Affiliate Summit
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Hey Shawn,
One thing there's an issue of at this point is the sessions have a stigma attached to them. To a point where it seems like no self respecting affiliate would ever admit they went.
So with that said could great sessions be made?
I think so. But it would take some doing.
The first thing I'd consider doing is breaking things up some. CPA affiliates and retial affiliates I think are very different beasts and face very different challenges. Most of what's appealing to retail affiliate has very little meaning to a CPA guy I think.
Shopping cart path optimization as an example. Just like most of the retailers hate us CPA people and think the things we do are underhanded and shady and they're altruistic. Paid traffic people and SEO people are very opposite. Noobs and pro's.... etc etc you get the point.
So what about building out focused sessions based on achieving outcomes by the end of the show? Really almost education paths. I know I might sound crazy and this just isn't how conferences are done. But to be honest I won't even look at the courses cause I know they're going to try and please all the people all the time. Which if you know anything about marketing == FAILBOAT!
If you had a curriculum that was focused on full time pro CPA paid traffic affiliates I'd definitely be more interested in taking a look at getting the full pass if there was a bunch of courses focused on who I am.
Just like courses for n00bs that are just starting out and need to get to the next level from where they are.
With that said not every course would need to be laser focused but rather there is a lot of great "marketing" content and principles out there that I think are missed quite often as a lot of people in this space come from the tech side and not the marketing side. I think there is a lot of good marketing, psychology content out there but little that blends affiliate marketing with those principles so people can relate them to our world.
Feel free to aim me, smaxblog, if you want to chat more as I think education is very important in this business and affiliate summit would be a great place to get it. But I'd need to know it's worth my time and focused on what kind of affiliate I am. Rather then me looking at the list of courses and thinking to myself sure content on ppc management, media buying etc would all be great but it's probably going to be dumbed down for a one size fits all conference.
One other thing. There's starting to be more and more affiliates that are looking to turn this is into big businesses and long term carreers and I get more and more business related questions all the time. With regards to how to employees, organization growth patterns, corp structuing, liability protection, etc etc.
Success,
Smaxor
P.S. I can't go to ASE this year because our due date for our new baby boy is in August. But I will definitely will be at ASW and will probably get a booth again. I love Affiliate Summit for the networking. Always a great time and great for networking and building business contacts.
One thing there's an issue of at this point is the sessions have a stigma attached to them. To a point where it seems like no self respecting affiliate would ever admit they went.
So with that said could great sessions be made?
I think so. But it would take some doing.
The first thing I'd consider doing is breaking things up some. CPA affiliates and retial affiliates I think are very different beasts and face very different challenges. Most of what's appealing to retail affiliate has very little meaning to a CPA guy I think.
Shopping cart path optimization as an example. Just like most of the retailers hate us CPA people and think the things we do are underhanded and shady and they're altruistic. Paid traffic people and SEO people are very opposite. Noobs and pro's.... etc etc you get the point.
So what about building out focused sessions based on achieving outcomes by the end of the show? Really almost education paths. I know I might sound crazy and this just isn't how conferences are done. But to be honest I won't even look at the courses cause I know they're going to try and please all the people all the time. Which if you know anything about marketing == FAILBOAT!
If you had a curriculum that was focused on full time pro CPA paid traffic affiliates I'd definitely be more interested in taking a look at getting the full pass if there was a bunch of courses focused on who I am.
Just like courses for n00bs that are just starting out and need to get to the next level from where they are.
With that said not every course would need to be laser focused but rather there is a lot of great "marketing" content and principles out there that I think are missed quite often as a lot of people in this space come from the tech side and not the marketing side. I think there is a lot of good marketing, psychology content out there but little that blends affiliate marketing with those principles so people can relate them to our world.
Feel free to aim me, smaxblog, if you want to chat more as I think education is very important in this business and affiliate summit would be a great place to get it. But I'd need to know it's worth my time and focused on what kind of affiliate I am. Rather then me looking at the list of courses and thinking to myself sure content on ppc management, media buying etc would all be great but it's probably going to be dumbed down for a one size fits all conference.
One other thing. There's starting to be more and more affiliates that are looking to turn this is into big businesses and long term carreers and I get more and more business related questions all the time. With regards to how to employees, organization growth patterns, corp structuing, liability protection, etc etc.
