Internet Marketing Blog

The Proper Care And Feeding Of JV Partners - Part 1

By Mike Merz

In this article series, I'll be revealing proven ways to make your
JV fueled campaigns more consistent and productive ... whether
short or long term.

1) Finding the right JV partners.

Generally, the difference between common affiliates and JV
partners is that the latter are specifically sought out by the
merchant, affiliate manager, or JV broker because of their
success within the market the product is targeting ... they have
a successful track record, and credibility ... and the merchant
normally takes extra steps to entice them to participate.

I've found in my experience that often times a lesser known
potential partner has actually been more successful than the well
known 'Guru', due to the fact that their lists and traffic were
specifically targeted to the promotion being offered.

Although there are popular tools and services you can purchase
to find JV partners, here are a few free options I've used,
successfully.

A) Alexa.com - although the results found are far from accurate
(data is gathered via users of the Alexa toolbar, so the results
are not consistent across the board), it's certainly accurate
enough to acquire valuable info.

B) The popular directories (The Open Directory Project (DMOZ),
Yahoo, etc.) - unlike search engines, those listed had to
jump through additional hoops to get accepted ... making it
more likely they are established in their niche. Yes ... there is
a possibility they knew someone on the inside that helped them
get listed, but that's the exception ... not the rule.

C) Top results in the major search engines (Google, Yahoo
Search, MSN Search, etc.) - even less accurate than B ... but
still reliable enough to do further research.

D) Nichebot.com - aside from being a great tool for targeting
keywords/phrases for SEO and PPC, Nichebot.com is also a handy
way to find top performers for specific terms in the major search
engines.

E) Word of mouth - it's possible to bypass the aforementioned
methods in certain instances if you already know someone that
has a relationship with a 'player', or 'players', in your niche. Ask
them to introduce you to them ... and, if the potential JV partner
is receptive to your interest in ongoing interaction, you'll be
further along in your initial quest of building a relationship with
them that could lead to promotion of your wares down the line.

F) Attend a seminar - you can't look at a seminar in the way of
how much money you're going to spend, but rather as an
investment ... the dividends of which depends a great deal on
your actions. In addition to taking away as much usable
knowledge as you can from the event, seminars are a hot bed
for potential JV opportunities during down time ... many a
successful JV relationship has been created in coffee shops,
restaurants and bars before and after the actual day's events.

The Proper Care And Feeding Of JV Partners - Part 2
How To Get Potential JV Partners On Board Your Promotion

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Mike Merz is a well known JV Broker, Affiliate Manager, and
owner of http://www.JVNotifyPro.com - The Joint Venture
Marketing community for experienced JV Marketers.

You are free to use this article, as long as the contents ...
and this resource box, remains unchanged.

Copyright 2006 Mike Merz