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Answer to the Zappos Affiliate Banners Quiz

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In last week's quiz about affiliate banners, I asked which of the following affiliate banners you thought would be best to use.

Zappo's #1

Click here for Zappos.com!

 Zappo's #2

Buy at Zappos.com!

A majority (53%) of you (as of now) answered #1.

The correct answer was #2.

Banner #2 has an EPC of $180.26, whereas Banner #1 is just shy of the $42.00 mark.

My best guess at the reason for this is that the blue banner shows up better on a white background. To me, it also seems more attractive with both the star graphic and the contrasting color combination of blue and orange.

Will Marc Have to Eat His Computer?

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Marc's answer to “Which of the following has the highest EPC in the Commission Junction Network?” on the post about affiliate banners was:

Number 1. No question. If I’m wrong, I’ll eat my computer.

Number one grabs my attention and makes the free offer plain as day. The call to action button stands out, makes me want to click it.

Number two blends into the page and has a small font. The free offer is buried in a lot of print. The call to action has an understated look to it. The design is weak but may be good for disclosure statements to keep the FTC happy, not for getting clicks.

Well Marc, you have been spared the indigestion, 'cause you were right.

Banner #1 had an EPC of over $16, whereas #2 was at around $9.

Congratulations to all those who chose #1.

Now here's another, more difficult affiliate banner test…

Are You Choosing the BEST Affiliate Banners?

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Heather Paulson posted an article to her blog just recently called “Affiliate Banners | How PMG increased banner impressions by 600%”.

In the article, Heather discusses the importance of affiliate banners to an affiliate program and the strategies that the PMG (Paulson Management Group) took for a new client to gain a 400% affiliate banner impression increase in one month and a 600% increase in affiliate banner impressions within 4 months.

As you may have already guessed, increasing banner impressions has a lot to do with creating better affiliate banners, because, as Heather says, “Affiliates are savvy online marketers“… “who have advanced knowledge of what works as far as display advertising“.

So, what is it that we savvy affiliate marketers are looking for in an affiliate banner?

  • Well, first there is the look or attractiveness. Ugly design doesn't inspire clicks. No clicks, no sales.
  • Secondly, there should be an offer. Nothing gets the click faster than offering your blog readers a deal like 50% off, free shipping, coupons and other offers that save them money.
  • Lastly, there has to be a call to action. Click Here, Buy Now and Learn More are good examples of calls to action.

Heather also discusses advanced affiliate banner considerations which you can read in her post about affiliate banners here.

Here's a test based on what we've learned about affiliate banners.

Which of the following has the highest EPC in the Commission Junction Network?

eHarmony Banner 1
 eHarmony Banner 2

Share your choice in the comments below.

And No cheating! 🙂

Note: comments are now closed and the answer has been posted here.

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