MGECOM Blog

“Get to Know Us” – Meet Chris Mohler.

In our continuing series of “Get to Know Us” interviews with MGECOM, this week we talk to Affiliate Manager Chris Mohler. A veteran of the industry, Chris has worked in the online marketing industry since 2001, and has managed a wide range of verticals over his years. Living in Utah, Chris is a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan and has recently gotten back to his “roots” by starting to grow his own garden…

How and when did you first get started in affiliate marketing?
I initially got my start in affiliate marketing in 2001 while working for a company that provided websites and ecommerce solutions to their customers and clients. My job was to help our customers with their site design and search engine optimization. Along the way, I discovered affiliate marketing as a more revenue friendly resource than drop-shipping, which, at the time, was fairly big business.

What do you most like about the industry?
My favorite thing about affiliate marketing is the way it connects so many people. I have met so many interesting people from all over the world that I would otherwise never have the opportunity to meet. I am also grateful to work in an industry that inspires creativity and really challenges you to do your best.

What improvements would you like to see in the industry?
I think it would be great if all of the networks made it easier to reach out and recruit affiliates. Much of what is done today in terms of recruiting is impersonal and usually takes a great deal of effort to get in touch with affiliates.

What are some of the challenges that you encounter as an Affiliate Manager?
Standing out among the mass emails that affiliates receive can be challenging. Fortunately, we have many great relationships with affiliates, so we often will reach out to affiliates by phone. This also helps us maintain a great interpersonal relationship with our business partners.

Do you see affiliates embracing mobile and social?
Absolutely! Affiliates have traditionally found creative ways to use technology. You can already see this in mobile and social marketing today. Right out of the gate, we saw several coupon affiliates develop their own mobile apps. And social media is everywhere, especially affiliate marketing.

How do you keep up on industry trends, latest industry news, etc?
Mostly through social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Industry blogs are usually the best way to keep up on trends, but there are several groups in LinkedIn where you can participate in conversations and read about trends on a daily basis.

What most attracted you to join the MGECOM team?
The single most crucial factor in my decision to join MGECOM is the people. Over the years, I have worked with some amazing people and when I saw that MGECOM had some of the best I have ever worked with, the decision was easy. I have learned so much from so many people on this team prior to joining. Working with such an exceptional group of professionals really brings out the best in me.

What other jobs have you had outside of affiliate marketing?
Prior to affiliate marketing, I spent several years in client support, web design/development, and tech support. Going further back, I used to work in apartment maintenance, construction, etc. Going even further back, you know…high school days, I worked at Taco Bell, McDonalds and Hardees (wow…that really dates me).

And on the personal, “fun” side:

What are a few of your hobbies?
I enjoy being outdoors, so most of my hobbies are reserved for spring/summer. I love growing my own vegetables. My grandfather always grew his own food and raised his own livestock. You could say a little of that rubbed off on me. I also enjoy hiking. Fortunately, living in Utah provides me with thousands of interesting trails to explore…when the weather is right.

What activities/sports did you do in high school or college?
I played basketball, football, baseball and ran cross-country. Looking back, cross-country was my favorite. My training, aside from getting the proper nutrition and drinking plenty of water, was to run 5-miles a day. It was difficult when I first started, but after awhile I didn’t really notice the effort and instead got lost in the run. I got a lot of thinking done back then.

What is your favorite vacation location?
Kansas City, MO…hands down. On top of being able to see my beloved Chiefs play at historical Arrowhead Stadium, I get to sample some of the best BBQ on the planet. If I extend the trip, I can swing down into Arkansas and Oklahoma to visit family.

If you won a lottery, what would be the first thing you’d buy?
I would hire an accountant and attorney, followed by setting up trust funds for my daughters. Then I would start looking for a house.

Your favorite band to see live?
The best live band that I’ve seen so far is Korn. I’ve seen them twice, once with Biohazard and House of Pain and once with Metallica, and they easily outperformed the bands they were opening for. But the band I really want to see live is Slipknot. I am going to see them on the 4th of July in Idaho.

What is your “must see” TV?
Kansas City Chiefs games.

