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Clickfather Update – 2/21/2012 Scrubs..

Scrub a dub dub…

No rubber duckies here just a guy in a ski mask!

There are all types of crafty names “Optimization adjustment”, “Throttle”, or good old “front end scrub” Being a media buyer I find this nothing short of thievery and feel it should be exposed. It all started back in the early stages of coreg in 2004. Many of you remember the first wave of one field offers out there free $10 Burger King Card etc. when the RPU (revenue per user) dropped below a certain level the advertiser started scrubbing or not reporting all pixel fires, A terrible dishonest practice which has now evolved into tracking systems like Hitpath, Cake, Hasoffers and others adding “adjustment buttons” which allows networks to pay any rate they want and then scrub it down to make it profitable. Shame on you guys. As one guy I will leave nameless said on one of my private discussion groups “A performance based industry has got to operate in a completely ethical manner that is beyond reproach when otherwise you have nothing left.”
This new unscrupulous business practice creates a whole new set of problems as unrealistic CPA’s have now hit the market combined with turbulent EPC’s that literally move quicker than Victor Cruz down the field. As the market gets tighter and more and more companies that should not have ever been in business struggle to make ends meet (or a Lambo payment) they result in just re brokering other peoples offers and paying out a astounding rate and then scrubbing it. Shame on you guys.

What does this mean to legitimate Marketers?

 

 

 

 

 


Stay sharp, know your metrics and do not be fooled by some B.S. bait and switch payout. This is your livelihood. Every marketer needs to understand that just because someone is a “Network” does not mean they can pay their bills nor has money to pay bills. Just look at the over 2 dozen companies that have gone out of business in the past year leaving Affiliates high and dry on millions on dollars, many to reopen their doors (sometimes simultaneously under a new name)check out helloperformance.com (same owners as COPEAC) or how about Tattoo media?..Sold for 60 million in “assets” and new owner did not take on any of the old “liability” i.e. publisher money they owed. There is still a ton of opportunity out there in this growing space I urge you to choose your partners wisely. Ask for financial statements or payment references. There are great resources out there. On Facebook check out the “Internet Advertising – People Who Don’t Pay” group. It is always full of dead beat listings and real accounts of people not paying publishers.

The top 5 multi-part questions I ask anyone I do business with…

1. How long have you been in business?  Do you have any cash flow issues?

And, in many cases I ask for a financial statement from their accountant, i.e. it is like a bank rating where an accountant certifies there is 5 figures, 6 figures or 7 figures available in cash on hand.

2. What tracking system do you use?  Do you make any adjustments to stats after the fact or in any way alter stats?

Regardless, most will tell you “No, we do not scrub,” so I would follow with…”Can you give me a letter from your tracking company certifying this?” This is when the excuses will fly as the tracking companies will not perjure themselves for a customer in most cases.

3. If you do not get paid from an advertiser and it has nothing to do with my leads will I be paid in full?

(99% of companies will say, “No, you will not be paid”) This baffles me. Why would you use a network or broker if they won’t guarantee funds? What are they doing in the middle then besides taking money from your traffic? Find the ones that will and get it in writing.

4. What is your average life of a campaign?

(I look for companies that keep deals longer than 9 months)

5. I read reviews and ask other Affiliates that run larger numbers what they think. I disregard negative posts from unproven authors as they may just be fraudulent and looking to get paid to stop complaining.


**Full disclosure for those that do not know, on top of being a Super Affiliate and Media buyer I do also own several Internet related companies including an Affiliate Network. I do not write my blog to be self serving against others I write about real factual events to help others buying media.

Yes I went to the Super Bowl!

I was sitting around with my buddy James watching the Niners/Giants and said late in the 4thquarter when it looked probable the Niners were heading to the Super Bowl I said “hey if the Giants win let’s go” James nodded ok and so we went.What an amazing 4 days it was. Nonstop fun, hanging at the Giants hotel and first row tickets (bought 18 hrs before game time)
The people were great, Pre-party was unbelievable and the game of course was absolutely awesome!I am personally a Jets fan but James is a die-hard Giants fan, so here was a true unrehearsed picture of him right at the end of the game.
On to the Final four next…

Facebook Mobile ads coming soon

I am hearing in March Facebook will release mobile ads. When filing plans for the IPO they revealed 425 million members access the social network on smart phones and tablets. Naturally monetizing those eyeballs is a no brainer.

Read more here…

Started working on app traffic initial results.

I started testing Burstly.com which is a display storefront for EA games, Words With Friends and a few others. Initial results are not good. Approvals were very inconsistent and they require a review even if you change bids (silly system). Traffic was quick and untargeted and blew 5x my daily budget…still going back and forth to get a refund. Stay away until they get their act together.

Video Ads…buy some TV space…

Recently we released some new video ads and a short lead form for one of our exclusive clients, The Treatment DR.You can check out the short form lead here RehabNow.me, no scrub of course.Also here are links to some of the commercials we had made:

15 Second

60 Second #1

60 Second #2

All can be customized with Affiliate numbers. If you are interested in running video ads drop me an email theclickfather@yahoo.com


What I am buying?

Solarsavingsamerica.com

Solar lead gen. first page targeted to 9 states. I am buying it on Facebook with great success.

AsianBeauties.com

I am buying the CPS version of this on other dating sites and search. This pays well over $200 for a purchase as low as $29.95 it’s an awesome niche campaign.

RehabNow.me

Short lead gen targeted towards people seeking drug or alcohol addiction treatment. First page payout.


Like a Virgin!

Ok now I sound dated…..If you are a Madonna fan check out this new crazy contest we launched.
Leadscon is taking place next Tuesday and Wednesday Feb. 28th and 29th at the Mirage in my hometown of Las Vegas. It is one of my favorite shows as it is targeted to a great quality advertiser and we always walk away with some good business being done. I am fully committed to meetings, although if you want to get together for a quick drink hit me up.
– The ClickFather
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Written by TheClickFather

CEO of Xy7Elite.com & Elite-Calls.com

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Madonna’s 2012 World Tour Contest!

Major tracking outage…OUCH!!