Affiliate Marketing Blog by James Little

If you are an affiliate, affiliate manager, network employee or agency worker then the chances are that you are registered for the a4uexpo at the end of October.  The event is hosted on the 25th/26th October in the London Excel centre and looks by all accounts to be a right corker!

I’ll be standing around for most of the day on the altogether stall but aside from that here are some of the sessions I’m looking forward to attending..

Day 1:

11.30-12.30: Let’s Get Social

The Affiliate 2.0 Session. Uncovering how affiliates are uniquely placed to profit from Blogging, Viral and Social Marketing. Real life practical examples on facebook applications, bebo and second life. With an update on what’s hot this Autumn.

NB.  This one is with our SEO/Social Director, Ciaran Norris & the famous Lee McCoy.  A must.

13.00-13.45: Ad Exchanges & Ad Marketplaces Uncovered

This session will introduce you to the emerging world of Ad Exchanges & Marketplaces. Starting with an explanation on how ad exchanges & marketplaces work, the session will take you through how advertisers and to publishers can benefit from using an ad exchange.

14.00-15.00: Meet the Super Affiliates

Driving sales of over £500 Million for their merchants last year, these super affiliates answer your questions on strategy and hot issues within the industry.  Ask the questions you’ve always wanted to!

15.30-16.30: The Interactive Insiders’ Guide to Selling Your Web Business

Join Duncan Jennings & Sean Lafleur as they share their complementary experiences in selling & buying web businesses (with more or less success).

17.00-18.00: Extreme SEO Q & A

Extreme SEO Q&A session on Search Engine Optimisation, with both black, grey and white hat experts from SEO.

Then of course there is the a4uawards in the evening

Day 2

09.30-10.30: £2bn & Growing. Where Next for Affiliate Marketing?

Leading industry figures predict how affiliate marketing will evolve with this keynote session. Speakers inc. the President of Linkshare, COO of TradeDoubler, Chief Exec of Buy.at, and the CEO of Affiliate Future.

11.00-12.00 The Changing Nature of Search

The Internet is maturing at lightening speed and the very definition of “Search” is changing with it.

From “Google Universal” to “personalized search”, not only are the search engines changing the way they see search, but so are the users changing their search methods and in particular they are changing their perceptions of who they trust on the internet to point them in the right direction.

This talk looks at some of the roots behind these potentially seismic shifts in user search behavior and the search providers themselves to see the dangers and the opportunities that face both merchants and affiliates alike.

12.30-13.30:  Widgets, Blidgets and the Implications for Affiliate Marketing in the long term

How widgets and blidgets will affect affiliate marketing in the long term. Widgets, Blidgets this session won’t make you Fidget!.

14.00-14.45 -  Case Study - The Online and Offline PR Campaigns for the MillionDollarHomePage.com

Imal will be speaking on the topic of The Online and Offline PR Campaigns for the MillionDollarHomePage.com & The Mount Madonna School Raffle ( 2.9 million dollars raised).

Discussed will be: Public Relations and marketing strategy before launching a campaign, Global vs. Regional campaigns - how to make each a success, Positioning key messages in the media, How to be effective in interviews, Outreaching to the media both online and offline.

15.00-16.00 - Will you need a network in 2008

This session examines the recent trend of full service agencies establishing micro networks.
Some say designed to cream the top performing Paid Search affiliates. Here we compare and contrast these with traditional affiliate networks, and what this means for the sector and the traditional relationship triangle. I’m on this one - so please do come and ask some questions!

16.30-17.30 Paid on Performance Search - The Future?

Are traditional agency models such as charging a percentage of search spend viable in the increasingly competitive paid search space?  This session compares and contrasts them against benifits of paid performance search as popularised by Affiliate Marketing.

Phew.  I think that’s it - along with actually being on the stand it’s going to be a busy few days - look forward to seeing many of you there!

Ignoring the fact that it was a travesty that I was not on the short list for the awards I thought I’d go over the final results and reveal my final votes.

Publisher Choice of Network 2007

Affiliate Future
Affiliate Window
Buy.at
Paid on Results
TradeDoubler

Has to be Affiliate Future here.  It’s fair to say that their software is not the best in the world, but the account management is certainly one of the best out there and the two trips with them to Barbados (even if I had to pay) may have helped guide my vote!

