Feedfront Magazine Issue 41 by Affiliate Summit

Issue 41 ― January 2018

Affiliate Summit Europe - Feb 6-7, 2018

We Return to London!

GDPR Cross-Border Data Transfer – Knowing the Boundaries By Micky Khanna - Page 3

Getting the Most from a Remote Workforce By Anna Tumadóttir - Page 12

Affiliate Summit West 2018 Agenda Page 35

Issue 41 · January 2018

Table of Contents 2

Your Prejudice is Holding Back Your Business

By Shawn Collins

GDPR Cross-Border Data Transfer – Knowing the Boundaries

By Micky Khanna

Participate in the Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program

By Michelle Held

Happiness and Being Rich Beyond Money

Affiliate Marketers: Consider DIY Incorporation

Opting In to a New Continuity Model

By Rachel Hirsch

Low-Tech Ways to Spot Suspicious Affiliates

Three Ways to Build Remarkable Teams

Influence Your Company Culture With Your Personality

By Dustin Howes

How To Write Better E-commerce Product Descriptions

By Misha Hettie

Tips & Tricks on Hiring Contractors

By Hagai Shechter By Judi Moore

By Eric Nagel

How to Grow a Mature Affiliate Program

By Teodora Chiribelea

Meta Affiliates: Build Your Own Peak Season

By Susana Laurentino

Getting the Most from a Remote Workforce

By Anna Tumadóttir

B2B Lead Funnels with LinkedIn and Google

By Yoel T. Israel

Evaluating Influencers: Where Is The Sweet Spot?

Building Safe Affiliate Email Marketing Partnerships

Choosing Affiliate Marketing Software: Things to Consider

Co-Publishers Missy Ward, Shawn Collins

By Robin R. Talbott

STAFF Co-Editors in Chief Missy Ward, Shawn Collins

By Priest Willis, Sr.

Beware the Jabberwock of Affiliate Marketing

3 Key Affiliate Manager Tips

Four Possible Mistakes on Your Resume

Drive Demand Through Emotionally Intelligent Messaging

Preparing in Advance for Conference Meetings

Why Start Partnerships With YouTube Influencers?

Affiliate Summit West 2018 Agenda

Dan Moriarty Keynote Bio

Jason Akatiff Keynote Bio

Brian Kelly Keynote Bio

Other Speaker Bios

Thank You Affiliate Summit West 2018 Top Sponsors

Paris Las Vegas Hotel Map

Contributing Writers

Contributing Writers Pat Asbra, Mariam Barnes, Kim Cashwell, Teodora Chiribelea, Shawn Collins, Brad Elbein, Victoria Galperina, Michelle Held, Misha Hettie, Rachel Hirsch, Dustin Howes, Yoel T. Israel, Micky Khanna, Susana Laurentino, Jay Steven Levin, Stanislau Litvinau, Judi Moore, Eric Nagel, Hagai Shechter, Egbert Snijders, Priest Willis, Sr., Robin R. Talbott, Anna Tumadóttir, Ryan Zimmerman

Graphic Design Logan Gattis Designs www.logangattis.com

By Kim Cashwell By Pat Asbra By Victoria Galperina By Brad Elbein By Stanislau Litvinau By Mariam Barnes By Jay Steven Levin By Ryan Zimmerman By Egbert Snijders

Magazine Coordinator Amy Rodriguez Affiliate Summit 9532 Liberia Avenue, #127 Manassas, VA 20110 tel (417)-2SUMMIT (278-6648) fax (908) 364-4627

Articles in FeedFront Magazine are the opinions of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine, or its owners. FeedFront Magazine always welcomes opinions of an opposite nature. For more information, visit: www.FeedFront.com Interested in advertising? Please visit http://feedfront.com/advertising/ or email us at: feedfront@affiliatesummit.com © 2018 Affiliate Summit, Inc. and Individual Authors.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Editor’s Note

Your Prejudice

is Holding Back Your Business

by Shawn Collins

Shawn Collins

looked to be homeless, and I was thinking we were in for an ugly few days.

Soon after, a burgundy and gold custom van rolled up. It ver the years I’ve heard from lots of people at Affiliate

was covered in a mix of Washington Redskins player names

Summit that they only want to meet certain types of

and numbers, as well as Bible verses. In big letters on the side

attendees.

it read “Redskin Rob”.

People focused on sales of products and services in a

This guy, Rob, gets out of the van and approaches the

revenue share arrangement want to stay with their tribe and

group that just arrived and tells them the plan for getting all

the same with lead generation folks. The belief that the other

of the best tickets. Our crew approaches to say we were there

side has nothing to offer them is ingrained in a lot of people,

first. And in that moment, I thought we were headed for a

and that’s a shame.

fight. That would have sucked, because I am a bad fighter and

When you’re dismissing a whole group like that, you’re di-

all I wanted to do was chill out and drink cheap beer. But a funny thing happened. We decided to work together

minishing your own opportunities. At Affiliate Summit East 2017, 58% of attendees self-

– unlikely allies ended up alternating spots in line to take over

identified as focusing on Sales of Products or Services. The

the top twenty spots. A unified group to keep back any new

remaining 42% chose Lead Generation. Those people painting

people who wanted to overrun the line.

the other side with a broad brush are missing out on around half of the crowd, and that’s a mistake. Come back with me for a minute to the spring of 1992 at

football, and laughed with each other for three days. When it was all done, I genuinely missed these guys. Strangers who I looked at with disdain days before.

RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. U2 was going to be in the stadium in the late summer, and a bunch of us in my fraternity went to wait out for tickets for days before they went on sale. Frat boys from the University of Maryland working for a ticket broker. After we arrived and took our place in line, another group of guys came up and said they were going to be first. They

We became fast friends. We drank, ate, talked, played

In the end, we were just a bunch of people looking to earn some money and get by. Innovation is happening in all corners of the industry, and in many cases, you don’t know who you don’t know. Change that up and reach out to some strangers. You could learn a thing or two.

Shawn is Co-CEO of Affiliate Summit and Co-Editor-in-Chief of FeedFront Magazine, and blogs at affiliatetip.com.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

GDPR Cross-Border Data Transfer:

Knowing the Boundaries

Photo: William Bout on Unsplash

data is not being properly protected. U.S. organizations must self-certify annually to the De-

by Micky Khanna

partment of Commerce that it agrees to adhere to the Privacy

self-certified on the privacyshield.gov website).

Shield Principles (you can find the list of companies who have

ith the notable growth and international expan-

Countries which are not classified as adequate (and US

sion of affiliate networks/platforms, merchants,

companies who are not certified under Privacy Shield) must

publishers, and agencies, the territorial scope of

have legally binding safeguards in place across their group

the EU General Data Protection Regulation (which comes into

of companies (including their employees), known as Binding

force on May 25, 2018) means that organizations will need to

Corporate Rules (BCR) or Standard Contractual Clauses, and

revisit company data policies, as well as their existing cross-

that are in line with the Supervisory Authority of their desig-

border business/technology partnership agreements, in order

nated EU Member State. Countries most likely to have BCR’s in place include those

to protect the transfer (and onward transfer) of any EU Citizens’ personal data.

within the Asia Pacific region, although the Asia Pacific Eco-

Under GDPR, any country other than the EU (and EEA)

nomic Co-operation (APEC) are in discussion with the EU

Member States is classed as a “third country”, and Personal

about inclusion to the Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR)

Data can only be transferred to a third country if an adequate

program (which “is analogous to the EU US Privacy Shield” –

level of protection is guaranteed. An Adequacy Decision is

source: iapp.org).

granted by the European Commission to non-EEA countries that provide a level of personal data protection which is (in ef-

Anyone Else?

fect) equivalent to that provided in European law.

We need to mention the UK and the B-word. Depending on what Brexit means, there will need to be appropriate safe-

Which Countries are Deemed as Adequate?

guards that UK companies need to have in place, whether

A recent study published in ComputerWeekly.com quot-

that is an “adequacy decision” (granted by the European Com-

ed that “GDPR fines may affect almost 80% of US firms”, so

mission), Binding Corporate Rules, or Standard Contractual

it seemed appropriate to mention the U.S. as one of the 12

Clauses.

countries recognized by the European Commission as having

The Supervisory Authorities have already stated that they

adequate protection for EU Citizens’ personal data under the

will take corrective measures which are “effective, proportion-

EU-US Privacy Shield, the framework that protects the per-

ate and dissuasive” for non-compliance of the EU GDPR (both

sonal data of anyone in the EU transferred to companies in

in national cases and in cases involving cross-border process-

the U.S. for commercial purposes.

ing of personal data).

This framework sets the obligations for U.S. companies

If you control or process any personal data of EU citizens,

receiving personal data from the EU, and gives EU individuals

and haven’t reviewed your cross-border partnership agree-

the right to make a complaint if they think that their personal

ments and data policies, you should probably do so – now.

Micky Khanna is an independent GDPR Practitioner, and founder of www.gdprplan.com.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Participate in the

Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program by Michelle Held Michelle Held

ffiliate Summit offers a free Newcomer Program at every conference. The program matches volunteer conference veterans with first-time attendees who

want to be connected with someone who can help them navigate a large conference.

He gave an excellent presentation on video creation. Afterwards, he asked me if he was a good speaker, and wanted

Everything about the program is optional and casual, so

to know what I thought of his presentation. I realized he was

the newcomers can choose what works best for them. I’m

not only a first-timer, but also very new to public speaking.

one of the veteran volunteers and a speaker. I’ve had newcom-

How nerve wracking!

ers who attended all the sessions with me, and others who didn’t need anything past the first day.

We sat for a while and talked about the show, some tips for socializing (he is a hardcore introvert, whereas I’m bor-

It’s an easy program to tailor to an individual’s needs. I

derline), and what we do as introverts to make a conference

send my newcomer an email introducing myself and then ar-

which is something we introverts want to do into to some-

range a call so we can speak prior to Affiliate Summit. That

thing we can do well.

way I can share some insights about the venue, lodging, travel, and of course an overview of the conference itself. It also gives my newcomer that chance to ask questions and express any concerns they may have.

So Why Should You Consider the Program as a Vet or Newcomer? For the vets, this is a chance to work on leadership skills and to give back. Have you ever been to an event and not spo-

At the conference, there is a brief get together, so the new-

ken a word to anyone, but salespeople, because you did not

comers can meet each other. There is another short social

know others there? Relatable. For newcomers, we can help

mixer where the vets and newbs all get together. Sometimes

make navigating a large venue a bit more fun.

we go out for dinner or drinks.

During the mixer, I see that everyone socializes with

Recently, at another marketing conference, I was moder-

everyone. How quickly you can go from knowing no one to

ating a session. About an hour before he was due to present,

knowing everyone in the room. The Newcomer Program is

one of my speakers became very nervous about the room, his

another opportunity to make mutually beneficial connections.

slides, the show, etc. He was not able to make the pre-show

I’m writing this on a flight back from Detroit. I went to visit

conference call I had set up, so this was the first time I talked

one of my former newcomers and talk to his students about

to him one-on-one.

online marketing, have dinner, and catch up as friends.

Michelle is an and author and digital marketing consultant who blogs on metrony.com and AskCyberSecurity.com

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Happiness

and Being Rich Beyond Money

by Priest Willis, Sr.

Priest Willis, Sr.

“D

oes having money and being rich produce genuine happiness?” is a question asked both by the rich and by those who lack riches. So is it pos-

“What’s money without happiness?” - J. Cole

sible to have a great deal of money and still be “poor”? A faulty mindset about money is a major reason we ex-

I’ve interviewed many people on my show and they share

perience unhappiness, regardless of the balance in their bank

common attributes that has lead to their ultimate wealth, suc-

accounts.

cess and happiness.

For example, feeding into unfavourable views of money and what it means to be rich -- “the love of money is the root

»» A good view of self: While a lack of wealth has been mo-

of all evil,” “the rich are greedy,” or “the rich steal from the poor”

tivation for many, if you seek wealth to prove your worth

-- cripples our power and potential to achieve any real riches.

to others or yourself, you won’t achieve happiness. Your worth is not based on the value of your bank account. It

“If your inspiration for getting money or success

originates from within. The failure to understand this has

originates from a non-supportive root such as worry,

created a great deal of “poor millionaires.” »» A positive attitude: Two investors each buy $1,000

anger or the requirement to prove yourself, your money will never bring you happiness.” - T Harv Eker

worth of stocks. The market takes a nose dive. The first investor views what’s happening as a disaster and reacts

If you correlate your bank balance with your value in life,

in fear. The other investor sees a chance to purchase

you will always be poor. Money is not the problem. Your mind-

lower-priced equities with the falling market. It’s also an

set is the problem.

opportunity dispose of the shares and purchase deriva-

To fully understand the relationship between being rich

tives that will secure profits from the rise and fall in share

and being happy, you first must know that wealth is not solely

costs. The optimal outcome is that the second investor

about receiving, but also about giving.

walks away at some point with more. We’ve all faced

Money is neither good nor bad. It’s a tool. You have the

loss. The question is how are you “facing” it.

same tool -- money -- but how you use it produces different outcomes. Which outcome would make you genuinely happy?

If you believe in your value, hustle, and desire to improve

It’s possible to lack money and live happy. It’s also plausi-

the lives of others, maintain a positive attitude despite chal-

ble to be extremely rich yet unhappy. Some folks we celebrate

lenges, you are on the road toward a life of riches in both mon-

and seem Instagram rich and famous would give anything to

ey and happiness. I challenge myself with my true richness

have your life.

every day.

Priest Willis, Sr. is Senior Global Affiliate Marketing Manager @ Lenovo and online entrepreneur.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Affiliate Marketers:

Consider DIY Incorporation by Robin R. Talbott

Robin R. Talbott

DIY incorporation is an alternative to high lawyer’s fees

ncorporation is an industry benchmark separating busi-

With access to the Internet, we have many self-incorpo-

ness wannabes from those who know what they’re doing.

ration options available. Online incorporation sites offer dif-

Or is it? Is incorporation necessary for a business to have

fering degrees of incorporation services. Some have forms

credibility and establish authority?

and templates for the choosing, while others have complete

No, not really. Businesses can exist profitably for years

binders with all necessary methods included for payment of

without having an Inc., Corp, LLC, or LP after their name, but

fees, licenses, assembling a Board of Directors and compos-

unless a commerce entity is incorporated, the owner/s and

ing company bylaws for the state of incorporation.

their spouse/s can be liable with their personal assets at risk in a lawsuit. A corporate filing separates business from personal as-

Self-incorporating makes a business lawyerready, should it need one

sets, so a lawsuit against the business cannot seize the own-

As always, there is no substitute for advice from a legal

er’s personal wealth. Therefore, incorporation is an umbrella

professional, but the headwork necessary to self-incorporate

of protection well worth a look-see.

will streamline legal interactions, should they need to occur. When a business owner is well versed in corporate vocabulary

Business owners risk personal assets when they

and principles, it is much easier to discuss options with a law-

don’t incorporate

yer. The lawyer does not have to educate to relate.

“Incorporation is expensive,” small business owners complain. “And, lots of hassle,” they continue. So, having consulted

Five Things to Research before Starting a DIY

a lawyer demanding a hefty retainer, they decide to risk every-

Incorporation

thing they own, as their bottom line cannot support such a

fee upfront. ”And besides,” they think, “my business is low risk. Who’s going to sue a blogger or affiliate marketer?”

Decide which type of corporate legal structure is advantageous.

2. Decide the state in which to incorporate, whether it’s your resident state or another.

Low risk businesses can be sued on a whim like

any other. Litigious people sue when they know there is money to be

it must be unique. 4.

made. And, with some online businesses, there’s a great deal to gain. No longer are high risk businesses the only ones incorpo-

See if your chosen name for the business is available, as Learn about Resident or Statutory Agents, who receive Service of Process.

Search online for your forms or corporate planning ser-

rating. The rash of successful bloggers and marketers making

vice to turn-key your compliance and tax structure mak-

six figures a month is increasing, and that kind of money at-

ing incorporation much easier.

tracts those who want an easy piece of their success.

Soon, you’ll be on your way.

Robin R. Talbott (@SunbonSmart) digitally markets at SunbonnetSmart.com

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Opting In to a New

Continuity Model by Rachel Hirsch Rachel Hirsch

t has been a tough few years for the trial/continuity space,

Factor #3 – Fraudulent Affiliate Traffic

with regulatory scrutiny at an all-time high after several

While disclosures on an advertiser’s sales page are impor-

high-profile enforcement actions by the Federal Trade

tant, it is equally important that consumers who are directed

Commission (FTC).

to an advertiser’s offer be sent there through non-fraudulent

A trial/continuity offer, or a “negative option offer,” is one

means. That means, consumers should not be lured in to pur-

where a consumer agrees to an introductory “free trial peri-

chasing products through deceptive sales tactics, such as sur-

od,” after which (assuming the consumer does nothing) the

vey traffic. Advertisers are responsible not only for what they

consumer is automatically enrolled in a continuity program

disclose on their sales pages, but also for the marketing materi-

whereby the consumer’s credit card is charged at regular

als disseminated by their traffic partners to generate sales.

intervals (usually monthly) for continuing to receive product, until they cancel.

