The Instant Merchant Account affiliate program from iMAX Bancard has been running quietly for some time now. However, for those of you who are members of the program, you may have noticed a few changes to the landing page/application page. Though the changes have been small, they are significant, so here’s a rundown of what has been tweaked…

Lowest Rate Guarantee: iMAX has added a guarantee that they have the lowest rates. In fact, if you are processing with iMAX and find another company that will process payments for lower qualified rates, they will pay you $500 and close your merchant account with no early termination fee.

Added Security: Another item you’ll notice being added is a new security badge to the page. While all application submissions were secure before, IMA has beefed up its security efforts to give all applicants greater peace of mind.

Application Review: Instead of having applicants review their application information prior to clicking the “Submit” button, we have moved the review to a second page of the application process. Now when an applicant clicks the big red button at the bottom of the page, they will be able to review all of their entries into the app, review payment terms, etc. and then finalize their application.

All of these changes and additions make for a much better user experience and we hope that all of our affiliates are seeing the benefits! If you have any other recommended adjustments to the landing page to help with conversions, don’t hesitate to email us!

New tool for you GeneTree.com affiliates to use!  Often times your traffic will find it very difficult to do reserach, getting lost in terms of what steps they should take to answer some of those questions about their family’s past.  What can you do with a DNA testing kit? And how do you interpret results? GeneTree.com now offers consultations for people to learn and disect the information they have to take the next steps to find an answer.  GeneTree.com’s experts can help find the answers that many need to learn more. Don’t let your traffic get stumped! Provide them with GeneTree.com as the best solution for answers.

Check into CJ to find more helpful text links and banners to promote these wonderful new services, and if you need more banners or have any questions, please contact me for more details.

If you’re not a GeneTree affiliate, there’s no better time to sign up than right now! Click here for more info!

First, thanks to all of the affiliates that have join and helped get the Debt.com and DebtSettlement.com affiliate program off the ground so quickly! The quick takeoff has even exceeded what we had anticipated and we couldn’t be more excited, so thank you!

While we are happy to see things getting off to such a quick start, we have seen a few things that we feel will help you make higher quality referrals, thus reducing the number of leads that get returned. There are only a few things that a lead can be returned for: debt amount under $10K, invalid phone and/or email address, and obviously if it is a duplicate lead. So, to keep from having these types of submissions come through, just to get reversed (and your commissions along with it!) there are a few steps that you can take to pre-qualify your leads to ensure that you get all of the commissions you deserve.

1. Content: On your website, in email blasts, and even in paid search adds put some qualifying language. Let people who are clicking through know that these services are for those in debt excess of $10,000. Granted, this won’t stop some from still submitting forms that do not qualify, but it should go a long way in reducing your returnable leads.

2. Encourage/Build Confidence: Let those who might click through your links know that they need to fill in BOTH email and phone number with valid information or else they will not be contacted. The reason this is required is to validate the leads and ensures the quality of the lead. If they really want debt help, they need to put in both pieces of contact info. They will only be contacted for debt help services and their number and email address will not be traded or sold to any other solicitors.

3. Send them to us: Point your links directly to the Debt.com or DebtSettlement.com affiliate landing pages. We have designed these pages for optimal conversions and are continuing to tweak it to best suit affiliate generated traffic. If you have recommendations on how to improve these pages, be sure to email me and let me know. We rely heavily on affiliate feedback to improve this aspect of the program. Sending referrals directly to this page allows us to be sure that the lead is only coming to one of our sites. This protects the consumer filling out the lead from having the information spread about to multiple agencies, thus opening them up for SPAM and harassing sales calls.

These three things will go a long way to ensure that you are able to make more high quality referrals and be able to keep the commissions they generate. As I said before, we rely heavily on affiliate feedback, so I do encourage all affiliates to contact me regarding tools that you feel will best help you promote this program, and any suggested changes to creatives, text links, and landing pages. You have already worked to make this program a success from the start and your comments and suggestions will make it even better!

If you’re not an affiliate, sign up to be one today!

As with all affiliate programs, knowledge is ultimately the greatest tool in making referrals that turn into sales. For those of you using website content or even search campaigns to promote the DNA Testing Kits that GeneTree.com offers, you need to know what it is you’re selling. However, unless your a doctor, med student or research scientist, it can be hard to follow all of the language relating to DNA testing and charting. So, the more you learn, the more you can pass along to potential customers, thus being the informative bridge they need to make a purchase, which in turn puts money in your pocket.

Today, I decided to give a little lingo lesson on the word “Haplogroup.” If you click around the GeneTree site, it won’t take long before you come across this word and find that the tests that GeneTree offers can tell you what you haplogroup is! That’s awesome! Who wouldn’t want to know what haplogroup they belong to! Wait…what’s a haplogroup again? Well, I’m about to tell you…

Haplogroup:

In the study of molecular evolution, a haplogroup (from the Greek: ??????, haploûs, “onefold, single, simple”) is a group of similar haplotypes that share a common ancestor with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutation. (via Reference.com & Wikipedia)

Yeah…if you’re anything like me, that didn’t help you at all. So, I dug a little deeper, sorted through the technical jargon and came up with a less complicated explanation of what’s involved in determining a haplogroup and what it can really tell you.