What is your favorite Christmas gift you have ever received as a kid or adult?
As a child, my family went through a really difficult year and my parents were unable to buy any Christmas gifts. So instead, they crocheted stuffed animals and slippers for us. It was really cool to see all of the stuff they came up with. I had 3 sisters and a brother so you can imagine how much effort went into this.

Coke or Pepsi?
Coke

Thanks for reading, and we hope you are enjoying getting to know the MGECOM staff!

Why Hire an OPM for Affiliate Management?

In the course of MGECOM’s business, our Business Development team will reach out to merchants to discuss how MGECOM services can be of service to them in the online marketing efforts. Over the course of their discussions the merchant will ask them what MGECOM can do that they cannot do for themselves. Merchants may say they have a marketing team that can start running the affiliate marketing channel, or they can hire a part-timer or intern that can handle the affiliate marketing duties.

In most cases, these types of solutions are not successful over the long run. In this post we will list the reasons why it often makes better business and financial sense for merchants to hire an Affiliate Marketing Agency, or Outsourced Program Manager (OPM) to manage their affiliate marketing programs.

Reason 1: Expertise in the Industry

MGECOM knows how to “do” affiliate marketing. We have a seasoned team of experienced professionals whose only job is to focus on making positive results for their client. They are not tasked with managing the email marketing, PPC advertising budgets, keyword research and social marketing for a client. Our team has the affiliate marketing experience and track record of success to prove that we know how to manage an affiliate program.

Reason 2: Established Network of Successful Affiliate Marketers
An OPM with experience has networked and built trusting relationships with key affiliates across many verticals over their years in the business. It is an uphill battle for a merchant to have some new to affiliate marketing to try and get results as quickly and efficiently as an OPM that has an established in network of professional contacts in their industry they can quickly reach. The MGECOM Affiliate Managers have relationships with affiliate marketing professionals who are E-mail Affiliate Marketers, Pay-Per-Click Affiliate Marketers, Content Affiliate Marketers, Professional Bloggers, and many more. We can quickly reach these busy professionals to discuss new business opportunities with them.

Reason 3: Familiarity with Affiliate Networks
Affiliate networks, such as Commission Junction, ShareASale, Google Affiliate Network, can be complex and overwhelming for a merchant that does not have experience in setting up and designing their affiliate program. The MGECOM Team has established over one hundred affiliate programs and created thousands of banners and text links across all the network interfaces. We also have inside contacts at the affiliate networks that we can call on if we have any issues.

Mining through the network reports for the metrics that important to your business can be cumbersome if you are not familiar with the various terminologies and reports that are found on each network. However, our team runs reports for our clients everyday. We know how to quickly run reports and translate the metrics that are important to clients.

Reason 4: Save on Manpower and Training Costs
Is this your current hiring process? Your company posts a job, then screens hundreds of resumes, then spends time interviewing and second interviewing, then makes offers, then waits for the candidate to accept and start, then start training this new hire. In addition to those costs, the business has to pay the salary, vacation time, benefits and sick time to this new worker. What if this new hire doesn’t work out? You are back to square one. All the while your company is not generating revenue from your affiliate program. Additionally there is office space you have to pay for and there are the industry conferences that you must budget for if you want to maintain a good relationships (and create new ones) with affiliates in the industry.

But, if you choose to hire an OPM company to manage your affiliate program, the process will be similar to this: Talk with MGECOM to discover your company’s needs with your affiliate program. Ensure there is a match of your needs and our experience. Agree to allow MGECOM to manage your affiliate program. In just 30-45 days your affiliate program is live and ready to start generating revenue for your company.

You will not have wasted all that time and money. And, MGECOM regularly attends the affiliate industry conferences such as the industry-leading Affiliate Summit (where All-Access passes start at $1,879), thereby saving you more money by not having to budget and send your in-house staff.

Reason 5: Broader Scope of Specialized Skills
Affiliate marketing can take many angles; there are PPC affiliates, content affiliates, coupon affiliates, bloggers and social media affiliates. Our team has a broad reach into these various avenues of affiliate marketing that you can be sure we can find the right partners to promote your program.