Factor #4 – Processing Transparency

The heightened scrutiny facing the trial/continuity industry can be attributed to the following factors:

Advertisers have a difficult time obtaining processing solutions that allow them to deal with excessive chargebacks. To do so, advertisers need multiple merchant accounts to jug-

Factor #1 – Inadequate Disclosures

gle, or balance, their transactions. Given the limits placed on

Advertisers in this industry struggle with reconciling the

opening multiple merchant accounts and the caps placed on

strict guidelines imposed by the FTC in disclosing negative

those accounts, advertisers are faced with a no-win situation

option offers with the realities of doing business. While the

to run – what may otherwise be – legitimate transactions.

FTC Guidelines require advertisers to obtain the affirmative consent of consumers before opting in to a continuity plan,

Factor #5 – Churn-and-Burn Businesses

the means of obtaining such consent – usually in the form of a checkbox – hurts conversion rates.

Finally, there are advertisers in the industry conducting business the wrong way, such that it is difficult for other advertisers running legitimate sales to compete in the market.

Factor #2– High Chargebacks The lack of adequate billing disclosures leads to high chargebacks. Consumers call to complain about unanticipated charges

Some advertisers are just invested in the short term – make enough money in a short time period to re-brand or get out of the industry entirely.

to their credit cards once they learn that they are enrolled in a

If the trial/continuity industry has any hope for survival, it

negative option plan. For those advertisers who conduct their

needs to revamp its image by weeding out the bad actors and

businesses wisely, these complaints can readily be rectified

imposing self-regulation. If advertisers police themselves, and

through the issuance of a full refund, no questions asked. Yet for

each other, that will lessen the need for regulatory oversight,

others who engage in aggressive customer retention techniques,

and maybe then the industry can operate not only legitimately,

these consumer complaints can often turn into chargebacks.

but also practically.

Rachel Hirsch is Chair of the Internet Marketing and Advertising Group at Ifrah PLLC.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Low-Tech Ways to

Spot Suspicious Affiliates by Hagai Shechter Hagai Shechter

ffiliate marketing can bring in valuable leads, spur

percent, but one affiliate consistently delivers 40 or 50 per-

app installs, and drive sales, however, when hackers

cent, be suspicious.

fake KPIs (i.e., those leads, installs, and actions), that

The Campaign Goals are Consistently Met

portion of the marketing budget has been wasted. Even more detrimental are marketers wasting time chas-

If you change your campaign goals (e.g., the number of

ing phony leads, or measuring campaign performance using

views, clicks, actions, or installs), and they are suspiciously

fake metrics.

achieved, even when a very niche demographic or target is

Most affiliates are trustworthy and effective, but a small percentage of nefarious players have made their way into net-

set, be suspicious. Again, fraudulent campaigns tend to perform well on paper.

works to steal commissions. It’s important to note that fraudulent affiliates go out of their way to avoid detection: using proxies, hijacking computers, and even forging location data to cover their true origin.

There’s a Ton of Traffic, but No Buyers This might seem obvious, but don’t get hung up on vanity metrics: clicks, views, installs, etc. They can be easily gamed,

A surface view of campaign logs may miss fraudulent

and bots don’t buy products or services. Keep an eye on KPIs

activity. So, what can marketers do? Here are some low-tech

that matter: real sales, phone calls, and leads that respond to

hacks for detecting suspicious affiliates:

your emails.

In-App Activity is Not Normal or Nonexistent

Unusual Uptick in Refunds or Chargebacks

If you find that app installs from a certain affiliate result in

Fraudsters are known to create fake sales with stolen

no activity within the app, or the activity is suspiciously con-

credit cards, resulting in you paying out a commission to an

sistent (e.g., all the users play your game but then stop after

affiliate, only to receive a chargeback or the product returned

a certain level or uninstall the app after a set amount of time),

later on. You must refund the sale, but the commission you

it’s time to look deeper into that campaign’s performance.

paid is gone.

Fraudsters are great at masking their bots’ activities, but looking close enough may reveal a pattern.

While these may be basic, even obvious suggestions to detect a fraudulent affiliate, they’re a starting point for marketers. The bottom line is that as long as fraud is profitable, it will

The Campaign is Going Too Well

continue to happen. Marketers are wise to keep their guard

Fraud performs well. If the average conversion rate (in a click or install campaign, for example) for all affiliates is ten

up, be suspicious, and speak up to partners when things don’t seem right.

Hagai Shechter is the CEO of Fraudlogix, an ad fraud and affiliate fraud detection company.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Three Ways to

Build Remarkable Teams by Judi Moore

Judi Moore

eam building can make or break a company. Here are three keys to do it right.

When launching a new client, bring several team members to the intro call and have the primary account manager

1. Build Trust

sing the praises of the supporting cast. Point out the roles

Innovation requires communication, brainstorming, and

and expertise, rather than just proclaiming awesomeness.

follow-through. That requires trust in team members. It takes

Communicate the promise that everyone on the team stands

time and effort, but you must build trust. Set the example with

ready to find solutions.

your own behavior and encourage, motivate, and reward trustbuilding behavior by team members. Establish communication. Set up a chat group or channel. Expect responses during agreed-upon hours, and partici-

Reward every effort made by team members to help each other, or cover duties when out of office. Appreciation goes a long way when building a team, and a great team is a positive for every client in the portfolio.

pate yourself every single day. A simple query, “How’s things?” can set expectations and gives you a chance to notice problems before they escalate.

3. Streamline Every Process Make everyone responsible and accountable for efficien-

Never dismiss an idea. Brainstorming solutions means

cy and sharing best practices. Exploit opportunities to “help”

thinking out loud, and that means some ideas will have little

with the simplest tasks, so you can find the knowledge holes

or no merit. But every thought can spark others. Accept all

and address them.

and work to build on the ones with potential. A quiet person

Work double-time to leverage the best skill of each per-

in the group might take the worst one and turn it into gold for

son on the team. SEO expert? Excel wizard? Problem solver

the next time.

/ troubleshooter? Copy writer? Image resizer? Everyone who

Further build trust with your team by being truthful, but

shares their everyday skills feels important to the team.

diplomatic. Don’t lie about anything. If there’s a question you

When the highest and best use of each team member is

prefer not to answer, just say so. Lies destroy trust. Temper

leveraged, the work load can be significantly increased with

brutal honesty with your best diplomacy.

very little learning curve or time wasted.

Follow through on promises. Set the expectation for de-

Conversely, make sure the team knows which projects

livering more than expected and on time. Make that part of the

take priority, and that everyone helps when needed. Is some-

mission statement. Reward every example of promises kept.

one faced with an unexpected chore that requires more time than skill? Have two or three people grab a page and race. This

2. Build Layers of Support

works well with links, banners, and similar tedious chores.

Client relationships improve when clients feel cared for.

Practice using these three concepts and watch produc-

Team efforts to support all customers adds professionalism

tivity go up with more enthusiasm. A solid team is worth the

to the company overall.

time and effort it takes to build.

Judi Moore manages affiliate programs and helps with team building at Snow Consulting, Inc.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Influence Your Company Culture Dustin Howes

With Your Personality by Dustin Howes

eing a clown can be hard work. I love to make people

Make a Difference in Someone’s Day

smile; even if it is at my own expense. Sure, maybe I

Making people smile is the best part of my day. It’s easy

should be a little more professional, but life is short,

to get caught up in the daily grind and put your head down to

and my life is exponentially better with the sound of laughter

meet a deadline, but don’t forget to take breaks to interact with

in the air.

your coworkers and peers.

Luckily, startup culture has evolved to embracing class

I make it a daily goal to give at least one person a genuine

clowns, rather than demanding suppression. If you are goofy

compliment. It recharges me, and hopefully makes someone

by nature, and have established expertise in your field, there

else’s day a little bit better. People also enjoy laughing, so

are ways to put your personality to good use.

don’t hold back the silly. The more you own it, the more they will love you for it.

Giving Back to Charity

So how do you make people smile? Maybe it’s a compli-

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I’m not a rich

ment, maybe a joke. If neither is in your comfort zone yet, start

man, though, so I have to find creative ways to make a differ-

small and just say hello with a smile on your face. That smile

ence. I decided to focus my energy on Movember; every year

could turn someone’s day around.

I grow something ridiculous on my face to help raise awareness for men’s health issues.

Know Your Audience

My goofy personality helps recruit others to join me and

Being goofy is entertaining for some, but it is not for every-

donate to a good cause. When I lost my father to cancer, I was

one. Adapting to your environment is a special skill honed daily

able to use the company platform to tell my personal story

by network marketers. You can practice this by connecting with

and make a big difference.

people in departments outside of your own comfort zone.

Most companies want to give back as well, and welcome

I know my ROI positive jokes aren’t going to land with most

their platform to make magic happen. You can do the same by

of the guys on the web dev team, so I find other ways to relate.

being genuine and utilizing your influential power.

Get out there and changes some lives one smile at a time.

Dustin manages partner relationships at WP Engine and loves beef jerky.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

How To Write Better

E-commerce Product Descriptions

Misha Hettie

“W

by Misha Hettie

hy is it SO hard to increase sales? It feels like

ucts for your customer to choose from – and many times

I spend all day wading through article after

that choice is made from the headlines. Make yours the

article, trying to learn how to beat this algo-

obvious choice by including all the relevant details like

rithm or master that software. If I have to “optimize” one more

brand (sometimes), color, style, and size. If I have to click

time, I’m going to BURST!”

through to find out if your item comes in blue, black, or pink, you may have lost me already.

When you’re selling online, you’ve got tons of tools and 4.

systems all vying for your attention.

Describe the features AND the benefits. So many com-

There’s one skill, though, that will increase conversions

panies describe the features of their products, but they

and boost sales without having to buy the latest tool or spend

don’t tell why those features are important. Newsflash –

precious time testing new tactics.

people don’t buy features, they buy benefits. Want an ex-

Oh, and best of all? This skill is like riding a bicycle. Once

ample? Rather than telling me your thermostat has a 4”

you figure it out, you’ve got it for LIFE.

backlit screen, let me know it has a large 4” backlit screen

What is this magical skill? It’s copywriting. There are many facets to great copywriting, but here are

so it’s easy to see – even in the dark. 5.

Use their language. Find out the problems customers

the biggest things you must know to write better copy for your

face that your product solves. Read forums, reviews,

product descriptions.

user-submitted surveys, and notice exact words your

Know your intended customer. Once you’ve determined

customers are using. Then use those same words and

their age, gender, lifestyle, etc., you can speak to them

phrases in your descriptions. They’ll feel like you’ve read

with a lot more accuracy.

their mind.

2. Use an informal tone. People want to do business with

BONUS TIP! Use stories to sell. You may not be selling the

people, not faceless companies. Also, know your impor-

most original thing in the world, but you can still captivate buy-

tant keywords, but remember – if using an exact key-

ers by telling stories about it. Tell them the story of how the

word makes the description awkward, change things up.

product is made, an interesting story about the unique way

It’s more important for the text to flow. Not sure if yours

someone else uses it, or (this is a big one) the story of how

does? Read it out loud – you’ll find the rough spots easily

they’ll feel when they use it themselves. Once you’ve incorporated these tips into each and every

that way. 3.

Write tight, info-packed headlines. If you’re competing in

product description you create, the writing will come to you

a market like Amazon, there will be many similar prod-

naturally – and so will the sales.

Misha Hettie is a copywriter for entrepreneurs and small business owners at UncommonlyGoodBiz.com.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Tips & Tricks

on Hiring Contractors by Eric Nagel

Eric Nagel

t some point in your career, you’ll realize you can’t, or shouldn’t, do everything. Maybe you have a job in

Read (and Leave) Feedback

front of you, but are lacking the skills to complete it.

Listening to past employers is important, so read through

Or maybe you can do the job, but your time is better spent

the feedback on the candidate’s profile. If there’s negative

elsewhere.

feedback, ask the candidate about it. And when the job is

This is where contractors are useful. But hiring your first (or 20th) contractor can be scary: get it wrong and you’ve wasted

done, remember to leave feedback, too: it will help the next person who’s looking to hire this contractor.

time and money. Here are some tips for hiring the right person:

Hire Three, Keep One Fish Where There are Fish

Do not hire one person to do the entire task (unless it’s a

While the phrase, “Fish where there are fish” comes from

small task). Hire your top three, and have them all do the same

the marketing world, it applies to hiring as well. Know where

portion of the larger task. You’ll pay three times for that one

the people who you want to hire are currently working online,

bit of work, but you can compare your top candidates work

then approach them there.

against each other, then end the contracts of two of them and

When in doubt, a general marketplace like upwork.com will do.

No Brown M&Ms

keep the best on to complete the job.

Distributed Workforces

Van Halen’s rider called for the removal of all brown

If you have a lot of work to get done, and it has to be done

M&Ms from bowls of candy placed backstage; “When (David

manually, consider using a distributed workforce via Amazon’s

Lee Roth) would walk backstage, if (he) saw a brown M&M in

Mechanical Turk. You first create a template for your question,

that bowl... (it’s) guaranteed you’re going to arrive at a techni-

such as “what is the phone number for ______?” Next, you up-

cal error.”

load the list of data points, and start the batch. Your questions

In my RFPs (request for proposals), I include a line asking

will go out to an army of workers who can simultaneously an-

the applicant to tell me the sum of four plus two, or something

swer your questions providing you with real, human answers

similar. If their application does not include the answer to my

in record time, and for just pennies per answer.

masked question, I immediately reject it. If they cannot follow

Even after years of hiring contractors, I still hire the wrong

directions in my RFP, what kind of work will they do on the

people. The key is hiring fewer wrong people, recognizing the

actual project?

wrong hires quickly, and replacing them with the right people.

Eric is partner at RustBuilt.com, where he helps turn amazing ideas into profitable, scalable businesses.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

How to Grow

a Mature Affiliate Program by Teodora Chiribelea Teodora Chiribelea

3. Find New Markets: This may be a decision related to your affiliate program

f you already have an established affiliate program for more

only if you run local programs or a company level decision for

than two or three years, you may see some things need to

expanding to new markets. Investigate new opportunities and

be freshened up for your program to grow your results YoY

see how you can grow your revenue by entering new markets.

(year over year). Let’s take a closer look at top five things you should re-

view to drive growth to your mature affiliate program:

4. Incentivize Your Affiliates: The reason your program is linear may be that affiliates are not motivated to drive more traffic to your products or ser-

1. Analyze Your Program Review your program’s performance for the past three years, if the program has existed for more than three years, or otherwise since it launched.

vices, and they prefer to work with your competitors. Check if your program is still competitive in the market and update your commission scheme accordingly. Look at your top performers and give them a higher com-

Check trends YoY for: sales volumes, number of orders,

mission or a bonus payment for achieving specific targets.

new affiliates recruitment, number of active affiliates, etc. See

They are an external sales force that needs to be motivated

what are the strong points and weak points of your program

to drive better results.

and act on improving those that need to be reviewed.

5. Update Creatives: 2. Know Your Affiliates

Last, but not least, make sure you update your landing

Take a closer look at your affiliate pool and identify top

pages, banners, text links, gifs, videos, etc. Your affiliates need

selling categories of affiliates, as well as unproductive catego-

updated creative materials to better promote your products

ries of affiliate partners (not all promotional methods used

or services.

by affiliates may be a good fit for promoting your products or services). Take a closer look at their promotional methods, based on how much revenue or sales they generate within your pro-

Offer your top sellers custom creative materials if they want or need them, or provide custom sizes. Inform your affiliates about the new updated materials or special offers and keep a close relationship with them.

gram. Invest more in recruiting those affiliates that proved

Don’t forget that you need to team up with your affiliates

to be a good fit for your program, and try to identify new af-

to drive any type of growth, as this is a team effort. You need

filiate types to work with (media buyers, video bloggers, etc.),

to provide affiliates with all the tools and motivation they need

depending on your products or services target markets and

to promote your products and they will be driving traffic and

particularities.

sales to your program.

Teodora Chiribelea is Affiliate Network Manager at Avangate Affiliate Network.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Meta Affiliates:

Build Your Own Peak Season by Susana Laurentino

Susana Laurentino

eta affiliates offer monetization solutions and aggregate different affiliates (publishers) and merchants (advertisers) via affiliate networks.

A meta affiliate deals with a large variety of advertisers

plishing day-to-day operations, it is not unusual that relatively

and publishers worldwide from countless segments and ver-

small teams have to manage a multitude of advertisers and

ticals, which makes it challenging to manage specific actions

publishers worldwide.

to increase the revenues during special sales periods. However, there are three simple rules that can help you to meet this challenge successfully.

