VigLink Blog

Monetizing Your Sites: Your Questions. Answered. [You're Invited 6/31]

VigLink Team — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:39:31 +0000

VigLink is teaming up with CloudFlare to get your site monetization questions answered.

On Thursday May 31st at 6:30pm, we’ll be meeting up at the CloudFlare loft for a panel discussion on the breadth of site monetization options available today, and how to make them work for you.

Overview

Are you monetizing your sites? If not, have you thought about it and just aren’t sure how it all works? With so many monetization options out there – banner ads, Google AdSense, content monetization – it’s hard to understand what works and what doesn’t. This meetup will focus on the best practices for site monetization, and tips and techniques for turning a profit on your sites.

We’re bringing together SF’s leading experts on site monetization to dive into these specific areas:

Site monetization tech: what’s out there, what works, and what doesn’t
What kind of an impact (positive/negative) can these solutions have on readers
What’s the payoff? How much can you really make on site monetization?
How website performance and security impact your bottom line
Recommendations on how to use what’s out there

Schedule for the Evening

Drinks & Networking | 6:30pm – 7:00pm

Panel Discussion | 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Meet the Panelists

Eoin Matthews, VP Business Development at VigLink

Matthew Prince, CEO & Co-Founder of CloudFlare

Evan Young, Media Development Manager at Say Media

Our moderator will be Greg Barto of TechCrunch.

Space will be limited, so be sure to reserve your spot soon!

Tips for Improved Content Monetization [Performance Marketing Insider Interview]

VigLink Team — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:33:18 +0000

Earlier this week Oliver Roup, VigLink’s CEO & Founder, caught up with Murray Newlands of Performance Insider TV. They talked a bit about how VigLink approaches content monetization, but also a few of the things publishers can do to maximize the value of their content from a monetization perspective. A few of the highlights:

Maximize user generated content. Allowing users to create content (in a forum or other community) creates repeat traffic and fresher, more comprehensive content — a significant SEO bonus.
Maximize authenticity. Users understand the need to monetize, but striking the right balance between commercialization and authenticity is critical. Making content informative, rather than explicitly commercial, will ultimately earn you more revenue.
Move the conversation closer to the purchase decision. Build content that helps readers make more informed purchasing decisions, and as close to the time when they’re saying “I want that right now” rather than “I want that someday”.

For the tips in their entirety, check out the video below.

May Spotlight on the Merchants: Mother’s Day Edition

VigLink Team — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:38:09 +0000

Each month we take a look at a few of our favorite VigLink merchants as part of our Spotlight on the Merchants series. In our May edition, we share a few of our favorite merchants for finding that perfect Mother’s Day gift (Mother’s Day is May 15th).

Each of these merchants is an eligible VigLink merchant, which means if you are a VigLink user and send traffic to any of these sites that results in a sale, you’ll get paid! When you are creating content centered around Mother’s Day, consider linking to these merchants when you reference products and services.

SpaFinder.com

SpaFinder.com is your source for spa, travel, and wellness experiences worldwide. A perfect resource to find a great spa gift certificate for Mom this year.

Wine.com

For the Mothers that double as wine lovers, Wine.com offers a comprehensive selection of fine and bargain wines — and they ship across the United States!

Jewelry.com

With free shipping and free 30-day returns, Jewelry.com makes jewelry shopping for Moms, wives, and significant others low-risk and hassle free.

Shutterfly.com

Whether it be a perfect print, customized coffee mug, photo book, or tote, Shutterfly offers a world of ways to share your picture perfect memories as a gift that Mom is sure to love.

CoffeesofHawaii.com

For the coffee drinkers, CoffeesofHawaii.com offers a large selection of gourmet coffee beans. Readers will be sure to fine just the right selection for the Mom in their lives.

KitchenAndMuchMore.com

KitchenandMuchMore.com offers a full selection of kitchenware, gadgets — even kitchen storage and furniture. The perfect spot to find that perfect gift for the culinary whiz in your life.

Illinois Affiliate Nexus Tax is No More

VigLink Team — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:13:01 +0000

Thirteen months ago Illinois state governor Pat Quinn signed into law an affiliate nexus tax that forced 9,000 affiliate marketers either out of the state of Illinois, or out of a significant portion of their affiliate marketing revenue. Shortly thereafter the Performance Marketing Association (PMA) filed suit against the state of Illinois challenging the constitutionality of the law.

We’re pleased to report that this past week a judge ruled in favor of the PMA — ruling the law unconstitutional and taking it offline.

You might recall that at the time the law passed we had offices in Chicago, which we chose to close as a result of the law. We’re pleased today that so many affiliates that were unable to leave the state will be able to get back to business as usual — but more so, hopeful that this will push us closer towards a Federal solution that would address the issue of affiliate nexus tax laws nationwide.

Check out the full story here or via the video below, courtesy of ABC News.

CloudFlare + VigLink Meetup: Your Site Monetization Questions. Answered.

VigLink Team — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:06:29 +0000

VigLink is teaming up with CloudFlare to get your site monetization questions answered.

In May, we’ll be meeting up at the CloudFlare loft for a panel discussion on the breadth of site monetization options available today, and how to make them work for you.