Reason 6: Affiliate Laws and Technology are always evolving
Our company lives and breathes affiliate marketing, therefore it is our responsibility to keep up with the latest happenings and trends in the industry. We are well-studied and versed with the affiliate nexus tax (are you familiar with this legislation? We are.). We are constantly using the same new technologies and techniques that affiliates and networks are using. (Batch reporting? Pixel firing? We know all about these.). We must stay on top of the going

Reason 7: Quicker Responses and Adaptation to Changes
Internet marketing is a constantly-evolving business and MGECOM can react faster to your changing needs as we are singularly focused on results-based affiliate marketing. We have the ability to pull various affiliate marketing professionals and subject-matter experts into the program as needed. What about vacation time? If your in-house person goes on vacation, how are you going to maintain your program for two weeks? When a program manager for MGECOM goes on vacation, another manager steps can step in without your program missing a beat.

Reason 8: Brand Reputation
As an affiliate marketing specialist firm, MGECOM is very well aware that nothing would kill our reputation and business quicker than failing to protect our client’s brands. We know affiliates don’t always play by the rules and we know who you should avoid working with in order to protect your brand. We have the broad reach into the affiliate channel and use of the latest technology to prevent fraud and monitor affiliate activity to ensure a level of brand protection.

As you have read, there are many compelling reasons that a business should consider as reasons to hire an OPM agency to manage their affiliate program. Hiring an OPM will give the merchant the greatest chance for affiliate marketing success and they will see positive ROI more quickly than assigning the affiliate marketing duties to an in-house manager.

We hope you have found this information useful! If you would like to discover if affiliate marketing is right for your business, please contact our business development team.

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Get to Know Pam White!

In our third installment of our “Get to Know Us” interviews with the MGECOM Staff, we learn more about Affiliate Manager Pam White. Pam has been with MGECOM for a number of years and has managed programs across a number of verticals of MGECOM. During the day, you’ll find her working hard with Country Music jamming in the background, and at night she’ll relax by cruising the town in her pink scooter.

How and when did you first get started in affiliate marketing?
In 1999 I went to work for a small Internet company in Deland, Fl. who had an in-house affiliate program. I began to work directly with affiliates, assisting them with questions about the program and product and eventually was promoted to the Affiliate Manager.

What do you most like about the industry?
The insatiable desire of most Affiliate Managers and Network Representatives and virtually everyone in the business to share their knowledge and insights with each other.

What improvements you would like to see in the industry?
Consistency and continuity over all Affiliate tracking platforms. That government intervention in affiliate marketing be funneled to matters of fraud versus taxation.

What are some of the challenges that you encounter as an Affiliate Manager?
Keeping abreast of latest affiliate marketing outlets, sub-affiliate offers, new social platforms, coupon sites, niche sites and aggregators, leads, and determining the best publishers for the clients I represent.

Do you see affiliates embracing mobile and social?
Yes, they already have. Especially in the world of fashion and blogging.

How do you keep up on industry trends and news?
Clickz, Search Engine Watch, Google Alerts (affiliate marketing) Revenews, FeedFront Mag. Popular social outlets and the MGECOM.com internal resources.

What most attracted you to join the MGECOM team?
Top brand recognition, industry reputation, Linkedin recommendation.

What other jobs have you had outside of affiliate marketing?
Travel Agent, Sales department in a Construction equipment business. (I once operated a Fiat-Allis 41 Crawler Tractor – at the time it was the largest crawler tractor in the world)

What are a few of your hobbies?
Art Festivals, Home improvement projects, family time, riding my pink scooter when it’s running and cruising as a rider on my husband’s motorcycle.

What activities/sports did you do in high school or college?
Dances, cruising the drag, bowling, after-school hours working at a Dr.’s office.

What is your favorite vacation location?
Ireland- County Cork- although I like London, San Francisco and St. Augustine, Florida.

If you won a lottery, what would be the first thing you’d buy?
I’d put enough in trust so that my son could attend college. I’d buy a house for both my sons. Some to charity. And if money could buy it….a date with John Travolta 🙂

Your favorite band to see live?
I don’t know of many bands really. I’d love to see Rod Stewart again. But mostly country artists, like Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Sugarland.

