February 16, 2004

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

Commission Junction will put you on track to succeed in affiliate marketing

Rarely are the most successful Internet businesses the simplest to understand and start up. But Commission Junction offers a user-friendly approach to affiliate marketing–an unparalleled system that’s drawing the world’s top companies as advertisers and turning regular working people into successful Internet businessmen. But don’t take my word for it: flip through the paper, turn on the financial news, or simply talk with those in the “know”—affiliate marketing is big and getting bigger. And Commission Junction is a key industry driver.

Often times when you hear about proven Internet-based businesses, you’re skeptical. But Commission Junction’s plan is so easy to understand and implement into your life, that once you hear the details you’ll no doubt realize that it’s not only here to stay, but it’s here to thrive.

Commission Junction isn’t some fly-by-night Internet operation that you so often read about. In fact, the company was recently named as one of the fastest growing technology companies by Deloitte and Touché. And with a growing list of well-respected advertisers, it’s clear that Commission Junction is a true standard bearer in the affiliate marketing business.

How it works!

Commission Junction takes two different Internet entities—publishers and advertisers—and helps both grow and prosper through a proven, mutually beneficial affiliate marketing system. Sure, there are a bunch of pretender companies trying to do the same thing, but Commission Junction differentiates itself from the competition with its thorough, detailed approach.

First, there are the advertisers. And these advertisers aren’t fringe companies that you’ve never heard of. Commission Junction’s impressive network comprises more than one thousand top-performing companies, including Major League Baseball, Yahoo, Philips, Toshiba, Citi, eBay and the New York Times. This is important because these are the advertisers that you’ll be selling, but let’s not jump ahead. Obviously, these are companies with a proven record of making sound business decisions, and their choice to join the Commission Junction network shows just how respected and valued this company is.

Publishers are everyday folks

Then there’s the publishers—this is where you come in. Publishers are everyday folks like you and me. They don’t even need to be Internet experts, because with Commission Junction the learning curve is so quick and easy. The only thing that distinguishes these publishers from the rest of us is that they made the decision to give it a try, and they haven’t looked back once.

Publishers need two things: 1) a website to market these advertisers on, and 2) a strong desire to make a lot of money. Publishers can choose from millions of ads to display on their sites, and once the link is up, they simply sit back and wait for the commissions to tally up.

There’s nothing to lose—potential Commission Junction publishers can create accounts for free. And there’s everything to gain.

That’s where the third party, Commission Junction, comes in. Commission Junction tracks all traffic between publishers and advertisers. Just think about that for a few seconds—that’s the traffic from every ad on every publisher site. It’s overwhelming just to imagine. That’s why you can’t trust your affiliate marketing business to just anyone.

Superior reporting tools

But Commission Junction doesn’t just track each transaction, it offers superior reporting tools so that publishers and advertisers can get up-to-the-minute details about their business 24 hours a day, and make any necessary tweaks to ensure maximum profitability. Publishers who really want to excel can set up an ad rotation system and even use exclusive Commission Junction technology to predict the earnings of ads before entering partnerships with given advertisers. And that’s just the beginning.

Of course, many of you are probably saying: “It sounds great. But how do I get paid?” Well, every time someone visits your site and clicks through an ad in Commission Junction’s network, and goes on to make a transaction on that advertiser’s site, it’s money in your pocket—more money than you might imagine. Commission Junction has the tools, expertise and experience to help you earn thousands of dollars a month in commissions—whether affiliate marketing becomes your full-time job or just a source of supplemental income.

Everyone wins

The advertisers receive increased site traffic directed from publisher sites. And publishers receive generous commission checks each month for the transactions that they’ve generated.

Another way in which Commission Junction places itself among the pay-for-performance elite is through its commitment to education. Commission Junction University is an annual event in which industry professionals network with their peers and take in the latest trends through classes and speakers. CJ University 2003 featured a number of industry heavy hitters as speakers, including Good Morning America Internet expert Tiffany Shlain and representatives from eBay and QVC.

The Santa Barbara-based Commission Junction was founded in 1998 by two ambitious Internet businessmen, Chairman of the Board Lex Sisney and current Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Office Per Pettersen. The company is led by President and C.E.O. Jeff Pull, formerly with ChemConnect Inc. and IMX Exchange Inc.

Big things are on the horizon for Commission Junction

Commission Junction recently forged a partnership that will only strengthen its already superior management team and resources. In December, Commission Junction was officially acquired by ValueClick, a proven company that provides superior products and services aimed at helping publishers, agencies and advertisers recruit and retain online business. ValueClick, which also owns affiliate marketer Be Free, will be able to provide Commission Junction publishers and advertisers with an even stronger network and more versatile marketing tools. Under this arrangement, Commission Junction and Be Free will combine forces and will be led by Jeff Pullen, who has been named general manager of the Be Free/Commission Junction subsidiary of ValueClick.

As you can see, big things are on the horizon for Commission Junction. Affiliate marketing is already a $95 billion industry, and you can bet that Commission Junction will continue to be a key driver of this business through its new partnership. And you can be part of this success just as easily. What are you waiting for?

For more information, visit: Commission Junction

Related Resources

For information on affiliate marketing, training manuals, videos, audios and industry newsletters, visit jamesmartell.com.