I’m glad to see that that Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Direct Marketing Association (DMA) have been working closely together in order to strengthen the best practice charter with the addition of a section dedicated to affiliate marketing.

Guidelines for other verticals within Internet marketing such as email marketing and Search Engine Optimisation are already in place with satisfactory guidelines. So let us update you what happend regarding the new affiliate marketing guidelines:

The Charter offers a self-certifying formal framework of best practice for Internet marketing companies. The new affiliate section includes the following guidelines:

• Internet Marketing companies will declare to the client if they carry out affiliate work on an account that they manage.
• Internet Marketing firms will encourage / facilitate client and affiliate communication. To ensure affiliates keep SEM messaging on brand a internet marketing company must be proactive in driving communications between the client and affiliate.
• Internet Marketing companies and client must provide a clear dispute procedure. To create a clear process for affiliates to dispute a declined earned commission. To ensure a timely process for communicating any changes to ‘keyword policy’ between all parties. To facilitate better working relationships between affiliates, SEMCo’s and ultimately, the client.
• Internet Marketing companies must publish a point of contact for their affiliate manager.
• Affiliate manager must provide internet marketing companies with landing page documents to include HTML and appropriate graphics and Flash files. To ensure that a internet marketing firm understands the structure of a landing page to fully optimise a campaign.

Search marketing companies that adhere to the charter can highlight their compliance with an IAB ‘best practice icon’ published on their website and/or additional promotional company literature.

The Search Council, which has regular representation from the UK’s top search engines, agencies and advertisers, has been developing further guidelines for trademarking. These will be announced before the end of the year and further additions including further skills based criteria will follow throughout 2008.

Over the coming weeks, the IAB is also publishing an affiliate marketing guide, aimed at advertisers, which will cover all areas of affiliate marketing and best practice. Looking forward to read it..