Interview: Jonathon Cole (DeluxeAds)

We're very excited to present our 50th interview with Jonathon Cole of DeluxeAds. Jonathon Cole is the CEO and owner of DeluxeAds affiliate network. DeluxeAds was founded about a year and a half ago. We've seen the company grow exponentially. Every month DeluxeAds shows tremendous growth. You can find their affiliate paying review Here. It was really a pleasure interviewing Jonathon, as I have known him for a little over a year now.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. How old are you? Where do you live?

I grew up in Naperville, which is a western suburb of Chicago. I have two older sisters, as well as great parents. I went to college at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and currently live in San Diego, California. I do not have a lot of free time, however when I do I like to skydive, ride my motorcycle, and spend time with friends and family. I also enjoy traveling the world.

2. How long have you been working in this industry and how did you get involved?

I got involved in computers at a very young age, and have been fascinated by them ever since. I started my first company at the age of thirteen, and have never looked back. One of my clients introduced me to the affiliate marketing scene about eight years ago. I was on the publishing side of the industry, until we started DeluxeAds roughly a year and a half ago.

3. What has been your biggest success to date?

Growing up my father always told me that nothing in life will be as rewarding as helping others. Being young, I did not believe that. I could not fathom helping someone would give me greater satisfaction then owning say, a nice sports car. However, years ago I decided to go down on a volunteer project to Honduras. I immediately fell in love with the kids at the orphanage. I came back and felt like I had to do more. I raised money through fundraising and orchestrated the construction of a computer center for an orphanage of 200 kids. I went down multiple times to set up the computer center. The computers are used for schooling, as well as communication.

4. What was the biggest mistake you made when you first started doing Affiliate Marketing?

I made several mistakes at the start of my affiliate marketing career. First, I came up with several ideas, however none of them came to fruition. Second, I would find a campaign, which earned a great ROI, and I would not further optimize the campaign. Lastly, I did not network with as many people as I should have.

5. There are quite a few other CPA networks around - why did you start another one? What makes DeluxeAds different? Why should affiliates consider joining DeluxeAds?

As a publisher I was tired of getting pushed around by advertisers, as well as the poor service I was receiving from networks. I decided to start DeluxeAds because I knew I could do it better. I knew what the other networks lacked and capitalized on it. DeluxeAds offers superior service, payouts, and offers. DeluxeAds always goes the extra mile for our publishers. Our affiliate managers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, not just during the normal workweek. I also make myself available for any publisher to reach out to.

6. Do you offer bi-weekly or weekly payouts? If so, how much does one have to make to qualify?

DeluxeAds offers weekly payouts. Publishers generally have to earn roughly $1,000 a week to be moved to weekly payouts. However, our standard payment schedule is net-15.

7. Does DeluxeAds have any exclusive offers that other networks don't have?

Yes, DeluxeAds has an exclusive penny auction offer, as well as insurance offers.

8. Which traffic sources prove to be the most effective for your top earning affiliates - E-mail, PPC, CPV, SEO, Social, Media Buying or any others?

The majority of our publishers generate traffic through media buys, social media, as well as email. However, we work with publishers across a wide range of traffic mediums!

9. I see you are using LinkTrust as your affiliate network platform. What made you pick them instead of choosing HitPath, Cake Marketing, DirectTrack or HasOffers etc.? Do you have a plan to create your own network platform?

DeluxeAds has recently switched from DirectTrack to LinkTrust at the beginning of 2011. We have been very happy with the switch for numerous reasons. First, uptime has been much better with LinkTrust, no more outages with DirectTrack. Second, the tracking has noticeably gotten faster, as well as more accurate. Lastly, the development, in the few months we have been with LinkTrust we have seen many releases and developments in their software.

10. Does DeluxeAds accept affiliates outside the US/Canada?

Yes, however we require a scan of a valid government issued photo id.

11. How does DeluxeAds prevent and handle fraud?

DeluxeAds employs a compliance team which monitors traffic, as well as checks quality reports with advertisers. If any affiliate is caught sending fraudulent traffic to any campaigns, they will be terminated immediately and all payments will be withheld. Fraud has become an increasing problem in this industry; about 80% of our applications are fraudulent publishers. Fraudulent publishers believe they are committing a harmless crime, however many companies have lost millions of dollars due to fraud.

12. For those who are interested in working with you and your affiliate network - What's the best way/time to reach you?

I am available 24 hours a day. I can be reached by email at jc@deluxeads.com or by my direct line at 619-356-4066.

13. In your opinion, what are the best places for a newbie affiliate to learn affiliate marketing? What tips/tricks would you give them to lift their performance?

Always stay up to date with industry blogs, read as many books as possible, and register for all the industry forums. There is always more one can learn, or do to enhance their knowledge. My advice is to never give up; it could take months to finally get a profitable campaign.

14. What are the keys to building successful relationships between Affiliates and Affiliate Networks? What are some of the challenges of being an Affiliate Manager/Owner?

I always stay up to date with affiliates and other affiliate networks. Instead of the generic emails sent out by all networks, we maintain great relationships with our publishers. Our affiliate managers constantly get on the phone with publishers to see what we can be doing better, or what we can do to further their business. There is a TON of competition so networks have to separate themselves from the pack.

15. How do you feel about the health of the Affiliate Industry overall? If you could change one thing about the affiliate industry, what would it be?

I believe the health of our industry is threatened with increasing FTC regulations, as well as increased fraudulent activity. If I had to change one thing about the industry, I would remove fraudulent activity or find a better way to police it.

16. What are DeluxeAds's goals in 2011?

We want to make you more money, pay you quicker, and provide you better service.

17. What industry conferences do you usually attend, and which is your favorite?

DeluxeAds attends Affiliate Summit, LeadsCon, as well as Ad:Tech conferences. Our favorite conference is Affiliate Summit west.

18. What affiliate marketing blogs do you read regularly and why?

JonathanVolk/PPC.bz/AdHustler/IanFernando/PPVPlayBook/FinchSells/SuperAffiliateTwins. I read these blogs to stay up to date on the industry, as well as expand my knowledge of the industry.

19. Give us a little glimpse into what a typical day in your life looks like.

I wake up around 5am every day, get on the computer to check emails, get ready, and then head to the office around 6am. I will stay at the office until about 7-8pm. I head home, but I’m constantly monitoring emails and I’m still available to clients. I eventually go to sleep and repeat it all the next day, hoping to further your business!

Many thanks to Jonathon for sharing your time with us and for sharing some great insight tips here! If you have any experience with DeluxeAds, please write a review for them on the DeluxeAds Review page. PS. If you are an affiliate marketer, AM or Network owner and are interested in answering a few questions about you, your network and affiliate marketing, please drop us a message.