In order to do so in an effective and meaningful way, you should define in advance which of your partners have particular potential for a specific sales day, and plan actions focused on these partners.

1. Plan Special Sales Dates

For instance, you can organize a sales rally where the

Define what are your main markets and verticals, ask

partners involved get an extra commission reward if a reve-

your partners what are the most important sales dates in the

nue goal is achieved. This way your publishers know that if all

countries they operate in, and compare their input with your

of them drive more traffic to top advertisers, they get an extra

revenue figures.

commission reward.

Consider the particularities of specific industry sectors, such as fashion and consumer electronics (Black Friday and

You should also adjust the rewards to mirror the respective publisher’s contribution to achieve the goal.

Cyber Monday), or the travel sector (Early Booking). Likewise,

Get the merchants involved in the rally, offer them extra

you have to take into account sales periods in certain markets,

visibility within your affiliates in exchange of exclusive deals,

such as, China (Singles Day), Australia (Vogue Online Fashion

creatives, content, and commission increase.

Night and Boxing Day), or Russia (Women’s Day). Based on the above, build a calendar with the main shop-

3. Test and Analyze Your Actions

ping dates for the verticals and markets where you operate.

In addition to planning specific sales actions and imple-

You will realize that you have not only one, but different peak

menting them with your publishers and advertisers, testing

seasons to manage within one year.

and analyzing your efforts is equally important. After each sales date, it is worth to take the time to analyze in detail the

2. Engage Your Publishers and Advertisers It is important to engage your advertisers and publishers,

most important KPIs YoY, such as traffic and sales increase, eCPC, and CTR.

but it is even more important that you are able to manage and

This way you are able to understand which sales dates

support them during special sales dates. While meta affiliates

are the most important for your partners, and how this can

often have some automatic processes in place for accom-

help to build your own peak season.

Susana Laurentino is Head of Advertiser Development at YieldKit, the performance marketing aggregator.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Getting the Most

from a Remote Workforce by Anna Tumadóttir

Anna Tumadóttir

hen you hear the phrase “remote workforce” in

time tracker. Rather, you probably want to monitor projects

the affiliate industry, do you think of account-

and to create open lines of communication to address issues

ability, transparency, and trust? You should. Be-

when they surface.

cause of its focus on performance-driven results, the affiliate marketing industry lends itself exceptionally well to a remote workforce. I’ve managed remote workers at three different affiliate publishing companies since 2010. Before that, I was a remote employee myself. This article shares some of my tried and tested techniques for effectively managing a remote workforce.

This can be accomplished by a handful of basic tactics, including: »» Regular meetings »» Articulating project ownership and clear expectations for outcomes »» Fostering personal connections I recommend video conferencing for colleagues who rarely get time in-person, and chat applications like Slack,

Creating Accountability As a manager of remote employees, one big challenge is monitoring the productivity of your workforce. How do you identify the members of your team who are highly productive

where the use of a general channel for water-cooler banter is fun and fosters a spirit of community. Remember, as a manager, you lead by example - you should participate too.

or who need additional oversight? I recommend argument-free tracking tools. An ideal so-

Building Trust Across Remote Teams

lution integrates with the software your team uses internally

A recent study by Joseph Grenny and David Maxfield, re-

(like a CRM or CMS) to record time spent actively working. The

ported in Harvard Business Review in 2017, indicated that over

system should give workers the benefit of the doubt and allow

half of remote workers believed that their colleagues wouldn’t

short breaks, just like being in an office.

fight for their priorities and would make changes to projects

Additionally, this type of software will allow you to log in-

without warning them. They also reported an increased difficul-

dividual tasks as they are completed, letting you easily identify

ty resolving conflicts. These morale problems lead to insecuri-

your team members who are getting their work done quickly

ties and inhibit your employees from being their best selves.

and well. If you can’t layer this onto your existing platform, there are third-party tools that will do this (and much more). Toggl and Harvest are two that offer free trials and free basic plans.

Whether you’re dealing with remote workers or in a traditional office environment, the most important thing you can do is focus on interpersonal relationships. With human connection comes trust, better communication, and a greater team spirit. If you build trust between your-

Encouraging Transparency For salaried workers, you don’t want to be beholden to a

self and those you manage, your working environment will be happier, more collaborative, and more productive.

Anna Tumadóttir leads the operations group at Wickfire, a pay-for-performance search engine marketing provider.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

B2B Lead Funnels

with LinkedIn and Google

by Yoel T. Israel Yoel T. Israel

Landing Page

Send your highly targeted LinkedIn Ads campaigns to a f you or your affiliate partners are operating in the B2B

landing page on your domain, offering a free eBook or a white

(business-to-business) sphere, you are familiar with the

paper to download.

challenges of receiving MQLs (market qualified leads). I

If they download it, then you earned the lead, great. But what about the overwhelming majority that bounce off your

have succeeded in this over many years for many clients. Here’s a model that I’ve developed for easy paid lead

page? Are they just a lost opportunity? We already paid for the

acquisition, which I’ve found to be highly effective and cost-

expensive click and targeting with LinkedIn, and now they are

efficient. Let’s get started. You’ll need:

gone. Opportunity lost, right? Wrong, that is where our friend

Google comes in.

LinkedIn Ads associated with your business.

2. A landing page hosted on your domain to collect leads. 3.

Google AdWords Banners

Google AdWords account and banner ads.

Google AdWords banner ads are inexpensive and average

LinkedIn Ads B2B Targeting

$0.58 per click. This is where the synergy kicks in. First, install

LinkedIn has powerful B2B targeting. First, before you

the line of AdWords remarketing code on your landing page.

read any further, think about an individual you would want to

Then create an AdWords remarketing campaign along with

reach. Now that you have this person in mind, you can easily

banner ads. The audience targeted should only be those who

and accurately target them with LinkedIn. Here is how you do

visited the landing page used for LinkedIn Ads.

it: determine the industry, company size, company name, se-

Since we targeted properly on LinkedIn, they saw the ad to be relevant and clicked on it but decided not to leave their

niority, job title, and age of your target. Go ahead and create a LinkedIn Ads campaign with the

personal information, we know that they are highly relevant.

exact targeting of this individual and others like them. For

Therefore, the banners should promote something even lower

example: I target CMOs (chief marketing officers), in the tech

funnel – such as joining a webinar or scheduling a free demo.

industry, at companies with 50-1,000 employees, located in

Remember that Google Banner Ads will follow our previ-

the United States. This target audience also needs 10 years’

ous visitors throughout the Internet and encouraging them to

experience and must be at least 40 years old.

come back. We therefore, never stop targeting and marketing

We will only show ads to this target audience with ad copy such as “are you a CMO at a large American tech company?” this will get them interested to read and click the ad - entering them into our funnel.

to our target demographic, and we only pay when they interact with your ad. Now just sit back and watch the leads from LinkedIn and Google come-in straight to you or your clients’ sales team.

Yoel T. Israel is the founder of WadiDigital.com, a digital agency serving B2B startups.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Evaluating Influencers:

Where Is The Sweet Spot?

Kim Cashwell

Engagement

by Kim Cashwell

What to Look For: Engagement with the audience makes reach meaningful. An influencer may publish outstanding content, but if people

n effective influencer is like a camera tripod. The

aren’t listening, sharing, or commenting, it becomes stagnant.

legs of this tripod represent reach, engagement, and

Engagement is the heartbeat keeping a post alive. If engage-

content.

ment stops, the content quickly becomes history.

Many advertisers believe reach is more important than

Watch Out For:

anything else, but if you neglect other areas, you may not reap

Be aware of bots or spam producing artificial engagement.

the full benefits from your investment. To gauge influence,

Some influencers belong to groups that comment and share

focus instead on the intersection between content, engage-

posts to create an engagement mirage. Before hiring, research

ment, and reach.

previous posts to see what kind of activity they generated.

Here is what you should you look for in each area:

Content Reach What to Look For:

What to Look For: A blogger who regularly posts quality content relating

An influencer’s reach refers to their audience size. It’s

to your brand’s niche is the best fit. Even with a large reader-

easy to see an influencer with 50k Instagram followers and

ship and meaningful engagement, if they post content about

assume that your brand will get a lot of exposure from a spon-

health and fitness, don’t expect a lot of interest from the audi-

sored post. This number only matters if they’re reaching 50k

ence if you hire them to write about software.

engaged people in your target market, rather than 49k who aren’t as interested.

Nonetheless, listen to their pitch before dismissing them -- they may have a unique spin you haven’t considered yet.

Watch Out For:

Some people have a large audience, because they post

Some sites have vast numbers of followers and lots of

about multiple topics. If a lifestyle blogger posts a food recipe,

engagement but post low-quality content. The influencer may

people interested in money saving tips or parenting hacks

outsource to a poor writer, post generic salesy reviews, or

won’t be as drawn toward it.

have material that is controversial or promotes your competi-

Other bloggers post about freebies or coupons. Their followers just want a good deal and are less concerned with purchasing from a specific brand.

tors. Exposure of your brand on a site that does not align with your values is worse than no exposure. The Sweet Spot

Influencers may also run contests that require people to

The sweet spot is a balance of engagement, reach, and

follow their page, join communities who follow each other to

content. This balance provides a stable foundation to build

boost their numbers, or purchase followers to create the illu-

brand awareness. Focusing on this intersection also helps

sion of reach. Be sure to research engagement and content

you negotiate a fair price. If you evaluate each area thoroughly

quality to filter these influencers out.

before hiring, you’ll have a sweet recipe for success.

Kim Cashwell works with advertisers and agencies running influencer campaigns through Fresh Press Media.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Building Safe

Affiliate Email Marketing Partnerships

Pat Asbra

by Pat Asbra

hen it comes to return on investment, it’s hard to beat email marketing. Marketers turn to email to

protect your brand. You can also use suppression lists strate-

build profitable, direct relationships. Teaming up

gically to target specific segments of your list or prevent your

with affiliates is a great way to extend your reach and scale

less engaged subscribers from receiving too much email.

email revenue.

That way, you can send more email while still keeping your

Unfortunately, without proper precautions in place, email

subscribers happy.

partnerships might just weigh your program down. A deadweight partner can sink your return on investment, your compliance with email regulations, and even your brand reputation.

3. Secure your data. Still, when you’re passing email lists and suppression files between partners, you must share that data securely. Letting

For email partnerships to work, each partner has to carry

your list of unmailable addresses fall into the wrong hands

their weight. That means maintaining email compliance and

would be an invasion of the trust your subscribers extend by

following email best practices at every step of the campaign.

signing up for your email list. By taking steps to keep your data

To reap the full benefits, keep these four things in mind.

safe, such as hashing your suppression files, you make sure an ill-intentioned emailer doesn’t take advantage of your data.

1. Honor opt-outs. If you know anything about email compliance laws, you al-

4. Keep an eye on your partners.

ready know that honoring opt-outs is always a must. Not only

You’ve picked the ideal email partners, but you don’t want

is it against the law to send emails to people who have asked

them going rogue and blasting your lists or not keeping up

you to stop, it can damage the reputation you’ve worked so

with opt-outs. The best way to make sure your partners don’t

hard to build. When teaming up with other brands on an email

sink your email ROI is to watch them. Use your suppression

campaign, you might encounter addresses that have already

list management solution to monitor how often they send

opted out of your communication. That means staying on top

email, when they download your suppression lists, and pre-

of opt-outs requires a bit of extra attention.

vent them from abusing your email list. When you look out for your partners, you look out for your audience (and your brand

2. Make use of suppression lists.

reputation) too.

Suppression files keep track of the people who don’t want

By practicing safety in your email partnerships, you can

your email. By scrubbing your mailing list against these sup-

securely scale your revenue and ensure the success of your

pression lists, you ensure that you maintain compliance and

campaigns.

A decade of experience helping affiliate Email marketers with compliance and best practices.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Choosing Affiliate Marketing Software:

Things to Consider

by Victoria Galperina

Victoria Galperina

hose who know me well, know how picky I am when

test the software yourself. If you have questions or want to

it comes to choosing the best option. Needless to say,

learn more, sign up for a demo call. Chances are, if you don’t

when I was faced with a challenge of picking the best

like the look and feel of the interface, you probably won’t pro-

affiliate software to launch a brand-new affiliate program, I took

ceed with the purchase and vice versa.

it upon myself to find and evaluate all the options available. Surprisingly enough, there were barely any posts or tips

Think Value for Money

online which could help me with the decision making process,

It is often tempting to pick a software that has more fea-

so I took it upon myself to create a quick list of things affiliate

tures than you originally looked for, but do you really need all

managers should consider when choosing an affiliate market-

the extra options when starting? Stick to the features you’ll

ing software to launch a new program.

need, and ones that your affiliates will appreciate. Mass payment, invoice generation, intuitive interface with clear statis-

Choose with Affiliate Program Model in Mind If you are running a cost per sale program, you shouldn’t

tics, and a wide range of promotional materials are just a few things to pay attention to.

go with a software that charges for clicks and is more suitable for cost per click models. If you want to get involved in multi level marketing, make sure that the software you pick has the option of adding and tracking multiple tiers of affiliates.

When in Doubt - Ask Your Peers If at any point you get lost, ask your colleagues for advice. If you happen to be the only affiliate manager at a company - LinkedIn will come in very handy. You can join one of the af-

Create Your Own Feature Checklist To begin evaluating software options, you should know

filiate marketing or management groups and get advice from your colleagues within minutes.

what you are looking for. Create a list of features you want the

When it comes to affiliate tracking software, there is no

ideal affiliate software to provide. Start with the basics and

“one size fits all”. Focus on your affiliates first and make sure

throw in some “nice to have” ideas to the list to help you weigh

that the software you select offers plenty of statistics and

your options.

promo materials to choose from. Ensure that you, as the affiliate manager, have the flex-

Sign Up for Free Trials and Demo Calls Don’t base your decision on someone else’s opinion. Narrow down your list to 3-5 options and sign up for free trials to

ibility you need to overview affiliate activity, experiment with campaigns and materials, and have access to data that will help you support and scale affiliate activity in the future.

Victoria is a Superaffiliate manager @Supermetrics, #1 marketing add-on for Google Sheets & Data Studio.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Beware the Jabberwock

of Affiliate Marketing by Brad Elbein

Brad Elbein

or Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland, jaws that bite and claws that catch meant the fearsome beast called the Jabberwock. But for affiliate marketeers, the Jab-

To begin with, the statute severely restricts “data pass”

berwock is federal and state regulators—and they’re after you.

transactions. These transactions are declared illegal unless

The recent increase in their enforcement actions reveal some

they provide extensive disclosures to buyers—disclosures by

new trends that spell trouble for the affiliate marketing industry.

both the the initial merchant and the third-party merchant re-

Much of the enforcement is focused where you’d expect

ceiving the “data pass.” Consult with an attorney to learn how

it. But there are four new developments that the affiliate marketing industry needs to pay attention to.

to craft these disclosures. More importantly, the statute prohibits negative option

First, the FTC has been ramping up enforcement, and

programs that do not include clear and conspicuous disclo-

is on track to file more cases against the affiliate marketing

sures about the details of the program, fail to obtain express

community than in any year in recent memory.

informed consent from the buyer, and do not provide simple

Second, the FTC is showing an increasing will to target

cancellation mechanisms. These requirements place a cloud

individuals. Not just individuals who are owners of the com-

over many of the currently offered affiliate marketing pro-

panies: they’ve dipped down to the level of company officers

grams. Again, consult an attorney.

and even “managers.”

What can you do in the face of this aggressive enforce-

Third, the FTC has shown a new interest in suing a wid-

ment push? Compliance! Compliance! Compliance! Make

ening swath of service providers. Now endorsers, influencers,

sure your programs, advertisements, and procedures are

call centers, and even fulfillment centers are in the crosshairs.

compliant with current law.

This year they even targeted sales agents and sub-ISOs. In

Address customers’ complaints immediately. Respond

one case, the FTC described its focus as anyone who either

quickly and professionally to regulators’ inquiries. Make sure

disseminated or caused to be disseminated deceptive webpag-

your service providers comply with the law and discipline

es. If you think that phrase could encompass the advertisers,

them if they do not.

publishers, networks, and service providers that make up the affiliate marketing world, you’re right.

Most importantly: recognize that advertisers, networks, and publishers (everyone who either “disseminated or caused

Finally, the most important new development is the in-

to be disseminated” deceptive communications) can all be

creased use of ROSCA. The Restore Online Shoppers’ Con-

held responsible for violations of federal advertising law—and

fidence Act was passed in 2010, but has only in the last few

can make you responsible too.

years become the FTC’s big weapon. ROSCA is too complex

Compliance: it’s the only way to avoid the Jabberwock,

to fully explain in a short article, but there are two things you

with eyes of flame as it comes whiffling through the tulgey

should know.

wood… hunting you.

