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Archive for October, 2009

Shopzilla’s Publisher launches in DE and FR

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Shopzilla's Publisher is expanding further into European markets

Shopzilla's Publisher is expanding further into European markets

The Shopzilla Publisher program has finally expanded across the water and launched in both France and Germany. Widely known in France as one of the top five price comparison websites, Shopzilla.fr saw great interest expressed in its Publisher program at the E-commerce tradeshow in Paris in September. Equally, German reaction to the program proved unequivocal at Munich’s DMexco conference in late September where the program was met with much eagerness.

With the Publisher program growing steadily in the UK after its introduction of dynamic assets to the affiliate world, reception in these two previously Shopzilla-untouched European affiliate markets was very enthusiastic. Of particular interest at both the German and French conferences was the FTP data feed product, which allows publishers the chance to download either partly or wholly Shopzilla’s merchant inventory, adding a slice of the price comparison pie to their websites.

Unique to Shopzilla, the wide range of advertising options enables Shopzilla publishers to choose amongst custom text links, search boxes and top search result display banners, to name but a few, as well as to really customise the content with new integrated tools.

We know many of you out there have several sites geared towards the French and German market in addition to the UK, so please feel free to sign up and get the most from our now 3 tiered program.

To join the FR program, please go to our FR portal.

To join the DE program, please go to our DE portal.

For any questions, please do get in touch by contacting us here. We’ll be happy to help!

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Posted in Info on Publisher Program, Publisher International | 1 Comment »

Halloween is almost upon us

Monday, October 26th, 2009
Have you got your costume?

Have you got your Halloween costume?

Another year, another excuse to dress up as Morticia Adams from The Adams Family. Yes, it is once again that time of year in which you can don white face paint and fake blood without attracting strange glances. The shops are full of costumes, pumpkins, witches hats, dracula teeth, cobwebs  and anything else you can think of that would give your nan the heebie geebies.

We want to give you the chance to not just dress yourself up but to also dress your website up by adding the latest Shopzilla Halloween banners. A great site on which to see an example of our themed dynamic content is herfashioneye.buy.co.uk; you can see the banner at the bottom of the post.

Don’t forget that we are still offering the £5 bonus to anyone who hasn’t already implemented the dynamic assets, all you need to do is send us the URL showing the banner in action.

We have a great range of banners and products on offer - halloween party decorations, costumes, accessories…

halloween-banners

To find yours in the Get Content Dynamic Assets section, we recommend searching under Toys and Games –> Fancy Dress Costumes & Accessories if you’re really after costumes or alternatively for decorations, go to Gifts, Flowers and –> Food Party Supplies.

Why not play around with the background by using our Colour Picker tool and implement an orange Halloween-coloured banner on your site?

We’ve  got our outfits sorted for the Shopzilla office party next week, have you got yours?

For any questions regarding the product ads or for keyword/category suggestions, please feel free to get in touch with us here.


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Posted in Banner Ideas, Tips & Tricks | No Comments »

Shopzilla Publisher program and Twitter

Monday, October 19th, 2009

twitterJust as a healthy reminder to all of our Publishers that you can find us on Twitter. We started using Twitter earlier this year, and it has become a valuable tool for us to share hints and tips, performance announcements and  industry news. It’s a great way to stay connected with our Publishers and anyone else interested in hearing what we have to say!

If you already use Twitter, send us a message to let us know who you are. That way, we can add you and send any valuable information we think you would appreciate! Our alias is @shopzillaUK. See you there!

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Posted in Info on Publisher Program, Publisher in Media | No Comments »

A4uexpo antics!

Friday, October 16th, 2009

After weeks of preparation, London Excel’s a4uexpo has come to an end. Our bright stand attracted many admiring glances over the course of the two day exhibition, not least due to our super-unique giveaways ! We asked people to take a guess as to what they were (some answers are unrepeatable!) - we had ideas ranging from giant toothbrushes to nail brushes and even eyebrow straighteners (?!). The fab freebies were in actul fact a keyboard brush and computer screen cleaner; they were certainly a talking point, that’s for sure!

There were also £20 bonus sign up cards up for grabs, so the lucky attendees who managed to net one of these can get started with their earnings straight away.

We didn’t just stop there with the giveaways either..also worth mentioning were the Publisher team’s cool (a term widely debated by various affiliates)  bright greeen trainers. We had mixed reaction to these although the amount of entries into the draw for the chance to win a pair weighs heavily in favour of the “love it” side to the well-known Marmite debate…

All in all, the event proved to be an unequivocal success, with affiliates and merchants alike collecting to share information and knowledge.  We really enjoyed meeting the various attendees (a shout out to Thehodge who stopped by the Shopzilla stand and kept us entertained!) and being able to sit in on some really thought-provoking sessions. Hats off to the speakers!

