Affiliate Blog

Spelling Bee Careful

Thoughts of my tenure in elementary school as a young lad brings back as many joyous memories as it does scarring ones. I got to play Danny in our 6th grade presentation of Grease, complete with the Michael Jackson infamous "Zipper Jacket", and I nailed it! Then, there was the time I heard crickets chirping and my heart pounding as I bombed while trying to entertain the class with my impersonation of Jon Lovitz's "The Liar" character during my speech for a coveted student council position. I could go on and on about the good old days of being a kid, but there are things I actually learned that still hold true to this day.

I was a somewhat smart child (at least until age 13), so I loved learning. I loved the Spelling Bee and taking my shot at proving I could spell "onomatopoeia" better than Susie Smarty Pants. En route to my inevitable seizing of the Bee Crown, I spoke with my teachers for some tips. "I" before "E", except after "C", when sounding like "A" in "neighbor" and "way". Just one of many catchy memory tools to help me in my spelling career.

While I never appeared on ESPN's Spelling Bee, nor did I letter in "Spelling" in high school, I do know that in my current career as an Affiliate Manager for Credit.com's Debt, Credit Report and Credit Card Affiliate Program, I need to always be careful of what I type and how I type it. Not only misspellings, but using the wrong words altogether. You would be shocked how many times I have been called "Bryan" or "Ron" in an email......even with my signature 2 inches below the email reply! Nothing says "I don't care enough to really focus on your real name" like an error like that. When dealing with partners, affiliates or clients it is imperative you get these things right. I know if I received a prospecting letter to do business with me and I saw a bevvy of misspellings, it would make me wonder how much effort was put into that email in the first place.

The same goes for grammar. Back to the elementary school lessons, "look before you leap" comes into play here. Prior to firing off an email to some awesome potential partner, slow down, take a breath and reread what you are about to send. Spellchecker is a great thing, but even that can change your "I would like to "chatt" sometime" error to "I would like to "chant" sometime" and let's face it..... that's creepy and weird.

So remember, you are only as good as your reputation and when communicating with people, your reputation inadvertently gets put on the line. So, do your best and focus! Now I will cross my fingers that I indeed didn't actually misspell any words in my blog about "misspelling words. "

Ryan Zimmerman is a Senior Affiliate Sales Executive for Credit.com and has worked in the affiliate marketing arena for almost a decade. Ryan shares his experience and insight on email marketing and affiliate promotional tactics.

Spam - It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Back in 2003, the CAN-SPAM Act was introduced to the marketing world and was really the first attempt by the country to regulate the sending of commercial email. Backed strongly by the FTC, the CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) provides the mail recipient a way to basically say, "Hey, I don't want these emails. Stop sending them!" If that recipient still receives mail, or if other deceptive practices are continued, then penalties can ensue ranging from fines to jail time.

So when the CAN-SPAM Act first came into play, there was a noticeable rumble in the world of internet marketing. Some even thought of the law as the potential end of email marketing. However, I truly believe it SAVED the email marketing process, and here's why:

To use an analogy, I am really not a great cook. I'm basically Gordan Ramsay's worst nightmare. Say I was wanting to cook dinner for my kids tonight, and I thought since they like chicken, I'll make a chicken dish. Sounds easy, right? So I go online and Google some recipes. The results are pages and pages of chicken nomenclature that I am still trying to decipher. Baked Chicken. Broiled Chicken. Pan Fried Chicken. Batter Fried Chicken.....UGH! Now I am more confused than before and odds are, I'll grab my credit card, toss the kids in the minivan, and drive up the road to load up on Happy Meals (the chicken finger kind of course!).

What I am getting at is this: Targeted and easy to find information is much more effective than being overpowered with more options than you care to handle. If I'm an email marketer, would I rather compete with thousands of emails vs.a handful? As an email recipient, would I be more receptive to a short list of pertinent emails that I actually WANT to read, or rather page after page of fluff detailing ways I can restore my receding hair line? (Side note, if anyone has any proven remedies for that, I am all ears!)

So, while initially the SPAM-ACT may have been ill-received (and granted it still has its glaring holes), I can't imagine what email marketing would look like today if it wasn't in existence. It isn't the end all be all, but it is one step taken to really help control the uncontrollable.

If you do plan to market via email, Rule # 1 is to make sure you fully understand the laws. Tricking people into reading your emails or trying to run a blatant scam is not only ill-advised, it's illegal. Also, If you don't really know what "Suppression Files" or "Subject Lines" are, you should definitely do your research before doing any sending. Please make sure to see your current affiliate manager here regarding your Credit.com Affiliate Program account if you want to email our offers or have any questions. We do have debt, credit cards and credit reports available to promote via email, so don't hesitate to work closely with us to ensure compliance.

Now if you would excuse me, I just got an email that needs my IMMEDIATE attention... apparently, there is a certain wealthy individual in Zimbabwe that wants to share his riches with me! All I need to do is send him my social security number and my banking information and he'll wire me money! Wow, sounds like a can't lose situation;) (Disclaimer: I am being sarcastic-- it's a scam, so don't do it! And if I had to explain that, please refer back to "Rule # 1" above).

Ryan Zimmerman is a Senior Affiliate Sales Executive for Credit.com and has worked in the affiliate marketing arena for almost a decade. Ryan shares his experience and insight on email marketing and affiliate promotional tactics.