SocialToo, a startup that lets you manage your personal connections on Twitter and Facebook, has launched an affiliate program to allow users to reap a profit from referring other users to the service. For each type of service you refer people to join on SocialToo, the startup will pay you 20 percent of the cost of that service via PayPal-powered TwitPay, right through Twitter.
SocialToo, which launched a universal Facebook to Twitter posting feature earlier this year, provides tools for managing your Twitter and Facebook accounts such as auto-following, auto-unfollowing, auto-messaging, along with daily stats surrounding new follows and unfollow and the ability to conduct surveys from followers. Its plethora of features are ideal for marketers and brands who want to learn the most they can from those they follow. SocialToo’s features range anywhere from $5 for following back everyone who follows you to $25 to unfollow everyone who you’ve ever followed before.
Using Twitter-based payment system, TwitPay, users can Tweet and share links with friends on Twitter, Facebook, blogs or websites. Here’s what the message and link will looks like:
Catch up following those that follow you on Twitter: click here
When someone clicks the link, they’ll be taken to SocialToo, but a special, customized overlay will pop over the main page welcoming them to SocialToo with the referring user’s Twitter profile image next to the welcome message. The will tell the visitor about the type of service the referrer has recommended and will invite them to provide their screen name and enter the purchase process. For every affiliate link where a user purchases a SocialToo service, affiliates collect 20 percent of the fee.
At the end of each month, SocialToo will send out a payment to each affiliate via Twitpay. It’s fairly easy. This is definitely an interesting idea to get viral growth but the affiliate program is sure to raise some eyebrows in the Twittersphere. Sponsored Tweets from Ad.ly, a platform that links up high-profile advertisers with Twitter users to disseminate marketing campaigns (and produce a revenue stream for Twitter users), have been criticized as a viable advertising model. Advertising in your stream and then monetizing off of other users could be construed in a negative way.
Tweetbucks and even Amazon also allow users to collect affiliate fees from their Tweet streams.