We’re now itching to get to the next one which takes place in Munich in April next year.

Have a look at some of our photos to see what we got up to…can you spot Shopzilla on the artists impression of the conference exhibitors?

a4uexpo-cupcakesemma-at-a4u-setting-up-the-stand a4u-conference-floorjason-diana-shopzilla-team-at-a4uexpo-networkingseminar-at-a4uexpodiana-dancing-at-a4u-networkingshopzilla-competition-running-shoes a4uexpo-design1diana-emma-shopzilla-publisher-teamdiana-shopzilla-giveawayscompetition-green-trainersshopzilla-uk-conference-buddies

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Posted in Conferences & Upcoming events | 8 Comments »

Shopzilla raffle winner at the a4uexpo

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
shopzilla-shoes

Available at Shopzilla

Judging by the smiles on affiliates faces and the amount of business cards bulging from exhibitors pockets , there is no doubt that the a4uexpo has been a great success. A shout out to the a4u team who went all out to make sure both affiliates and exhibitors were well looked after! From the Ignite and Breakout Party which kicked off this year’s event to the networking drinks and Ice Party rounding off the 2 day exhibition, fun was had by all as well as seeing some great giveaways and competitions!

Amongst these was the Shopzilla UK special - Mizuno running shoes in the company’s orange and green brand colours. The draw was held shortly after 4pm and the lucky winner of these trainers was Chris Naughton - Digital Media Manager at Latitude! Congratulations!

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Posted in Conferences & Upcoming events | 3 Comments »

Tips to successful social networking

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

networkingpartySocial networking at affiliate events can be a daunting experience especially if you’ve never been to one before. It is, however, the perfect opportunity to  meet like minded individuals and extend your contact list, all the while building new relationships with potential partners.

For those of you who may be a little shy when it comes to networking, here are a few tips on how you can turn the event into a true success.

1. Dress comfortably but smartly - you’ll want to feel at ease when trying to mingle (no trainers though!) and looking smart will increase your confidence.

2. If you know who will be attending the event read up a little on what they do beforehand, this will help guide you in asking relevant questions when meeting new people!

3. Prepare yourself a 20-30 second introduction on what it is you actually do.

4. Have an idea in mind about the sorts of questions likely to come up from other people when describing what you do.

5. Don’t be afraid to join new circles - if you see a group chatting why not go over and introduce yourself. Remember that not everybody knows each other anyway.

6. Think about what you wish to gain from this social networking, it is new partners? new affiliates? advice and info? This will give you a clearly defined goal for the event.

7. Most of all….relax! Enjoy yourself and don’t forget that you’re there to have fun and meet interesting people!

For more tips take a look at this post How to Network at an Affiliate Event.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks | 1 Comment »

What to watch out for at the A4U…

Friday, October 9th, 2009

The countdown has begun. With only days to go until the start of this year’s biggest Online Marketing event, the A4Uexpo is the buzz word of the moment.

Two days of learning and networking provide the ideal opportunity for those names to become faces. Arround 60 - 70 speakers are expected to attend the event with names such as Ebay’s European Affiliate Manager Julia Nisted, Mel Kirk from White Label Dating and the a4uexpo’s own Matthew Wood holding a whole host of talks varying from social media strategies to affiliate management and SEO practices.

The exhibition opens at 9am on Wednesday 13th, don’t forget to collect your badge and brochure which details all of the conference’s activities.

Here are some of the various highlights you’ll find over the course of the two days. There’s enough going on for everyone!

Monday 12th October:

7pm onwards: Ignite Party - kick starting this year’s event is a networking party held at the Novotel opposite Excel. Get your badges here to avoid queueing the first day.

Tuesday 13th October:

09:15-10:15 SEO Strategies to Make A Splash! David Naylor will uncover some hot new and innovative SEO strategies for both on-site and off-site SEO.

12:00-13:00 The Affiliate Doctors Live! Join some leading Affiliates and Industry observers as they offer frank advice on issues within affiliate marketing, start-up strategy, conversion, bloggin and SEO.

16:00-17:00 My 12 Biggest Affiliate Marketing Mistakes in 12 Years Affiliate Marketing expert Nadeem Azam provides an in-depth, informative and sometimes humorous insight into the biggest mistake he has made each year since starting out in affiliate marketing in 1997.

17:45 Network Reception drinks and the Breakout Party - kicking off after the close of the first day, these parties give you the chance to chat with exhibitors and sponsors.

