Internet television provider Instant Media introduced an affiliate marketing program putting pay-for performance marketing at the forefront of the company’s strategy.
The Palo Alto, CA, company is offering $1-per-download to any Web site that will feature banner ads and other creative encouraging viewers to download Instant Media software.
“We’re really expecting a lot out of this program,” said Joe Raffetto, affiliate marketing manager at Instant Media. “We’re expecting a lot of users to come through this channel.”
Mr. Raffetto said that the company would track the number of users downloading the player and hoped to acquire more than 1 million users over the next year through the affiliate program.
The Instant Media player launched in May and is available as a free download at www.instantmedia.com . It plays content in high-definition and currently offers viewers a selection of more than 450 channels of content like BuyTV, CNN News Hour, MTV News Raw, ABC News Daily Dish and Nova science.
Instant Media is working with ValueClick’s Commission Junction Network to provide affiliates with real-time tracking. A day after its launch on July 6, Instant Media reported nearly 200 affiliates had signed on to the program.
Joining the affiliate program is free. Affiliates are provided with content data feeds, a range of banners and buttons and targeted text links. Instant Media only pays for U.S. downloads on a monthly basis. Checks are issued for a minimum of $25.
“We’re trying to create the best of breed in interactive marketing,” Mr. Raffetto said. “It’s low-risk and high-reward for everybody involved.”
Mr. Raffetto joined the company at the beginning of June, bringing his experience and industry connections from his time at MacWorld and Commission Junction. He said that part of his role at Instant Media would be to specifically target like-minded sites to offer them membership in the affiliate program.
Instant Media also plans to promote the program at affiliate summits and conferences. The target for the affiliate program is broad and includes videocasters, paid search marketers, search engine optimization specialists, content sites, price comparison sites and any other online properties that have an interest in promoting Instant Media.
“They [affiliate sites] are able to give more benefit to the audience coming to their site,” Mr. Raffetto said, “and that is one of the major incentives to join the program.”
