Video links and affiliate marketing
A recently released comScore Video Metrix service report, revealed that U.S. Internet users watched more than 10 billion videos online during the month of December, 2007, representing the single heaviest month for online video consumption since comScore initiated its tracking service. Google Sites saw substantial growth and extended its video market share gains, now accounting for nearly one out of every three videos viewed online. Source http://blogs.mediapost.com/research_brief/?p=1646
shhhhh I think I personally attributed 1 billion to the 10 billion videos watched and all pink panther re-runs too, well he is after all a groovy cat, ok so I need to get out more!
So can and should affiliates and merchants tap into this sector?
We have been exploring using video content units with a couple of clients and we are giving this a cautious thumbs up. It’s still too early to tell but initial findings suggest that consumers do like watching and reading product reviews. Two of our clients offer basic video content units accompanied with a text link for their affiliates.
(warning please note the LoveHoney video content unit contains adult content, if under 18 press alt F4 now to see a close up shot or click here for a better view)
Also my affiliate links are being used so make sure you clear your cookies after if you click on the links, if you dont know how to clear cookies, click here
A video allows you to demonstrate the product, immediately the 2D flat product image that we are all so used to can be transformed into a 3D visual review. Examples can be found here Redsave video link and lovehoney.co.uk video link
I do think its one area for merchants to start exploring and if you think as an affiliate you cant do this, think again… There is only so much you can write about a widget before your creative juices run out, lets face it, who has the time to write reams and reams of copy, ten thousand indirect ways of saying, would ya please just buy the darn thing!
Roughly, here is how you can start.To create a video content unit you need to do the following:
1. Create your movie in MacroMedia Flash.
2. Include the movie in the HTML code using the <object> and <embed> elements. You can generate this code with MacroMedia Flash and it should look something like this:
<object classid=”clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000″ codebase=”http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0″ width=”200″ height=”150″>
<param name=”movie” value=”http://www.yourdomain.com/path/to/movie.swf” />
<param name=”quality” value=”high” />
<embed src=”http://www.yourdomain.com/path/to/yourmovie.swf” quality=”high” bgcolor=”#000000″ width=”200″ height=”150″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” pluginspage=”http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer” />
</object>
3. Add a link to your site underneath the movie. This can be done using simple HTML code like:
<a href=”http://www.yourdomain.com/path/to/product.htm?affid=123″>Anchor text</a> or
<a href=”http://www.yourdomain.com/path/to/product.htm?affid=123″><img src=”http://www.yourdomain.com/images/clickMeButton.gif”></a>
Of course you have to make sure that the href=”” in the <a> tag is a working affiliate URL if you want the click throughs to be tracked.
Not convinced?
This affiliate is using video in a different way, he works with another of our clients BeCheeky.com we are seeing some pretty decent consistent sales enough to up their commissions http://www.knickerpicker.com/dressing-room.asp
Another example of videos being used to sell products, this is Fraser Edwards (by the way, do listen to his affiliate marketing pod casts, awesome!) Here is his contribution
http://www.affiliateblog.co.uk/toshiba-qosmio-g40-review.html
Zak Edwards of Prezzybox, well you started this craze, you innovator :0)
He gets it! have a look at Prezzybox affiliate video content units
Affiliates and merchants have got to start researching and investing in the future and in particular there is no place better to start the exploration right here and now in our affiliate industry. Talk to your networks, talk to your techs, talk to merchants that already offer video content units. There are companies that can do this for you or talk to Prezzybox, lovehoney, Redsave, providing you don’t compete with them re their products, Im sure they can point you in the right direction.
At the risk of coming across a little flowery and corney.. well Im a girl!
“I held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star, fragile as a flower, a tiny sliver of one hour. I dripped it carelessly, Ah! I didn’t know, I held opportunity.” ~Hazel Lee, ahhhh you get the gist :0)
Ill leave the last word to Richard Longhurst of LoveHoney.co.uk
“It’s very early days for video links and video content units. We provide them on LoveHoney for our Deal of the Day special offers and they work well. Anything that helps affiliates easily create useful sites with good content for visitors will be helpful in the conversion process. But affiliates who are more into Adwords arbitrage than creating useful Web sites won’t be much interested though.” Richard Longhurst Founder of LoveHoney.co.uk
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At Wednesday, February 27, 2008, Anonymous said…
Where are the Lovehoney video links? I cannot see them in Affiliate Future’s interface.
At Wednesday, February 27, 2008, Affiliate Program Advice said…
Hi Ya you can find them here
http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/help/aff-deal/
don’t forget to add your affiliatefuture aff ID
Js 🙂