Brad Elbein is a former FTC director now in private practice and blogging at linkedin.com/in/bradelbein.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

3 Key

Affiliate Manager Tips by Stanislau Litvinau When the party is over, add all the people you got acquainted with to your social media accounts, and continue

Stanislau Litvinau

your communication there. Networking is everything. Keep in touch with your new acquaintances is the best way to be-

come partners in the future. magine that you are an affiliate manager working in an ideal affiliate marketing world with only top publishers, fair

How to establish good working relationships with

partners, and exclusive offers. Sounds good, but a bit like a

your affiliates?

fairytale, doesn’t it?

Regularly analyze your publishers’ statistics and commu-

In reality, this industry seems more like a battlefield for an

nicate with them. Every time the traffic or conversion goes

affiliate manager. You should know the exact rules, not only to

down, ask your affiliate about possible reasons or suggest

survive but also, to become victorious.

him to try a new offer. And vice versa, if your affiliate’s metrics improve, you should congratulate your partner and find a way

How to attract top publishers into your affiliate

to nail down this success. Got a new offer which will suit per-

program?

fectly a publisher’s vertical or niche? Then reach him out per-

Networking is king. Especially in affiliate marketing. So,

sonally and promise him a higher payout, if it’s possible. The

if you want to attract best affiliates into your program, you

key is: your affiliates should always feel your care and support,

just have to attend most relevant events in the industry. Your

and be sure that you are playing in one team.

best relations will start at conferences or other professional

How to recognize fraud?

events, as well as at the parties afterwards. An ideal way to be noticed at any conference is to become

Fraudsters from all over the world have one feature in

a speaker. Provided your speech is of real value and provokes

common. They intend to get easy money quickly. That is why

future discussions, you will surely get the attention you are

they usually start the conversation by asking you what the

looking for.

minimum payouts and the terms of payment are. They do not

If you are not ready to be a speaker now, do not worry. This is what afterparties are made for. Show up to the par-

really care what kind of offers you have, and they likely won’t tell you a word about their traffic sources.

ty, have a look around and distinguish the leaders from the

So, if you see your potential partner behaves like that,

crowd. You know, at every party there are such people who

ding dong: he is trying to send you fraudulent traffic. Besides,

are always in the spotlight and attract others’ attention. Stick

note that emails and Skype names of such publishers will not

to these leaders, and you will get an opportunity to know all

appear in search engines. Just because they are newly regis-

of the rest.

tered.

Stanislau Litvinau is a CEO of Affise Performance Marketing Software, 15 years in affiliate marketing.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Four Possible Mistakes

on Your Resume by Mariam Barnes

Mariam Barnes

ome people may not realize it, but resume standards are completely different in digital advertising, compared to most industries.

It’s important to know that when you Google “standard re-

sume practices”, the tips you find may not always be relevant.

with bullet points, and everything prior to that can be on a short list that include a list of companies, titles, and the years you worked there.

Our industry is slightly unique in that it evolves incredibly fast. With that said, here are some common mistakes that should

3. Using ‘Big Industry’ jargon, but not actually

be avoided when putting together your resume.

saying anything

1. Having a Cover Letter

CPL, CPI basis” prove nothing more than your excessive use of

Claims such as “I have worked with big clients on a CPM, Cover letters are not only time-consuming to create, but also to read.

acronyms. Did you buy from clients, sell from clients, or broker deals? Did you manage accounts? Are these clients ad net-

When a hiring manager is moving a mile a minute to com-

works, brands, agencies, or publishers? The point is, you need

plete proposals, and put out fires, they simply don’t have the

to be very specific in stating what your actual job functions

time to delve a few paragraphs deep into your life story. In an

were in each role. General industry verbiage will only work

industry where every minute counts, a cover letter is nothing

against you. Remember the importance of being an expert in

more than a waste of time. In all of my years of recruiting in

one thing, rather than a jack-of-all-trades.

digital advertising, I have never once had an employer ask me to include a cover letter with a resume. Not one time.

4. Vital details you may be missing from your resume

2. Highlighting many years of work experience

List client names that you have actually worked with. For

If you’re saying “I have 20+ years of digital experience”,

example, “Some clients include… Client Name, Client Name,

you might as well be the dinosaur of digital. Hiring managers

Client Name”. If you are in a role that generates revenue, use

simply do not care what you were doing 20 years ago (un-

specific revenue numbers. Example: “I was responsible for

less it resulted in a felony). You should remember that there

generating $100,000 in new business each month.” Highlight

is almost nothing you could have been doing work-related 20

your successes. “Helped, win back one of our largest clients

years ago that would benefit today’s digital industry. Every as-

after we lost their business due to ad serving/tech issues”

pect of technology is different. You should outline your experience in your most recent ten years (or last three to five jobs)

Try to remember that a resume is what will get you in the door. Sell yourself.

Mariam Barnes is the Founder of aditjobs.com, Leading Job Board for Digital Marketing Companies.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Drive Demand

Through Emotionally Intelligent Messaging

Jay Steven Levin

by Jay Steven Levin

eed better conversions? Connect better to your audi-

to message one product offer, but with different emotional ap-

ences.

peals;

Buyers don’t buy what they need. They buy what

You’re selling student loan debt relief. Group A’s appeal is

they feel and desire. Don’t let your need to sell blind you to why

for gaining control of their debt. Group B’s message appeals

buyers need to buy. Go beyond why buyers buy. Understand

to self or family acceptance once debt is eliminated. Group C’s

“how” to active desire.

messaging is geared to feeling more secure and, less threat-

Knowing how to drive action is more important than knowing why people act. Knowing how to activate behavior

ened. D group’s appeal is the relief of knowing the right decision has been made. When designing an emotionally intelligent campaign,

leads to richer sales success. Emotional drivers fit neatly into four areas; control, acceptance, security and, fear. These drivers are emotional and,

keep in mind 5 points. 1.

psychographic. They operate across age, sex, demographics,

biased? 2. The more wrong you find you are, the smarter you will

cultures, products, and services. Craft your audience messages to appeal to one of the above four drivers. Create a campaign for each behavioral

become. 3.

driver. Think, multi-variant trial.

Smart doesn’t equal emotional intelligence. Know the difference.

Test and assess to determine which emotional driver con-

verts best. Group A, B, C, or D. For those that don’t respond, move

to the next emotional message to further segment your list. Here’s an example of how to apply emotional intelligence

Challenge your assumptions. Is your information pure or

Uncover driving force desires before messaging them. Offers don’t sell. Emotions do. Leverage behavioral and emotional intelligence to reach

your goals easier, faster.

Jay’s company WinThinking, increases sales profitability by leveraging emotional intelligence.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Preparing in Advance

for Conference Meetings by Ryan Zimmerman

Ryan Zimmerman

ot only do conferences provide great speakers and information, but they are a fantastic central hub for thousands of people in the industry to get together and

hash out the details of business deals in one on one meetings. Time is of the essence, as they say, so check out a few

Finding a chair and sitting down with someone is not only

tips below on making the most of your trips and simplifying

more intimate, but also gives your feet and legs a rest from the

the meeting process.

constant walking.

Exchange Cell Phone Numbers

Make It Easy for Each Other

Well yeah, duh… but still, make this a first priority when

How often have you found yourself standing around, wait-

setting up a meeting. EXCHANGE cell phone numbers, don’t

ing for a meeting, only to be squinting your eyes and staring at

just give yours or get theirs. It’s important for both sides to

every name badge that walks by you to see if you can locate

have an easy way to reach each other in case of conflicts, de-

the person you’re supposed to meet with?

lays, or other last-minute changes that need to be communicated faster than an email.

Of course, people you’ve met with in the past are easier to recognize, but what about people you’ve never met in person?

Personally, I’d recommend texting, because sometimes

Odds are you are going to find a good chunk of attendees on

conferences get loud, and the background noise may not al-

Linkedin or social media, so at the very least look them up

low you to have a conversation effectively.

prior to the show and get an idea of what they look like. Make it even easier for each other by texting each other

Scope Out Locations Prior

shortly before the meeting and give them a heads up on your

It helps a lot to call up the hotel or location prior to your

attire or appearance. “Hey Shawn, it’s Ryan. I’m the ridiculous-

visit and ask the concierge or front desk for their recommen-

ly handsome guy with glasses and a blue button up shirt put-

dations on good places to meet within their establishment.

ting out the vibe by the bar” or something similar.

Again, time is valuable, and you don’t want to waste your

I know none of this is mind-blowing information, however,

meeting time hunting down a place to chat. If possible, find a

give yourself a break and use your energy to close deals once

table at a café, restaurant or lobby area, and use that space

you get there and not fret about the small stuff in advance.

for the day.

See you there!

Ryan Zimmerman is a 15-year online marketing veteran and President of PowerLight Media.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Why Start Partnerships

With YouTube Influencers?

by Egbert Snijders

Egbert Snijders

aking money through YouTube as an influencer is getting more difficult, since the change of new YouTube advertising algorithms. With the change,

some YouTubers are seeing a decrease in ad revenue. Even if they have millions of views. So, it is the right time to start partnerships with YouTu-

How to Partner with YouTube Influencers 1.

bers, as they are eager to find alternative revenue sources.

Use the YouTube search bar to find YouTubers who have something in common with your products or services. For example, if you work for a beauty brand, search for “make

Why Partner with YouTube influencers?

up” in YouTube. Check if their videos have a lot of views, as

First of all, it is already in the word: influencers. Their sub-

well as a large number of subscribers. Do you think you

scribers are often very loyal to them, and they will trust the

share the same audience? Reach out to them directly by

YouTuber’s review of a product. The YouTuber needs to love

sending a message through their “about” page.

your product or service. Don’t give them a script how to pro-

2. Bold, risky move: send products to YouTubers (most of

mote the product. It works best to let them be themselves.

the time, they have a website with contact information).

This can be very effective, since they reach a segmented audi-

It is a cheap way to get your product out and about. If

ence of thousands or millions of viewers daily.

you’re lucky, they will share it with their subscribers. Note: this could result in a good or bad review.

Which Partnerships Work Best?

Find YouTube influencer agencies. These agencies are

The two biggest ways of starting a partnership with You-

becoming more common. They can help you find the

Tubers are through affiliate links and product placements.

right influencer for a fee, so this is a more expensive

YouTubers typically promote products in a very subtle way like

method, though these agencies can help you find the

product placement, or they refer to an affiliate link in the de-

right YouTuber for you.

scription or in the videos via annotations. It works best if the

Find YouTube influencers through affiliate networks.

YouTuber is not too aggressive with promoting your product

Reach out to them via affiliate networks, to make them

or service. It needs to feel natural.

aware of the possibility to work with you as an affiliate.

Egbert Snijders is AVP of digital marketing at Mariner Finance & YouTuber.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Affiliate Summit West 2018

Agenda Day 0

Saturday, 1/6/2018

Sunday, 1/7/2018

Early Check-In Open

Check-In Open

Time: 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm Location: Champagne 1/4

Time: 7:30 am - 6:00 pm Location: Champagne 1/4

Come by Saturday to pick up your badge and attendee bag so you can enter immediately on Sunday when the conference opens!

Pick up your conference badge and attendee bag, and get started with Affiliate Summit. Open to All Pass Holders

Affiliate Summit Open Forum

Networking Lounge Open

Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Location: Bordeaux

Time: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Location: Vendome A

We consider the Affiliate Summit attendees to be an important part of the team and the decision making process for the conference and tradeshow. We want to know what you think, where we can improve, and any ideas you have for things to add to Affiliate Summit. Come out and join Affiliate Summit Co-CEO’s, Missy Ward and Shawn Collins, for an open discussion.

All attendees are welcome to take advantage of the tables and WiFi to have meetings, catch up on work, or simply take a break. Coffee and Tea available to those with Drink Tickets. (The VIP area located within the Networking Lounge is open to VIP Pass Holders only.) Open to All Pass Holders

Open to All Pass Holders

Press and Speaker Lounge Time: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Location: Bordeaux The Press and Speaker Lounge is an area reserved for credentialed Press and Speakers only to grab some desk space, run through presentations, relax, and network. Press or Speaker Ribbon Required

Day 1

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Exhibit Hall Booth Setup

Meet Market Table Setup

Time: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Location: Rivoli and Vendome B & C

Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Location: Concorde A, B & C

Exhibitors may set up their booth at this time.

Meet Market Exhibitors may set up their tables at this time.

Exhibitor Ribbon Required Exhibitor Ribbon Required

Early Birds of a Feather Networking Roundtables

First Timer Orientation

Time: 8:30 am – 10:30 am Location: Vendome A

Time: 10:00 am - 10:30 am Location: Champagne 2

Kickstart your Affiliate Summit networking experience as you break the ice, meet new people with shared interests, and explore ideas at this discussion-based networking event. This is an opportunity to ask questions about various specialties and issues. Hand-picked experts handle topics in their specialty, conduct discussions, answer questions and share opinions during this networking and education session. The talks are literally at round tables and you may come and go as you please.

First-time attendees are encouraged to join Affiliate Summit Co-Founder, Shawn Collins for tips and advice on getting the most out of your time at Affiliate Summit.

»» 10 Ways to Get More Out of Your Social Media Strategy – Michelle Held »» CPA & CPL Latam – Rodrigo Genoveze »» Cross-device Attribution Bootcamp for Affiliates – Michael Benedek

»» Shawn Collins, Co-CEO, Affiliate Summit Open to All Pass Holders

Opening Remarks & Keynote Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Location: Grand Ballroom (Platinum/Gold) - Bally’s »» Dan Moriarty, Coach, Own The Room Open to All Pass Holders

»» From an FTC Pro: How to Stay on the Trump FTC’s Good Side – William Rothbard »» Mobilizing Non-Intrusive Advertising – Tie Davidson »» Resume Workshop/Hiring Talent- Mariam Barnes »» Safety in Numbers: How to Safely Email with Affiliates – Pat Asbra »» Using Fraud Detection for Long-Term Sustainable Exercises – Rich Kahn Open to All Pass Holders

Exhibitor Snack Break Time: 11:00 am – 12:00pm Location: Grand Ballroom (Silver) - Bally’s Fuel up and recharge with some snacks and drinks in a relaxed networking environment. (Your “Exhibitor Sunday Snack” Ticket must also be presented upon arrival). Exhibitor Snack Ticket Required

· Issue 41 · January 2018

VIP Snack Break Time: 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Location: Grand Ballroom (Silver) – Bally’s VIP Pass Holders: Fuel up and recharge with some snacks and drinks in a relaxed networking environment. (Your “Sunday Snack” Ticket must also be presented upon arrival). VIP Pass Holders Only, VIP Snack Ticket Required

Meet Market Open Time: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm Location: Concorde A, B & C The Meet Market is a showcase featuring affiliate programs, networks, and vendors. Each exhibitor table is a meeting spot for teaching, learning, closing deals, creating partnerships and finding new opportunities. Review the Meet Market Map, to line up who you want to meet. Open to All Pass Holders

RevShare Roundup Time: 12:00 pm – 6:00pm Location: Rivoli and Vendome B & C The Affiliate Summit RevShare Roundup is taking place inside the Meet Market event Sunday January 7th from 12:00pm – 2:00pm and 4:00pm – 6:00pm during Affiliate Summit West 2018. If you are looking for new revenue share programs to drive traffic to, the Affiliate Summit RevShare Roundup showcases a variety of affiliate programs to discover. (Unrelated conversations will not be entertained during this event.) Open to All Pass Holders

Session 1A: Big Brand Retail Managers Super Panel Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Location: Champagne 2 In-house managers from top retail brands Fanatics, Jane.com and REI discuss how to win with niche content affiliates, recruiting and optimization strategies, top industry tools and the kitchen sink »» Bri Reichelt, Affiliate Program Manager, REI »» Chad Waite, Marketing Manager, Avantlink »» Maryellen Garasky, Affiliate Manager, Jane.com »» Wade Tonkin, Affiliate Manager, Fanatics Niche/Vertical: Affiliate Management Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 1B: Million Dollar Blog Empires: Ask the Experts Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Location: Champagne 3 Discover what it takes to create a successful and profitable brand and blog in 2018. Ask industry experts and veterans how they built their multi-million dollar empires in this open Q&A session. »» Jeremy Schoemaker, CEO/Owner, ShoeMoney Media »» John Chow, Titles are for Wimps, John Chow dot Com »» Syed Balkhi, Founder, WPBeginner Niche/Vertical: Blogging Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Session 1C: It Takes an Ecosystem: Teaming Up to Fight Fraud Together Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Location: Versailles 1/2 Hear how industry leaders use data granularity to pinpoint suspicious activity and filter out fraudulent traffic sources, align with partners to share guideposts, and eliminate fraud in real time. »» Brian Fox, CEO, AdAction Interactive »» Brian Marcus, Director of Product Marketing, TUNE »» John Toskey, Director, eBay Partner Network »» Vivian Chang, Director, Digital Marketing, RetailMeNot Niche/Vertical: Fraud Target Audience: Network Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 1D: Using Analytics to Improve Your Affiliate Marketing Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Location: Versailles 3/4 Affiliates and Merchants will discover how to gain valuable actionable insights in analytics. We will cover best practices, most important metrics to use, and how to use this information for success. »» Carolyn Kmet, Senior Lecturer, Loyola University of Chicago, Quinlan School of Business »» Karen Garcia, Partner, Lab6 Media

»» Lessie Purpera, Affiliate Marketing Manager, Snow Consulting, Inc Niche/Vertical: Analytics Target Audience: Merchant/ Advertiser Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 2A: Affiliates to Partnerships: How Large Brands are Innovating Time: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Location: Champagne 2 Leading brands will discuss innovations, challenges and opportunities. Topics will include partner recruitment, program growth strategies, unique commission structures, and how they leverage big data. »» Ashlee Vega, Sr. Manager: Affiliates, Display & Paid Social, adidas North America »» Ashwin Krishnan, Business Development, Airbnb »» Coady Demuri, Affiliate Marketing Coordinator, Levi’s »» Keith Posehn, Head of Performance Partnerships, UBER »» Todd Crawford, VP Strategic Initiatives, Impact Radius Niche/Vertical: Innovation Target Audience: Merchant/ Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Session 2B: Live SEO & Monetization Site Reviews With the Experts

Session 2D: CRO For Paid & Organic Traffic: Live Site Review

Time: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Location: Champagne 3

Time: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Location: Versailles 3/4

Want to know why your site doesn’t rank or how to get more traffic? Maybe you’re looking to monetize it. This session will review your site live and help you grow your business. It’s one to not miss!