Success,
Smaxor
P.S. I can't go to ASE this year because our due date for our new baby boy is in August. But I will definitely will be at ASW and will probably get a booth again. I love Affiliate Summit for the networking. Always a great time and great for networking and building business contacts.
NickRac
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I agree 100% with what Smax said - most speakers offer very general info trying to please everyone instead of specific groups and no one ends up benefiting. I'd love to see some spot on educational speakers talk about JUST the CPA business (especially excluding clickbank).
Everything smax said is on point. To me I feel like any session is like someone trying to sell themselves. I know this isn't always the point. However, most affiliate marketers look, see and sniff for the bullshit even if it isn't there. We are skeptics first and believers second. At least on WF. Most the sessions would do well for people that are more attracted to Warrior Forum.
The idea about incorporating, handling payroll and managing this as a business would be a great idea. Teaching the ins and outs of software to manage yourself and understand what is going on. That would be a nice thing to see.
I think these "sessions" need to be more class like. There needs to me more than some guy telling you what you can do for 2 hours. You should offer something everyday. With the same individuals or same group of people.
Have a 3 day course on something like SEO. People would get the things they need to make a website. The class would focus on things to do to accomplish a good SEO campaign. Each day they would work on things and try to accomplish something at the end. Keeping the cheesey on mind they can get a nice certificate saying they completed the course.
Another course that would have some interest is in designing and optimizing landing pages. Not how to do it but to actually do it. Each person would make one and work on it through out the class.
How about some courses on basic PHP, MYSQL, Java and certian programming aspects people can actually use.
thinking of other things...
Another thing people would like to address is time management, optimal solutions to increase productivity.
You could offer a course on building campaigns from the gound up. What someone needs to do from step one to step fifty. Most people get in the game head first and miss or skip steps from the start that screw them in the long run.
Think about the article you had in the last feedfront. It was by shoemoney. It was ok only for the fact it didn't tell you how the hell to do it. Step by step.
You could do it with anything really but break it down from start to finish. You could even have a CPA company sponser it and the classes could use the campaigns from the company. Include a contest in the class. By the end whoever generates the most ROI gets $5k or something extremely cool.
I am not to much a fan of retail type things. If there two types of online marketers could be brought together on level ground some good things can happen. Offer a brainstorming session. Where people can sit down and actually talk about things they think that need to be adressed or accomplished. I focus group of sorts.
Hell get Apple there so I can tell them I would rather have a CPA rather than 5% for each sale or something. I have more ideas and will maybe get them together.
The idea about incorporating, handling payroll and managing this as a business would be a great idea. Teaching the ins and outs of software to manage yourself and understand what is going on. That would be a nice thing to see.
I think these "sessions" need to be more class like. There needs to me more than some guy telling you what you can do for 2 hours. You should offer something everyday. With the same individuals or same group of people.
Have a 3 day course on something like SEO. People would get the things they need to make a website. The class would focus on things to do to accomplish a good SEO campaign. Each day they would work on things and try to accomplish something at the end. Keeping the cheesey on mind they can get a nice certificate saying they completed the course.
Another course that would have some interest is in designing and optimizing landing pages. Not how to do it but to actually do it. Each person would make one and work on it through out the class.
How about some courses on basic PHP, MYSQL, Java and certian programming aspects people can actually use.
thinking of other things...
Another thing people would like to address is time management, optimal solutions to increase productivity.
You could offer a course on building campaigns from the gound up. What someone needs to do from step one to step fifty. Most people get in the game head first and miss or skip steps from the start that screw them in the long run.
Think about the article you had in the last feedfront. It was by shoemoney. It was ok only for the fact it didn't tell you how the hell to do it. Step by step.
You could do it with anything really but break it down from start to finish. You could even have a CPA company sponser it and the classes could use the campaigns from the company. Include a contest in the class. By the end whoever generates the most ROI gets $5k or something extremely cool.
I am not to much a fan of retail type things. If there two types of online marketers could be brought together on level ground some good things can happen. Offer a brainstorming session. Where people can sit down and actually talk about things they think that need to be adressed or accomplished. I focus group of sorts.
