The Affiliate Center Settings page allows you to customize your Affiliate Center. From this help page, you learn how to the following:

• Offer Information
• Details
• Automatic Campaign Assignment
• Allowed Traffic
• Campaign Terms and Conditions
• Email Campaigns
• How to Modify the Affiliate Center Settings

Offer Information

In the Offer Information section, you can modify the following:

• Title
• Description
• Special Instructions
• Logo Image URL
• Tracking URL
• URL

Title

The campaign title is the name of an offer or a campaign in the Affiliate Center and Merchant Center.

Description

A campaign description gives descriptive information about a campaign. This is helpful for affiliates when learning more about the campaign. (HTML supported)

Special Instructions

Campaign special instructions give additional helpful instructions to affiliates about a campaign. This is helpful for affiliates when learning more about the campaign prior to running it. (HTML supported)

Logo Image URL (75x30)

A logo image can be shown in the Affiliate Center next to a campaign. This image should be 75x30 pixels in dimension.

Tracking URL

The tracking URL is the URL generated by LinkTrust and issued to affiliates. Traffic is passed through this URL to facilitate tracking. The URL was setup when your account was created. This URL is automatically populated for creatives when you use the [=TrackingURL=] token. Your tracking URL can be used in standard URL or SEO URL format.

The following are required tracking URL parameters:

• CID - Campaign ID
• AFID - Affiliate ID

The following are recommended tracking URL parameters:

• SID - Sub ID
• ADID - Creative ID (The legacy version uses DID)

The following is an example of a standard tracking URL:

http://YourTrackingDomain/track.aspx?CID=123&AFID=123&ADID=123&SID=123&C=0&R=0&FirstName=John

The following is an example of a SEO tracking URL:

http://YourTrackingDomain/track.aspx/CID/123/AFID/123/ADID/123/SID/123/C/0/R/0/FirstName/John

Advanced users may change the tracking URL to a custom URL. To place additional data on your tracking URL Additional Data, use the following format:

Any Name=Value or Name/Value Pair

URL

There are three (3) types of URL formats to choose from:

• A Standard URL is a typical query string with ? and & to attach value pair parameters. This format is not search engine optimized (SEO).
  Example: domain.com?name=John&phone=123456789.
• An SEO URL is more search engine optimized or friendly then a Standard query string URL because it does not use ? or & within the query string.
  Example: domain.com/name/John/phone/123456789.
• A Custom URL is a URL that you specify. Only use this option if you know what you are doing.

Tokens

Tracking URL tokens are tokens that can be added to the tracking URL. The tracking URL requires certain parameters to track correctly. Additional data can also be added to the tracking URL and can be stored by LinkTrust and passed on to your merchant's landing page URL.

The following are available tokens for the tracking URL:

• Affiliate ID: [=AFID=]

  The affiliate ID is a unique identifying number that represents an affiliate and is generated by the system after the affiliate is approved. The [=AFID=] token is available in many areas. When placing the token in one of these areas the affiliate's ID is populated.

• Alternate ID: [=AltID=]

  The Alternate ID field allows you to store and pass your own custom affiliate-specific ID from LinkTrust to a CRM or website landing page.

  On the approved affiliate application, the alternate ID can be used in token format in the campaign’s tracking URL or landing page URL. The token automatically populates your specific alternate ID value to the URL. Because the Alternate ID field can be used as a token in URLs, only URL friendly characters can be saved in the Alternate ID field. The following characters cannot be used in the alternate ID: ' , " ; : ?

  The alternate ID does not replace the AFID name value pair on the affiliate's tracking URL.

• Campaign ID: [=CID=]

  The campaign ID (CID) is a unique number given to each advertising campaign in LinkTrust. Where available, use the [=CID=] token to populate this value in the Partner Center and the Affiliate Center.

• Creative ID: [=ADID=]

  The creative ID, also known as ADID, is a numeric value that represents a specific creative. Each creative is assigned an ID number. The creative ID is automatically generated by LinkTrust and added into creatives using the ADID name=value parameter. The ADID parameter is placed on the tracking URL to track the performance of the creative. Using the creative ID, the owner of the offer can determine which creative is performing the best. You can view the performance of a creative through performance reporting.

  The ADID is not required on the tracking URL for the creative to work. If the ADID parameter is removed, the Creative report shows a 0 (zero) value for all tracking links missing the ADID.

• Random Domain: [=RandomDomain=] (Use random domain, if you are using random domain scripts.

  The random domain feature allows domains to be passed randomly into creatives and tracking URLs for specific campaigns where a token is used. When the [=RandomDomain=] token is used, one of the domains from the random domain list is randomly selected and used.

  To use random domains, open Account Settings in LinkTrust. Download a sample of random domain scripts to host on these domains to redirect traffic to the tracking URL. Make sure each script is hosted and edited to work with the tracking URL.

