Affiliate Marketer, Blogger, and Consultant
I have written and spoken several times about what affiliates want from affiliate managers and merchants but have never flipped the coin over to see what is on the other side. Thinking about the topic and talking to others, here are some suggestions about how we can all be better affiliates.
Be honest about volume: If you make promises that you know you cannot keep, you will not only burn a bridge but word will eventually get around. Be optimistic in your projections but not unrealistic.
Another Affiliate Summit has come and gone, and I have finally had time to reflect on it and draw some conclusions about my experiences. Not surprisingly, I have a lot to say!
Rave: I loved having the opportunity to see New York with some of my favorite affiliate marketing friends. Whether it was Madame Tussauds with Kim Salvino or Times Square with Ashleigh Ball, I loved every minute of the atmosphere. Being in New York itself is a great conversation starter.
Regret: I wish that I had more time to hang out at Old Castle and eat Street Meat. I’ve come to associate those with Affiliate Summit but there just wasn’t time this year.
Raves: I was fortunate enough to participate in two different panels. It seems silly but I love preparing for Summit panels because I have to stretch myself to learn new things and learn even more about things I think I already know. I also love the opportunity to share what I know with others. Todd Farmer and Kristen Grace were nice enough to indulge me in some silliness in our Seasonality in Affiliate Marketing panel. I also got to meet Adhustler, whom I had never met before, for my How to Pitch Your Company panel.
As part of my presentation for Affiliate Summit East 2011, I have prepared an Editorial Calendar (“editorial calender” for those of you with spelling issues) to help bloggers, affiliates, and merchants take advantage of Seasonality in Affiliate Marketing. The calendar is basically a listing of different holidays, events, and seasons that you might want to write about or monetize in some way. While it certainly is not an exhaustive list, it should give you a good start on your planning as well as get your creative juices flowing about other similar events. Understand that some events change dates from year to year and that you need to be looking at least a month in advance to plan for many of the events.
With just a little over a week until I leave for Affiliate Summit, the excitement is starting to set in. Are you almost ready? The crazy planner in me is going through all of this:
Packing: I posted in 2009 in my Real Scoop on Preparing for Affiliate Summit article the kinds of things that I pack that you might not think about: comfortable shoes, eye drops, gum or breath mints, and bottled water. I also now include hand sanitizer and ibuprofen. Don’t forget business cards! I’m taking some postcard-sized promotional sheets this year about my company that give more information than what I put on my business cards.
I have been waiting for my copy of It’s All About the Cookies to get here and when it did I got so excited that I grabbed the video camera and made a quick video review. (You know I’m telling the truth because my hair is in a ponytail and my office is a mess). I don’t care because the video isn’t about me, it’s about this awesome cookbook. What makes it so awesome?
First and foremost, the proceeds from the book go to Affiliate Marketers Give Back, which raises money for breast cancer research, treatment, and awareness. If you haven’t been touched in some way by breast cancer, you must not live on this planet.