How’s your conversion rate? Have your site and landing pages audited live to see what conversion rate optimizations you might be leaving on the table for your paid and/or organic traffic.

»» Adam Riemer, President, Adam Riemer Marketing, LLC »» Brian LaFrance, Lead SEO Analyst, CBS Interactive »» Carolyn Shelby, Director, SEO, Tronc, Inc »» Scott Polk, CEO, MarketingNomads.com Niche/Vertical: SEO Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 2C: Industry Trends & Insights for 2018 Time: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Location: Versailles 1/2 Based on the work by the Performance Marketing Association councils and committees, we’ll discuss the legislation, regulations and trends we predict will impact our industry. »» Rachel Honoway, Partner, Rust Built »» Gary Kibel, Partner, Davis & Gilbert LLP Niche/Vertical: Trends Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

»» Kenny Hyder, Founder/CEO, Hyder Media »» Tony Wright, CEO, WrightIMC Niche/Vertical: Conversion Rate Optimization Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 3A: Values, Predictions & Strategies from OPM Heavyweights Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Location: Champagne 2 Learn from four industry acclaimed CEOs as they share milestones, challenges & lessons of purpose on how they have pushed the boundaries to take performance marketing to new heights. »» Jamie Birch, CEO, JEBCommerce »» Jennifer Myers Ward, CEO, ebove & beyond, inc. »» Sarah Bundy, Founder and CEO, All Inclusive Marketing »» Tara McCommons, VP of Sales & Marketing, LinkConnector Corporation »» Mike Nunez, CEO, Suluta Corp Niche/Vertical: Steadfast Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Session 3B: SEO Ask Me Anything Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Location: Champagne 3 Audience questions drive this session. The panelists will discuss live topics on SEO. »» Bruce Clay, President, Bruce Clay, Inc. »» Duane Forrester, VP Industry Insights, Yext »» Stephan Spencer, Co-Author, The Art of SEO Niche/Vertical: SEO Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 3D: How to Monetize Facebook Messenger with Chatbots Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Location: Versailles 3/4 In 2015, messaging apps surpassed social networks for the most time spent. In 2016, Facebook began allowing businesses to automate engagement & transactions via chatbots. Come & learn what’s working! »» Arvell Craig, Chief Marketing Coach, Design That Speaks »» Mary Kathryn Johnson, Founder, Messenger Funnels »» Murray Newlands, Founder, ChattyPeople Niche/Vertical: Chatbots

Session 3C: Expert Q&A: The Top 13 Questions Affiliates Ask Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Location: Versailles 1/2 From choosing a merchant to link strategies to reporting to commissions, we’ll answer a baker’s dozen of the most frequent affiliate questions, with time to ask your #1 question too. »» Jeannine Crooks, Client Services Manager, Awin. com »» John LoBrutto, Director of Global Affiliate Solutions and Partnerships, Liquid Web, LLC »» Mike Allen, Founder, Businesswright Consulting Niche/Vertical: Affiliate Growth Strategies

Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Movers and Cocktail Shakers Reception Time: 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Location: Vendome A Mix and mingle with other VIP pass holders and kickoff Affiliate Summit West 2018 over cocktails and light fare.(Your “Cocktail Reception Ticket” must be presented upon entry) VIP Cocktail Ticket Required

Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Newcomer Program Meetup Time: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Location: Bordeaux The Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program helps connect first-time attendees with Affiliate Summit veterans. Conference veterans volunteer their time to share their past experience ideas and information to help newcomers optimize their time at the conference. This is an opportunity for those first-

· Issue 41 · January 2018

time attendees and conference veterans to meet. (You must be enrolled in the Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program to participate in this event.)

able to those with Drink Tickets. (The VIP area located within the Networking Lounge is open to VIP Pass Holders only.)

Must be registered for the Newcomer Program

Open to All Pass Holders

ShareASale + Awin Party at Affiliate Summit West 2018 Time: 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Theme: Famous Duos Announcing our annual party at Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas. This year, we are so excited to be co-hosting the party alongside our counterpart, the other half of our “famous duo”, our partner network, Awin!

Press and Speaker Lounge Time: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm Location: Bordeaux The Press and Speaker Lounge is an area reserved for credentialed Press and Speakers only to grab some desk space, run through presentations, relax, and network. Press or Speaker Ribbon Required

Don’t forget to RSVP to save your spot! Open to all Affiliate Summit West 2018 attendees – RSVP only!

Day 2 Monday, 1/8/2018 Check-In Open Time: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm Location: Champagne 1/4 Pick up your conference badge and attendee bag, and get started with Affiliate Summit.

Networking Lounge Open Time: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm Location: Vendome A All attendees are welcome to take advantage of the tables and WiFi to have meetings, catch up on work, or simply take a break. Coffee and Tea avail-

Exhibit Hall Booth Refresh Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am Location: Rivoli & Vendome B & C Exhibitors may come in during this time to refresh their booth from yesterday’s setup and prep booth staff. Exhibitor Ribbon Required

VIP Buffet Breakfast Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am Location: Grand Ballroom (Silver) - Bally’s VIP Pass Holders: Fuel up on a hearty buffet-style breakfast in a relaxed networking environment. (Your “Monday Breakfast” Ticket must also be presented upon arrival). Monday Breakfast Ticket Required

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Session 5A: 15 Effective Ways to Improve Affiliate Program’s Visibility Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Champagne 2 Most publishers prefer to find new affiliate programs to join (or offers to promote) by themselves. This session will equip you with 15 practical ways to optimize the visibility of your program. »» Geno Prussakov, CEO, AM Navigator LLC Niche/Vertical: Affiliate Recruitment Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 5B: Quit Losing Money on Your Blog Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Champagne 3 5 things you can change TODAY. Maximize your revenue without creating any new content or even generating more traffic. Get smart about making more money with what you already have. »» Tricia Meyer, Owner, Sunshine Rewards Niche/Vertical: Blogging

»» Bruce Clay, President, Bruce Clay, Inc Niche/Vertical: SEO For WordPress Target Audience: Affiliate Publisher Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Target Audience: Affiliate Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 5C: SEO for WordPress Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Versailles 1/2 Presents many ideas and tools that can be used to SEO in a WordPress world, plus discusses new tool on market (ours).

Session 5D: Get it Together: Working Remotely with a Team Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Versailles 3/4 Working remotely can be tough enough, but when you’re working with a team there are many moving parts that have to be in sync. Having the right tools and mindset help keep you organized and focused. »» Christen Evans, Influencer Manger/Social Media Genius, Apogee

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Niche/Vertical: Organization

Niche/Vertical: Strategy

Target Audience: Affiliate Publisher

Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser

Experience Level: Beginner

Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Exhibit Hall Open

Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 6B: Affiliate Constellation

Time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Location: Rivoli & Vendome B & C

Time: 10:45 am – 11:15 am Location: Champagne 3

Affiliate Summit’s Exhibit Hall floor features a wide variety of affiliate programs, networks, outsourced program managers, agencies, technology providers, traffic sources and other vendors. All attendees are welcome.

A review of the different types of companies in the affiliate space and how you might work with them or not.

Open to All Pass Holders

»» Brook Schaaf, Acting CEO, FMTC Niche/Vertical: Categories Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate

Demo Day Time: 10:00 am – 4:50 pm Location: Concorde A Networks, technology firms, digital agencies, traffic sources, retailers, and other solution providers will take the stage on the hour and demonstrate their services. Open to All Pass Holders

Session 6A: 3 Geeky Habits of Successful Affiliate Managers Time: 10:45 am – 11:15 am Location: Champagne 2 Affiliate management requires living in spreadsheets while keeping close relationships with real people. These 3 habits will keep your affiliates happy and your programs growing. In that order. :) »» Nick Oswald, Affiliate Marketing Manager, cleverbridge

Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 6C: Affiliate SEO in 2018: What’s Important, What’s Not Time: 10:45 am – 11:15 am Location: Versailles 1/2 As an affiliate, you don’t have to chase every latest SEO trend. There’s bare SEO minimum - relevant for 2018 - to keep your website in good shape and get ahead of your competitors in SERPs. »» Aleh Barysevich, Founder and CMO, SEO Powersuite Niche/Vertical: Affiliate SEO Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Session 6D: Creating a World-Class, Performance-Based Culture Time: 10:45 am – 11:15 am Location: Versailles 3/4 Is your company culture admired or does it need improvement? Learn how to combine core values, open feedback and a performance focus to attract top talent and get recognized as a best place to work. »» Robert Glazer, Founder, Acceleration Partners Niche/Vertical: Culture Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Opening Remarks & Keynote Time: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Location: Grand Ballroom (Platinum/Gold) - Bally’s Jason Akatiff, CEO, A4D Inc. Open to All Pass Holders

VIP Buffet Lunch Time: 12:45 pm - 1:45 pm Location: Grand Ballroom (Silver) - Bally’s VIP Pass Holders: Fuel up on a hearty buffet-style lunch in a relaxed networking environment. (Your “Monday Lunch” Ticket must also be presented upon arrival). Monday Lunch Ticket Required

Session 7A: The Edutainment Generation Time: 2:00 pm – 2:30pm Location: Champagne 2 Tai Lopez’s unique style of merging education with entertainment connects with this current generation through “Edutainement”

»» Tai Lopez, Founder, Tailopez.com Niche/Vertical: Social Media Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 7B: Cross-Border Affiliate Marketing in China Time: 2:00 pm – 2:30pm Location: Champagne 3 Discuss China as an ecommerce opportunity. Will go over the various affiliate opportunities to access the market and ways to build demand, avoid pitfalls and scale business. »» Jeff Unze, President, Merchant Partnerships, BorderX Lab

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Niche/Vertical: Cross-Border Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 7C: Mobile & Affiliate Marketing: What You Need To Know Time: 2:00 pm – 2:30pm Location: Versailles 1/2 As mobile technology continues to advance the lines between mobile and affiliate marketing are becoming even more blurred. Learn what you need to know to stay ahead of the curve. »» Victoria Collins, Founder, Buzzy Rocket Niche/Vertical: Mobile Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 7D: The Untapped Potential of Twitch.tv Time: 2:00 pm – 2:30pm Location: Versailles 3/4 We’ll do an overview of Twitch.tv as a content marketing platform as a potential advertising venue for merchants. After the overview, we’ll look at data for what works and what doesn’t. »» James Thompson, Co-Founder, Daft Labs, LLC Niche/Vertical: Content Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 8A: Influencer Marketing: Demystifying the Term Heard Everywhere Time: 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm Location: Champagne 2 “Influencer marketing” has become a trendy buzzword; we break down what “influencer” really means and when it’s truly beneficial for your brand to incorporate it into your marketing. »» Stephanie Harris, Owner & CEO, PartnerCentric Niche/Vertical: Influencers Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 8B: Latin American Affiliate Marketing Time: 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm Location: Champagne 3 How is affiliate marketing business in Latin America. Which countries are stronger, which niche are more popular. Profile of the latin consumer. Biggest players in the region. »» Ignacio Pronzati, Director, Soicos Niche/Vertical: Latin American Affiliate Marketing Target Audience: Network Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 8C: Newsletters 101 Time: 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm Location: Versailles 1/2 How many times have you signed up for a site’s newsletter and never heard from them again? Publishing a content newsletter is a real commitment. Here are the basics for success.

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»» Scott Wolf, President & C.E.O., ArcaMax Publishing, Inc. Niche/Vertical: Newsletters Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 8D: The Politics of a Successful Office Time: 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm Location: Versailles 3/4 The right relationships at work will help you succeed; build them properly. Also: tips on how to avoid engaging in such favorite topics like politics, religion, sex, & tv show spoilers. »» Sean Steinmarc, CEO, TFC Tuition Financing Niche/Vertical: Workplace Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 9A: Ad Account Battle with Facebook in 2018 Time: 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Location: Champagne 2 Learn about the latest tips and tricks to maintain to avoid your Facebook Ad Account getting flagged for policy violation or unusual activity. »» Christina Szekeres, CEO, Platinum Media LLC Niche/Vertical: Facebook Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 9B: Leveraging Influencers to Make Money Off Pics & Hashtags Time: 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Location: Champagne 3 Learn how to interact, engage, and partner with social influencers to organically reach target audiences, create additional revenue streams, and advance your company’s thought leadership credibility. »» Oliver Roup, CEO & Founder, VigLink Niche/Vertical: Influencer Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 9C: Artificial Intelligence: How Will It Affect Future Search? Time: 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Location: Versailles 1/2 This presentation will delve into the evolution of artificial intelligence, how it will impact SEO and, ultimately, how it will redefine the user experience. »» Lance Bachmann, Founder and CEO, 1SEO Digital Agency Niche/Vertical: Artificial Intelligence Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Advanced Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 9D: Session 9D: Empower Customers to Become Micro-Influencers Time: 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Location: Versailles 3/4 Influencer Marketing is the fastest- growing customer-acquisition channel producing quality content with built-in distribution. Empower your

· Issue 41 · January 2018

customers to become micro-influencers to drive sales. »» Melissa Salas, Global Marketing Director, Indi.com Niche/Vertical: Influencers Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 10A: Automating Adwords: Beating the Competition In Your Sleep Time: 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm Location: Champagne 2 How affiliates can build systems using up-to-date SEM automation tech. This will include a demo of affiliate-to-Adwords conversion tracking to create automated ROI-based keyword bidding SEM campaigns. »» Chet Hall, CEO, Wickfire, LLC Niche/Vertical: Search Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Advanced Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 10B: 3 Steps to Boost Facebook Ads ROI with Customer Journey Maps Time: 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm Location: Champagne 3 Fix the flaws of the traditional marketing funnel. Transform your marketing to maximize profitability. Learn an easy 3 step process for applying these techniques with Facebook Ads »» Dmitriy Kruglyak, CEO, TargetChoice LLC

Session 10C: 7 Ways to Help Amplify Organic Content Reach Time: 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm Location: Versailles 1/2 Do more than just boost your vanity numbers. Get tools and strategies to amplify your reach to get your content in front of more people »» Michelle Held, Owner, MetroNY, LLC Niche/Vertical: Marketing Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 10D: The Rising Liability of Affiliates in the Online Industries Time: 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm Location: Versailles 3/4 Affiliates have been caught in the storm recently. Regulators start paying attention to them. The days of benefits without risks are gone. This session explains why this happened and how to tackle it. »» Tal Itzhak Ron, Chairman and CEO, Tal Ron, Drihem & Co., Law Firm Niche/Vertical: Liability Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Advanced Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Tuesday, 1/9/2018

Niche/Vertical: Customer Journey Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Check-in Open Time: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm Location: Champagne 1/4

Day 3

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Pick up your conference badge and attendee bag, and get started with Affiliate Summit. Open to All Pass Holders

Networking Lounge and VIP Area Time: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Location: Vendome A All attendees are welcome to take advantage of the tables and WiFi to have meetings, catch up on work, or simply take a break. Coffee and Tea available to those with Drink Tickets. (The VIP area located within the Networking Lounge is open to VIP Pass Holders only.) Open to All Pass Holders

Press and Speaker Lounge Time: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Location: Bordeaux The Press and Speaker Lounge is an area reserved credentialed Press and Speakers only to grab some desk space, run through presentations, relax, and network. Press or Speaker Ribbon Required

VIP Buffet Breakfast Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am Location: Grand Ballroom (Silver) - Bally’s VIP Pass Holders: Fuel up on a hearty buffet-style breakfast in a relaxed networking environment. (Your “Tuesday Breakfast” Ticket must also be presented upon arrival).