• Sub ID: [=SID=]

  A sub ID is a common identifier used to differentiate traffic from affiliates. Generally, sub IDs are numbers and letters or something that designates an affiliate or sub affiliate. Because traffic types are redundant, the sub ID value is repetitive. This allows you to use sub ID reporting to identify which sub ID is performing the best. It is common practice for affiliates to place a sub ID on a tracking link.

  For example, an affiliate has three sources of traffic. The traffic comes from email, another affiliate, and simple banners. If a consumer clicks on a simple banner, the sub ID's value is simple banner which identifies the source of the traffic. If the creative was emailed out, the sub ID value is email. Therefore, when the affiliate goes to the sub ID reports, the affiliate can see which type of advertising media is receiving the best traffic and which type is converting the best. This is for a single affiliate.

  Within an advertising network, an affiliate might have hundreds of affiliates sending traffic to the affiliate's campaign. Sub IDs allow you to distinguish between these hundreds of affiliates, because you may not have access to the affiliate's business information. Many of these affiliates are actually your sub affiliates and their information is kept and maintained by your direct affiliates. But you can identify them by their unique sub ID. Using sub IDs, you can identify which affiliate is driving traffic, because the sub ID is captured in LinkTrust. If an affiliate is driving heavy traffic through a campaign, their sub ID will be captured each time a single incident is received. So if an affiliate generates 1000 consumer clicks, their sub ID is captured 1000 times. So when you are looking for fraud, poor quality traffic, or charge backs that might be causing problems, you can run a report using sub IDs to determine which transactions are good and which transactions are bad. Then you can compare the bad transactions to the sub IDs and contact the affiliate running the offer and say, "Your affiliate sub ID 456 is causing bad traffic or fraudulent traffic. Will you please turn them off." Based on the sub ID, the affiliate will know the name of the sub affiliate causing bad or fraudulent traffic, because the affiliate has their name and contact information. It is much easier to turn off a single affiliate then to shut off the entire campaign and turn it back on again. Sub IDs are extremely valuable for detecting fraudulent traffic.

  The same hold true for an affiliate or sub affiliate performing extremely well. Using sub IDs, you can identify a high performing affiliate or sub affiliate and ask, "This affiliate is doing more. How can we get them to increase their traffic, maybe they need more money?" You affiliate can contact that sub affiliate and find out how to increase their traffic. All the personal information or demographics of sub affiliates is proprietary. Your affiliate does not give out that information. This prevents them from being cut out of the middle.

Details

The Details section allows you to modify the following:

• Advertised Affiliate Payout

  The advertised affiliate payout is the default amount paid to affiliates. This usually is the lowest payout possible, because individual affiliate payouts can be configured to override this amount.

  Note: Any changes made to affiliate payouts take effect the beginning of the next business day.

• Estimated Cost Per Click (ECPC)

  Estimated Cost Per Click (ECPC) is the amount spent divided by the number of clicks in the 'C' column.

• Conversion%

Automatic Campaign Assignment

In the Automatic Campaign Assignment section, you can select to have an affiliate automatically assigned to a campaign when their application is approved or to be assigned to a campaign when they request a campaign in the Affiliate Center.

Allowed Traffic

The Allowed Traffic section helps you match affiliate and campaigns based on the allowed traffic types in the Affiliate Details and the campaign Affiliate Center Settings. Affiliates that match in allowed traffic may request public live campaign from the Affiliate Center Request Offer section.

Allow Networks

Allow Networks lets you specify which networks are allowed to request this offer in the Affiliate Center.

Allowed Traffic Types

In campaigns, traffic types are used to define the type of traffic allowed for a specific offer. The LinkTrust partner must identify the types of traffic allowed for each offer. After this is done, LinkTrust only allows affiliates that match the allowed traffic types to request this offer from the Affiliate Center.

For affiliates, each affiliate must be assigned the traffic type they are able to generate. After an affiliate is assigned, the affiliate only sees offers that match that type of traffic.

Campaign Terms and Conditions

In the Campaign Terms and Conditions section, you can view and modify the terms and conditions for the campaign. When the terms and conditions are modified, you will see an updated date and time above the Terms and Conditions field.

Email Campaigns

From Lines

From lines contain the authorized text that appears in the From Line field of an email when advertising a campaign. If the From Lines text field is left blank in the Partner Center, you will see no reference to them in the Affiliate Center.

Subject Lines

Subject lines contain the authorized text that appears in the Subject Line field of an email when advertising a campaign. If the Subject Lines text field is left blank in the Partner Center, you will see no reference to them in the Affiliate Center.

Email Suppression

The following are the methods used to supply your affiliate with a suppression file:

• Suppression File URL

  A suppression file is a file containing consumer email addresses of those who do not want to be emailed for a specific offer.

