Time.com anticipates the domain name industry could reach a market value of $4 billion within three years.  A startling statistic fueling such a statement: over 90,000 domain names are purchased every day.  One common way to buy and sell  domain names is through a silent auction.  GoDaddy.com is one of the leading sites that hosts the domain name transactions and views the act as a property investment.  GoDaddy is essentially a grab bag of names, some selling for a less than $5 a pop - although these are probably not the names like business.com that sold for an eventual $7.5 million.  This is a testament to the domain name industry indicating it has only become more lucrative in passing years.  Five years or so ago, strong, searchable domain names would net around $8,000 versus similar names that sell now for well over $100,000. 

Way back in 1999 (at least in the online industry it seems like ages ago) the infamous U.S. based eToys were hit with a suit for trademark infringement after using the domain name, etoys.com, which was already used by a European company of the same name. eToys were forced to change their name and subsquently went bust along with most of the online world.  At the time though, the name game was just starting and .biz, .net, and others were not even on the radar. 

Trademark laws are fortunately more black and white these days - basically, you don’t touch a trademarked name and you’ll be ok.  As the lines of business become more defined, is it occurring at a time when the bubble is about to burst in this lucrative business?

It’s inevitable that the domain name trend will change - the online world is dynamic and reinventing itself every minute.  As search patterns evolve and domain name ‘property’ is superseded by other mechanisms, the industry will adjust.  

It’s not about who’s looking at your site or even who’s clicking on your site - many companies are now measuring the amount of time one spends on your site to determine whether or not it should advertise.  Why this trend? 

Several financial and sports-related sites (pretty much any site containing dynamic statistics like scoreboards, stock markets, and even health-related topics) draw significant traffic numbers, however, can’t quantitatively account for the number of visitors because the sites are primarily informative and don’t require action.  However, you probably know quite a few people people  that have ESPN.com up all day long, monitoring sports scores from MLB to international Rugby, or religiously check the stock markets from their computer. In the past, these visitors have often be unaccounted for. 

After feeling the pressure from online biggies like MSN.com, Google and AOL, Nielsen/NetRatings will now account for the amount of time spent on a site/page. What will the impact be to smaller online advertisers and performance based marketers who rely on the number of clicks to turn a profit?

The general consensus at this point is that the new model of measurement will improve the way advertisers , marketers and publishers deliver their messages and create - well, a more engaging experience on a given site. Ads, for example, should be user friendly and share similar qualities to the site itself.  Overall several people in the industry felt using “unique” visitors as a way to measure site success - or failure - is out of date as one can’t always measure the impact an ad has based on a click.  Nielsen/NetRatings is presuming though, that the longer one spends on a given site, the more invested he/she is with the brand, and the ads associated with it.

If a Helio’s not a phone - then what is it?  The Apple iPhone is clearly not just a phone, it’s a visual cornucopia of highly pixilated images.  While “phones” or at least the mobile ones wear several hats these days, we can agree one of the mobile phone’s favorite hats is the internet.  With the mobile phone quickly becoming the primary way one searches the web, doors (and windows for that matter) are being opened for affiliates. 

So what can a savvy extreme performance marketing firm do at this point with mobile affiliate marketing?  Companies such as Artisan Live launched the Mobile Affiliate Advertising Program, or MAPP, with a strong foresight into the burgeoning mobile market.   MAPP is designed to link affiliates and merchants via the mobile phone, who will together design dazzling content to entice the person using the phone to act (meaning reply with a text).  Once the mobile user sends a text, a commission is earned.

Already quite popular in Europe and Asia - mobile marketing is slowly but surely catching on in the US.  This past spring Microsoft purchased ScreenTonic, a French company specializing in the delivery of of text or banner links to portal devices. Many insiders believe Linkshare.com - owned by giant Ratuken - will be the major US company to bring mobile advertising to the masses. 

Currently it’s a matter of wait and see, unless of course you’re one of the savvy extreme performance marketing firms mentioned above already formulating a game plan for the mobile possibilities that lie ahead.

Leads are not always guaranteed, but there are ways affiliates and performance based advertisers can improve their lead landing techniques and immediately boost profits.  The good news is lead potential is wide open on the internet, and as enticing as it is to place your site in every nook and cranny on the net - finding your market is more important and creates consistent business. 

Generating leads often requires the same tactics as any brick an  mortar. Client and customer attention is critical, especially with an online business that can lack a human face and feel.  Whether you’re connecting with a client or new customer, acknowledgement and follow-up are key.  Because the web runs 24 hours, use automated email software that immediately acknowledges when someone inputs information or buys a product. 

Free stuff is always popular online whether you’re an affiliate or not.  People simply like free products and the word “free” effectively attracts those eyeballs you so desire on your site.  Free promotions don’t need to cost an arm and a leg - newsletters, question and answer forums, and any information you can offer will give you credibility and your customers satisfaction.

There are numerous ways to cultivate leads online and by identifying what your current strategies are, you can refocus them one by one to produce stronger results with a few simple methods discussed in this blog.

The latest Affiliate Summit conference closes its doors today in Miami, Florida, where hundreds of affiliates, vendors, and merchants gathered for a few days of networking and gathering information on new products and burgeoning partnerships. 

 Like all Affiliate Summit conferences, this one included a number of informative talks and discussions pertaining to timely subjects such as affiliate marketing abroad to new and innovative ways to monetize content-based sites.  Performance based marketers in addition to pretty much everyone in attendance  had the opportunity to get on stage if so desired and announce the reasons and business objectives for attending Affiliate Summit in Miami.   

The official Affiliate Summit Site lists all the event happenings including a few company sponsored bashes that undoubtedly culminated in a few new partnerships.  Web 2.0 technologies and their impact on the future of affiliate marketing saturated several talks as did discussions on the current state of blogging.  Speaking of blogs - one can catch all the event happenings by reading the ’Official Affiliate Summit Blog Update’ at forum.abestweb.com.   

Something’s gone awry on the tele.  It’s not the quality of shows (well, maybe - but that’s not what we’re talking about).  Pay close attention to television advertisements from any given program and you’ll notice the format is steadily changing.  Mystery is the game these days where before ads where if anything, obvious about the product being sold, they’re now discreet and require further digging once the show’s over.  Ambiguous commercials are everywhere and it’s no accident. 

Where the television was once the only medium to watch a televised program, more and more people are turning to their computers to tune in and watch.  And the ad industry is responding.  One extreme performance ad company specializing in online commercials claims it can modify a single commercial 600 times to fit a specific demographic.  TV is one stop shopping for ad agencies - you either hit your demographic or not. 

Creativity is key for the online commercial and getting viewers to tune in can be challenging considering the control one has over a computer.  Viewers are lost with a simple click of the mouse as they are with the fast forward function of a digitally recorded television program.  Successful online use plots, characters, games, and prizes to attract online audiences who are often lead to certain sites from a TV commercial. 

While billions are dropped annually on television commercials, the online opportunities are growing with infinite possibilities in store.