There are two different types of Haplogroups. One is determined by “patrilineal” or Y-DNA (or DNA passed from father to son), and the other by “matrilineal” or mtDNA (or DNA passed from mother to daughter/son). So by finding out the haplogroup defined by either of these lines of DNA can give perspective on where you come from. However, one thing to consider is that if you are a woman, you can ONLY find your patrilineal haplogroup from a close male relative (brother, uncle, father) taking a Y-DNA test, as the Y-chromosome from which Y-DNA comes is not present in females.

So, now we know where the haplogroups are found, but what do they tell us? After studying, probably for many years and many strands of DNA, researchers have discovered a number of groups and each one is common to specific regions of the world. There are also variations of each to indicate even the country of origin for each haplogroup. The reason they are able to do this is (especially with Y-DNA groups) is that genetic mutation in these markers are rare and limited to chance due to the fact that there is no intermixture of parental genetic material.

Above: You can even see where your haplogroup has migrated over the generations!

While this can’t tell you the name of your long lost great-great-great-great-uncle, it can really tell you a lot about your personal history and heritage, and that of your paternal and maternal lines. In discovering this information, new worlds can be opened to you as you are given new direction in searching for members of your lineage, based on the regions and country of your origin.

I hope that this has given a little more clarity on this aspect of what DNA testing can offer to genealogists out there so you can promote the tests offered by GeneTree. You can check out the whole testing line that GeneTree carries by clicking here (and you will now have a slightly better understanding of the reasons for Male/Female vs. Male Only tests).

Also, if you’re not a GeneTree affiliate, there’s no better time to sign up than right now! Click here for more info!

Being a lead gen program on CJ, I was surprised to find the number of coupon and deal affiliates that were applying to the program. While I know that many of you that fit into this category make it a habit to join every program and sort it out later, I was still not expecting it. However, I am very glad you did (or will if you haven’t).

At first, I was scratching my head trying to come up with a way that you could promote either Debt.com or DebtSettlement.com or both for that matter. I mean, neither site sells anything and thus it’s kind of hard to have a coupon or a deal for that matter. So, while doing some routine maintenance on the account and checking all of our links, I came across a text link I had created:

DebtSettlement.com – FREE Consultation. Apply Online Today!

Of course! Something we offer for FREE! Something for nothing is always the best deal and we offer this for both Debt.com and DebtSettlement.com. So, if you have a “freebies” section or even a financial services section, this is where to include a link with text reflecting the Free Consultation that is available from both sites! All that is required of your site visitors is that they fill out a simple and short lead form and you sit back to collect the commissions!

While this is just one possible way to promote the program, I definitely feel that it is well suited to our coupon and deal sites and I encourage each of you that fit in that category to get it a try. As always, if you have any questions or need help with promoting, I’m here to help so don’t hesitate to email me, and if you’re not an affiliate but want to be then sign up today!

Chances are that you’re traffic won’t completely understand the benefits and uses of the DNA testing kits at GeneTree.com, so make sure that you have the right content on your website to provide them with enough information to help them make the best purchase.  If you don’t have the time to write up some unique content, you can use some of the resources on GeneTree.com to learn more about DNA.  If you want to take things a step further, you can provide your traffic with some of the reviews and success stories when using these DNA-testing kits from GeneTree.com.   If you think your traffic is going to have more questions in mind, don’t forget that you can link to a direct chat with a GeneTree.com representative.

There is a ton of information about genealogy testing and the benefits of these DNA kits so be sure you get a good understanding before you write up too much content!

Not in the GeneTree.com Affiliate Program? Join on CJ or contact Nick Szeto for more details!

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new program to the mgecom family. We have recently launched and are managing the Debt.com/DebtSettlement.com Affiliate Program on Commission Junction! This program focuses on two sites designed to connect consumers with debt help specialists. The services that these specialists are able to offer include debt management, debt consolidation, debt settlement, and credit counseling. Debt.com has a strong focus on receiving leads for debt consolidation services, while DebtSettlement.com focuses more on debt settlement referrals (thus the name). Here’s more info about the program itself:

Lead Gen/Pay Per Lead

This program pays per lead. Both sites have short, easy to follow lead forms on designated affiliate landing pages. As the program grows, we will be testing many other pages, widgets, and advanced links for affiliates to be able to collect leads directly from their sites and more (stay tuned…)

More Leads = More Money

We designed the commission structure for this program to both challenge and reward our affiliates. With a tiered pay system, affiliates have the opportunity to earn between $14 and $20 per lead depending on lead volume for the month.