Session 11A: Tricks My Facebook Support Guy Forgot to Tell Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Champagne 2 Lessons learned, after wasting time and money on Facebook, about how to effectively use pixels to target and re-target in a cost effective manner for different campaign types. »» Subhankar Ray, VP Development, TeddyCanHeal.com Niche/Vertical: Facebook Marketing Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Advanced Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Tuesday Breakfast Ticket Required

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Session 11B: ADD - Your Entrepreneurial Gift Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Champagne 3 ADD is a gift, especially for entrepreneurs. When not managed, ADD is a monster. Learn the 3 components of the monster-taming framework that will help you get your life and business in thrive mode. »» Kit Cassingham, Chief Energizing Officer, Live In Focused Energy Niche/Vertical: Productivity Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 11C: Podcast Growth: 0 to 1 Million Downloads in 3 Weeks Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Versailles 1/2 Podcasting has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to build influence through content. Learn how to start a podcast, and how we grew a new show to 1 million downloads in only 3 weeks. »» Colin Thomson, Founder, Kast Media Niche/Vertical: Podcasting Target Audience: Blogger Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 11D: How Amazon Affects Affiliates and Online Sales Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Versailles 3/4 A look at ways to work with Amazon which enhance brand awareness, increase online sales and help affiliates be more effective.

»» Paul Schroader, President, PS Web Solutions, Inc. Niche/Vertical: Amazon Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Exhibit Hall Open Time: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Location: Rivoli & Vendome B & C Affiliate Summit’s Exhibit Hall floor features a wide variety of affiliate programs, networks, outsourced program managers, agencies, technology providers, traffic sources and other vendors. All attendees are welcome. Open to All Pass Holders

Session 12A: The Evolution of Affiliate: From Web Rings to Influencers Time: 10:45 am – 11:15 am Location: Champagne 2 The new affiliate channel is pure quality, micromoments to social. You’ll learn about the massive growth of influencers and critical elements that led them to spark a new affiliate Renaissance. »» Greg Shepard, CTO/CSO, Pepperjam Niche/Vertical: Influencers Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 12B: 7 Tips For Getting Advertisers To Throw Money At You Time: 10:45 am – 11:15 am Location: Champagne 3

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How do you become your advertiser’s one true love? How can you become so vital to their marketing mix that they will pay you whatever you want? This session will cover give you everything you need. »» Chris Whitling, Head of Marketing, HostGator Niche/Vertical: Getting Paid Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 12C: From Publisher to Advertiser: Psychology and Conversion Time: 10:45 am – 11:15 am Location: Versailles 1/2 This session examines the sales funnel from publisher to advertiser. The aim is to better understand

our customer’s psychology and uncover efficiencies that will increase our conversion percentages. »» Brandon Myers, Affiliate Director, Aceable, Inc. Niche/Vertical: Psychology Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 12D: Double Your Affiliate Investment in 2018 Time: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: Versailles 3/4 Find out what CJ has discovered about affiliate’s true influence and impact on shopping behaviors. These findings are guaranteed to alter perceptions and incentivize increased affiliate budgets.

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»» Sandrine Thompson, Strategic Insights Director, CJ Affiliate Niche/Vertical: Affiliate Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Opening Remarks, Pinnacle Awards and Keynote Address Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Location: Grand Ballroom (Platinum/Gold) - Bally’s Brian Kelly, Founder & CEO, The Points Guy Open to All Pass Holders

Niche/Vertical: Leverage Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 13B: Affiliate Must-Knows: Secrets to Tracking Time: 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm Location: Champagne 3 It’s getting more and more essential to have the right tools in order to maximize your revenue. This session focuses on how you can track multiple types of campaigns, and how new tools can help you! »» John Cody, Director Of Affiliate Relations, Phonexa Holdings, LLC

VIP Buffet Lunch Time: 12:45 pm - 1:45 pm Location: Grand Ballroom (Silver) - Bally’s VIP Pass Holders: Fuel up on a hearty buffet-style lunch in a relaxed networking environment. (Your “Tuesday Lunch” Ticket must also be presented upon arrival). Tuesday Lunch Ticket Required

Session 13A: Buying and Selling Websites to Leverage Your Relationships Time: 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm Location: Champagne 2 This session will discuss ways you can buy websites to leverage your existing high paying offers and 10x the value. »» Chuck Mullins, Broker, Quiet Light Brokerage

Niche/Vertical: Affiliate Marketing Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 13C: Morning Routines, Mindfulness, and Making Money Time: 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm Location: Versailles 1/2 I’ll show how a morning routine creates a platform for a productive day, how mindfulness can help you make better decisions, how motivation is BS and what really works, and resources to help. »» Mike Buechele, Advisor, Adalytical Niche/Vertical: Strategy Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Beginner Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

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Session 13D: How To Generate Leads And Build Your Brand With Instagram Time: 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm Location: Versailles 3/4 In this session I will analyze my own personal Instagram account as a case study and how my team and I grew it organically and the opportunities and business that have resulted from it. »» Carolina Millan, CEO, CMV Group Niche/Vertical: Instagram Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Exhibit Hall Networking Pub Crawl Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Location: Rivoli & Vendome B & C Refer to your Pub Crawl map of participating sponsors and visit each one for great networking opportunities and, of course, free beer and wine. All attendees welcome. Open to All Pass Holders

Session 14A: The Chatbot Takeover Time: 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm Location: Champagne 2 The fight of the inbox is here. 2018 will be the slow death of email... how to transfer your list to over Facebook Messenger and have a 80% open rate. »» Heather Havenwood, CEO, Havenwood Worldwide, LLC Niche/Vertical: Chatbots Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher;Merchant/ Advertiser;Network Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

Session 14B: Empowering Affiliates to Drive Incremental Revenue Growth Time: 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm Location: Champagne 3 Learn what tools and insights can help drive deeper strategy conversations and lead to incremental revenue growth for both the affiliate and retailer. »» Kana Roberts, Affiliate Marketing Manager, Microsoft Niche/Vertical: Incremental Growth Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser Experience Level: Intermediate Networking Plus, Exhibitor, Affiliate (with session ticket) and VIP pass holders (Networking pass holders may attend by purchasing an individual session ticket)

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Keynote Bio

Dan Moriarty

ong before Own The Room, Dan had already devel-

Beverly Hills 90210 and Who’s the Boss. More recently, Dan

oped a reputation as a world class communicator

used his extensive sports and communications background

and interviewer, sitting down to speak with politicians

in serving as the Director of Admissions and Marketing at

and celebrities ranging from John Kerry and Mitt Romney

the National Sports Academy. This range of experience al-

to Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Lopez, and Danny Boyle. Dan has

lows him to effectively connect and coach teams and senior

spent 20 years working in television and radio, as a host, re-

executives from across industries. Dan’s work has taken him

porter, interviewer, producer and actor. As a broadcast host,

all over the world, from Israel to the Marshall Islands, and

he appeared on several network series, including NHL Cool

he has conducted interviews while ice-climbing in British

Shots, Pioneers, American Outback and NASCAR Outdoors.

Columbia, touring with bull riders across the American West,

He has also been hired to help professional athletes prepare

and chatting with a Paralympian sailor on top of the Sydney

for interviews with general managers, coaches and the me-

Harbor Bridge in Australia. He resides in Los Angeles with

dia. As an actor, he appeared on shows such as Full House,

his wife.

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Keynote Bio Brian Kelly

rian Kelly is the founder and CEO of The Points Guy,

and travel the world full-time. Through his earning strategies

a leader and influencer in the industry of points, miles

and travel savvy, ThePointsGuy.com now has grown to over 4

and travel in general. As a passionate traveler since

million unique monthly visitors with 2 million followers on social

childhood, Brian used his knowledge and insight to start The-

media, with a growing staff of editors and writers keeping read-

PointsGuy.com during his time as a Wall Street road warrior

ers up-to-date on important points and travel news. Brian has

while traveling the globe for up to six months a year. Brian was

been featured in over 100 publications and news outlets includ-

able to book exciting and extravagant trips for next to nothing

ing The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, The Los Ange-

through his hard-earned points and miles, flying first class and

les Times, The Independent, CNN, TED and The Today Show,

staying at luxury hotels all for less than the cost of a coach tick-

among others. He has presented at various travel conferences

et and a hostel bed. Due to the immense interest in his tips and

including the LA Times and New York Times Travel Shows, and

advice, Brian left his Wall Street job in June 2011 to grow his site

the annual Chicago Frequent Flyer Seminars.

Âˇ Issue 41 Âˇ January 2018

Keynote Bio

Jason Akatiff

ven after $500,000,000 in online sales across 100

future growth strategy for A4D. This involves talent acquisi-

verticals, Jason still loves to learn and grow every day.

tion, raising capital, market diversification, and building tech

He started as an affiliate back in 2003 after stumbling

and automation. With the maturation of the performance

across a business opportunity (bizopp) ebook and its forum

marketing space, Jason sees big opportunities to grow highly

community. He started with Blackhat SEO and media buy-

profitable performance-driven teams and platforms that con-

ing based on what this ebook and community taught. Since

tinually push the forefront of innovation. One thing Jason truly

then, he has founded four different companies in the affiliate

believes in is building solid and sustainable businesses with

marketing space. The most well known of these is the A4D â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

long term value. He watches so many people try and make

Performance Network, an industry-leading whitehat affiliate

a quick buck in the affiliate world versus building something

network comprised of 2000+ merchants and 12,000+ media

of true sustained value. His mission is to work with and grow

buying affiliates. After 14 years in the business he now invests

people who share his vision of building sustainable, compli-

most of his time into analyzing market trends to create the

ant, and long term performance businesses.

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Speaker Bios Mike Allen

Mike Allen has been involved in affiliate marketing since 1999, first as a publisher and now as an affiliate program manager. Affiliate accomplishments include being a charter member of the Performance Marketing Association, founder and “Chief Executive Shopper” at Shopping-Bargains® and the 2009 “Affiliate of the Year” recipient at the Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Awards. In 2013 Mike started Businesswright Consulting through which he provides affiliate program management and Internet marketing solutions. Mike has presented multiple times at Affiliate Summit as well as Blogworld (NMX), Affiliate Management Days, CJU, and several other performance marketing conferences.

Pat Asbra

As the Vice President of Sales, Pat is responsible for overall leadership of Postup’s global sales organization, including direct sales, market development and business development. He joins the company with 20 years’ experience in the print, digital media and software sales industry, and is skilled at building business through the expansion of client and partner bases, generating new revenue opportunities and designing, launching and directing high-impact strategic plans. Pat previously served as Vice President of Sales at Pulsepoint and its predecessor Datran Media, a company that provides email marketing and advertising services, and before that, spent time leading sales teams at Conde Nast and Cox Media.

Lance Bachmann

Lance Bachmann is the Founder and President of 1SEO. com Digital Agency, a full-service global digital marketing firm based in the Philadelphia, PA area. Bachmann and his team of over 60 digital marketers provide end-to-end solutions for their clientele with a full suite of services like search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click (PPC), social media optimization (SMO), website design, content development and email marketing, Bachmann and 1SEO.com Digital Agency cultivate an online presence for their clients in order to harvest leads, closes, conversions and profits. In fact, Bachmann and 1SEO.com Digital Agency have accumulated numerous awards and other accolades for their efforts. In just 6 short years, Lance Bachmann has become renowned for his expertise and he is regarded as one of the leaders in the digital marketing space because of the results his agency produces for their clients.

Syed Balkhi

Syed Balkhi is a killer online marketer with design & development experience. He’s the founder of WPBeginner, List25, and many other sites. His work has been featured in: New York Times, Wired Magazine, Business Insider, Huffington Post, and others. Syed has been working online since he was 12 years old, and has a very successful online business.

Mariam Barnes

Digital advertising executive turned entrepreneur – In 2010 Mariam co-founded Level54 which started off a team of two people, and grew into a larger team that filled roles at some of the best digital start-ups as well as some of the largest well known digital brands including Amazon and Disney. After a great run with Level54, Mariam took some time off to focus on building a family. In 2015 She had twins, which ultimately resulted in the birth of Mariams next project, a content site and ecommerce store: twinmom.com. In 2016 Mariam discovered a way to tie in all of her experience into one exciting venture. She co-founded aditjobs.com, which is a job board specific for people digital marketing. Her goal in starting aditjobs.com is to save job seekers, and hiring manager’s hours of searching by having them meet in one place. Mariam has become well known for connecting great people to great opportunities.

Aleh Barysevich

Aleh Barysevich is a seasoned SEO expert, Founder and CMO at SEO PowerSuite, the company that makes professional software for full-cycle SEO campaigns. With about 35,000 active paid users today, SEO PowerSuite was founded in 2005. Over the 12 years Aleh has been the key figure in the company to determine the roadmap for the SEO PowerSuite development. Apart from diving deeply into Google patents and other publicly available data about the search trends, Aleh and his team run ongoing in-house SEO research and SEO experiments to get first-hand understanding of what’s working really in search today. Aleh and his team see their mission in providing search professionals with the most up-to-date SEO toolkit, by making sure they underpin SEO PowerSuite’s feature development with the deepest theoretical and practical understanding of current SEO trends. Aleh makes regular contributions on the topic of SEO to Search Engine Journal, MarketingProfs, and SEO PowerSuite’s blog.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Michael Benedek

Michael Benedek is the President and CEO of leading online data marketplace Datonics (www.datonics.com), an AlmondNet Group company. Benedek was most recently President of AlmondNet Data Division and joined AlmondNet in 2000 as Vice President, Business Development. His experience extends to over 20 years in the Internet, financial services and healthcare fields while based in New York and in Tel Aviv. He holds an MA degree in International Affairs (International Political Economy) from the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs in Ottawa, Canada and a BA degree from the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada.

Jamie Birch

At heart I’m a father, a teacher, and an entrepreneur. I am also an affiliate manager and the founder and CEO of JEBCommerce, LLC. I started in the online marketing arena in 1999, working as a search engine guru for a dot com in the resort town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I worked my way up to managing a multi-million dollar affiliate program and search campaigns for Coldwater Creek, a top five national women’s apparel retailer, growing the affiliate channel from several thousand dollars a month to $35 million a year. As a manager for the SEO and SEM campaigns, I also pioneered performance-based relationships outside of affiliate network, negotiating long term profitable relationships inside and outside of the affiliate channel. In 2004, I founded JEBCommerce, using these proven processes to build a large client base.

Mike Buechele

A vet of the Digital Advertising industry, I’ve helped build some of the biggest companies in tech and media; including DoubleClick, Operative, and ADTECH / Aol. I’m the founder of Adalytical, a performance marketing agency. I’ve also been known to read comic books and yell at sporting events.

Sarah Bundy

Sarah is the Founder and CEO of All Inclusive Marketing (AIM), an award winning, Profit 500 Company, that delivers high performance affiliate and digital marketing management services (OPM) to retail, travel and subscription brands around the world. Sarah is ranked as the #55 Top Female Entrepreneur in Canada, a Top 40 Digital Marketing Specialist by the Online Marketing Institute, and is recognized by the NY Times as an expert in performance marketing. This year, Sarah led her team to win best small company of the year (under 50 employees) in the province of British Columbia. She believes in setting the standard of excellence in everything she does, and lives her DIGG motto everyday: to delight, to innovate, to grow and to giveback.

Kit Cassingham

Kit is a Certified High Performance Coach focusing on helping entrepreneurs with ADD/ADHD focus on their strengths and clear their hurdles so they can quit struggling and thrive. Kit has 30 years of experience coaching and consulting small business owners. She has worked one on one with people in a wide variety of fields ranging from sales and art to hospitality and medicine. ADDers benefit even more than others with these concepts. Kit is passionate about what a gift ADD is and practices what she preaches to keep her own ADD manageable. She lives in southwestern Colorado, with her husband and cats, enjoying 280-degree mountain vistas when she’s not traveling or walking.

Vivian Chang

Vivian Chang, vivian@rmn.com, Director of Digital Marketing, RetailMeNot. Vivian leads RetailMeNot’s efforts to grow traffic and members through digital media channels for the U.S. brand. RetailMeNot is a marketplace platform for digital savings that helps retailers, brands and restaurants connect with millions of active shoppers anytime, anywhere. A marketing leader with over 10 years of experience in data-driven marketing, Vivian has been key to shaping the company’s programmatic media and app acquisition strategies.

