iContact doesn’t just want to be another corporate entity out to make money and expand their reach. They want to be successful while remaining socially responsible. To do this, they have implemented their new “4-1s Campaign.” This is a plan for them to give back to the communities in which they work. Here’s a break down of what the 4 1s are…

• 1% of Payroll – in 2009, iContact contributed more that $100,000 to 63 non-profit organizations.
• 1% of Product – iContact is available pro bono to any North Carolina non-profit
• 1% of Time – Starting in 2010, 2.5 paid days per year per employee will be provided for community service
• 1% of Equity – This has been committed to the establishment of the iContact Foundation, forming in 2010

So, as an iContact affiliate, you are promoting more than just another email marketing product. You’re promoting social responsibility and a company that gives back. If you’re not an affiliate, you’re not a part of giving back. Become one today and get involved!

We have many affiliates promoting iContact and we are always looking for more. However, sometimes it’s hard for affiliates to choose which email marketing service to promote and to give information to their customers on why they should use the particular one that they are recommending. If you fall into any of these categories, I think I have the solution for you. Don’t listen to why I say that iContact is the best option for you to promote and why it’s the best for your customers. Listen to those who are already using it.

iContact has several testimonials posted around their site. So head over to iContact.com and click around some. Read what their customers already say and what they like about it. Here’s just an example from EA Sports Fantasy Football…

Need more? iContact recently added new video testimonials to their homepage from such companies as Peach Running Company and West Race Cars. Click the image below to head over to iContact and see what they have to say about their experience.

As I said, sometimes it can take more than what I tell affiliates to get them to start promoting. It can even take more than the 700% commission that iContact offers on affiliate referred sales. So, go to their website. Do some reading. If that’s not enough, sign up for a Free Trial or send me your questions. Then, once you’re satisfied that iContact is the best option in email marketing to promote, go sign up.

The answer: Anyone who has something to sell. Even better answer, anyone who already has customers. One of the greatest sources for growth a company can find is within their current customers. Whether it’s getting the to come back as repeat business or upgrading their service plans, those whom you have already done business with are a prime target for incremental growth.

As affiliates, this is something you should be promoting. Anyone that you have contact with that sells a product or service can benefit from this knowledge. the use of iContact’s email marketing service is a great way for companies to nurture relationships that they have already developed and opens the door for those clients to spread the word to their friends, partners, and acquaintances with just the forwarding of an email.

So, get back to basics. Not only should you target comapnies looking to spread into new markets and new customer bases, but take advantage of those looking for customer retention and repeat growth. It’s often an area overlooked by affiliates, if not by the businesses themselves.

Become an iContact affiliate today and start promoting the best way to reach current customers.

It’s that time again: iContact Sale Time! It’s the end of the year and iContact is starting there quarterly sale early. Today the sale officially began and it with it comes a 15% discount on all upgrades! this includes existing accounts and new upgrades from a free trial. Here’s the full details:

Offer: 15% off all upgrades (existing and new accounts) at iContact. Use Code: GREETINGS09
Dates: NOW through December 27, 2009
Code*: GREETINGS09

*Note: The iContact.com homepage shows a different coupon code (ENDOFYEAR09). The codes are different only for internal tracking of sales. The discounts are the same and either code will work, however, affiliates should use the GREETINGS09 code to assist in the internal tracking of channel performance during the sale.

This is a great offer, and on top of the 15%, there’s the opportunity for customers to get another 10% off if they pay annually! As companies are looking to assess their marketing plans here at the end of the year and planning for 2010, this is a great time to promote this big of a discount on an industry leading email marketing service!

Be sure to log into CJ to pick up sale related creative like the banner above and start promoting this offer today! The sale runs until December 27th so you only have a little time to make the most of this big discount.

Not an iContact affiliate? Sign up today so you can start promoting this offer and a terrific product!

There’s only two more days to get entered in the iContact affiliate contest! Today and tomorrow will be gone quick so make any and all last efforts to drive in those last sales. You have until midnight on October 31, so work hard! Here’s a little more incentive…

***Bonus Entry Opportunity!***

If you get 5 sales in on either of the last 2 days (October 30 or 31) you’ll earn an entry, or an additional entry if you’ve already qualified one of the other ways!

