New Year's Resolutions – Ones that Will Drive Revenue

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New Year's Resolutions ??“ Ones that Will Drive Revenue

New Year's Eve is almost upon us. Once the presents are un-wrapped and the tree is un-trimmed, it will be time to put on your party dress, grab a glass of champagne and make a toast to 2007 and your New Year's resolutions. While many will be singing the tired old New Year's resolution tunes about losing love-handles and giving up bad habits, jazz up your New Year's resolutions by making ones that will drive revenue!

Here at Commission Junction we want to make sure that you get the most out of your program. We have put together eight "resolutions" that are easy for you to achieve and are sure to drive revenue!

Resolution 1: Don't Procrastinate, Pursue New Areas

• If you have been putting off building out a finance website or adding a new section to your offer site, NOW is the time to start planning and getting your goals accomplished. Use the 'Get Links' section in the CJ Account Manager, filter by category and EPC to help select the advertisers who would be the best fit for your new website or section. Expanding your Web site or building out new sites helps diversify your business, avoid saturation, and ultimately drive more revenue.

Resolution 2: Update Your Content and Make Your Website More Robust

• Don't just focus on making your website search engine friendly, think of your audience. Add better graphics and more original content. Update your website more frequently to avoid stale items or out of date offers. Look for new content links in the 'Get Links' section of the CJ Account Manager. Content links provide easier access to advertiser's information in a format that converts better and has the advertiser's approval. The better your site is - the better conversion rate you will have, ultimately resulting in less money spent on traffic.

Resolution 3: Slim Down Your Programs

• Trim the fat on your affiliate program. If you have programs that are generating little or no revenue, see if you can replace those with new, fresher programs. Run performance reports in the 'Run Reports' area of the CJ Account Manager to see which programs are generating revenue and which are not. Search within the 'Get Links' area within the CJ Account Manager to find new advertisers in the same or different categories with high EPCs to replace your non-performers.

Resolution 4: Build Better Relationships With Affiliate Managers

• Focus on developing your existing relationships with the affiliate managers you work with. Most affiliate managers share their contact information on their detail page in the 'Get Links' area of the CJ Account Manager. Reach out to each individually and pay close attention to the newsletters they distribute. Through strengthening your relationships you can obtain higher rates, exclusive coupon codes, and better access to internal data - such as top sellers. Better relationships equal better, mutually successful business partnerships.

Resolution 5: Learn a New Language and Continue Your Education

• Do something for you that will help grow your program! Take classes or spend time on your own learning a new programming language. Our industry is constantly changing; efficiencies and new developments are created daily. From API's to Web Services, these are the trends of the future and the time you invest now can save you triple that in the future. Use resources such as CJU Online, Blueprint for Profitability and Commission Junction's Web Services to expand your knowledge base. If you would like a pack of Commission Junction whitepapers that we have developed to increase your ROI please email sgulab@cj.com.

Resolution 6: Set Your Goals and Define Your Objectives

• Achieve what you set out to accomplish this year by defining clear goals and objectives. Strategically plan out your actions for the year. Review what you did last year; assess what worked and what didn't work by running performance reports in the 'Run Reports' area of the CJ Account Manager. Create a plan of action, mapping out your actions for each quarter. Be sure to plan ahead for holidays and seasonal trends.

Resolution 7: Mix and Mingle with Your Peers

• Attend at least one more industry event than you did last year and make it a goal to connect with 10 new people per event. The key in our industry is relationships, and while you may work on building your relationships throughout the year via e-mail and phone, there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Take advantage of the opportunity to network and learn from your colleagues at some of the industry events that take place throughout the year including CJU UK, CJU US, affiliate specific networking events and exhibitions and seminars such as Ad Tech.

Resolution 8: Read More Industry Blogs, Books and News

• Make an effort to stay abreast of industry news and trends. Sign up for online newsletters such as those offered by Econsultancy, NMA, and Netimperative. Search for the latest and greatest books authored by industry experts. Subscribe to blogs - many of the top names in the industry have their own blogs and provide information, strategy, news and happenings.

New Year's Eve is a time for reflecting on the past and looking forward to the coming year, reflecting on the changes we want to make and resolving to follow through on those changes. We hope the above resolutions have given you ideas for resolutions of your own. Good luck with your goals in the coming year!

Happy 2007!