Is anyone from the UK signed up to BIP
Submitted by karenlb on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 17:07.
We stayed up again last night so as not to miss out on this exciting project. There was still some useful things in there for us - but as we're based in the UK we're not sure how to work the US market.
Does anyone know any UK based affiliate marketers working in the US?
Following Mondays session we've done some brainstorming and come up with some ideas but last nights session made us realise it might not be so easy to get it all of the ground.
Any ideas - anyone?
Karen
I live the the USA but I'm English. Also, I'm affiliated with companies from both sides of the pond. Why do you think it might not be so easy to get things off the ground?
I suppose the main questions I have relate to the Tax and VAT issue - dealing with the Inland Revenue isn't great at the best of times.
Can we operate with just a British bank account - and if not how can I get an american account if I don't have an address...
Does having a UK based webhost make any difference, what do the affiliate networks make of us Brits!
Just lots of little questions...
I'm in this for the long haul so I am prepared to take the time to get everything right at the beginning with the intention of reaping the rewards later.
Any advice you can give - or resources you could point me in the direction of - would be great.
K
I know there are quite a few Brits in the BIP, but I'm not sure how many of them are active in the forum. Any suggestions for waking them up?
Hi Jeremy,
yes I am a Brit but live in Southern Spain, just joined the Forum. Also would like to say firstly what an absolutely brilliant job you are doing for us all. THANKYOU. I am a real Newbie and digesting all your teachings before falling into any traps or wasting time and money .
One question, may have been asked somewhere else, Media Player will not play the recordings! Downloading one session seems to be 1 1/2 hours! Maybe I am doing something wrong! But managed to get Session one through WebX which was good, is it possible to do this with the other Sessions. Did stay up for Session 3 Live but was nearly 2 in the morning here, so for me the recordings are better.......
Looking forward to more brilliant info and news for you.
Onwards and Upwards.
Ann (Magnets) :-)
Hi Ann,
Did you get the videos working?
If not, lets work on this.
First, you are using the windows media player, right?
After the .wmv downloads became available,
nobody seemed to have any problems.
(except some of the mac users)
So I expect that the file is corrupted,
or something similar that can be worked out.
Are you using a dial-up connection to download them?
Because interruptions can cause a corrupt file.
If so, you might need the help of a downloader that
will keep track of interruptions and be able to re-start the download correctly.
First, make sure you have a valid file.
Go here: http://www.theblackinkproject.com/blog/?p=25
Then "right click" and choose "save as".
If the file downloads without a problem,
and still doesn't work, post again.
We'll go from there, K?
Hope it helps.
Brad.
I'm from Manchester in the UK and sorry I've not commented and/or posted before!
Forums have never been my thing but I think I'm appreciating that this forum is going to be a really useful resource.
I've been staying up late to keep up with the BIP seminars too and they've been great so far.
Karen - to answer your question. I think there is a big affiliate market here in the UK too but I'm not sure if you should concentrate on the US. It might be easier for us (the Brits) to use the UK affiliate networks but I'm sure Jeremy could shed more light on this. I'm guessing that you'll get a lot more traffic if it's US based but there's some UK based super-affiliates over here too.
I tried to sign up for Azoogle (based in the US) as my very first network but when I had to fill in a US tax form which I had little knowledge off it scared me a little! I've joined up with the UK based Webgains.com and there are plenty more. Also, check out some of the UK affiliate blogs like www.affiliatestuff.co.uk for a useful insight into the UK industry.
I'll now go and introduce myself properly in the introduction threads which I should have done months ago! :)
Nice to meet you Marc.
I'm aware of the UK market - although not active in it either. We probably have ideas above our station and are intending to conquer both! Maybe it comes down to being a big fish in a little pond, or a little fish in a big pond.
The affiliate market in the UK is not as developed as the US so I am sure there are areas left to exploit.
In the US market we have found affiliate programs to support our niche which we're struggling to find in the UK.
We're a bit bleary eyed by this stage of the week - but determined to stay the course - goodness only knows what state we'll be in by the end of June!
Thanks for responding Marc, see you around!
K
Nice to meet you too Karen.
It would definitely be interesting to know from someone more experienced whether it's worth concentrating on UK affiliate markets rather than the US.
Has anyone from the US had success in UK markets or vice-versa?
Yeah, I'm hoping to stay away for the duration of the course too!
But my wife and I have had a baby in the past year so I'm used to the torture that is sleep deprivation! :)
Karen And Mark
I am the US and have a site with a UK version.
