The new featureset allows publishers to upload or create video content, and overlay product information on the actual video. The products can be synchronized with the video down to the second, creating a highly interactive user experience. When a user clicks and buy from Amazon, the traditional 7.5% commission rate is applied.

This approach is similar to tubespree.com (which we will be covering in a future post), but it is restricted to Amazon.com products, which is somewhat limiting for publishers. If you’re a publisher and like this type of application but would like to link to regular affiliate merchants, Tubespree is worth a check. On the merchant side, Liveclicker also offers similar functionality as part as its offering that’s compatible with Linkshare and Commission Junction.

Overview:

In a tightening economy, marketing initiatives are scrutinized more closely across the board.  Online video should not get a free pass.  However, the medium faces some unique challenges that warrant special consideration.  Overcoming these challenges is key to implementing or enhancing a video commerce program that flourishes both for the short-term and the long term.  During this 45-minute webinar hosted by the Video Commerce Consortium, you will gain an understanding of how to make video work in an e-commerce environment and ensure your video commerce program is positioned for success.

You will learn about:

- Case studies from online retailers running ROI-positive video commerce programs
- How did these firms start out with video?
- How were they able to turn video into a revenue center for the business?
- How are they securing resources for the ongoing maintenance of their video commerce programs in the current economic climate?
- What metrics are they using to optimize video performance?
- Where on the e-commerce site or off the e-commerce site is the revenue coming from? (product pages, affiliates, syndication to YouTube, etc)

- How to avoid the pitfalls that arise from poor video commerce planning and execution:
- Realizing negative ROI from poorly planned video resource allocation
- Higher opportunity costs resulting from the diversion of internal resources from other revenue generating activities in the business to video
- Dissonance among team members resulting from video’s inherent cross-functional nature (product management, usability, affiliate marketing, emerging channels, online advertising, etc)
- Disappearing resources following an initial wave of enthusiasm toward online video

- Best practices for planning a new or expanding an existing video commerce initiative
- ROI-focused strategies for video planning, strategy, and ongoing management/measurement
- ROI-focused strategies for video pre-production, production, and post-production
- ROI-focused strategies for video technology, hosting, publishing, syndication, and analytics
- Building a ‘real world’ ROI forecast with reasonable cost and revenue assumptions

Fill out the form below to RSVP for the webinar.  Dial-in information and a Web URL will be emailed to those who RSVP in advance.

http://www.video-commerce.org/webinar-roi-of-online-video.html

1. Resources

The Video Commerce Consortium. Non-profit dedicated to advancing the sophistication of e-commerce video.

VideoRetailer.org. General publication about Video e-commerce.

2. Vendor Docs

Commission Junction documentation for advertisers (including SmartLinks)

LinkShare documentation (including FlexLinks)

The number of results. The quality. The solutions. The bad and the good stuff. That was it. Bingo. I got it. Video is the future of marketing.

Following this event, I started using YouTube for my triathlon training — I wanted to learn how to be a better swimmer. Then for running tips. I wanted my form to be correct. And then for buying running shoes. I wanted to have the best shoes for running.

Bingo. Video commerce it is. I trusted the YouTube video more than any content I could have read from Zappos or Onlineshoes.com. The exact reason remains a mystery to me. I simply don’t know why it works. But the fact it, video works for selling stuff.

Building on that, started to think about the most effective videos for selling, and the most effective places for viewing them. That’s where I came up with the thought that how-to videos on affiliate sites. The prime use case for tactical video commerce - as close as it can get from buying a pair of shoes from a local shoe store.

And that was really the genesis of this site. I was interested in video for commerce in the first place, and rapidly became fascinated by video for affiliates. And so this site is dedicated to e-commerce video applications for affiliates. We’ll discuss anything - ideas, tips, solutions, successes and failures in an open format type. Welcome to AffiliateRetailer.org!