Affiliate networks, for those not leveraging them, can be a powerful catalyst for traffic generation and actions on your website. This applies equally well for both advertisers and publishers.

There are really no analogies for tactics that cost nothing up-front offline but can generate powerful leads, registrations, sales or other actions.

Some key nuggets you need to know and then look for a Top 10 list of Affiliate Networks  you may want to research in a follow-up post. This advice is drawn from my past experience in custom affiliate networks in gaming and experts currently teaching a program I am taking, Jim Kukral and Chris Penn.

Key facts:

1. Networks allow users to get affiliate offers from merchants
2. Work by embedding code on your site that is tracked
3. Conversion on merchant goals generates commissions
4. Networks vary by features, offer type and vertical focus
5. Look for the best, most relevant offers
6. Consider sign-up on multiple networks to track best offers
7. Track network reporting, review and make adjustments
8. Text ads may outperform banners
9. Each network requires an application program so you must be comfortable providing corporate and personal info
10. Works best for higher margin, scalable merchants with good cash flow and flexibility in presentation (e.g. affiliates may promote more aggressively than you are use to)

Our own experience with affiliates is that it is critial to have systems in place to manage their timely payment and enquiries.  The growth can be viral and you need to be ready if you have a good product - you can really drive your traffic.

Stay tuned as we share more on a demo we are undertaking with the Google Affiliate network for premium content for riiPlay.tv.  We’ll share what we learn with our readers.

We are pleased to present this fundfindr.tv production of one of the most engaging panels from Internet Marketing Conference Vancouver 2008.  While the panel is from a few months ago, all of the insights and tips are very valid today.  Well worth a look.  Please note, the video does run 40 minutes.

The panelists included writing experts Crawford Kilian, Elizabeth Southall, Monique Trottier, Tom McNamara and Jim DelaHunt.  For more on this panel, click here. Other tips and advice on Internet Marketing are available at the tag IMC.

Well, perhaps it is only surprising that Mark Burnett, master reality TV show producer, of Survivor fame, took this long to produce a show on finding funds from investors.  Shark Tank will air this fall on ABC.

Canadians will find it interesting to see two of the Dragon’s from CBC TV’s Dragon’s Den, Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavic now re-cast in the animal kingdom as “sharks.”  Apparently Dragon’s are not native to the United States…

You can see more on the news at the link above and watch this pre-view which in typical cheesy reality show fashion, describes the premise.  If you want to practice your pitch, take advantage of the free platform at www.fundfindr.com and get connected to investors, services, advice  - minus a few sharks.

Off to Part II of Milestones to Success this morning.  Great content and riiPlay.tv has won two elevator pitch contests in a row, fundfindr Development Director Kevin McLeod shares more below and he scored the first win, so let’s go for the hat trick!   More here.

Enter Roger Killen, a respected entrepreneur and angel investor.  He has developed a two day seminar series designed to give entrepreneurs a real-world, time-tested and trusted approach to launching a business destined for success - just what investors are looking for.

Milestones to Success: The SME Seminar Series

Having just gone through the seminars myself, I can attest to it’s value.  Too many great ideas die on the vine.  The reasons for this are always convoluted when explained by founders but very simple when observed through the eyes of Roger’s Milestones.  Either the entrepreneur missed one or more of the Milestones or they were done out of order.  Experienced investors look for these warning signs and steer clear of investing in disarrayed businesses - even if the idea looks like a winner on the surface.

The 16 module blueprint is delivered by Roger and numerous subject matter experts.  Along with these great contacts, you get a reference manual full of information specifically for BC start-ups.  Using these resources in the manner and order that Roger has described will ensure you are successful.  It’s only $99 per seminar.  If you’re interested in attending, check out this PDF .

Entrepreneurship is a long journey; the Milestones to Success are your map!

Service providers, consultants, speakers and experts are all trying to navigate the new rules of engagement borne by social media.  How do I reach prospects, engage and brand in this attention starved age?  Leading edge thinkers like Mike Desjardins of Virtus are embracing the challenge by providing demos or “bytes” of their magic - in this case - How to tell if you’re a leader - on the Social Web.

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We had the pleasure of working with Mike to produce a series of  minute long “success snacks” for fundfindr.tv, so named as they are easy to digest, tasty and good for you. A quick shoot, some sweet edits courtesy of Ben Z. Cooper and then distribution on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RSS and more.  A fresh new meaning for the term:  Net result. Branding, reach and an very effective marketing approach for our A.D.D. times.

Video has a unique ability to demonstrate your magic in an attention-getting way.   Your customers buy you and your content.  Demo it!  We’re excited about the next collaboration with Virtus as part of our new Riiplay.tv service.  We’d love to  work with you too.  You can showcase your mojo and deliver it online in high quality, at great rates, to great effect.

Knowledge on demand. Your next presentation.  Live Streaming.  Webcam wizadry.  Or even 60 seconds…