CAM Blog readers can save 10% on Affiliate Summit East registration

Affiliate Summit East in NYC is starting to really sneak up on us now, as it’s just over 2 months away.

I’m a huge fan of Affiliate Summit as both an educational and a networking opportunity for affiliates and merchants of any experience level.  I’ve been going myself since the first Vegas Summit (at the Riviera) and have been just amazed at the growth each time Shawn and Missy put on another one.

I’d love to see you (and hopefully get the  chance to meet  you in person) in August, and here is a little incentive to make that easier.   You can save 10% on your Affiliate Summit East registration by simply clicking through my link, and entering the coupon code “ASE09CAMBLOG10” when you check out.

Also – it’s just 9 days until the “Early Bird” pricing goes away on Summit Registrations.   It’s a big deal, especially in tight financial times as the prices bump by more than $100 on the Platinum and Gold passes that get you into all the sessions.   So – I’d strike while the iron is hot and save a few bucks courtesy of your friend Wade at the CAM Blog.

If you buy through my link, and send me an email with your receipt, I’ll buy you a  coffee or a drink and spend some time chatting with you on your projects at Affiliate Summit.

Also – an announcement on the CAMA Gospel Brunch is approaching fast.   Keep your eyes right here on the CAM Blog for more info.

CAM Blog Poll – Will you be attending Affiliate Summit this summer?

Affiliate Summit is the longtime gold standard of affiliate marketing conferences and the next event will be Affiliate Summit East- held in New York City August 9-11.  Over 2000 attendees will gather to network and attend sessions on a variety of industry topics.   There are always a ton of additional networking opportunities and events presented by third parties including the Gospel Brunch presented by the Christian Affiliate Marketers Association (CAMA) on Sunday the 9th.  My question is this – do you plan to attend?

Please sound off and let us know if you are planning to attend as I’d like to set up meetings with as many of you attending as I can.

God Bless,

Wade

Great tips from Paid Search stars at Affiliate Summit

I’m sitting now in a session featuring Rosalind Gardner, Colin McDougall, and Amit Mehta on Super Affiliate Paid Search Strategies and one suggestion has been reinforced time and time again.  If your business plan is buying keywords on Google and sending it direct to the merchant, you are setting yourself up to fail.   2 great suggestions that have been made:

1. From Colin – Build landing pages that would stand up to scrutiny from your mother or other general web user if all of the ad elements were removed.

2.  From Colin and Rosalind – make sure to build your opt-in email list.  It is much more affordable to market to a contact that you own a relationship with than to have to generate paid search traffic for future revenue.

We’ll talk more about how to build these lists later.

Last minute pre-Affiliate Summit stresses

A recommendation for anyone who may require bus or limousine service anywhere in the United States – don’t trust the folks at VIPRide.com.

We contracted with them to provide bus service to and from the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues on Sunday morning.

This morning, about 48 hours prior to our event, I get the following email:

At the time of your booking, I was not aware of the CES show in town. My driver is telling me there is a 5 hour minimum on the vehicle, instead of the four that was charged.

We have two options, I can either keep the reservation and add the hour, which is a difference of $XXX.XX. The second option is to cancel and refund in full, because it was a mistake on our part.

I am truly sorry to spring this on your at the last minute, but I wanted to give you the option before I charged the card.

Let me know as soon as possible. (Our phone system is currently down, the best way to reach me today is email)

What ever happened to the value of a signed Agreement with a deposit in place?  The amount of money was not huge, but the bottom line is, we try to be people of principle here.

They then came back with the suggestion that they could take on 20% of the difference in extra cost – after they admitted 100% fault.  An I was supposed to feel good about this solution?   They then offered to give me a 30% discount on future bookings  as a make good.

I don’t know about you… but when someone sticks it to me and leaves me in a bad position at the last minute when there is not really a chance to book alternate comparable transport for anywhere near the quoted rate, I am not all that likely to book with them again.

So – there you have it.  If you are an event planner or are in a position to book transport through VIPRide.com in the future, my recommendation is that you keep on looking.

So…. what does this mean to Gospel Brunch Attendees?  CAMA will be springing for your cab fare and you’ll actually get dropped off closer to the House of Blues than you would have on the bus.

We’ll still meet at 8:3o at the Rio front entrance and we’ll have cabs lined up to get us there.

See you in Vegas baby!

Meet with me for breakfast and prayer at Affiliate Summit on Tuesday?

Any one up for some informal networking and prayer on Tuesday morning at Affiliate Summit? I’ll round up a location at the Rio for us to grab a bite and share some time together. Our nation and our world are definitely in need of prayer right now, so let’s do something about it and pray for our industry and each other’s needs as well.

Tweet me @camblog if you are interested in joining me.

Pick the Prom Picture (Poll)

Okay – so Shareasale has an “80’s Prom” theme for their party this year in Vegas and they have asked industry folks to send in their Prom pics.

It so happens that I went to some proms in the 1980’s – and I am having a hard time picking which picture to use – so here is your chance to make your voice count.    Please vote for your favorite Prom pic below:

Early pricing for CAMA Gospel Brunch ends tomorrow at midnight!

If you are looking to go to the CAMA Gospel Brunch at Affiliate Summit “on the cheap” you should pick up your ticket ASAP as pricing is going up $10 at 12:05 AM on December 17th.

This is an awesome event that I definitely invite you to come to and to bring a friend (believer or not) for some top notch networking and fellowship as well as great eats and world class Gospel tunes.