Overview

We’re bringing together SF’s leading experts on site monetization to dive into these specific areas:

Site monetization tech: what’s out there, what works, and what doesn’t
What kind of an impact (positive/negative) can these solutions have on readers
What’s the payoff? How much can you really make on site monetization?
How website performance and security impact your bottom line
Recommendations on how to use what’s out there

Schedule for the Evening

Drinks & Networking | 6:30pm – 7:00pm

Panel Discussion | 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Meet the Panelists

Eoin Matthews, VP Business Development at VigLink

Matthew Prince, CEO & Co-Founder of CloudFlare

Evan Young, Media Development Manager at Say Media

Our moderator will be Greg Barto of TechCrunch.

Publisher Spotlight Part II: Audizine [Fan Video]

VigLink Team — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:45:58 +0000

In January we had the pleasure of catching up with Anthony Marino, a graphic artist, avid car enthusiast, and owner of Audizine – the Audi enthusiast community. You can read up on the conversation in our January publisher spotlight here.

We’ve kept in touch since and were excited to see the video below pop into our email box this week after a recent trip to the beautiful Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. In it, Anthony shares why VigLink has proved to be such an excellent monetization partner and how the solution allows him to continue to deliver an incredible end-user experience while still earning significant revenue for the site.

“We’ve tried several different monetization methods. The most important thing for me of course is the memebers. We don’t want to flash [banners and graphics] in their face to make money. It’s more important that the users have a good experience. We found VigLink and … we couldn’t be happier.”

Anthony Marino, Owner, Audizine

May SF Blog Club Meetup

VigLink Team — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:04:43 +0000

Welcome to the May meetup for the San Francisco Blog Club!

This month we’ll be hearing from Tom Treanor, CEO of Right Mix Marketing. He’ll be leading a mini blog writing workshop where he’ll walk you step-by-step through the creation of a compelling post that your audience will love! At the end of the workshop you’ll have an outlined post that you can easily finish and get up on your site that same day.

As always, there will be free drinks, pizza — and lots of time for networking and sharing tips. Space will be limited, but you can reserve a spot for FREE here.

Welcome | 7:00pm – 7:05pm

Talk by Tom | 7:05pm – 7:30pm

Drinks & Networking | 7:30pm – 8:30pm

For those of you that haven’t met Tom, here’s a bit on his background…

About Tom

Tom Treanor, MBA, is the Founder and President of Right Mix Marketing Inc. He has a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business, as well as a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

He teaches a course on Social Media Tools at San Francisco State University’s Social Media Marketing certificate program and has deep experience coaching and consulting corporate executives, small business owners and startup teams. Tom speaks regularly at live and virtual conferences and meetings (contact us here to inquire about having Tom speak at your event).

Tom authored the Search Engine Optimization Boot Camp and is just finishing up his second book, Secrets of Linkedin. He has been quoted in the Investor’s Business Daily and is a previous Google Adwords Professional and Microsoft adExcellence Member.

Join us at Affiliate Summit Central to Talk Maximizing Click Revenue

VigLink Team — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:14:15 +0000

Affiliate Summit Central, Affiliate Summit’s inaugural event in Austin, Texas, is taking place May 15 – 16th at the Hilton Austin. Our very own VP of Customer Success, David Gorcey, will be giving a talk on maximizing click revenue. He’ll dive into what the 2 billion clicks VigLink processed and analyzed in 2011 can tell us about top-performing (as well as under-performing) publishers — and how you can use that data to increase your click revenue.

If you haven’t already purchased your ticket, you can do so here. And for those of you already planning on attending, full details on how to catch the talk are below!

Maximizing Click Revenue: 2 Billion Clicks Analyzed

Session 8b
Location: Salon B
Time: 10:30am-10:50am

David, VP of Customer Success at VigLink, saw 2 billion clicks within the network in 2011. He examines which were most valuable, which didn’t earn a dime, and “click best practices” to earn more.

Experience level: Intermediate
Target audience: Affiliates/Publishers
Niche/vertical: Data analysis

See you in Austin!

Affiliate Summit Central: Maximizing Click Revenue

VigLink Team — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:07:56 +0000

Affiliate Summit Central, the organization’s inaugural event in Austin, Texas, is taking place May 15 – 16th at the Hilton Austin. Our very own VP of Customer Success, David Gorcey, will be giving a talk on maximizing click revenue. He’ll dive into what the 2 billion clicks VigLink processed and analyzed in 2011 can tell us about top performing (as well as under performing) publishers.

If you haven’t already purchased your ticket, you can do so here. And for those of you already planning on attending, full details on how to catch the talk are below!

Maximizing Click Revenue: 2 Billion Clicks Analyzed

Session 8b
Location: Salon B
Time: 10:30am-10:50am

Experience level: Intermediate
Target audience: Affiliates/Publishers
Niche/vertical: Data analysis

Murray Newlands on the Evolution of Brand Trust, Social Media, and Enagement [Interview with Forbes]

VigLink Team — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:00:48 +0000

Murray Newlands, advisor to VigLink, was interviewed by Forbes contributor Sarah Austin this past week and they discussed some of the key ways social media has revolutionized the way brands build and keep consumers’ trust and how brands can leverage social media to build stronger engagement. Check out the video in its entirety below and the full article here.