Tricia Meyer

Affiliate Marketer, Blogger, and Consultant

Real Scoop on Preparing for Affiliate Summit

by

I’ve been reading a lot of really great blog posts on how to get ready for Affiliate Summit. There are some great tips out there from people like Shawn Collins and Ayako Bingham about things like business cards, networking, and reviewing the agenda. But as a 7-time-returner to Affiliate Summit, I wanted to share a few tips that are NOT talked about so much but still essential (in my mind).

  • Shoes. This is important because you may be walking a lot. If you plan on hitting the Meet Market, a couple of parties, and the Exhibit Hall, be sure that you are comfortable in your shoes. I usually plan on starting the trip with my sassy strappies but then moving into the second/third days of the conference with my sensibles. This tip especially applies to women who are packing all of their cute shoes that they never get to wear at home because they are usually barefoot or in slippers while they work.
  • Eye drops. This is mainly for the contact wearers but also for those who may like to stay out a little later than usual. Unless you want to look like you have been on a 3 day bender by day 3, bring eye drops. They help with both the dry air of the hotel rooms as well as the nights where you get less than your normal 8 hours (ha!) of sleep.
  • Gum or breath mints. This isn’t so much a tip to help YOU as it is to help those around you. Y0u’ll be doing a lot of talking and some of it is very close up. Whether you’re whispering to someone in a session next to you, leaning across a Meet Market table, or yelling in someone’s ear at party, you will be up close and personal. Bring some gum…or breath mints…or both….
  • Plan not to work. At least your normal work. I know some of us are used to eating and breathing affiliate marketing. And you will be while you are there. But know that even the best plan to “come back to the room early to get a little work in” can be foiled by a networking opportunity. Just expect that you will not spend much time in your room. Then if you get some free time, it’s like a bonus.
  • Pack light. And not because of the airline charges (well…that, too). Be sure to leave room in your suitcase for all of the great things that you get to bring home with you. You’ll get samples of products to try that you might want to promote. If you have a blog or community site, you can bring home some great things to use as giveaways to thank people for being patient while you were away from your site. You may even score some free souvenirs for your kids. (Thanks to my mom, Cindy, for this reminder!)

So there it is. My top Affiliate Summit tips. I’ve got a lot more, but you’ll have to ask me privately for the rest (*cough* good deodorant *cough*).

Update for Vegas Affiliate Summit.  One more big one! WATER. Start drinking water before you fly to Vegas and drink it the whole time that you are there. Between the chances of getting sick (flight, shaking hands, close quarters), the alcohol you are likely to consume (be honest with yourself), and the dry air, you will need to increase the water that you drink. Try to follow that old rule of drinking at least one glass of water for every glass of something else that you drink. People don’t realize until it’s too late that they are dehydrated and you don’t want to end up feeling terrible when you head home.

Affiliate Marketing Session at Blog Indiana

by

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of speaking with my fellow presenters for the upcoming Blog Indiana, Kristen Kinsey and Carolyn Tang. We are working on a presentation about affiliate marketing and blogging.

As I begin work on my part of the presentation, I’m having to take a fresh look at my blog sites and how I am monetizing them. Is there enough content? Do the affiliate links flow naturally from the content or am I forcing the links in the hope of making an extra buck or two? It’s a good chance to look at my own blogs and evaluate them in the same way that I would look at someone else’s blog–with fresh eyes.

Speaking about affiliate marketing is a pleasure but is also going to be a little bit tricky because we are not sure just how much Indiana bloggers already know about affiliate marketing. Judging by the attendance of Hoosiers at Affiliate Summit and the lack of discussion on Smaller Indiana about affiliate marketing, I’m guessing that there isn’t too much of it going on here. Hopefully our session at Blog Indiana will change that!

If you are planning on attending Blog Indiana (taking place August 13th and 14th in Indianapolis), please leave me a comment and let me know if you are already using affiliate marketing, plan on using affiliate marketing in your blogs, or do not even know what affiliate marketing is. Hopefully we can tailor our presentation so that everyone walks away with something useful.

Are You a Social Media Butterfly?

by

Let me start out by saying that I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as a Social Media Butterfly until this morning. I was thinking about what I wanted to blog about and it kept coming back to me that I seem to be spending half of my time these days social networking on different sites. In my head I kept equating it to being a “social butterfly” and I decided to title my post “social media butterfly.” I did a quick Google search only to discover that lots of other people thought of this term long before me.

In essence, the Social Media Butterfly is the technical equivalent of the traditional Social Butterfly. You move from group to group networking and socializing. You may do it for fun or to futher your business. You know a lot of different people in different circles and enjoy making friends.

I wouldn’t say I’m exactly a social butterfly in my real life, but a big part of that is working in a home office and spending a lot of time and energy raising two kids. But lately I have absolutely become a Social Media Butterfly. In addition to my time on the Sunshine Rewards forum with those members (and the corresponding Twitter account and videoblog), I spend a good deal of time on Disney sites talking about both friends and business. I keep my Facebook page open constantly (partaking in a little Farkle, Mafia Wars, and even Farmville). I couldn’t get into Twitter much until I installed TweetDeck, and now I am addicted. Add to that my Ning sites (like TwitterMoms and Smaller Indiana). Oh! And my actual job…networking on various affiliate marketing sites and commenting on blogs. I even got a new phone that I could better text on because my other one was too hard.

It remains to be seen whether all of my time as a Social Media Butterfly is going to be profitable. It’s hard to figure out an ROI on the time that you spend Twittering. I guess I’ll give it a go for the rest of the summer and see where it takes me!

The Return from Vacation

by

I think no matter what your job is, returning from vacation is difficult. But when you are in affiliate marketing, it can be brutal. Even having two employees continuing to work last week, I came back to such a mess! Merchants are lowering commission rates and cookie times (no more promoting a certain sporting goods store for me!). The affiliate tax issue is escalating. My Helping Moms Connect site hasn’t had a new post in weeks. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I tried to get organized before I left for vacation. But between packing for the family, cleaning up the house, and finishing up some PTO duties, I didn’t get very far with my affiliate work. Sure, my email was caught up and I sent out a ton of Disney Gift Cards. But when I already feel like I am never caught up, I’m feeling even worse right now.

Everyone always jokes that they need a vacation when they return from vacation. I just need a Fairy Godmother who can magically make the work disappear. Or maybe Seven Dwarfs who can do the work for me. A broom (or brooms) that will clean up the house by themselves (to the tune of classical music). I guess you can tell where I spent my vacation!

Leading Moms in Business Competition

by

As an active participant at StartupNation.com, I was super excited to see their newest contest, the Leading Moms in Business 2009 Competition. The goal of the contest is to celebrate America’s top 200 mom-owned businesses and the women behind them.

A mom of two and the owner of my own Internet company, I quickly entered the contest. I posted about it in a couple of places where I hoped that our members would see. Much to my delight, our popularity meter has now reached the highest level, “On Fire!”.  At this point, I am hoping that means that I actually have a chance at being in the top 100!

If you could spare a moment, I would love to have your vote. You do not have to register with them in any way. All you do is click a button. You can vote for each contestant once per 24 hours, but I would be happy if you would even vote for me once!

Here’s my page:

http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-2009/contestant/3155/index.php

Thanks so much for your support. This would be an awesome honor.