February 16, 2004

By: Mike Ward
Website: http://www.jamesmartell.com

BeFree’s affiliate marketing is a fast, easy and proven system

BeFree’s opening chapter couldn’t have been more fitting. In 1997 the respected affiliate marketer started with up business with book, music and movie giant barnesandnoble.com. Now, just seven years later, BeFree boasts more than 200 international clients—but that’s just the beginning of this already storied company.

BeFree’s business model isn’t new. Similar to other affiliate marketing companies, it uses a business model in which Fortune 500 companies (called merchants) and motivated entrepreneurs just like you and me (called publishers) both win and profit like never before. And while affiliate marketing companies are popping up across the ‘Net with the frequency of tawdry reality TV shows, this particular affiliate marketer distinguishes itself in a number of ways, from its easy-to-navigate publisher interface to its straight-forward merchant reporting tools.

The do-it-yourself, proven system

So you can’t change your own oil or retile the kitchen floor. No sweat, because when it comes to starting your own affiliate marketing business, BeFree will make you, the publisher, an overnight expert.

Publishers make money when visitors to their sites click through strategically placed merchant ads and ultimately make purchases on these merchant sites. Publishers then draw commissions from each of these transactions—that’s right, you can sit back and collect money, even while operating a full-time business. It sounds simple enough, but who keeps track of these millions of dollars floating through cyberspace? Well, there are a number of affiliate marketing services who make claims about their “superior” merchant / affiliate network and reporting tools, but only a few that can back it up.

If you’re a publisher looking to market internationally respected merchants through your website(s), then perhaps BeFree’s greatest strength is its intuitive system for selecting and applying for merchant ads to place on your site. BeFree allows you to choose from dozens of “merchant categories,” which in turn comprise top companies in each of these niches. For example, if you’re interested in “Travel and Entertainment,” you simply select the category and browse industry-leading companies such as travelocity.com and mgmmirage.com.

You can then check company details, connect to the live sites, and if they look like a good match for your affiliate website(s), you can go ahead and apply right there online. This way you know exactly what you’re getting into before the ads are on your site, namely, how much you’ll get paid and when you can expect to collect these commissions.

But don’t take my word for it, take the word of BeFree’s 1.2 million affiliates, an awesome network that grows by 1,500 affiliates daily.

Once you get the hang of it, BeFree gives you total control. Check your daily report and if you’re not performing how you’d like to, find and place fresh links quickly and easily. You can even get tips from the affiliate marketing experts, from informative articles to customer-friendly support. And most importantly, you can find out how much the merchants owe you at the click of your mouse.

The world’s top companies want you!

BeFree’s client list is impressive to say the least. They quickly built on the momentum spurred by the barnesandnoble.com acquisition and attracted a wide range of clients, including IBM, Compaq, Sony, British Airways and NASCAR. And when you cover the major players in the worlds of tech, entertainment and travel, you attract a customer base of such varied interests, you’re definitely on the path to success.

The easier BeFree makes it for its merchants to build traffic and sales, the easier it is for you, the publisher, to collect incredible commissions. And that’s exactly what BeFree does with its BFAST® marketing tool, which stands for BeFree Affiliate Serving Technology. For example, this versatile technology helps merchandisers find the best products for each of its affiliates and then tests, measures—and if necessary—changes each ad placement for maximum profitability. These merchants even have the option of allowing BeFree to manage their affiliate marketing business, so they can go ahead and concentrate on the products and services that got them to the top of their respective industries.

And if you’re still skeptical about BeFree’s proven system, then chew on this statistic—BeFree customers have been able to reduce customer acquisition rates by 88 percent. Or if that’s not enough, then take a look at ancestry.com, which has become the third largest paid subscription service on the ‘Net since partnering with BeFree.

A Storied Success

As I stated earlier, BeFree was founded in the late ‘90s. But what I didn’t mention was the familiar bond that got it off the floor. Two brothers, Sam and Tom Gerace, tested the affiliate marketing waters by focusing on already successful companies looking to boost their presence on the ‘Net, and consequently, raise their sales.

By 1998 the venture capital started rolling in and piled up by the tens of millions, and people started to take notice. This was much more than your average family business. By the time that BeFree held its IPO in 1999, a “who’s who” of the business section was waiting in the wings.

To navigate through the often choppy tech waters, BeFree landed Gordon Hoffstein as chairman and C.E.O. Hoffstein had already become a proven leader in guiding PCs Compleat and MicroAmerica to the top.

Today the Marlborough, MA-based company has offices spread around the globe, from Pittsburgh to the UK to Germany. And while principles that guided BeFree to the top of the affiliate marketing industry remain the same, the growth it has experienced is almost unheard of.

A Future so Bright

Sure, the statistics are impressive. Earning praise in major news publications and networks doesn’t hurt. And nabbing top industry honors, such as the Silver Award from the New England Marketing Association, is nothing to scoff at. But sometimes the real success stories are found between the headlines and glossy certificates.

Just this past November, BeFree used customer input to launch a number of significant changes focused on increasing customer conversion and profit for both merchants and publishers. And timing was everything; the advancements were finished just in time for the peak holiday season.

BeFree has shown a clear commitment to not only growing with the affiliate marketing industry, but to champion this change and be an industry leader. And this is evident in the success of their clients. Just take a look at the success of Netflix, which has now become a household name. The online movie rental service now boasts more than one million subscribers and unquestionably has traditional brick and mortar movie rental outlets sweating.

Back in 2002, BeFree was acquired by parent ValueClick, a versatile company that provides superior products and services aimed at helping publishers, agencies and advertisers recruit and retain online business. This relationship has only strengthened BeFree’s grip on the affiliate marketing industry. And now another key development will only further enhance their industry standing—ValueClick’s recent acquisition of fellow affiliate marketer Commission Junction. With the superior merchant / publisher networks and streamlined resources of these two companies, clearly, anything and everything is possible.

For more information, visit: BeFree.com

Related Resources

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