One of the most exciting things about working in the online world is that it is constantly evolving and growing. Those who are able to remain on the leading edges of new technologies will continue to be the most competitive players in what has become a world in which only the savviest survive. And in what might seem like a bit of a paradox, the ever-growing online world is actually becoming smaller.

No, the amount of opportunity for business is not shrinking, but with new technologies like iPhones, and Google Android devices – to name just a couple – tech-savvy marketers are finding ways to shrink the sizes of their marketing materials to fit onto these new devices.

It’s not unusual to see teenagers or twentysomethings with smart phone devices these days. In fact, you’re almost as likely to see someone walking along the sidewalk while accessing a 3g network as you would be to see a young hipster with a laptop in a Starbucks. A recent survey done by Sprint says that 80% of those in the 18-34 demographic cite their cellular phone as their “lifeline” to others.

And that’s exactly what they’re doing with their phones: they’re communicating. They’re heavily invested in social networks and, according to one source, the top 20% of those using social networking sites are spending up to 31 minutes a day on them. What that means to marketers is that those people are spending more time with ads.

The opportunity to reach out to that market is there— it’s just a question of how to best market to your target audience. More people with mobile devices means that they are going to be spending more time online, which makes them easier to reach. It’s definitely worth looking into ways of reaching these consumers. In 2008, smart phones accounted for 13% of the total handset market, and this number will only continue to grow. The more you can adjust your marketing campaigns to accommodate new technologies, the greater your market share will be.

For more information on how to best market your campaigns in this exciting new market, you can contact our SEM Agency to get some advice on how to get started.

Because Share Results is committed to providing you with every service possible to help your business grow, we have started a new SEM Agency that offers services in PPC Management and SEO. We are now poised to offer services that help online business networks develop their Internet footprint and brand recognition. We are also offering supplemental Marketing Support because, at the end of the day, it’s really all about converting those leads into sales.

One of the most frustrating and challenging parts of SEO these days is the constant changing of the criteria that helps web pages to rank. Keeping track of these changes is really a full-time job, so unless you have someone employed within your company that can make sure that all of your codes and protocols are up to date, then you may be missing out on some small protocol that might be keeping your pages and PPC campaigns from ranking as high as you might like. That’s where we can help.

We have a team of dedicated professionals whose entire function in life (well, at work, at least) is to make sure that they have the most up-to-date SEO information. They can dissect your website, page by page, and show you where improvements can be made in coding, and keyword distribution. In addition, a navigational review of the site can be performed that will show you how you can keep traffic for longer, creating more opportunities for conversions.

It is one thing to get traffic coming to your site, but it’s something else entirely to convert that traffic into sales, so along with SEO support, Marketing Support is one of the most important aspects of the SEM Agency’s function. Our SEM professionals will help you to improve your web copy, and show you how you can more effectively reach your audience on websites and PPC campaigns. You’ll also receive some tips and tricks to help you increase your online presence and how to get there faster than your competition.

The best part of this service is that it is always personalized to your individual needs. We want to help your business be the best it can possibly be, and our new SEM Agency is just one more step in that direction. To find out more about how we can help drive qualified traffic to your site, feel free to contact us at agency [at] shareresults [dot] com and we’ll get you started in the right direction.

It’s November, and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, consumers are looking forward to some of the biggest savings of the year. Whether through brick and mortar stores, online retailers, or both, consumers will be browsing products throughout the month to snap up the best bargains, come November 27 (Black Friday) and November 30 (Cyber Monday).

For affiliates and merchants, it’s important to start your campaigns early and to get the word out about your promotions in order to capitalize on impeding traffic. And while many people associate Cyber Monday as strictly online sales, and Black Friday solely about offline sales, the truth is, both days are important to your online sales goals.

In fact, while the majority of consumers identify Black Friday weekend as the time to buy big ticket items, research shows that Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are actually quite similar, suggesting that shoppers don’t separate the two in terms of online and offline sales.

