Find Resources You Otherwise Would Never Meet

One great thing about networking events is, even if you check out the Meetup202 page thoroughly before the party begins, you never really know who will show up. You might expect to meet only affiliate marketers, but you may find yourself meeting web designers, programmers, product developers, and club promoters, all of which I’ve met at these events. The point is, some of these people may become a great resource to you for future projects, promotions and advertising campaigns, and vice versa.

Create Trust with Your Affiliate Managers and Advertisers

I’ve met with affiliate managers and account reps from some of the larger companies that work closely with affiliate marketers and networks. Making the effort to attend networking events like the Meetup202 shows that you’re willing to put in a minimal amount of effort (a few hours every month or two) to show face and meet these companies in person. It means a lot to foster relationships in person, so make sure to put yourself out there and make your presence known.

Take Advantage of Free Networking Opportunities

An event like this does not require you to register for a $500-$1000 marketing conference, book a flight to Las Vegas, and reserve a hotel room in proximity to your conference center. Take advantage of the fact that these events can be very similar to attending some of the larger conferences, only in your home town, and a lot less expensive. Sometimes, they may only cost you the price of a couple gallons of gas.

Get Ideas

Most of the people who I’ve met have very similar personalities — they want to work independently, and they’re motivated. Being around a group of 40 like-minded internet hustlers definitely can create a lot of motivation. If you’re feeling the funk of not making the money you think you should be, attending a Meetup202 event might help give you some ideas. Even if it’s just someone mentioning a vertical you’ve never thought of before. It can spark a whole chain of thoughts you hadn’t expected.

Learn from the Pros

This weekend’s meetup was different than the past few that I’ve been to. Jasper did a great job of organizing two speakers. Ryan Pamplin of Ryactive and Alex Tsatkin of Tracking202 gave short presentations, much like you would see at the sessions at ASW. Ryan went over how his company operates successfully using a group sharing approach to affiliate marketing. Alex’s presentation attacked how to succeed using Facebook ads. Each had a follow-up Q&A, and I would recommend other Meetup202 organizers to have speakers if / when possible since many of the LA attendees got a lot out of it.

Make New Friends

Let’s face it, it’s not like you can walk into a bar and start up a conversation with, “Hey, so how about that Google slap?” You’d probably get a “F*** you” or a drink thrown at you at the seemingly-intimate inquiry. But it is something you could ask comfortably to a total stranger at the Meetup202 events…and they would get you. Making friends who have similar interests in internet marketing, who live in your area, is extremely valuable. The internet can be a lonely place. Why not make real-life friends, who you can hang out with in real life, and talk about internet stuff with in person? You’d be surprised how alike many of the people are, if you’ve never been to a Meetup202 before.

Become a Local Celebrity

You just never know what might come out of attending these events. Being knowledgeable in a highly targeted niche could gain you some popularity. So why should you care if you become popular in a local meetup group? Well, remember that the Meetup202 event in particular was founded by the guys at Tracking202. They have their finger on the pulse of pretty much everything hot in the affiliate marketing space. That means that you have their attention if you speak at an event or somehow provide value to the members. Creating a name for yourself through this local channel can help your business grow on a larger scale!

And if you haven’t heard, the 202 family has launched their new partner network, Revolution202. Check it out, these guys are the best in the business!

L-R: Zac Johnson and girlfriend Reena, Gary Lee, Greg Morgan, Derek Semmler, me, Gary Ng, Matt Blancarte.

Nate and Josh were with clients, while some other bloggers were wandering around the exhibit hall, so this is the group that was hanging out at the moment just choppin it up. These are some of the best people a person can know. What’s better than hanging out with some really down to earth, intelligent, like-minded people…in Las Vegas? Exactly…nothing. What was really cool was meeting Derek, since he’s my blog birthday buddy! Alright, I’m taking off to hit up the strip now. Good night.

I began organizing this meet-up last week and to my surprise there were very few (actually only one) restaurants that could accommodate our party at 7:30pm. I’ve never eaten at Annabelle’s and normally I prefer to go by recommendations but under the circumstances we had little choice other then venturing further away from the immediate area.

Annabelle’s was surprisingly good. I ordered the rib-eye. It’s hard not to order rib-eye when it’s on a menu like Annabelle’s. Medium rare please. It was cooked to perfection and the cheesecake that followed was delicious too. The only minor complaint I had was that the French onion soup was served in a bowl with the cheese sprinkled on the top. Tisk, tisk… But it tasted delicious so I will let this minor detail pass.

If any of you organize a meet up during a conference, I recommend planning ahead by choosing a restaurant and sticking with your choice. Give your guests plenty of notice so they’re also prepared, and just have a great time! Here are some pictures from our dinner — some people I’d met before and some I hadn’t. Thanks to everyone who made it out!

My buddy Bob Buskirk and I. Bob took some pictures of the food, which I think he’s going to be posting!

Wes Mahler of Tracking202 snuck in this candid pic of Ian Lee of HealthCastle and his Editor-in-Chief, Gloria

BCM blogger Greg Morgan and Garrett Gee, owner of Dealoco

Garrett and Wes, newfound buddies. In a strange coincidence, they met previously at the Crunchies in San Francisco!