One program. Two sites. More opportunities. Less tracking.

With this program housing both Debt.com and DebtSettlement.com it allows affiliates to have the opportunity to promote 2 different sites, and have tracking consolidated into one program.

Dedicated Management from Yours Truly

Debt.com/DebtSettlement.com has decided to partner with us here at mgecom to provide them with the exceptional account management that affiliates have come to expect from us. We are happy to have them on board and we look forward to making this program one of the best on Commission Junction and making it a mutually beneficial program for both affiliates and this newest client.

If you have any questions about the programs, you can check out the affiliate info pages at either Debt.com or DebtSettlement.com or you can sign up today! Be sure to email us if you would like further information.

A lot of people may ask, Why GeneTree.com?  What makes their services different from all the other sites?  The best thing to differentiate these services is that GeneTree.com offers a lab accreditation.  Without a lab accreditation, you can’t be sure that your test results are accurate.  Ancestry lacks this lab accreditation where their practices may not align with the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) or the CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments).  So this means that GeneTree.com is the obvious choice for not wasting your time and money, and your traffic should understand the complete benefits of GeneTree.com over Ancestry.com.

On top of the lab accreditation, GeneTree.com has backing by SMGF or the Sorensen Molecular Genealogical Foundation which maintains the world’s most extensive and trusted database of genealogical information.   When your traffic is making the decision about how to best learn about their heritage, they can use GeneTree.com’s superior DNA testing kits to have the most accurate, reliable data around.

Not in the GeneTree.com Affiliate Program? Join on Commission Junction or contact Nick for more Details.

At GeneTree.com you have the ability to learn all about your family’s past and ancestral origins.  There are consultants with great amounts of knowledge, and with the DNA tests they have available, they can give you a multitude of information about yourself and your blood-line’s past.  But it isn’t easy to figure out which DNA test is best for you, or what DNA test you’ll need to find that specific information, so be sure you have your traffic chat with one of the consultants to help them decide which DNA test is best.

Also, to keep everyone updated, we should have some fresh and great new promotions within the next few weeks, so be sure to check back in and stay tuned for details about this wonderful new affiliate program that is revolutionizing genealogy.  If you aren’t a part of it, you should consider joining on Commission Junction or contact me for more details.

It’s really important to understand what GeneTree.com is offering, and I feel the best way for everyone to learn about the site is by going through all the links and videos to get a better understanding.  A lot may consider this information boring, but these tests are lab accredited and there are many things you can learn by using these DNA tests.  I’ll recommend that you not only watch these videos, but read these testimonials about how these tests have impacted people’s lives.  There are several success stories that can be very helpful for you in terms of writing content.  Below is a success story that shows how your traffic can benefit from GeneTree.com’s products.

Success in Seattle

The ability to hurdle family history research barriers with DNA testing has revolutionized the hobby of genealogy, solving many problems where traditional methods dead-end, such as missing or inaccurate paper records. Cynthia Wilson, an administrative assistant living in Seattle, spent 13 years of vacations in Virginia and North Carolina courthouses and libraries poring over old deeds, probate records and birth registries, to learn five generations of maternal ancestry.

“I wanted to identify and verify my grandmothers on my maternal side,” she said. “I don’t mind the hard work of research and I even like to read difficult documents, like old court records,” she said. “But I don’t like brick walls.” And she had hit a big one. Her research showed that her fourth great-grandmother probably lived in colonial America around 1775. But there the trail went cold because of the incomplete records kept of her African-American ancestors who were brought as slaves into the American south.

The solution? Testing her mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a service offered at GeneTree. mtDNA is a powerful tool for tracing maternal ancestry for both men and women because it is inherited by children exclusively from their mothers. Therefore a living person can be tested to represent the DNA profile of an ancestor. Then, if a matching genetic profile is found, it is very possible that common ancestry can be established.

Cynthia found an exact genetic match in the SMGF database that points to her family origins to Mali, Africa. “I was very surprised to find one perfect genetic match and 10 near-perfect matches on the Sorenson mtDNA database,” Cynthia said. “I really wasn’t expecting that. Could it be that I have ‘jumped the pond’?”

“This is a dramatic example of the possibilities the mtDNA-genealogy database holds for those who are researching the maternal side of their family history,” said Scott Woodward, executive director of SMGF. “It allowed Cynthia Wilson to reach beyond the end of her paper research all the way to Africa. This is the type of discovery that makes maternal ancestry research an extremely rewarding experience for families, and it was impossible only a few years ago.”

Cynthia is optimistic about following her personal thread of history further and learning more. “I am very encouraged by what I’ve found on the SMGF database and already I’ve begun preliminary research about Mali and its people.”

Genetree.com is revolutionizing Genealogy, be sure that you join in and take advantage of this growing industry.  Join now on CJ or contact Nick Szeto for more details!