Politics and Affiliate Marketing Revisited

Last summer, Shawn Collins raised the issue of politics and affiliate marketing - whether the two should mix and how well it would work if they did. Apparently the RNC had a Commission Junction program for several years but it was left on auto-pilot and floundered without proper management.

I'm not here to talk politics. This would work for McCain, Obama and Nader, but the Libertarian Candidate, Bob Barr (someone I have met and talked with at length), is my guy this year so I'm using him as an example.

While I was perusing the Barr Blog this morning, I noticed they had a page for widgets and banners. They are already half way there!!! All they need is to join a network and hire an affiliate manager. The links below could easily be used to track donations and email sign ups from affiliate sites. Shawn says the RNC gave affiliates 30% of the donations, capped at $30, with 45 return days. How much is a voter email worth to a political candidate? $.15, $.50, $1.00???

The market already exists. There are thousands of sites dedicated to each political party and millions more with completely different themes but I'm sure they would be happy to promote their favorite candidate and receive an affiliate commission at the same time.

So let's think about this from the third party stance. Continue to beg sites to post widgets or banners for free and raise about $100,000 a week online, or start an affiliate program, sign up thousands of affiliates within the first week and potentially reach hundreds of thousands of voters with a convenient little widget asking them for money or their email. Seems like affiliate marketing should be part of the mix already.

Now who will be the first to capitalize on this idea? There are four months left. It's worth it for one of the candidates to at least try it.

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How do Affiliate Marketers and/or Outsourced Program Managers Manage their money?

Several months ago, I asked Shawn Collins how to handle affiliate checks and taxes. Now my question is more complex, but related. How do 1099 employees, affiliates and outsourced program managers, handle income overall?

I have a good idea of what I'll be doing over the next few months, but I'm looking for suggestions from those that have perfected their finances. Please add your comments below.

Shawn turns over his affiliate checks to an accountant. I looked into that option and chose not to spend $2,000 a year. I don't know what he pays, but the quote I received scared me into trying to figure it out myself. I'll be hiring an accountant, just not on a monthly basis.

On Shawn's post, an accountant, Chad Bordeaux , added his comments: "when setting money aside for your taxes, be sure to set enough aside for your Federal Income Tax (based on your effective tax rate, your “self-employment tax” (15.3%), and any applicable state and local taxes. Depending upon where you live and your income level, this could be anywhere from 20% to 50% of your income when all added up."

Once I hire an accountant and find out exactly what percentages I need to set aside, I'll be paying quarterly taxes diligently. Which leads me to come up with a cash flow strategy. A few weeks ago, my friend Denise O'Berry, sent me a copy of her new book, Small Business Cash Flow, and I've found it to be a great resource. It's the how to book I was seeking. Denise was the first person to introduce me to affiliate marketing five years ago and she gives some very relevant affiliate cash flow business models in her book.



The other thing I've done to work on my finances is to sign up with Quicken Online. They have a 30-day free trial for online services and only $2.99 a month after the trial. I can sign on and bring up my checking, savings and paypal accounts and have bill reminders sent to my gmail and phone. It gives me an instant view of my finances anytime from any computer.




I certainly do not have all the answers, so any help is appreciated. I'm looking forward to a long, healthy, profitable career as an affiliate and an outsourced project manager. Like I said, some of you have the perfect 1099 business model and your comments will help all of us.

Greg Hoffman (me) Joins Paulson Management Group

The word has gotten out. It's official. I am very very happy and honored to announce that I will be working as an affiliate manager with Heather Paulson and her crew at Paulson Management Group.

Paulson Management Group, Inc. is a full service multi-channel e-marketing management and consulting agency. The agency is able to provide outsourced affiliate program management, paid search engine management, and (SEO) search engine optimization and management services. We also provide website design and landing page design.

I have to admit I didn't use any gimmicks, as Shawn Collins asked me earlier this evening on Twitter. No donuts, no pizza, no shameless bribes. I was just lucky enough to be available at the right time.

I'm ready to hit the ground running and help Paulson Management Group any way possible. So look for some videos from me next week. Heather has assembled a great group of experts and we will be delivering excellent services to all the new clients we bring in over the next few months. I can't wait.

Affiliate Commissions and Uncle Sam

I certainly want to thank Shawn Collins for answering my question today about commissions and taxes. I've owned my own Public Relations business in the past and I understand how quarterly taxes are paid. But that was pumping all the money into a business, and usually large retainers at that.

These checks I'm getting from Linkshare are small but are starting to add up. I also have checks on the way from Azoogle and CJ so I just need a system to keep track of them before I cash them and use the proceeds at my favorite local Mexican or Cuban restaurants. I don't want to wake up at the end of the year and realize that I crossed the $600 threshold with one network, but not another.

So thanks, Shawn, I will work with my accountant and let her deal with it.