Me and Ian Fernando. He also got the rib-eye and killed it.

It’s the middle of the afternoon on the first day of sessions at Affiliate Summit West here in chilly Las Vegas. Today’s sessions on email marketing, SEO, and optimizing videos went pretty well, and later I’ll be giving an update on one in particular that I attended just a couple hours ago.

However, today’s personal highlight for me had to be during the luncheon hour. Half of the conference hall was walled off for the luncheon area, which included about 100 tables and numerous buffet arrangements, beverage carts and dessert displays. With the number of attendees most likely in the thousands, it was definitely my delighted surprise that Mr. Benjamin “Ben” Chui sat at our table. If you’re in affiliate marketing, particularly coupons and tech deals, you probably know who “Ben” is. He runs a deal site called BensBargains.net, which was the inspiration for my site, PinkDeals (originally dubbed by me as “the BensBargains for women”). I found his site in 2000 and always figured there should be a women’s version of it.

Ben was the last person I’d expected to run into randomly at this conference, but the person I’d most likely want to meet. I asked him if attends many affiliate conferences, and mentioned he’d only been to one in New York, where he was a guest speaker. So of course you could imagine my amazement that he ended up at my lunch table!

Ben is a very nice guy, and very straight forward. He lives in San Francisco and you can tell by his grounded and mild demeanor that he’s probably a very cool person to hang out with. I’d be happy if PinkDeals could reap a quarter of the revenue of Ben’s site, and it motivates me even more now knowing that I am on the right path.

I’m writing this post half out of excitement that I met Ben, but also to inspire those of you who might really gain some value from networking in your industry. Since I’m getting more into the realm of affiliate marketing, it’s important for me to meet with the affiliate network reps, meet other affiliate marketers, attend seminars to be in the right mindset, and get my business card into the right hands. Networking with the right people will help you gain the foothold you need to squeeze into a competitive market, and in some cases, you might make some unexpected and inspiring connections.

More updates to come!

• Blog

Affiliate Summit’s blog is going to be updated more frequently now that the conference is about six weeks away. They’ve recently announced a domain auction as well, so I’m interested to see what sells.

• Attendees

They’ve been keeping an updated list of currently registered attendees. You can view the full list here and see who else is going to show up.

• Sponsors / Exhibitors

Many attendees will be there just to check out the expo hall. Here is the full list of current sponsors and exhibitors (PDF download). If there are any you’re not familiar with, you can check them out before you head out to Vegas.

• Information and Registration

You can view the full agenda here. It is three days long, and I’m sure it’s going to be a highly valuable three days at least. [Register online here]

I’m really looking forward to ASW because I’m still learning about affiliate marketing, and I have a feeling this model is going to blow up big time this year. I’ll try to report as much as I can after I get back, but if you’re going to attend as well, let me know. It would be great to meet some of you other marketers at the conference!

The A-ha! Moment

John Chow was generous enough to invite a few of us bloggers to dinner this past Friday at the Hilton’s Benihana following Mark Cuban’s closing keynote speech at BlogWorld. To my surprise, and delight, Zac Johnson was sitting across the table with his girlfriend Reena, next to John himself. (About Zac) Since the tables were split to accommodate all 15 of us, I didn’t have an opportunity to chat with them during dinner. But I was able to meet Zac and Reena afterward for a quick meet-and-greet. Woohoo!

All of this networking — and especially Zac’s own “about” story — was making me realize that I really need to get in the game as a marketer. I learned some very valuable PPC insight from Darin Carter at BlogWorld, and was so inspired by the range of people who showed up — it dawned on me that attending conferences is really a necessary priority for me.

Upcoming Conferences

These are some upcoming conferences that I figure fit my market, and my goal of becoming a super affiliate. If you’re thinking of attending one or more internet marketing-related conferences in the coming months, check these ones out as options. [If anyone wants to recommend some additional worthwhile conferences for me, please leave them in the comments and I can add them. Thanks!]

• PubCon, Las Vegas December 4 – 7, 2007. For webmasters, SEO’s, and affiliate marketers. Hosted by WebmasterWorld.
• Affiliate Summit West, Las Vegas February 24 – 26, 2008. For affiliate marketers, merchants, and affiliate networks. Hosted by Affiliate Summit.
• CJU, TBA 2008. For advertisers, publishers, and agencies. Hosted by Commission Junction.
• ad:tech, San Francisco April 15 – 17, 2008. For advertisers, agencies, execs, solution providers, and marketers.

How Will I Get There?

John Chow recommends going to conferences for free as media, but I’m not as popular as he is, so for now I’m assuming I won’t qualify as media. [But it doesn't mean I can't try!] PubCon is most likely a bye. But Affiliate Summit West (ASW) is a viable option for me. And it’s expensive. $949 to be exact, for the full conference pass. Yikes! In any event, paying my way to get there is one way to attend, although I’d rather go for free.

A second way for me to get there is through Zac’s own Free Affiliate Summit Pass contest. Wouldn’t that be awesome if this wannabe could go for free by winning Zac’s contest? He’s already given away one pass, and there are two drawings left. I’m crossing my fingers the next winner will be me, of course.

