself yet because its still on a test version of the site, but I will post it soon.