John Chow

John Chow, a damn fine person, friend of the community, Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant, member of the Save the Whales Foundation, the man who controls the black market on baby seal pelts and member of the “probably yo’ daddy” foundation.

Bruce Clay

Bruce Clay is founder and president of Bruce Clay, Inc., a global Internet marketing optimization firm providing search engine optimization, pay per click management, social media marketing, conversion rate optimization, SEO-friendly web design and architecture, content development, and SEO tools and education. As an industry thought leader, he is an accomplished speaker, author and educator. He hosts a weekly podcast, SEM Synergy, covering search marketing news and analysis for digital marketers. His book “Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies,” published by Wiley, is now in its third edition.

John Cody

John Cody is an Account Manager for Phonexa, a Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions provider that helps businesses reach their optimal ROI by taking their call technology to the next level. John has over fifteen years of experience in online marketing and has been attending Affiliate Summit for over a decade.

· Issue 41 · January 2018

Victoria Collins

Victoria is the co-founder and chief of mobile strategy at Buzzy Rocket and a craft beer fanatic. In her 15+ years as a digital first marketer, she has led the digital and mobile marketing efforts (and other cool stuff) for several top and emerging brands. She has leveraged the latest web, mobile and social technology to increase brand awareness, user acquisition, engagement, conversions, and revenue for a variety of B2C, B2B and non-profit brands. In 2011, Victoria founded the company, Gravy Analytics, where she developed transformative proprietary mobile marketing technology that provides unprecedented real-world location intelligence to advertisers and brands.

Arvell Craig

Arvell Craig is the Chief Marketing Coach at Design That Speaks. An accomplished speaker, author and entrepreneur who, for over 16 years, has advised small businesses on digital marketing and lead generation. As an early adopter of chatbots technology, Arvell as advised numerous companies on selecting platforms, writing copy and creating funnel strategies. Outside of work, Arvell is likely found training for a marathon or enjoying life with his wife and daughter in Phoenix, AZ.

Tie Davidson

Tie Davidson is a 12-year industry veteran in the digital advertising space. He began his career in 2005, working with a popular online gaming site – Vendare Media (formerly known as Jackpot.com), as a media buyer and seller on their Affiliate Relations team. His explosive success propelled him into other high-ranking roles at various companies in the industry; which included Sr. Director of Affiliate Partnerships with AdCommunal & VP of Publisher Development at enCircle Media (presently operating as US Interactive). Tie also owned & operated a private network known as Blue Zen Media, LLC., where he managed the needs of traditional clients wanting to transition into online & mobile media. Over the years, Tie has become regarded as a well-known name & face at shows such as Adtech & Affiliate Summit. He has skillfully cultivated his years of business expertise, sales management, and long-term partnerships to help build a successful Affiliate & Channel Sales network at Tapjoy.

Coady Demuri

Coady Demuri manages the affiliate channels for both the Levi’s and Dockers brands. After graduating with a degree in

Todd Crawford

As a co-founder, Todd Crawford evangelizes the opportunities presented by a multi-channel approach to the performance model. Prior to Impact Radius, he served as vice president of sales and business development for Digital River’s affiliate network, oneNetworkDirect. Todd also contributed to the founding team at Commission Junction in 1998 and led its business and sales development efforts as vice president for more than seven years.

Jeannine Crooks

As the Client Services Manager with Awin US, Jeannine works closely with many of their largest programs such as 1&1 Internet, Lonely Planet, edX.org and Ctrip.com. She is a frequent speaker at numerous events including Affiliate Management Days and Affiliate Summit, and is a regular contributor to Modern Social Magazine. Jeannine works with all types of publishers, especially bloggers, helping each to maximize their affiliate marketing earnings. Jeannine believes that the most important take-away from any session is truly actionable information – so that every attendee leaves with ideas to make their sites or programs perform better immediately. Jeannine, her photographer husband Brad, and their two Siberian Huskies, Dusty and Harley, live south of Denver. They all love sports, especially watching hockey or football, and travel as often as they can. Fun fact: Jeannine was the big winner on an episode of “Wheel of Fortune.”

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broadcasting, she shifted her focus to influencer marketing at the media company POPSUGAR and their sister-company ShopStyle. Coady then made the move to Levi Strauss & Co., where she brought the previously agency-ran affiliate channel fully in house. In her short time with the company, Coady has significantly improved affiliate ROI, completed a fast and furious platform migration with no interruption to business, and expanded the program to include influencer campaigns and content partners. Just like the company she works for, Coady was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and believes nothing is better than sliding on your favorite pair of 501® jeans.

Christen Evans

Christen Evans (@theonlychris10) is the Influencer Manger and Social Media goddess at Apogee, a renowned affiliate marketing agency. She is also the owner/editor/consultant/unicorn wrangler behind Bourbon & Sparkle, which aims to educate bloggers about affiliate marketing — the good way. Presented with the Affiliate Marketing Advocate of the Year Pinnacle Award in January 2017, Christen is passionate about bridging the gap between bloggers and merchants and managers. In her spare time, Christen can be found hanging with her cats, trying to navigate life as a mom and enjoying all the bourbon and sparkle she can get her hands on. And she’s really good at high-fives.

Duane Forrester

Prior to becoming the VP of Industry Insights for Yext, Duane Forrester accumulated over 20 years’ experience in the search and social fields. He is the author of How To Make Money With Your Blog and Turn Clicks Into Customers, through McGraw-Hill. Along the way, Duane has worked in marketing & PR with Caesar’s Palace, run his own websites, communities and consultancy, worked for small and enterprise publishers online. Past work included almost 9 years with Microsoft and Bing where he helped run their Webmaster Tools program, as well as the SEO program at MSN. In between the bookends of Yext and Bing, Duane ran operation for Bruce Clay, Inc., one of the oldest names in digital marketing. For several years, Duane’s focus included writing for SearchEngineLand.com, moderating in the original SearchEngineForums.com and being a Board member with SEMPO, where he founded the InHouse Committee and SEMPO’s annual Industry Salary Survey.

Brian Fox

With over 16 years of online and performance-based marketing experience, Brian is a true expert in the field. He founded AdAction Interactive in 2013 to help mobile app developers acquire quality users through a cost per install basis. The company is rapidly expanding as Brian and his team build cohesive campaigns with clients such as Match.com, Zynga, Beats Music, and RetailMeNot, with new developing partnerships every day. Previously, he has led the strategic execution, media planning and buying for key blue-chip clients such as Netflix, Dis-

cover Card, Experian, Disney, and many others.

Maryellen Garasky

Maryellen Garasky stumbled across affiliate marketing while she owned and operated a business with her husband. Taking the reins of all marketing initiatives (both traditional and online), Maryellen started a hyper-local blog about things to do in her beautiful resort hometown of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Quickly outranking the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau on select relevant terms, Maryellen landed a spot at an agency where she managed programs such as philosophy.com, philosophy UK, Charlotte Russe, Plastic Jungle, DownEast Basics, David’s Cookies, Roots Canada, Roots USA and more. Always a goal to work inside at an advertiser, Maryellen left the agency for Restaurant.com where she led the channel for both networked and direct affiliate partners. Maryellen is now with Jane.com and was a finalist for the Pinnacle Award for Affiliate Manager of the Year in 2017. Maryellen is, also, on the Board of Directors for the PMA and is Chair of the new Merchant and Retailers Council.

Karen Garcia

Karen has more than eighteen years of experience in ecommerce and marketing. Since 1999, she has consulted on and profitably managed dozens of affiliate programs on a variety of network platforms ranging from large national brands to niche merchants. She was awarded the 2009 ShareASale “Pay It Forward” Award for Industry Advocate for her work, speaks frequently at conferences, and has many published industry articles. She also served previously on the Board of Directors for the Performance Marketing Association for three terms as an officer. She was honored with a 2016 Pinnacle Award nomination for Affiliate Manager of the Year.

Rodrigo Genoveze

Rodrigo Genoveze has been working in the affiliate marketing sector since 2003 with vast experience from advertiser, publisher and network point of view. Born in Brazil and raised in the USA, Rodrigo began working out of Europe in an OTA and from then moved on to working at zanox in Spain where he finally moved back to Brazil to launch awin latam in 2011. Awin is the global network of choice and a very important network in Latam.

Robert Glazer

Robert Glazer is a serial entrepreneur with a demonstrated track record and passion for growing revenue and profits for B2C-based companies. In demand by top brands and investment firms, he has extensive experience in the consumer, e-commerce, retail, online marketing, and ad-tech industries— partnering with brands such as adidas, ModCloth, Reebok, Target, Tiny Prints, Gymboree, and Warby Parker. A sought-after speaker, Glazer has presented to global audiences at ad:tech,

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Affiliate Summit, Pubcon, BlogHer, Internet Retailer, DMA, PMI Europe, and Shop.org. He is also a columnist for Entrepreneur. com, and Forbes.com, writing about performance marketing, strategy, and culture. Glazer is the author of the bestselling book, Performance Partnerships: The Checkered Past, Changing Present and Exciting Future of Affiliate Marketing and his Friday Forward (www.fridayfwd.com) inspirational posts reach over 16,000 leaders each week across the world.

Chet Hall

Chet Hall is Wickfire’s Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Chet worked as the VP of Product Development at ReachLocal and headed ReachLocal’s Business Analysis group. Chet Hall graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Communication in 2003.

Stephanie Harris

Stephanie Harris is the owner & CEO of PartnerCentric, the largest woman-owned performance marketing agency in the US. A veteran of the space, Stephanie got her start as an award-winning affiliate program manager, personally managing at one time some of the largest programs in the PartnerCentric portfolio today. As a working mom of four kids under seven, Stephanie’s passion for building a strong culture around work/life balance and the best work-from-anywhere career has led to one of the most robust 100% remote workforces in the performance space with close to 50 full-time team members. Inherent in the team’s DNA is an emphasis on building meaningful relationships beyond borders. Her writing has been featured in FeedFront magazine, PerformanceIN and other publications, and you can hear her speak at industry conferences, moderate at events such as CardCon, and commentate on trends in leadership, culture-building, and the future through networks such as Forbes Agency Council and LinkedIn. She lives in New York with her husband and four children.

Michelle Held

Michelle is a brand marketing strategist, entrepreneur, author involved in the technology industry for over 18 years. She is the founder of MetroNY, LLC, a digital marketing consultancy that specializes in social media marketing, content marketing, affiliate marketing, search engine optimization, and project management. Michelle works with businesses to develop digital marketing strategies. As a sought-after speaker, she conducts corporate seminars and training sessions covering search engine optimization, digital marketing, social media, and web technologies.Michelle is the author of “Pinterest Tutorial” and the upcoming “Build Your Business Presence Online.” She also blogs about marketing metrony.com and about Pinterest at PinTalk. net. Michelle runs AskCyberSecurity.com and is a contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine online. Michelle earned a B.S.in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Connect with Michelle on Twitter @metrony.

Rachel Honoway

Rachel is an experienced executive specializing in Affiliate Marketing and SaaS startups. She has a knack for bringing sophistication to a business, helping them ascend to the next level,

Heather Havenwood

Heather Havenwood, is a serial entrepreneur and is regarded as a top authority on digital marketing, sales coaching, and online publishing business strategies. Heather Ann has been named Top 50 Must Follow Women Entrepreneur’s for by Huffington Post. She is also Author of Sexy Boss™ How Female Entrepreneurship is Changing the Rule Book and Beating the Big Boys and Power Guesting: Insider Secrets to Profit from Guesting. In 2006 she started, developed and grew an online information marketing publishing company from ground zero to over $1 million in sales in less than 12 months. She built a health & wellness company from zero to $1.5 Million Starting without a list, a product, a name or an offer, Heather Ann molded her business partner into a successful guru now known as an expert in his field. She has instructed, coached and promoted hundreds of entrepreneurs leading them down the path to success in building a lucrative business from their knowledge and leveraging it online.

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realize growth potential, and set successful courses for longterm growth or owner exits. Rachel serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Performance Marketing Association and was awarded the Awarded the Affiliate Marketing Legend Award in the 2017 Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Awards.

Kenny Hyder

Kenny Hyder has been helping businesses with their online and SEO strategies since 2004. Originally starting as an in-house SEO, Kenny eventually branched out to start his own internet marketing business. His first business was eventually bought out by a much larger internet marketing firm. Today he runs Hyder Media, servicing clients in the areas of: SEO, social media & ORM. His experience has led him to work with some of the largest brands online, including several Fortune 500 companies – helping them with their search marketing strategies. Kenny is also a speaker at some of the largest internet marketing conferences including: Pubcon, SMX, Blogworld, Affiliate Summit, & DMA.

Mary Kathryn Johnson

Mary Kathryn Johnson is a 14 year online business building expert and the Founder and CEO of Messenger Funnels. Messenger Funnels exists to disrupt the email marketing world and replace it with marketing and sales funnels that engage your audience where and when they need what you offer.

Rich Kahn

As a leader in the online advertising industry since 1993, Kahn has an extensive background in digital advertising and ad fraud detection. A natural coder, Kahn took his knowledge to the advertising space and built technology to aid in the identification of bad traffic. Made available to his clients as a layer of protection, today that core engine drives the licensable technology, Anura, which thrives on over a decade of data collection. Kahn’s Anura software is responsible for thwarting over 1,200 apps from the Google Play Store which were riddled with fraud. His thoughts on the industry and how to improve the digital marketing ecosystem appear in publications such as Entrepreneur, CNBC, the Boston Globe, MarTech, Adotas, AdExchanger, and the ANA. In Kahn’s spare time, he is a licensed pilot and can be found flying his 1966 Beechcraft Musketeer Sport throughout the Delaware Valley area.

Gary Kibel

Gary Kibel is a partner with the law firm of Davis & Gilbert LLP. He practices in the areas of New Media, Advertising/Marketing and IP law. Gary regularly counsels clients with respect to issues such as interactive advertising, search marketing, affiliate marketing, enterprise technology implementations, behavioral advertising, social media, privacy and data security, gaming, mobile marketing, corporate matters and laws affecting the Internet.

Davis & Gilbert is widely regarded as the premier law firm in the U.S. representing advertising, marketing and promotions agencies, from specialized shops to the largest advertising holding companies in the world, and also represents prominent technology and entertainment companies, marketers, and advertising trade associations. Gary is also General Counsel to the Performance Marketing Association. Prior to becoming an attorney, Gary was an Information Systems Analyst with Merrill Lynch.

Carolyn Kmet

Carolyn Tang Kmet is a senior lecturer at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago. Prior to this role, she was the CMO with All Inclusive Marketing, a full-service e-commerce agency that provides analytics, marketing and site optimization services. While in this role, she was honored with the Small Business Influencer Growth Champion award in 2014. Previously, Carolyn was the director of affiliate marketing for Groupon, where she helped shape global affiliate marketing strategy. In this role, she was honored with the Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Award for Affiliate Manager of the Year 2010, and the New Advertiser of the Year 2011 award from Commission Junction. Before that, Carolyn led the client services team at ShareASale.com, a Chicago-based performance marketing tracking platform, and managed affiliate marketing programs at Orbitz, CollectiblesToday.com, and MyPoints.com. Carolyn earned an M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, and a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley.

Dmitriy Kruglyak

Starting in 1997, Dmitriy has worn the hats of marketer, publisher, entrepreneur, software developer and consultant in a range of private and public companies. He built CRM and Marketing Automation software since this category was originally created. At TargetChoice he is focused on applying his insights to help marketers drive Facebook advertising results through the use of cutting-edge processes, software, services, and training. You can reach him through his website at http://targetchoice.com

Brian LaFrance

Brian LaFrance is currently Lead SEO Analyst for CBS Interactive where he oversees search efforts for major sites such as CBS Sports, GameSpot, and CBS.com. He has been involved in various aspects of SEO and affiliate marketing for over 15 years. He continues to run his own affiliate sites and consults for a few clients that he has worked with for many years. In 2010, he sold his main affiliate site to a large internet media company and moved on to be the marketing director for an SEO data provider. Brian leverages his knowledge of development, SEO, tools, and data to take advantage of the ever growing list of APIs available for analyzing search data. This allows him to quickly and efficiently scale SEO strategy, regardless of the size of a site.

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John LoBrutto

John P. LoBrutto is the Director of Affiliate Solutions & Partnerships at Liquid Web, Inc., an industry leading Web Hosting company. Liquid Web has a full suite of Managed Hosting services, including Storm Cloud, VPS, Dedicated Servers & Word Press. John’s previous positions include; Director of Affiliates & Partnerships for 1&1 Internet, Inc., Head of Global Distribution for the AllHotels, Sales Director for Holiday Autos USA (both divisions of Travelocity, LLP), President of Pencils Plus, and Technology Director for Sabre Travel Network. John has over 20 years’ experience in the travel, retail & technology sales channels and has managed affiliate programs for the last 7 years. He specializes in developing new programs, optimizing for success, with a focus on entering new markets. He believes, “the best approach to affiliate marketing is to keep things fresh, be creative and always think out of box, whenever possible.” John is married with two children and is based in New York.