What is your “must see” TV?
Big Bang Theory, PBS – Masterpiece Mysteries, Classic, Contemporary.

What is your favorite Christmas gift you have ever received as a kid or adult?
My mom always made up a “Pamdora’s Box” full of all kinds of things she’d picked up for me over the year. It always included a sentimental gifts being handed down from mother to daughter. It was the best.

Coke or Pepsi?
Coke-Diet Decaffeinated with vanilla.

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“Get to Know Us”, Round Two. Meet Adam Russo!

In our second round of “Get to Know Us” interviews with the MGECOM staff, this week we talk with MGECOM Affiliate Manager Adam Russo. Through our conversation we learned that he is a former debate team wizard, (which probably helps him as a parent), he can often be heard quoting Captain Kirk, and he has a strange obsession with Jon Stewart. Enjoy our conversation and tune in next week for round 3!

How and when did you first get started in affiliate marketing?
I started in 2003 at Overstock.com, along with Mike Kansa and Chris Mohler.

What do you most like about the industry?
I like the interaction with affiliates, the ability to help them earn a decent living selling good products online, and that the customers that get to benefit from the exposure of products that may not have been seen otherwise before.

What improvements you would like to see in the industry?
I’d like to see more networks embrace the mobile market; it’s been growing for years but it doesn’t seem that there is much coming out of the big players (LS, CJ, GAN) which should be changing ASAP.

What are some of the challenges that you encounter as an Affiliate Manager?
Sometimes it’s difficult to get affiliates excited about deals on very niche products – especially when there is never any turnover on products, new products, or many changes on site.

Do you see affiliates embracing mobile and social?
Funny – I mentioned this above. I think affiliates are ahead of the game on mobile and social, though there has been a lot of bad social trends…. It’s still being flushed out. Mobile, however, seems to be a powerhouse that isn’t really coming into it’s own lately.

How do you keep up on industry trends, latest industry news, etc?
I read up on local affiliate boards, try and keep pace on Facebook, Twitter, and Linked in, and through various colleagues and friends in the industry.

What most attracted you to join the MGECOM team?
I had a pre-existing relationship with both Mike Bump and Matt Enders from the OPM side, and Anne from the merchant side. It was a great fit with good people!

What other jobs have you had outside of affiliate marketing?
I used to do customer service/CSR trainer for a few companies. I also was the assistant general manager for a few fast food restaurants before coming out to Utah.

And on the personal, “fun” side of what makes this Trekkie tick:

What are a few of your hobbies?
I’m a gamer, a science fiction nerd, and a father. I love spending time with my daughter, taking her out places she likes to go, teaching her the ways of Star Trek and Firefly, helping her with Minecraft, and many other fun things. I also am passionate about cooking, which being both Italian and heavy, I think I have an unfair advantage over many other people.

What activities/sports did you do in high school or college?
I used to play roller hockey in a pick up league for a few years. I was a goalie, which is funny considering if you Google my name, one of the more famous Adam Russo’s out there is a hockey goalie. I also did a lot of debate class for my school’s Model UN, which was probably one of the more fun things I’ve ever done.

What is your favorite vacation location?
I don’t take a lot of vacations, but I do generally try to go to Vegas once in a while. I do, however, want to visit the old country – Italy – and hit Germany, Ireland, and England while I’m there. Or a cruise somewhere…

If you won a lottery, what would be the first thing you’d buy?
Depends on how much I won! A gold plated 25 foot statue of me might just be gaudy enough. Kidding – I’d buy a house for each of my sisters, my mom, and myself. I might just get mine first though.

Your favorite band to see live?
I haven’t seen many bands live, but the one I would love to have seen would have been Smashing Pumpkins and/or Nirvana.

What is your “must see” TV?
I have the Daily Show on TiVo. It’s my one thing I watch religiously.

What is your favorite Christmas gift you have ever received as a kid or adult?
This past year, I got a full on family crest of the Russo name from my daughter. It’s framed right above my computer. Pretty awesome!

Coke or Pepsi?
Throwback cane-sugar Pepsi. The HFCS stuff isn’t very good compared to the older stuff!

Thanks for your time, Adam! Live long and Prosper!

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