Publisher Choice of Agency 2007

Affiliate Program Advice
Equator
Existem Affiliate Management
RO EYE

Obviously it’s Altogether Digital here, but in the absence from the short list i’d have to vote for RO EYE.  I think agencies have come a long way over the past year or so and RO EYE is certainly one of the best.

Publisher Choice of Merchant 2007

3 Mobile
Buy a Gift
HMV
PrezzyBox
Sky

Wasn’t there a whole big palaver with 3 Mobile and unauthorized emails going to affiliates on Buy.at saying that they have closed down?  Anyhow - it’s a hard choice out of either Prezzy Box of Buy a gift.  I’ll pick Buy a Gift because if their excellent Christmas Competition though.

Merchants Publisher of the Year 2007

Allkids.co.uk
eStuff (holiday Watchdog)
Freebie Sites UK
Uk Web Media

My choice has to be UK Web Media here, purely as the industries I have worked with have not put me in touch with the others.

Innovation in Affiliate Marketing - Network Award

Affiliate Future
Affiliate Window
Buy.at
Paid on Results
TradeDoubler

Quite a touch one.  Affiliate Window launched the Shop Window tool which seems to have gone down well and certainly helps with getting landing pages sorted for the non-technical focused PPC Affiliates.  Paid on Results have a great backend, solid tracking and some excellent content units.   In the end Innovation does mean Innovation though so Affiliate Window pip it.

Innovation in Affiliate Marketing - Merchant Award

Amazon
Buy a Gift
Jessops
PrezzyBox
Pru Health

It’s between Prezzybox and Amazon.  Amazon release the widget recently which seems to have been taken up well but Prezzybox win my vote for their Video ads.

Innovation in Affiliate Marketing - Publishers Award

eConversions
Fraser Edwards
Nectar
Quidco
UK Web Media

Fraser Edwards gets my vote here - his podcasts have been excellent and he’s a top guy to boot.

Publishers Manager of 2007 - Merchant Award

Chris Bishop - Hotel Chocolat
Ennis Al-Saiegh - Jessops
Graham Keen - Buyagift
Naomi Brown - Firebox
Zak Edwards - Prezzybox

I vote for Naomi - she’s been doing all the right things (XML Feeds, Blogging, Events, Freebies, etc) but obviously Zak and Graham are both at the top of the pile.

Affiliate Marketing Blog of 2007

AffiliateStuff.co.uk - Kirsty McGubbin
AffiliateBlog.co.uk - Fraser Edwards
Here.org.uk - Kieron Donoghue
Mooseontheloose.co.uk - Paul Wheatley
MorleyMouse.com - Dan Morley

Hard choice.  I’ve already voted for Fraser and don’t think he should get both votes, so I’m going to vote Kieron on this one.  His content for the blog is always excellent and he was one of the founding affiliate bloggers!   If Lee McCoy was on the list he would have been my joint top choice!

Best Account Manager 2007

Fiona MacPherson - Equator
Hero Gregoraki - Webgains
Matt Bailey - DGM
Michelle Boxall - All Response Media
Sean Carter - MediaVest International

Matt Bailey gets my vote here.  I will publicly say that if I am not nominated next year then I’m going to quit my job though!

Best New Merchant of 2007

Arcadia
Childrens Rooms
Next
Setanta
Wickes

Very strange choices.  I’ll vote Childrens Rooms purely because of who runs it though.  Think there are other candidates who should be included here though..

Best New Affiliate of 2007

Dealpond
Maxafi
Smoolah

Not sure if I work with any of these.  Smoolah gets the vote for the most web 2.0 name in affiliate marketing though.

Best International Publisher

Clicks2 Customers
eConversions
Net Media Planet

eConversions for me!  A good bunch of people who I wish I worked with more.

Industry Champion Award 2007

Clarke Duncan
Fraser Edwards
Jess Luthi
Keith Budden
Matthew Wood
Nick Roveta

It’s quite obvious that Matt is going to win this.  Not sure how some of the others got on the list.

Overall I still find it quite a strange short list and wonder how many votes were counted - there seems to be quite a few “Community” choices rather than actual deserved applicants.

A big thanks to Affiliate Future for their Performance Booster event at Park Hall in Chorley on Friday afternoon. We ended up driving up and getting stuck in traffic (partly due to a pretty bad downpour of rain on the M6) and didn’t get there till 4pm - this meant that I missed the rides at the Theme Park (!) but managed to have a quick do on the dodgems and was not purposely aiming at Lee McCoy & Mary…. honestly.