Hell get Apple there so I can tell them I would rather have a CPA rather than 5% for each sale or something. I have more ideas and will maybe get them together.
Thanks for all the helpful feedback. Are there certain people you'd like to hear from on CPA stuff?
I see the clear stigma here about sessions, and I think there are many important sessions people are missing because of that.
Even if the business and marketing coverage doesn't interest you and others currently, there are lots on legal issues that impact everybody here.
In the past and this year, we have lawyers, as well as guys from AG offices, FTC, etc. going over details of laws that impact every area of the business.
Also, we'll have another discussion this time about the advertising tax (aka Amazon tax or affiliate tax).
I haven't seen a whole lot of discussion here about it, but it's got the potential to put entire states of affiliates out of business, and it's something everybody should know about and fight in their state.
And as far as questions on setting up businesses and whatnot, we're going to have a booth in the exhibit hall this time where people from all sorts of areas, including lawyers, will staff it for an hour at a time to answer any questions.
I might sneak in myself for the lawyers, so I can stop paying ridiculous fees to them for a couple quick questions.
Good luck with baby boy.
Thanks - I appreciate this. I only know about the Warrior Forum from people talking about it here.
Have you gone to sessions in the past?
Some of the ones you're saying you'd like to see sound like what we're doing.
If you haven't been to them in the past, I'd be happy to give you a full pass to check them out.
No, I have not been to them in the past. In fact NY will be my first Affiliate Summit. Only been to Ad Tech San Francisco twice.
Kinda hard with 3 kids haha,
If you only know about Warrior Forum from here. I highly suggest you go there. Maybe you can find at least 5 people in the bunch with half a brain.
I think Warrior Forum is like the special olympics of internet marketing. Though placing them with those people is kinda wrong at least they have an excuse.
Some other things I thought of are...
Social Engineering, The Psychology of Selling
One good thing maybe to have at the conference is a booth or section with various books that tackle this area of marketing.
Hell, A whole session on the colors of marketing would be real cool. When and where to use certain colors.
I like the lawyer thing you are doing. However, a booth with a company offering articles of incorporation on the spot would be kick ass.
I have read some things about the affiliate tax. I think NY is the main state affected now. Which really does suck for certain affiliates and companies. I was under the impression however that if your "company" is formed in a different state the tax would not apply. Have not done much reading up on it.
Other things that would be fairly nice are social networking PPC, Maybe have Myspace or Facebook sessions where people could get credit to try them out. Walk them through the dos and donts of the networks.
Alot of people want to also know how to go about doing media buys. Some detailed information on this would ganer some interest I think.
Hit me up on AIM, I will send you a PM there is a product I think would do fairly well at Affiliate Summit.
Thanks for all the ideas. A couple of the sessions are people from AdWords and Facebook going through the latest with their systems.
As far as the tax, the laws are state by state and aspects of them vary.
NY has passed it, but there are battles in many states, where bills have been defeated and are expected to come back or there are active bills in states like CA, MD, CT, HI, MN, NC, and TN.
Tell you what I am going to do. Just to make you some nice money I am going to go over to WaFo and promote affiliate summit. Got a link I can send them to.
I am sure are can make them think this is the best thing since geo targeting. Though they don't know what that even is yet.
Here is the thing I wanted to tell you about
Bluetooth advertising marketing software server proximity embedded dongle
You probably already do something similar. There are more powerful ones out there.
Bluetooth Advertising, Bluetooth Marketing, Bluetooth Proximity Marketing, mobile marketing, mobile phone advertising with bluetooth.
Bluetooth USB Adapter with 30km Range
FuturLink: Inspiring Mobile Media
I am sure you can figure out what that does. If you already have something in place I would love to hear about it.
At Affiliate Summit this can have unlimited possibilities like
The companies can pay to broadcast ads. Come to booth XXX now to talk and get in on the raffle in x minutes.
All sorts of stuff.
Yeah, we've got an affiliate program at Join the Affiliate Summit Affiliate Program
But we definitely won't do that Bluetooth Proximity Marketing stuff - I don't like doing any sort of marketing that I'd hate to get myself.
Well you could actually set it up so people can opt-in. Then only those people would get it. Just sending it would suck but opting-in would be cool.
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