Affiliate Marketing Madness

To set expectation: I will complain for the first 3 paragraphs and then get to the value. If you want to skip my bitching- go right ahead to paragraph 4.

Oh my gosh!!! Seriously!!! What is it about August and shows for this industry. Good-bye family vacations… back to school shopping- pshaw… relaxing by the pool- forgetaboutit! The last days of summer are intended to be spent at the trade shows. It’s been this way since the beginning of time- so I don’t know why this is even in question.

Seriously- I have received no fewer than 5 invitations to shows that all happen to fall between August 1st and 18th. And this does not even count the ones in foreign lands. Additionally- these shows are on different coasts- and enough days apart to preclude you from going home in between- but make you spend just enough money on hotels and food that you don’t have a prayer to break even for the month of August.

My one last gripe- why on earth do these shows have to be in NYC and the Bay Area?!? I mean seriously- can you pick more expensive areas. Hotels w/ roaches: $250; Potentially without roaches: $500; Almost guarantee of no roaches: $750+. I haven’t bunked next to another man since my barracks days in the Navy… yet, I have had 4 offers to split costs on a room for the upcoming shows- one professional who makes $60K+ a year even asked if I minded if he slept on the floor of my room… and he doesn’t even know what roach option I chose!

Now that that is off my chest I will tell you which ones I chose and why. I chose to go to Affiliate Summit (August 9-11) and LeadsCon (August 17,18) in NYC. Over time, after having gone to every version of Internet Marketing trade show known to man- I find that these two give me the most value. Even though I am speaking in a session- I don’t really go for the sessions- I go for the people. And once you can peel back all the crap- and find the value- I find that these two shows provide me with the people I want to talk to the most.

My strategy is simple. First I sleep in until 10 in the morning or so. Then I start sending emails, texts, phone messages to the people I know who are always up on the best parties to attend later that day. Then around noon I meander to the trade show floor- or just outside it if I was too cheap to purchase a pass- or if I am not speaking at that event. I make my rounds through the floor of chotchkies- looking for anything of value. Usually I pick up 5 or 10 good pens- and if my breath dictates I need to- some mints so I don’t offend. And between sneaking pens from companies I have no interest in doing business with (nor hearing their sales pitch), pre-set meetings, and bumping into all my industry friends I spend the better part of my afternoon.

Then I go back to my room for a makeshift nap- or to address any urgent company business and then get ready to hit the beer gardens, meet/meat markets, cocktail hour, happy hour, wine tasting, party, dance, mixer, after hour party and, of course, the after after hour party. I typically find a friend or two at these events- and hang out with these people. And, every single time- never fails- someone knows someone who I can swing a good business deal with. It just so happens that the propensity for good deals happens more at the Affiliate Summit and LeadsCon events than at the others like AdTech, SES, et al.

(If you are going to a show- make sure you make a list of goals and stay laser focused on achieving them- otherwise you might find the travel expense and damage to your liver was all for not.)

So that is how I decide what shows to attend. If you are going to be at either of these shows- or are in the NYC general area- let me know I would love to meet up with you if our schedules permit. August 12-16th rather than fly back home all the way across the country I will be hanging out in the North East and Washington, D.C. areas – again, if you are going to be in those areas- let me know. All I ask is no more requests to sleep on my roach infested floors! ☺