Affiliate Marketing Issues

By Durk Price

After more than a week of speculation and rumors that Groupon would be acquired by Google, the deal is now officially off. You can find all details of the non-deal and the financial implications at TechCrunch.

Although, I was very excited about the synergies of Google and Groupon, the fact that the deal is off doesn’t change my mind about the potential for Groupon’s model and how it can impact local search and local marketplaces. Regardless of whether Groupon opts to partner with another big player (maybe Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, or eBay) the power of Groupon’s local reach will have huge potential in the local space for performance marketers.

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By Durk Price

Launching an affiliate program means a merchant or retailer is ready to add another viable and valuable channel to its marketing mix. But deciding how to run that program and whether to do it in-house or hire an outsourced program management firm (OPM) is another crucial decision merchants must face.

I field about 8 to 10 new program requests a month. And the question always comes around to: “Why should I hire an OPM?” Always, before making such a key business decision merchants should closely evaluate their affiliate marketing goals and consider the internal resources (time, money, personnel) available to them.

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