What are you still reading for? 5 sales are easy to make! Get to it now and make sure you get your chance at one of the great prizes! In case you’ve somehow missed it or just need a recap, head here for all of the contest info!

Not an affiliate? Even if you don’t get on board in time to qualify for the contest, you can still earn 700% commissions! Sign-up today!

The day has come for the last prize package to be revealed! The iContact contest is in full force with a little more than 2 weeks left to go. We’ve already revealed the A/V and Active/On-The-Go prizes and gotten some great reactions from those. so now, it’s time for a prize for the ladies (guys – your girlfriends and wives would probably enjoy this one too). Here is the Fashionista…

The Details…

• Prada Black Lambskin/Snakeskin Tote (Valued at $1395)
• Gucci Sukey Original GG Top Handle (Valued at $875)
• Versace Sunglasses (Valued at $265)
• Movado Amorosa Stainless Steel Bangle Watch (Valued at $495)

While there might not be many pieces to this package, there are definitely some beautiful and quality pieces included! Total value for this package comes out to $3030! Not a bad set of fashion accessories from some of the top designers in the world! As with all the other prize packs, if an item from this collection is not available at the time prizes are awarded, it will be substituted with another item of equivalent style, quality, and value and will be just as fantastic!

As the contest rolls on through these last couple of weeks, make sure you push hard to get qualified. You cannot win if you don’t meet one of the qualifications or earn one of the bonus entries! Speaking of bonus entries, make sure that you keep an eye on the iContact section of the mgecom affiliate blog, the mgecom Twitter account, and your email for newsletters letting you know what opportunities are available.

If you’re not an iContact affiliate, apply today so you can get qualified by the end of the month when the contest ends!

If you’re an iContact affiliate, you should have received a newsletter by now letting you know about the second prize pack in the affiliate contest going on now (Active and On-The-Go). If you’re not an affiliate…why not!? You can’t win the prize if you’re not an affiliate! Sign up today so you can get in on the contest!

But, just in case you missed the email or you haven’t gotten on board with the program just yet, I wanted to post the Active and On-The-Go Prize Pack here. Then, you will know 2 of the 3 prizes you can choose from if you win the contest! To delay no longer, here is Prize Pack #2…

If you’re an affiliate who likes to get outside and away from your computer from time to time, this is the prize for you. With a getaway in mind, we started it off with a Columbia Cougar Flats II Cabin Tent! This thing is big enough to sleep up to 8 people so you and some friends can take off and enjoy the great outdoors. While out though, you’ll need to eat, so we’ve thought of that too and included the Coleman Road Trip LX Portable Propane Grill. It has a stand, multiple cooking surfaces, and it can collapse and be compact enough to take tailgating but rugged enough to stand up to the campsite.

If you like to be outdoors, you probably like being active as well, so we took this into consideration and threw in everything you’ll need to hit some trails. We’ve included a Schwinn 405 Mountain Bike so you can go for a ride, Oakley shades (Monster Dog for guys or Ravishing for the ladies) to protect your eyes, and the new 16GB iPod Nano so you can listen to some tunes (it takes pictures and video too!). And, just in case you see a butterfly, flower, or some other fine specimen that you want to get a good snap shot of, we’re tossing in a Cannon EOS Digital Rebel T1i 15 MP DSLR camera with lens. This camera will allow for beautiful photographs and has way more features than I even know how to use.

Finally, just because we know that affiliates don’t want to be too disconnected from theirs websites, campaigns, or offices we have included the ultra-portable Dell Inspiron Mini netbook. So, now you’re covered. You can work and play while you’re on the go and enjoy that active lifestyle away from the computer desk. Check out the images of the products below!

Here’s a recap of the prizes included in this package…

• Columbia Tent (valued at $340)
• Coleman Portable Grill (valued at $219.99)
• Schwinn Mountain Bike (valued at $729.99)
• 16GB iPod Nano (valued at $179.99)
• Oakley Shades (valued at $155 for the Monster Dog and $175 for the Ravishing)
• Cannon DSLR Camera (valued at $899.99)
• Dell Mini Netbook (valued at $349.99)

Overall, that brings the total prize value into the ball park of about $2885 (+/- about $10 depending on which Oakleys you end up with). You get a ton of stuff with this pack and the A/V Pack wasn’t too shabby either, but just remember, there’s still one more Prize Pack yet to be revealed! The Fashionista package is next on the list so stay tuned!

