231 New Posts Today

[Gary-AvantLink]

Hi All,

We're excited to announce new ad functionality at AvantLink that offers merchants the ability to post video ads for their Affiliates!

We've been configuring and testing this technology for a while, and the timing is perfect around the launch considering Scott Kalbach and myself attended a informative and compelling session at Affiliate Summit this morning about video marketing. Tim Carter, Founder of AskTheBuilder.com, (panel member of the session: "Video Innovation in Affiliate Marketing) reported on a live test that increased sales conversion 400% when a short sales video was added to one of his existing sales pages!

This is a free service to merchants and Affiliates on the AvantLink platform. We have more information on our network blog about this new Ad Type.

Here's a summary of our new video ad technology:

• Merchants can upload their own videos (any .avi, .flv, .mov, or .mpg formats)
• The videos are then converted to Flash format and hosted on AvantLink’s servers
• Merchants can specify a banner image to be displayed prior to the video playing (or we default to their merchant logo if they don’t specify one)
• All of the standard ad attributes (title, destination URL, keywords, expiration dates, etc.) apply to Video Ads just as with any other AvantLink ad campaign
• Affiliates will be able to select a video ad and embed it into a page with a single line of JavaScript (just as they would an image ad, for example)
• While the video is playing, clicking on it will send the user to the ad destination URL and set the appropriate tracking information to give the affiliate credit for any subsequent sales
• When the video finishes it comes back to the merchant logo or banner. If/when the player is clicked at that point the end user will go to the merchant site as well

Read entire blog post: Merchant Video Ads Now at AvantLink

Comments or questions encouraged.

Gary M

[Geno Prussakov]

Very nice, Gary!!

Looking forward to exploring it after the Summit.

Geno

[writerguy]

I want to make sure I understand this, because I'm about 50 years behind the learning curve for using video on my websites (mostly blogs): Do these videos eat into my bandwidth?

Or since they're hosting at Avantlink, do they eat up YOUR bandwidth??

[Gary-AvantLink]

Geno, Thanks buddy!

writerguy, real easy integration. We'll provide you with a JavaScript that will serve the merchant video ads. All you'll have to do is paste this JS on to your web pages were you want videos to display. It's not using your bandwidth.

Gary M

[2busy]

Very good move! I will have some places ready for this, I hope.

[writerguy]

Originally Posted by Gary-AvantLink

Geno, Thanks buddy!

writerguy, real easy integration. We'll provide you with a JavaScript that will serve the merchant video ads. All you'll have to do is paste this JS on to your web pages were you want videos to display. It's not using your bandwidth.

Gary M

Wonderful. Thanks, Gary, I thought that was the case.

I've already put the backcountry.com video on one of my blog sites.

[KPR]

Superb idea will be using them soon.

[Gary-AvantLink]

I did a short interview on the video ad tool with Wade from GTO Management. A little hard to hear me, though. I guess the early morning & late night before didn't work too well for me Check it out..

AvantLink now offering video creative

[AffiliateWarrior]

You're a little quiet, but I think you come through pretty well. I know how it can be in the morning at Summit, especially in Vegas.

Thanks for chatting with me.

Wade

[Donuts]

Gary, really applaud your video move here! Seems to me you've created the easiest, most efficient way for affiliates to begin adding video to their sites and selling lineup.

Continually coming out with industry-leading features like this to help us sell, combined with your network's reliability, ethics, merchant list and overall service, is why Avantlink has become one of my favorite networks.

Keep up the great work! I look forward to seeing you in Boston at the next Affiliate Summit and to making loads of money with you again this year.

[Gary-AvantLink]

Donuts, thanks for your comments above and continued support. Was good to see you in person earlier this week.

Just a quick note to everyone, too.. we added a public content page about this new ad type. BTW we officially named the tool the Video Ad Tool <-- Click link to see the page.

We plan to have a bunch of live examples and video demos of all our tool installations coming in the not so distant future. So keep an eye out for those..

[Trust]

Nothing major but is there any way just to get a link to all videos available?

Right now its:
Tools
Merchant Ads
Pick a merchant, then select video but a few I've tried don't have any. I see how they look like here - http://www.avantshare.com/blog/2008/02/25/merchant-video-ads-now-at-avantlink/

If there was a way just where I can click on video ads and have them all show up.

[writerguy]

I wholeheartedly second Trust's request. I realize not many of the merchants yet have videos up, but it would sure be nice to have an easy interface to find videos.

[Gary-AvantLink]

Noted. Thanks for that great feedback.

[Gary-AvantLink]

OK I just chatted with Scott.. right now one easy way to see the list of all video ads available is to click 'Tools' from main menu than 'Get Merchant Ads'.

Leave the field blank for the "Merchant" drop down, and just select 'Video' from the "Ad Type" option list. The tool will return any available video ads for all the merchants you're associated with.

We'll look into other ways to make finding different ad types easier.

Gary M

[Gary-AvantLink]

Another quick update. Current merchants on AvantLink using video ads:

• Altrec.com Outdoors
• Backcountry.com
• CornerStorkBabyGifts.com
• Moosejaw.com
• MyWeddingFavors.com
• ToolKing.com

Will update this thread as new merchants ad video creative.

[writerguy]

Works nicely, Gary. I thought I had tried that a couple of days ago, but I must not have.
Thanks.

[Gary-AvantLink]

PRWeb distribution dropped today on our Video Ad Tool. Here's a quote:

Affiliate technology provider AvantLink expands their innovative, industry leading tool center with the release of a fully integrated ad type for Affiliate video marketing. Targeted video ad campaigns increase sales conversion, and the Video Ad Tool is a free value add service to network members. This is yet another example of AvantLink's progressive technology agenda, and commitment to providing cutting-edge marketing tools and data for Affiliate professionals.

Entire Press Release: AvantLink Introduces Video Advertising Tool for Affiliates

[writerguy]

Quick question about the video tool:

I note most of the videos have expiration dates, as they are to special sales, special offers, etc.

Living as I do somewhere between lazy and forgetful -- what does the customer get if I put one of the videos on a site, in a blog, etc., and it's past the expiration date when the potential customer sees the video and clicks through to the merchant site?

[Gary-AvantLink]

Hi Gary,

None of our ads that are retrieved using the JavaScript integration method (which all video ads are forced to use) function outside their campaign dates.

[writerguy]

So does that mean they simply won't click through, or that they will no longer show up on the page, or what? Sorry if I sound so functionally illiterate here! LOL!

[Gary-AvantLink]

Hi Gary, The video ads will no longer show up on the page.

[purplebear]

Gary said: I did a short interview on the video ad tool with Wade from GTO Management.

watched it, very nice and I was able to hear ya.

very nice videos I even found a bear one. lol

writerguy said: I note most of the videos have expiration dates, as they are to special sales, special offers, etc.

Thanks for mentioning that, completely missed seein about the dates. (altho don't think mine has anything with any type of offer with it, just the cute little bear ) Luckily I didn't include any text like, look here or anything lol or people might be wonderiin about me. lol

Thanks again for the videos Gary

[Gary-AvantLink]

purplebear, thanks for checking in I'm glad you found a bear video. That's great.

[AlpineZone]

Just started fooling with these. Some of the Altrec video ads don't click through to the correct landing page. e.g. the Denali Fleece ad clicks through to a "Mountain Hardwear" search results page...