Bus transportation to and from the event, brunch and entertainment are included in the $55 price.

More info or register at http://camavegas-camblog.eventbrite.com

If you are being a procrastinator and have not yet registered for Affiliate Summit, you can register through this link, and save 10% by using the code “CAM10WEST“  If you email me with a copy of your confirmation,  I’ll buy you a coffee or a drink.  (If you register for a Platinum pass – I’d probably be happy to pick up lunch)

God Bless!
Wade

Opportunity for Christian Affiliate Program Exposure – Sponsor the CAMA Gospel Brunch

Affiliate Summit West is fast approaching and we’re really excited to announce the 3rd Annual Gospel Brunch will be held at the House of Blues on Sunday, January 11th.  This is an opportunity for believers and non-believers to gather in Fellowship and enjoy networking, great food, and really amazing Gospel Music the way only the House of Blues can do it.

This is also an awesome opportunity for Christian companies with affiliate programs to stand out at Affiliate Summit by sponsoring the event.  We have sponsor packages in a variety of price levels to make it possible for Christian companies of all sizes to have a chance to shine and get the word out on their affiliate opportunity.

Here are the packages we’re currently offering:

Platinum Sponsor
$1500

• 5 Attendee passes for your team and/or affiliates
• 2 minutes to address attendees before event
• 125×125 ad on CAMA site
• Listing as a sponsor in event announcement posts in Industry Forums AbestWeb and AffSpot
• Insert program info hand out and/or product in show bag for all attendees
• Logo printed on “swag bag” given to attendees

Gold Sponsor
$1000

• 3 Attendee passes for your team and/or affiliates
• 90 seconds to address attendees before event
• 120×90 ad on CAMA site
• Listing as a sponsor in event announcement posts in Industry Forums AbestWeb and AffSpot
• Insert program info hand out and/or product in show bag for all attendees

Silver Sponsor
$500

• 1 Attendee passes for your team and/or affiliates
• 60 seconds to address attendees before event
• 120×60 ad on CAMA site
• Listing as a sponsor in event announcement posts in Industry Forums AbestWeb and AffSpot
• Insert program info hand out and/or product in show bag for all attendees
• Logo printed on “swag bag” given to attendees

Bronze Sponsor
$250

• Thank you message delivered by MC before event.
• Listing as a sponsor in event announcement posts in Industry Forums AbestWeb and AffSpot
• Insert program info hand out and/or product in show bag for all attendees
• Logo printed on “swag bag” given to attendees

The CAMA Gospel Brunch is one of the most talked about and anticipated networking events at Affiliate Summit.  It is definitely unique and positive and has an awesome “buzz” about it.   We’re pleasantly surprised with the questions we get from people at the Affiliate Summit show on how the event went or asking how they can get involved next time.   We would love to see your Gospel-advancing  business benefit from this “buzz.”

To sign on as a CAMA Gospel Brunch Sponsor, please get in touch call me at 360.540.0730 or email me at wade@christianaffiliatemarketers.com

Thanks and God Bless!

Save 10 percent on Affiliate Summit registration

I’m really excited to be able to offer a nice incentive to my blog followers to attend Affiliate Summit West in January in Las Vegas.   I highly recommend this event for a couple of reasons: sessions and networking.

In the sessions you can learn from some of the top folks in the industry on a variety of topics in the industry.   The most important aspect of attending Affiliate Summit West (or any live event) is networking face to face with real live people.  In an industry where most business is done by email, chat or phone, it’s nice to be able to connect live with folks you may have  been following from afar for a long time.

There’s one more great reason to go – The 3rd Annual Affiliate Summit Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues – this is the ultimate affiliate industry networking event for believers.  It features awesome food, off the hook networking, and a stage show that will have you on your feet and singing along.  It’s a great way to kick off Affiliate Summit on a spiritual high note.  More info to come.

Shawn and Missy (the show organizers) are great folks and friends who have been generous to give me a coupon code for followers of the CAM Blog – you can save 10% on any registration level by entering “CAM10WEST” as the coupon code during checkout.   Please use one of the links on this page to click through as the affiliate commissions will support the CAM Blog.

Register now for Affiliate Summit West and Save 10%

CAMA Cruise wrap up

We had an awesome time at Affiliate Summit and especially on the CAMA Cruise.  There were a lot of reallycool folks that we met for the first time and some old friends who joined us again as well. In all 75 people joined us, shattering our previous attendee count record of 55 set at Affiliate Summit in Vegas last year.

We gave away a mess ( a Southern technical term) of free t shirts from 1M4JC and C28.com as well as some gift certificates.   All attendees also recieved a sample pack and program invite from MemoryCross as well.

We had an awesome time cruising around Boston Harbor, enjoying a really tasty buffet (the Quiche rocked)     I think God was definitely hooking us up on that one as the afternoon featured a thunderstorm that dropped raindrops so big I could see them hitting the water individually  from the convention hall 50 feet up.

The really awesome thing is that for the balance of Summit, we were bumping into a ton of people who were asking us about the event and how it went and how they could get involved next time.

Planning is starting soon on a CAMA event for Affiliate Summit in mid January in Las Vegas – might put up for a vote whether we hit the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues again or do something a little different.

Thanks to Angie Seaman of Paulson Management Group for the pictures.  You can see more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulsonmanagementgroup/page2/

More to come!

Thanks again to sponsors oneNetworkDirect.com, IBSDirect.com, Andy Rodriguez Consulting, GTO Management,  1M4JC and MemoryCross.

God Bless,

Wade

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