If you missed out previously, you can head here to find out all the details on how to get qualified for the contest. Stay tuned for the last prize package unveiling and your chance to earn bonus entries into the contest!

We recently updated the primary large square, skyscraper/sidebar, and full size banner creatives in the CJ interface of the iContact Affiliate Program! If you had the sale banners running through the middle of last week, you will have noticed that those banners have automatically been changed to the new creative. For those of you who haven’t seen these new banners, you can see a sample below, but be sure to head over to CJ to check out all of the sizes available.

As a heads up to our affiliates, you can expect to see banner updates happening more frequently and on more sizes, so if there are any banners/creatives that you are particularly fond of, or need specifically for your site, please email me so I will no not to remove them in the system or so we can make sure that there is a new banner/button/etc. that will meet your needs.

Make sure you take the time to check out these banners and make any updates to your site that you might need to. These will be great tools to help you as the current affiliate contest rolls on! We have several affiliates who are very close to qualifying so keep up the hard work! Also, make sure to keep an eye on this blog as well as the mgecom Twitter account for news on the prize packs and potential bonus entry opportunities!

Not an affiliate yet? Join now and get in on the contest action!

The iContact contest has been underway for nearly 2 weeks already! It’s flying by and it’s great to see so many affiliates working toward getting qualified for the drawing that will take place once the contest wraps on October 31st. Remember to keep working toward that goal and make sure that you stay tuned to the blog here and check your newsletters for bonus entry opportunities!

Right now however, it’s time to reveal the first of the 3 prize packages that the winning affiliate will get to choose from! We have titled this pack “A/V” and it’s an entertainment enthusiast’s dream! Here’s what it contains…

Note: Excuse the poor image quality…Actual prizes will look much better.

Included in the prize package is…

• A Sony Bravia 52″ LCD HDTV/240Hz/ 1080p (Valued at $2799.99)
• A Klipsch HD Theater 300 5.1 Surround Sound System with Subwoofer and Satellite Speakers (Valued at $399.99)
• A Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Gaming System/Blu-Ray Player (Valued at $299.99)

Note: If any of the above prizes are not available at the time that the prize is awarded, it will be replaced with an item of similar function, quality, and value. Don’t worry. It will still be awesome.

The only things we’ve left out are the games, Blu-Ray discs, and popcorn to get your party started! This is an awesome prize pack with a total value of just under $3500 and it could be yours! All you have to do is qualify. In case you’ve forgotten how to get an entry into the drawing, here’s a refresher…

• Have consistent referrals of 6 sales per week for 4 weeks.
• Have one week of 12 referred sales.
• Have a total of 60 referred sales for the duration of the contest (Sept. 14 – Oct 31)

*Bonus Entry Opportunity!* Refer 15 sales during the iContact Pre-Holiday Sale going on NOW! (Sept. 23 – Sept. 30)

There you have it! Get out there and start sending customers to iContact! Get qualified early so you know you’ve got a chance at one of the prizes. Remember to stay tuned here to the blog or to the mgecom Twitter account for updates and news on the other 2 prize packs, as well as other bonus opportunities! Also keep an eye out for newsletters with similar info.

Update! Prize Pack #2 (Active and On-The-Go) Revealed!

Update! Prize Pack #3 (Fashionista) Revealed!

If you’re not an affiliate, you can’t qualify to win the prize. So, sign up today so you can start promoting and get your shot!

It’s about that time again. We’re quickly heading into Q4, and that means it’s time to start promoting for the holiday season if you’re in retail. iContact is well aware of this, so just in time for Q4 promotions, they have one of their own! Between now and September 30th, anyone who upgrades from a free trial to a paid account will get 15% off their monthly rate! Already have a paid account but need to increase your contact list size? Upgrade to a bigger plan and get 15% off as well!

This is a great time to either increase your email marketing efforts or just get them started. During the sale, monthly rates start at $8.46 per month (regularly $9.95). It’s hard to beat this deal! On top of that, if customers pay for a full year, they get another 10% off as well!

Get this deal out quick since it won’t last long! Banners and text links featuring the sale are already in place in CJ so head over to your Account Manager to pick up the code for these links!

As always, email me with any questions. It’s a great time to start promoting iContact with such a great offer, so if you’re not an affiliate, sign up today!

Also, don’t forget about the contest going on now!