Another way is through Ian Lee’s contest for ASW passes. Yep, that’s right. Ian Lee is also giving away two chances to win a full conference pass. (Ian held the Affiliate Networking Dinner where John Chow won the Zune that I ended up giving away!) I know I’m risking a lower chance of winning by actually encouraging you guys to enter, but all’s fair and it should go to an affiliate marketer who really wants to go.

So why am I entering? Well, I too would like to be a super affiliate and be able to spend my off days as Spiderman or some other super hero. I’ve been working on my affiliate site pinkdeals.net for some time now, and am in the process of overhauling the design through UniqueBlogDesigns. I know what small affiliates know about the market, but I don’t want to be small time anymore. That’s why I’m a Zac Johnson wannabe. Cross your fingers for me. Zac or Ian, send me to ASW for free!!

The Consolation

There is of course a chance that I won’t win the contest. If you’re interested in going in for a group rate with me ($711), leave a comment in the comments section. If I don’t win, we can get a couple hundred dollars off. If I do win or am able to go as media for free, the rest of you can attend as your own group and get a discount!

[Photo courtesy of John Chow. Thanks again for dinner, John!]

There is a lot of buzz about the BlogWorld Expo (BWE) now that it’s over, and everyone is giving their two cents on their experiences. And of course, I have to put in mine!

First off, BWE was probably the most important networking event of my career up to this point. Not only was I able to meet and hang out with some big time bloggers, and talk to some of the big advertising networks, I got to sit down and learn some highly valuable PPC tips from Darin Carter.

Wait a second, the infamous Darin Carter? Yes. He’s actually a really great guy, and because of personal “life changes,” has put on hold shipping out some of his many blog prizes. That’s OK, life happens. But apparently I’ll still be getting the Wii…right, Darin? All kidding aside, the knowledge he shared with me was priceless. In addition, the event solidified existing relationships and opened the doors for new ones. It couldn’t have gone any better if I’d planned it this way.

What Did I Take Away From BWE?

I can’t even place a value on the legitimacy of this event. What did I experience, see, or take away from this event?

• ShoeMoney is the real deal. If you’ve ever met someone and thought, “Now that guy’s for real,” that’s what I think about Jeremy. No one will ever be able to discredit him in my eyes, ever. What a genuine person he is, and a real team player. Knowing that other bloggers are there to support your efforts, no matter how big or small their blog is, and that you can support theirs is such a fulfilling aspect of being a part of this community. He’s encouraged me to do a radio show, which I think was really awesome of him. We’ll see if this pans out in the future. Thank you for the words of encouragement, Jeremy!
• JohnChow knows how to have fun. If there was anything “mobile” lying around, John Chow was there to launch it across the exhibit floor in a heartbeat. It was great because at one point a bunch of us got into a foam-missile war, but only to be thwarted by security! Thanks for the fun memories!
• Nate Whitehill is the man. Nate is truly one of the coolest, most sincere, most dedicated and deserving people I’ve come across. He’s one of those people you feel like you’ve known for a long time when you finally meet in person. I give him mad props for doing his thing this year and making the move to go big time. HOVA!
• UniqueBlogDesigns is gonna blow up…big time. Nate, Josh, Matt, and Dave (CTO) are an extremely talented and driven group, and their business is going to pay off for them hugely in 2008. Their booth was one of the hottest at the expo, and their calendars are going to be booked very soon, so if you haven’t gotten your new blog design created, make sure to contact them to get it up and running. I congratulate them on being a shining blog success story!
• Bloggers are legit. One thing I kept hearing among the group this weekend was, “This is the most legit group of people I’ve ever hung out with.” I couldn’t agree more. And it has nothing to do with money. I believe a majority of bloggers are like-minded people, regardless of topic or intention. Bloggers are motivated, driven, technical to a degree, inclusive, intelligent (usually), opinionated, and creative. This is why we’re drawn to each other (at least the ones I know), and this is why we’re legit. What bloggers are not are quitters.

This event opened my eyes to the magnitude of power and influence that bloggers have, what they can learn from each other, and what they can achieve together. I can’t stop now. This blog stuff is too legit to quit, baby. I’d be letting others down, letting myself down, and squandering amazing opportunity if I quit. I want to play with the big dogs.

Last But Not Least, Pictures!

Here are a few pics from the event. I’ll be posting more pictures and thoughts in the next few days:

Gary, Matt, Josh, Dave, Nate, Me, and Darin

Matt, Me, John Chow, Nate, Darin, Greg Morgan, Neil Patel, Cindy (booth girl), ShoeMoney, Josh, Gary, and Dave

Prija, John, and Greg

Jeremy “Shoemoney” and Me (in my very own Shoemoney shirt!)

Wendy Piersall and Me

Me and Suzie Cheel

Mark Cuban

DJ Dust and Me at Tangerine — Watch out, we got them crazy no-finger gloves!

[Let me know if you have any questions about the event. I'll try to post some more thought pieces on blogging or BWE as they come to me. Have a great weekend!]