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Struggling?

The E-commerce world is changing almost by the minute lately. From Merchants having to pause programs because they cannot ship anything, to panic over budgets, commission rates slashed or set to zero.

While this is a very unusual set of circumstances we are all dealing with; there are some bright notes.

  • Some Merchants are stepping up and adding in bonuses
  • There are very profitable sectors with healthy affiliate programs
  • Now is a good time diversify your affiliate earning platforms
  • As a community, we are helping each other
  • Consumers are discovering this shopping from home thing is pretty cool.
  • Oh, and in about 7 months you better have a Baby site in place.. just saying

Commission Junction is making Network Consumer Trends Reports available – These are updated every Wednesday.
https://junction.cj.com/covid-19-network-consumer-trends-report

FMTC has partnered with Trackonomics to give daily updates on commissions changes in Affiliate Networks. You can sign up to subscribe to their email updates here: http://fmtc-7325025.hs-sites.com/affiliate-program-covid-19-updates

Rakuten Center has insights on current commerce and consumer behavior with specific global and category trends. this is updated weekly: https://rakutenadvertising.com/covid19/

Featured

Working from Home, A new reality for some of you :)

I have worked from home for 27 years..so after being thoroughly entertained by posts of those new to working from home I thought I would give you some tips and giggles.

  • The worst thing that can happen during your new office commute is you blow out a slipper in the hallway.
  • Loungewear..is the new uniform. Don’t call them jammies.
  • PC Gaming Headphones with their own mute function are your best friend!
  • Wireless headsets are MUST! especially if you have children. ( the look of shock when your sweet cherubs who are coloring on the wall see you get up from your desk to deal with them is priceless)
  • It is way too easy to just stay in your jammies..for days. Get dressed and prepared for home office work like you would for normal work..just skip the dress shoes and stick to slippers.
  • Team meetings fails on Zoom are a trending search lately. Don’t be one of those examples. Always mute yourself upon entering  ( both from your mic and the button in your conference screen to be safe. )No one wants to hear you arguing with your housemates.
  • Video IS optional place a sticky note over your camera, or disable it when entering a conference. If you are using your phone for conferencing disable the camera in the meeting settings. We really do not need to see video of you in the bathroom…please noooo. ( see Zoom meeting fails search)
  • Multiple Monitors are a must. If you are using a laptop you can add a monitor to your set up with a HDMI cable on most Macs and PC’s..you know that extra TV sitting around ..it works as a monitor too! 
  • Screen sharing meetings are pretty common now. For these make sure you are turning off all other applications so you can get the best frame rates on the video screen shares.
  • If you are the Presenter in a screen share – move any other applications to the opposite screen you are sharing- no one needs to see that private Skype pop into the screen share.
  • Working at home is a complete disruption of your schedule..specifically your eating schedule. Set timers for your breaks and lunch or you will find yourself skipping these and by the time we get back to going in the office you might have snacked yourself into a new
    size.
     
  • Get the best comfy chair you can- your body will thank you. When shopping for that new comfy office chair for home look at the ratings for both weight and hours of use. I love the Serta chairs – they are one of the few brands that have chairs designed for big and tall people.
  • Know your function keys..why you ask?..in case your new furry supervisor walks on your keyboard and suddenly your screen size has changed or you are typing in a different language. ( most common F11 pops you in full screen view  and the toolbar disappears)
  • Hydration is your friend, but it isn’t friendly with laptops and keyboards. Those travel cups are now your desktop coffee cup and all around drink cup. Think sippy cups for adults. I admit I or my furry supervisor cat- Shadow has helped to kill off several expensive mechanical keyboards and two laptops over the years.  

Got something to add?

Shadow, My supervisor
Shadow- supervising

Future of Marketing: Brands want creators who can win over humans and machines at once

Two things drive creator spending now. Whether they move audiences and whether they move algorithms inside AI platforms.

The second piece is moving fast enough that marketers are already building it into briefs, even though it hasn’t touched pricing yet. Right now, the focus is narrower. Understanding how a creator’s content shapes what an AI chatbot recommends, and using that to shorten the odds of being the answer.

Three agencies working this space right now can each point to the moment clients stopped treating it as theoretical. With Reign Maker, AI visibility has been the first or second thing raised with every client for six months straight running. Over at Go Fish Digital, it shows up as a steady stream of clients asking how their creator content is landing across the most cited platforms. Ogilvy is further along with some accounts: a handful of its more advanced clients are already setting explicit KPIs around discoverability, credibility and culture, rather than waiting to see how the conversation plays out.  

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Marketers say usage rights are driving up the price to work with creators

Creator pricing is a problem, and everyone is trying to determine the best solution. But one of the biggest hurdles that creators, their agents and the creator marketers looking to work with them face isn’t the initial price tag to get the partnership started, but the usage rights that are tacked on.

Usage rights have become a major part of every creator partnership, dictating how the content will be used, where it will appear (locally or globally), and how long it can be used. As such, they’re also a major point of contention throughout the creator pricing process. 

“There’s no consistency in terms of how pricing is presented,” said Danielle Wiley, founder and CEO of influencer marketing agency Sway. “When we go out to a creator or to a manager and ask for pricing, we are very clear: ‘This is for the post. This includes 30 days paid usage, two months organic usage, and 30 days exclusivity. And we want a price for that’.”

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