Aside from basic differences the sites are similar. You seem to travel more; we spend more on clothing. We are not allowed to promote gambling, you have an incredible number of gambling sites.
In order to work with US companies you would have to get a US tax id. otherwise you would be liable for backup withholding. You would probably want direct deposit for your earnings.
As far as taxes are concerned, the UK has a reciprocal agreement with the US. Some Brits have told me that they do not have to pay US tax on US income. I do not know if they are Right.
If you want to open a US bank account be careful. The state tax laws are different in each state. The last time I checked Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming had no state tax. . Stay away from New York! New York is planning to levy a sales tax on Internet sales starting June 1. (and we thought you Brits were bad in 1773!)
What do you think of a .com site in the UK? I have not found a .co.uk domain that I like. You probably should get .com domains if you are going to sell in the US.
Note to Brits: My first boss and mentor was Robert Maxwell, MP. I worked for him in NY and for a short time in Oxford. I have pictures of him and his family on one of my sites.
Regards,
Alex Majthenyi
Thanks for the info Alex.
With regards to .com sites in the UK, I'd say that most companies in the UK try and get their brand's .com if they can and most also get their .co.uk.
"I have not found a .co.uk domain that I like"
Why? They're no different from .com domains for us! From a Brits point of view I don't think anyone really cares if it's a .com vs a .co.uk. It certainly wouldn't affect my buying habits. It just makes me think that they are based in the UK. I agree that someone from outside the UK wouldn't necessarily buy from a .co.uk so it's probably wiser to get the .com if you can and maybe also the corresponding .co.uk to make sure.
I'll bet working for Robert Maxwell was fun! ;)
Thanks,
Marc
Twitter: @marclittlemore
Hi Alex
Thanks for responding - really useful.
I personally haven't got a problem with the .com domains and I suppose it depends what I'm looking for. i.e. if I'm looking for furniture for example there is no point looking at sites which are american - I don't fancy paying the cost of shipping!
Like Marc I don't quite understand the "I have not found a .co.uk domain that I like" statement
It might help if you know this. If you go to Google.co.uk you have the option of searching "the web" or "pages from the uk". However "the web" does not bring up the same result as you would get searching Google.com.
My husband has a wedding photography business and he has purchased the .com and .co.uk domains. He's not expecting anyone to fly him to the US to cover their wedding but it gives him more coverage - someone in France might see his .com domain for example and they are a bit nearer!
So just to highlight the different google results, searching for wedding photography:
google.com: 6,440,000 results
google.co.uk "the web": 4,950,000
google.co.uk "pages from the UK" 850,000.
Not sure how that all happens. I'm a real newbie!
Robert Maxwell eh? Hmmm...
I hope I haven't confused anyone.
K
"I suppose the main questions I have relate to the Tax and VAT issue - dealing with the Inland Revenue isn't great at the best of times."
VAT only applies to earnings from within the EU.
"Can we operate with just a British bank account - and if not how can I get an american account if I don't have an address..."
You can operate with just a UK account although, many banks offer multi currency accounts so you can be paid in either dollars, pounds or euros.
"Does having a UK based webhost make any difference, what do the affiliate networks make of us Brits!"
Nope, all my sites are hosted in the UK. I haven't found an affiliate network that doesn't like the Brits, after all, what's not to like :)
"The last time I checked Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming had no state tax."
South Dakota levies no state individual income tax, joining Alaska, Florida, Nevada, Texas, Washington and Wyoming as the only states to do so. To take advantage of this though, you'd have to be a resident. SD also has no corporate income tax so, if your business is established in SD, as mine is, you pay no tax but you, or an appointed company officer, must live in the state.
"What do you think of a .com site in the UK? I have not found a .co.uk domain that I like. You probably should get .com domains if you are going to sell in the US."
I buy both then I'm covered. If you feel it's more UK targeted to use the .co.uk then great but there's a lot of people who automatically think of sitename.com. I heard a rumor that Google et al ranks .co.uk sites more highly than .com sites if they are UK based but that's all it is, just a rumor.
Another suggestion; when bidding on keywords for the UK market. If you bid in USD rather than GBP you half the bid increments due to the weakness of the dollar.
Thanks for those great tips Kuproverto!
I especially like:
"Another suggestion; when bidding on keywords for the UK market. If you bid in USD rather than GBP you half the bid increments due to the weakness of the dollar."
I hadn't thought of that at all!
Twitter: @marclittlemore