Wednesday 14th October:

9:30-10:30 Killer Link Building Strategies If you want to learn how to build high-value link targets and how to acquire them, this session is for you.

12.15pm Start Up and Launch Strategy - Kieron Donoghue gives guidance and advice on starting out in the online world.

14:30-15:30 Beyond The Banner…Advancing Your Use of Tools and Merchandising To Tap Into The Way Consumers Are Shopping Today The diversifying advertiser base, what’s driving this trend and some discussion of changing consumer behaviour. Liane Dietrech wille xplain how this is creating more opportunity for affiliates, Effective Merchandising - increase conversions, maximise revenues and build relationships.

6.30pm Hot Buffet and Ice Party - a chance to unwind and finish off the 2 day conference with a bang!

Also, don’t miss the Shopzilla UK team at stand 2. We’ll be wearing an unmissable trainers and t-shirt combo, look out for the flame! We have some unique giveaways which went down a storm recently at our exhibitions in Paris and Germany; come and grab one while they last.

What are you most looking forward to at the conference next week?

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Posted in Conferences & Upcoming events | No Comments »

Dynamic Assets in-depth

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Why use our content as an everyday web ad when you can truly make it an asset?!  Our color picker tool allows you to customise your assets to complement your website’s design, helping you to better attract your audience and improve traffic quality.

When you log on to your Shopzilla UK Publisher Program account go to: Get Content > Dynamic Assets > find the asset you’re looking for > Get HTML.  Select the part of the asset you would like to change, then choose the color and other options depending on the part of the asset.

colourpicker

Image Border: The border (outline) around each individual image/product inside the asset.

Background: The background color of the full asset.

Link: The links of the images/products shown inside the asset.

A-Link: The color the link turns when it is clicked.

V:Link: The color the link turns once it has been clicked.

H-Link: The color the link turns when it is scrolled over by a mouse cursor.

Text: The text (non-links) inside the asset.

New Window (_blank): This link target will open the new page in a separate browser window.

Same Frame (_self): This link target will open the new page in the same page it was clicked on.

Parent Frame (_parent)*: This link target will load the new page in the immediate parent of the frame.

Main Window (_top)*: This link target is similar to the Parent Frame, but will load the new page in the full body of the window.

Randomise: Definitely take advantage of this feature!  The products shown will randomly change every time the dynamic asset is loaded, giving your audience a different experience each time they visit your website.  If you are displaying a dynamic asset containing products from category ‘MP3 & Media Players’, rather than showing the same three iPods, your asset will cycle between various BizRate product offerings in that specific category.

*advanced

Another feature worth noting is that color preferences will be saved in your user cookie.  If you’re building multiple dynamic assets, your color preferences will be automatically applied, you’ll never have to worry about our dynamic assets clashing with your website design again!

Once you finish touching up your asset, click Get HTML and then scroll to the bottom of the page to get the new code.  Don’t forget to update your dynamic assets periodically to take advantage of our new categories and product offerings, keep your shopping content relevant to your audience.

For further information have a look at the Dynamic Banners section here on our blog, and as always, contact us if you have any questions or comments about the Shopzilla UK Publisher Program!

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Posted in Assets tutorials, Info on Publisher Program, Tips & Tricks | 1 Comment »

A4U is coming to town!

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

londonexpoLondon is looking forward to playing host to the A4UExpo event next week for the third year running. This is being held at ExCel London on 13th/14th October and is the chance for all the greats of the affiliate marketing world to get a chance to come together and share tips and info with the rest of the AM junkies. Not only will there be live talks on affiliate marketing, you’ll also find plenty of information on SEO, SEM, Paid Search, Social Media, Affiliate Management Strategies, Start-up Advice and Conversion Rate Optimisation so there’s something for everyone. Earlier this year we saw roadshows in Edinburgh, Manchester and even Amsterdam which set the theme for this year’s big event in London.

Besides the exhibition (Shopzilla with the UK Shopzilla Publisher team will be one of the exhibitors), you have the chance to really mingle and learn heaps about the world of affiliate marketing and related channels. Make the most of your chance to attend seminars featuring industry professionals in a mix of Q&A sessions, panel debates and various presentations. With more than 30 sessions from top industry experts from across the UK and international online marketing sector and 3 networking parties, this is the event to attend!

It will be a fantastic opportunity for us to meet our current publishers as well as to reach out to potential partners interested in our great products. Come and find Shopzilla at Stand no. 2 where we’ll have giveaways and plenty of information to bestow upon you! Meet Diana, Jason and Emma from the UK team and feel free to ask any questions you may have regarding your existing account with us or about joining our program.

See you next week!

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Posted in Conferences & Upcoming events | No Comments »

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