Use graphics like this to jazz up your sites for the holiday season
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5. Add Mistletoe to Your Websites
Make sure you have seasonal images or effects on your sites in November and December. Whether it is a snowman next to the logos or snow floating down your pages, it will endear your websites to shoppers. As Jakob Nielsen writes: “Commemorating special events is a way for websites to connect to users and be seen as welcoming environments, rather than places focused solely on money grabbing.” He also comments that commemorating special occasions makes sites appear current and up-to-date. Don’t go overboard with Christmassy effects, though, or else your web properties will look like something from Geocities circa 1998. You can pick up a javascript to show snow floating down your website here: and Christmas graphics here: http://www.yuleloveit.com , but avoid the poor quality clipart.

6. Watch Television
Yes, we’re encouraging you to watch TV, but there’s no time to sit back and watch your favorite sitcom. Flick over to those dreary QVC-type shopping channels and study the special programs they put on to sell gifts for the holiday season. It’ll give you an idea of what is hot and what is not… and even how to pitch the products. There are, of course, many websites which can help with your research. Good examples are 10bestselling.net, which is a guide to current bestselling products in various categories and My Best Gadgets which shows the latest and greatest gadgets. Here is a brilliant article which highlights the products which should be flying off the shelves this Christmas. You should also, of course, keep an eye on major websites in your niches and see what they are promoting.

7. Ask Affiliate Managers for Advice
Merchants and networks don’t pay Affiliate Managers to twiddle their thumbs so ping the ones in your sector, build up a rapport with them, and ask them for advice. Send them links to one or two of your sites and ask them for feedback. You’ll be surprised at the pearls of wisdom you’ll usually receive on how to maximize revenue from your web entities.

8. Study EPC Statistics
All good affiliate networks release conversion metrics. Study these like a hawk and see which merchants and products are on the up. This will provide guidance on what to give prominence to on your sites and mailing lists.

Use graphics like this to jazz up your sites for the holiday season
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9. Promote Different Products at Different Times
You shouldn’t really be curling up on the sofa, but optimizing your links and banners based on far away the Big Day is. For example, up until the end of November you can promote customizable items which may take weeks to create and deliver. In early and mid-December you can market items which you know will arrive before about December 22. And, from December 19 to 25, there is no point selling gifts which have to be delivered by post, so promote vouchers for the likes of Amazon which make last minute emailable presents. Get up bright and early on December 26 to put up those January Sales links!

10. Send a Holiday Greeting to Everyone
Whether it is a paper card, an ecard or an email, don’t forget to take some time out to write to all your cyber-contacts and wish them good tidings for Christmas and the New Year.

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People often send a card to a neighbour they have only met twice in the year but don’t bother to send a greetings to an affiliate manager, programmer or Search Engine Optimizer they may have communicated with dozens of times during the previous eleven months. This shouldn’t be for commercial gain — even the most hard-hearted of online entrepreneurs ought to shed their money-making instincts for a few moments and get into the ho-ho-holiday spirit!

Where next? Here are some links for you to check out now...
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Recommended Links: the best guide we have come across to affiliate marketing is High Performance Affiliate Marketing. For the price of one meal in a restaurant, you will be provided with all the knowledge required to make serious money online. Not only will you receive an ebook written by one of Commission Junction’s top affiliates, a guy who made over $1,000,000 last year, but you will gain acess to an exclusive members area with the most up to date and practical information available.