• UnsubCentral

  UnsubCentral provides email compliance and suppression list management solutions through a secure and automated platform that simplifies suppression list updates and distribution across all parties while minimizing risks, protecting brands, often lowering costs and helping ensure compliance. To configure UnsubCentral in your campaign, you need to obtain the Base URL and Parent Hash from your UnsubCentral Account Manager or the UnsubCentral user interface.

  The following are examples of a Base URL and Parent Hash:

  • Base URL: http://login4.unsubcentral.com
  • Parent Hash: 218x27b6e41d977d897c025d851b3y90
• Optizmo

  OPTIZMO™ is a web-based application, providing Merchants/Advertisers an automated system to manage email Suppression Lists. OPTIZMO™ provides a CAN-SPAM safeguard by ensuring that ALL opt-out requests are tracked, and honored in ALL mailings, whether it is a third party mailing list, current company opt-in list, or any list in which a customer can possibly receive unwanted email.

How to Modify the Affiliate Center Settings

Under Offer Information, enter the following:

1. In the Title field, enter the title of the campaign.
2. In the Description field, enter a description of the campaign.
3. In the Special Instructions field, enter any special instructions for the campaign.
4. Add a logo image URL, by selecting URL or Upload.
5. If you selected URL, enter the logo image URL in the URL field.
6. If you selected Upload, browse to your logo image on your computer by selecting Browse; then select Upload to upload your logo image to LinkTrust.
7. In the Tracking URL field, enter your tracking URL.
8. Test your tracking link by selecting Test Link.
9. Under URL, select the type of URL you are using
10. To find tokens to add to the URL, select Tokens.
11. To modify the advertised affiliate payout for the campaign or affiliate group, select Change next to Advertised Affiliate Payout.
12. In the Mass Affiliate Payout Change window, enter the new payout in the Change Payout To field.
13. If you want to change the advertised price on in the Affiliate Center, mark Only change Affiliate Center advertised price.
14. If you want to change the payout for all existing affiliates, mark Apply to all existing Affiliates.
15. If you selected Apply to all existing Affiliates, determine the starting day for the new payout by selecting Starting Today or Starting Tomorrow.
16. If you want to change the payout for only those affiliates making more than the new payout rate, mark Apply to all existing Affiliates where existing payout is greater.
17. If you selected Apply to all existing Affiliates where existing payout is greater, determine the starting day for the new payout by selecting Starting Today or Starting Tomorrow.
18. If you want to change the payout for only those affiliates making less than the new payout rate, mark Apply to all existing Affiliates where existing pay is less.
19. If you selected Apply to all existing Affiliates where existing pay is less, determine the starting day for the new payout by selecting Starting Today or Starting Tomorrow.
20. Save your changes by selecting Change Payout.
21. Close the Mass Affiliate Payout Change window.
22. On the Affiliate Center Settings page, enter the amount for each click in the Estimated Cost Per Click field.
23. In the Conversion % field, enter the conversion percentage.
24. Under Automatic Campaign Assignment, if you want to automatically assign an affiliate to a campaign when their application is approved, mark Auto Assign when affiliate application is approved.
25. If you want to automatically assign an affiliate to a campaign when it is requested in the Affiliate Center, mark Auto Assign when requested within Affiliate Center.
26. Under Allowed Traffic, if you want to allow networks, select Allow Networks.
27. To allow specific traffic types, mark the traffic types allowed for the campaign.
28. Under Terms and Conditions, select Edit Terms to enter the terms and conditions of the campaign.
29. After you enter the terms and conditions, mark Require Affiliates to Re-Agree to the Terms and Conditions.
30. Select Update Terms.
31. Under Email Campaigns, enter your email from lines in the From Lines field.
32. In the Subject Lines field, enter the subject of the email.
33. Under Email Suppression, mark the email suppression you want to use.
    1. If you selected Suppression File URL, enter the hosted URL in the Suppression File URL field.
    2. Test your Suppression File URL by selecting Test Link.
    3. If you selected UnsubCentral, enter a base URL in the Base URL field.
    4. In the Parent Hash field, enter the parent hash.
    5. If you selected Optizmo, choose either Create New Opt-Out List or Select Existing Opt-Out List.
    6. If you selected Create New Opt-Out List, enter an opt-out list name in the Opt-Out List Name field.
    7. If you received an Optizmo Mailer Access Key, enter the key in the Optizmo Mailer Access Key field.
    8. Select Create List.
    9. If you selected Select Existing Opt-Out List, choose an opt-out list from the drop-down field.
    10. Select Edit List.
    11. On the Optizmo page, select Opt-Out List Settings from the top menu.
    12. Modify the opt-out list settings as needed.
    13. Select Update List.
34. Save your new settings by selecting Update.