The evening event did not disappoint - the product showcases in the dining hall gave a fantastic insight into some of the merchants on Affiliate Future and certainly gave some fuel to thought for new promotions on some of my sites. The fashion show by TightsPlease was certainly interesting and a few of the blokes seemed to be enjoying it and taking a few photos! The sit down three course meal made a nice change and after aiming to win both the Poker and Wii Tennis tournament I did manage to come away with a few prizes to take home (So thanks to Firebox for the Helicopters, The Hut for the DVD & Football Manager game and of course to Virginia Hayward for the £140 Christmas Hamper.

It was great to see some many friends from the industry and to meet some more fantastic people and truly was a great event for both business and personal pleasure.

Another benefit that I came away with was a better understanding of affiliate marketing for my wife who is now sitting down to concentrate on her freebie site again and hoping that as a fun time mum she’s able to make a bit of extra income to spend on shoes and clothes!

A final thanks to the organisers, however after producing such a great event there are many high expectations for the next one!

James Avery - I salute you!

Last week should have really been re-named to “Mr Avery Week”. It was the Flightmapping 5th Birthday and he held an excellent bash at London’s trendy Bar Soho to mark the occasion. It was a great night but I don’t think I’ll be able to look at Mary Young (Affiliate Future Account Manager) in the same light again after the aggression shown towards other teams in the Pub Quiz (which potentially had the most bizarre questions of any other pub quiz in existence). As for the bunny outfit as modeled by James above? The less said the better, I think…

I also wanted to use this blog as a platform to thank Mr. Avery personally not only for Thursday nights festivities but also for taking a few lucky individuals to see Prince @ the o2 on Friday evening - it was an immense performance and something I’m not likely to forget for a long time.

Thanks again James - a true gent.

It’s back to the real world after a week away in Barbados for the Affiliate Future 2007 Affiliate Incentive. Whilst I still have the jet lag I’m starting get back into the rhythm of things and already trying to look of ways of getting there again next year.

This really is one of the best incentives out there (though I think that they should take us to an all inclusive resort so we don’t need to worry about paying for food and drink) and as an affiliate manager have now sponsored affiliates two years in a row and would advice other merchants to do the same - it doesn’t cost much and can lead to a very positive ROI.

Ignoring the networking, workshops and speed dating sessions (!) there were a number of excursions this year, the best of which being the Jolly Rodger (a pirate ship) where the rum flowed throughout on our first full day on the Island.

Also managed to take a journey to the north point of the Island in a mini moke (with the brakes failing a few times!) to an amazing cave with a glorious natural lake that we were able to swim in - absolutely amazing.

Harbour Lights was one of the best nights on the Island - an all you can drink place for about £12 where a number of us performance a fantastic buttercup rendition on the stage followed by a dance off (which I apparently won) with some locals.

So much more I could write, but will not bore you with. A massive thank you goes out to Pete, Costa, Mary & everyone else at Affiliate Future for organising the conference and fingers crossed that I get invited again next year.

What a fun day!

A big thank you to buy.at for organising this tournament - it’s something that has been mentioned on the forum a number of times and from the chats I had everyone seemed to enjoy it.

For those that didn’t go, I’ll give you a quick overview of the day….

Over 100 of us all met down at Wembley Goals around 12pm, had a briefing tell us the rules at around 12.50 and then the games commenced.  Our team (the Affiliate Ninjas) consisted of:

James & Dan from Flightmapping
Lee McCoy & Steven Hall
Pete Dickenson & Neil Mitchell

It’s fair to say that the majority of the team had not played football in a fair bit and we were not really in it to win it but a lot of pre-match banter put the pressure on slightly!  We ended up in the same qualifiers as buy.at & UKWebMedia - both of which had their own kits made up especially!  Our first two games consisted of losing 9-1 and then 10-1!   Our last match, against Steak Media saw the team gel more and go on to win 5-4 (after drawing 4-4 and going on to play golden goal).

In the end the final was between Buy.at (who had been doing pre-match trials!) and Venturian Media,  who went on to win 6-0!

The day was finished with an awards ceremony and a free bar, giving everyone a chance to have a good natter.  I am proud to say that I won a trophy, even if it was for the play who €œMust try harder€!

The grudge match between the Affiliate Ninjas and the Affiliate Rovers didn’t happen in the end as half my team had to leave early but plans are afoot for a game in August for braggers rights.