A recent study by the Yahoo Insights team supports this finding, concluding that online sales on Black Friday were not too far behind sales that occurred on Cyber Monday. The study reveals that online retailers experienced a greater percentage increase in conversions on Black Friday, than Cyber Monday.

Trends identify Black Friday/Cyber Monday as having the best deals on personal, home or office and electronic products. Location is also important, with more than 50% of consumers shopping from their workplace, for added convenience.
This year, due to the still recovering economy, Black Friday sales ads are expected to offer shoppers a selection of huge bargains and deals on even more products and services. Free shipping offers are also especially popular during Cyber Monday, with 75% of customers preferring to shop with an online retailer that offers this incentive.

So with mere weeks left until two of the biggest shopping days of the year, merchants and affiliates should definitely make sure their marketing campaigns are ready. Consumers will begin product/service browsing now, so make sure your deals and free shipping promotions take front and center. And remember, online sales are not just about Cyber Monday anymore; Black Friday is going to be equally important to your marketing campaign success.

We’re excited to announce the launch of the AdditionElle/Penningtons/MXM Affiliate Program in Share Results!

Together, these three sister brands are the leading fashion experts for plus size women.

ADDITION ELLE celebrates the “body confidence” of its plus size shoppers with an exciting array of contemporary and classic fashions. In addition to superb collections of work and weekend styles, Addition Elle carries a beautiful selection of intimate apparel, sleepwear, outerwear and accessories designed to address all of its customers’ lifestyle needs.

Penningtons Featuring a beautiful assortment of classic as well as contemporary styling, Penningtons offers the plus size customer a great selection of affordable career, casual, intimate apparel and accessories that fit her lifestyle.

MXM, a trendy 14+ fashion brand, is 5 years young and has quickly grown in popularity by featuring the latest, hottest looks and trends.

With orders averaging $100 CDN, affiliates can easily promote Addition Elle, Penningtons, and MXM styles to shoppers looking for fashionable pieces at affordable prices. Customers can purchase from all three brands in a single checkout and benefit from a low, flat shipping rate.

Join the affiliate program and take advantage of these three top plus size fashion brands.

Placements permitted in this program include:

• Banner & Text creative
• Content
• Coupons
• Incentivized
• Email traffic
• Deep linking
• 45-day Cookie
• Canadian/American traffic

Affiliates earn 6% commissions on each transaction with opportunities for increased commissions and bonuses. Affiliates are also able to leverage the banners with additional coupon codes that can be accessed through their affiliate portal.

A variety of regularly updated text links, coupon codes and banners are available for use on your website.

If you are a retail affiliate with a strong female audience (especially in the plus size category) and/or are a search, coupon or blog affiliate, you are an ideal partner for this affiliate program.

For more info or to join, please visit:

http://www.shareresults.com/local_affiliate_desc.php?mid=16648

We’re delighted to announce that the Share Results website and affiliate software will have a completely new look next week.

The new design focuses on enhancing software usability and reflects Share Results’ approach to relationships. Changes to the software interface include instant access to critical information and added customization features.

For a complete rundown of our upcoming updates, check out the full PR here.

As a merchant, you have certain goals and priorities that are dictated by a pre-existing business model. These goals and priorities play a vital role in determining what counts towards affiliate marketing success. To that extent, your affiliate marketing approach should complement your pre-existing business model, and not dictate it.

When it comes to managing your affiliate program, then, it’s important that you do so in a way that’s in line with your over-arching business model. Some questions you should ask yourself, then, are:

• What is your retail philosophy?
• What are your priorities?
• Why did you choose affiliate marketing?
• What kind of affiliates are you looking to partner with?

Depending on how you answer these questions, chances are your philosophy of affiliate marketing fits into one of three general categories. Here’s an overview of what those three different philosophies are.

Read More…

This a montage of the Share Results team’s journey to Las Vegas for Affiliate Summit 2009. We’ll be shooting quite a bit of video down here, so stay tuned for more action from our adventures.