Tai Lopez

Tai Lopez is an investor, partner, and advisor many multimillion-dollar businesses including mentorbox.com – He’s a Mensa member and teaches about life’s four major pillars—health, wealth, love, and happiness—through his top-downloaded podcast and YouTube channel. At a young age, Tai committed to reading one book per day and now leads one of the largest book clubs in the world, reaching 2.4 million people on instagram, 6 million people on facebook, 990,000 people on youtube (with almost 1 billion minutes watched!), 650,000 people on twitter and his book club that reaches millions of people each month. He also leads a business mentorship program that combines the best of self-learning with the best of a university degree. He’s appeared on various TV and radio shows, taught at global universities like the London Business School and University of Southern California, and has built one of the top downloaded podcasts” The Tai Lopez show”

Tara McCommons

Tara McCommons is VP of Sales and Marketing at LinkConnector, a performance marketing network providing superior service and technologies to affiliates and merchants for over a decade. Tara leads a high performance team that plays a pivotal role in identifying new merchant and affiliate opportunities to continually expand the LinkConnector Network, while also taking a hands-on approach to effectively optimize existing merchant and affiliate relationships. Tara possesses over 20 years of business development experience spanning both corporate and start-up environments within the technology and financial industries. Tara began her career in affiliate marketing with LinkConnector (in 2004) where she has a proven record in the development and leadership of strategic partnerships and sales growth. Tara moderated a Top-10 ASW15 panel, has been a contributor to FeedFront, AM Days Speaker and is a Board of Directors Committee Chair with the Performance Marketing Association.

Tricia Meyer

Tricia Meyer (@sunshinetricia) is the owner of Sunshine Rewards, Helping Moms Connect, and other niche sites. She frequently speaks and writes about affiliate marketing topics such as monetizing blogs, affiliate and affiliate manager relation-

Brian Marcus

Brian Marcus, TUNE’s Director of Product Marketing is a global marketing leader, whose career evolved in lock-step with the emergence of eCommerce and digital media. Since 2002, Brian has been shaping the performance marketing community — as a digital marketer, as a platform owner, and as a platform evangelist. Brian launched into eCommerce leading customer acquisition at JC Whitney, a century old cataloger destined to move online. From there, he went on to build two global affiliate marketing programs and platforms, one at Google (GAN) and the other at eBay (ePN). Most recently, Brian was VP of Marketing at Teespring, a Selling and eCommerce platform for designers and creators. Brian is a Chicago native, a Cubs fan, and a music fanatic. He now considers Seattle his home and spends his free time enjoying the Pacific Northwest with his family. He earned his BA from Grinnell College (in Iowa) and his MBA from the University of Chicago (Booth).

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ships, and the basics of affiliate marketing. She serves as the Executive Director for the Performance Marketing Association. She is also a partner in WineClubGroup.com. Tricia has been a finalist for the Pinnacle Award for Industry Advocate and won Affiliate of the Year in 2014 and Best Blogger in 2012.

Carolina Millan

Carolina Millan is an Entrepreneur, Speaker, Investor and Digital Marketing Consultant from Chile. She started her first business in 2008, when she was at her first job in Human Resources. She started working with local clients in Chile as a Social Media Manager which allowed to quit her job two years later. But it wasn’t until 2012 that she had her major breakthrough with high ticket affiliate marketing. After years of trying program after program she cracked the code to making money online and now travels around the World, living life, working with clients and hosting Masterminds. She’s the founder of Social Ads Agency and Al Cuadrado Marketing & Branding, where she and her team provide Digital Marketing and Social Media Management & Growth services.

Chuck Mullins

Chuck, a serial entrepreneur and early pioneer of the internet, built his first profitable website in 1996 at 18 years of age. In college he studied computer software engineering which taught him the skills to analyze search results and implement strategies that take advantage of the observations he makes. Throughout his career of creating, managing, and consulting for dozens of internet-based companies, Chuck has been instrumental in developing strategies that lead to growth and profitability. Among people he works with, Chuck is regarded as “the idea guy.” He is known for his ability to spot opportunities, create a plan, and execute. After seeing an opportunity to leverage his time by acquiring under-performing sites, he has participated in several million dollars worth of acquisitions.

Brandon Myers

Brandon Myers is an Affiliate Director for Aceable, a mobile based drivers education provider in Austin, Texas. As an affiliate marketer, Myers has devoted his career to understanding performance marketing models and where they fit in with today’s shopper. With a degree concentration of Rhetorical Theory from the University of San Diego, Myers prides himself on understanding human reactions to messages and what makes buyers convert. By leveraging data, highly refined tracking tools, and a knowledge of how brands grow their own identity through third parties, Myers has been highly successful in curating a mix of marketing channels to drive growth, increase conversion, and ultimately create brand awareness.

Jennifer Myers Ward

Jennifer brings over 20 years of online marketing experience, working with dozens of clients in a variety of industries

where she has shown proven success in both the affiliate and email channels. As a result of her affiliate success, Jennifer was presented with the Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Award for OPM/ Agency of the Year in 2017, after also being a finalist in 2015. Prior to starting ebove & beyond in 2003, Jennifer was responsible for building Palm Beach Jewelry’s online business. The website grew at an amazing rate, boasting strong traffic numbers and record sales, helping it to become an Internet Retailer Top 500 company in record time. Before her time at Palm Beach Jewelry, Jennifer worked as an Associates Manager, Director of Email Marketing and eventually a Partnership Development Manager for Amazon.co.uk. In her role as Partnership Manager, she exceeded the program goal by 50% in the first 3 months alone and was presented with Amazon’s prestigious “Door Desk Award” in 200

Murray Newlands

Murray Newlands FRSA is an entrepreneur, investor, business advisor and speaker. He is founder of Chattypeople.com a chatbot builder tool company and Sighted.com.com an online invoicing company both are based in Palo Alto. He gained his Green Card by being recognized by the US government as an “alien of extraordinary ability.” Newlands is the author of “Online Marketing: A User’s Manual” published by John Wiley & Sons. Murray contributes to Forbes and Entrepreneur.

Mike Nunez

Mike Nunez is an 18-year internet marketing veteran, with 4 years at Google on the Shopping and DoubleClick Search teams, who went on to co-found The Performance Company (.com), a performance-based digital marketing agency with subsidiaries that include AffiliateManager.com, a premier affiliate management company with offices in Orlando and Chicago. AffiliateManager.com has won Pinnacle awards for Affiliate Manager of the Year in 2013 and Affiliate Agency of the Year in 2016, as well as the Avantlink Best Agency of 2016. Our success is powered by our proprietary technology, AffiliateRecruitment.com – with over 8.4 million affiliate pages indexed – and BounceLinks. com, a content monetization tool that allows affiliates to easily monetize their websites. Mike has also served on the board of the Performance Marketing Association as well as the Affiliate Summit Advisory Board.

Nick Oswald

Nick Oswald is an Affiliate Marketing Manager at cleverbridge, a provider of flexible commerce solutions for monetizing digital goods, online services and SaaS. In his role, Oswald manages unconventional merchant and affiliate verticals. With a keen eye turned to tracking and attribution and the other eye on partner relationships, Oswald employs a balanced, strategic approach to affiliate management. He strives to expand topline revenue for clients, but not at the expense of understanding the incremental value of affiliate partnerships. Prior to cleverbridge,

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Oswald worked at CJ Affiliate by Conversant (formerly Commission Junction), servicing clients ranging from boutique apparel to consumer electronics to automotive. When not managing affiliate programs, he enjoys writing and podcasting about Star Wars, going to metal shows, and frequenting Disney World with his high school sweetheart wife, Jenny.

Scott Polk

Scott Polk has built his expertise as a knowledgeable and experienced Search Engine Optimization/Internet Marketing strategist for more than a decade. He concentrates his resourcefulness and skills on the diversified aspects of Search Engine Optimization for clients, where he’s earned the distinction of consistent top rankings in all major search engines. Scott is consistently involved in technologies that maximize Conversion, Usability and Accessibility when optimizing & developing large web sites as well as identifying problems/solutions that result in major cost saving strategies. Highly successful and respected within the SEO industry, Scott Polk has consulted and been employed by successful internet companies such as: Bruce Clay, Edmunds.com, AT&T Wireless, ABC News, PGA.com & PGATour. com, Sports Illustrated, Toyota.com, Direct Brands, and numerous others.

Keith Posehn

Keith Posehn is responsible for managing strategic growth at Uber. He is an experienced online marketing professional and problem-solver that has run branding and performance marketing campaigns for Fortune 1000 companies. Previously, Keith was head of paid marketing at Square where he was responsible for developing innovative customer acquisition strategies for Caviar. Keith has the ability to operate on both a strategic and tactical level, managing all aspects of the customer acquisition road map.

Ignacio Pronzati

I’m Ignacio Pronzati, an Argentinian professional with 10 years of experience in the field. I had the luck to start my professional life working for the Spanish Advertising group – Antevenio, back then when the performance, and affiliate marketing were unknown in the region. For three years I’ve been learning from this amazing company, getting in touch with a lot of advertisers and publishers of many kinds, and getting involved in this great business. Now a days after 6 years and a half of service, I’m Soicos’ Director. An 8 year old Argentinian affiliate network, with offices in Mexico, Argentina (HQ), Peru, Chile and Colombia and presence along the the whole region. In this years of dedicated work in the online world, I surfed most of the major challenges of the business, and grew up as a professional with the latin american affiliate marketing itself.

Geno Prussakov

Geno Prussakov, a Cambridge graduate and affiliate marketing veteran, is the CEO & Founder of AM Navigator – a top affiliate program management agency, holder of 2017 Golden Link Award as the OPM Agency of the Year. As an affiliate manager and consultant, he contributed to the online marketing success of brands as large as Forbes, Hallmark, Medifast, Skype, Travelex Insurance, as well as hundreds of small businesses. Prussakov authored 4 books, including his bestselling “Affiliate Program Management: An Hour a Day,” which have trained thousands of marketing professionals worldwide. In 2011 for influencing “change within the industry” Rakuten named him one of Performance Marketing’s Most Vocal Advocates, while in 2014 and 2015 Small Business Trends recognized him as one of North America’s Top 100 small business influencers. Geno runs Influencer Marketing Days and Affiliate Management Days conferences and also contributes to affiliate marketing industry via his blog posts, articles, and conference presentations. His ASW18 speech marks his 18th time speaking at Affiliate Summits.

Lessie Purpera

Lessie Purpera aka MyCouponLady. Lessie Purpera is an Affiliate Marketing Manager for Snow Consulting, a full-service OPM. In this role, she manages SheIn, a multi-million dollar fashion program. Lessie is a former Financial Analyst that entered the blogging world 10 years ago as the founder of MyCouponLady.com. Since then, she has become an Affiliate Marketing Manager with a knack for turning complicated analytical data into concise actionable marketing strategies. Lessie enjoys being a team player with a focus on process improvement; streamlining operations that take time away from ensuring the success of the program.

Subhankar Ray

Subhankar has worked on large scale web crawler, and recommender system for e-commerce websites. His team also did statistical machine learning based rapid customer segmentation and retention analysis using structured and unstructured data. He also worked as a product manager for Ericsson for their 3G GSM/GPRS wireless infrastructure unit for over 8 years. He was active in several standard bodies for location based mobile services. He has 3 approved patents, and an MS in EE, and an MBA (with focus on Finance). He lives with his family in the greater Boston area.

Bri Reichelt

Bri Reichelt is the Affiliate Program Manager at REI. Having been with the company for a little over 2 years she has supported campaigns like #OptOutside and Force of Nature. She has also helped the REI Affiliate program transition out of the loyalty space and has driven significant YoY growth with content partners. Previous to her time at REI, she’s worked at some

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of Seattle’s most beloved local brands. Her past roles include running the Microsoft Store marketplaces program and working as an associate product manager for The Seattle Times. Bri received a degree in Finance & Graphic Design from Linfield College, in McMinnville, OR.

Adam Riemer

Adam is an industry veteran and 2016 Pinnacle Award winner for Affiliate Manager of the Year. With a proven track record of managing top-of-the-funnel and value-adding affiliate programs, helping companies and bloggers get higher search engine rankings and working with data to help you monetize your traffic, he is ready to help you with a custom strategy that fits within your budget. You can reach him on his website at www.AdamRiemer. me and make sure to follow him on twitter @rollerblader.

Kana Roberts

filiate marketers on their FTC compliance duties and represents clients in federal and state deceptive advertising investigations and enforcement actions. He has litigated and negotiated settlements in dozens of FTC and state Attorney General cases. Bill is a regular speaker at ad industry conferences, a regular contributor to the Direct Response Marketing Alliance (DRMA) newsletter, and author of FTCAdLaw Alert, an FTC blog published at www.FTCAdLaw.com. Bill received his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1976. From 1977 to 1984, Bill was an attorney with the FTC, holding positions as an advertising enforcement attorney and Attorney-Advisor to the FTC Chairman. Bill has practiced law continuously since 1984, except for a two-year appointment as Counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee in 1987-88.

Oliver Roup

Kana Roberts, Affiliate Marketing Manager, Microsoft Store Affiliate Program for Microsoft.com. Kana is a passionate performance marketer who started her affiliate career in 2008 and currently leads the strategy and management of the largest revenue affiliate program for Microsoft.com. Kana has a growth and mentorship mindset which empowers affiliate partners and those around her to achieve more. Her expertise is in building affiliate analytics tools to gain greater transparency, find unique incremental opportunities to drive growth and successfully scale her learnings globally. She is the lead for affiliate analytics within Microsoft mentoring several affiliate field managers and is an affiliate analytics advisor in the affiliate community. Kana’s wealth of knowledge and data driven approach provides advanced insights to arm those around her to push beyond status quo.

As Founder and CEO of VigLink, Oliver Roup understands the power of native monetization like few others, and is passionate about powering content-driven commerce for companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, Reuters, Bonnier, Rodale and more. VigLink enables publishers to earn revenue automatically and at scale, directly through their own words. Prior to VigLink, Oliver served as a Director at Microsoft in charge of product for properties including XBOX Live Video Marketplace, Zune Marketplace, and MSN Entertainment. Oliver has also worked at Founders Fund, for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and at the BBC. He holds several patents, is an elected board member of the Performance Marketing Association and founding chair of the PMA’s Content Monetization Council. Oliver received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Computer Science from MIT and his MBA from the Harvard Business School. He lives in San Francisco and is a passionate cyclist and sailor.

Tal Itzhak Ron

Melissa Salas

Advocate, Certified Computer Scientist and Notary Tal Itzhak Ron (LLB, B.SC., M.Sc.) – a General Member of International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL), practicing Ad Tech, iGaming and Financial Entertainment. Tal graduated from Haifa University School of Law (LL.B.) and Faculty of Computer Science (B.Sc.), and while working as a software developer at a publicly-traded software company, Ness Technologies has further obtained a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Bar Ilan University. Tal established Tal Ron, Drihem & Co., Law Firm back in 2003, focusing from the start on Hi Tech, Ad Tech, M&A, Financial Entertainment and iGaming industries, quickly becoming one of the first international firms practicing solely on these areas. The firm today advises the world leading industry players and is considered the first point of contact for entrepreneurs setting up businesses in the online industries.

Bill Rothbard

Bill Rothbard is a seasoned FTC advertising lawyer. He counsels direct response advertisers, online merchants and af-

Melissa D. Salas is the Global Brand Development & Marketing Director for Indi.com, a pioneer in the Influencer, Video & Affiliate Marketing industry. Indi’s video technology platform empowers Artists, Celebrities, Influencers, Brands, Retailers and Charities to drive deep social marketing engagement & content commerce with consumers, creating micro-influencers. With over 16 years marketing experience, Melissa specializes in Digital Strategies, Public Relations, Affiliate Marketing, Mobile and Social Media Marketing. Melissa has been nominated for numerous awards including “Publishers Choice” in 2015 and 2016 as well “Lifetime Achievement” in 2015. She is also a professional public speaker and Master of Ceremonies. Melissa was previously the Senior Director of Marketing for Swiss Watch International brands such as WorldofWatches.com and Smartbargains.com, the onair personality and co-host for the Buy.com G4TV show BuyTV as well as Buy.com’s Director of Marketing & Public Relations.

Brook Schaaf

Brook Schaaf worked in house for Zappos.com, Shoes.

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com, and Edmunds.com before co-founding Schaaf-PartnerCentric, which was sold in 2017. He is also co-founder and owner of FMTC.co, Publisher Toolkit, and Fresh Press Media. Elite Media Partners, a part of the same group of companies, was sold in 2017. Brook has a BA in German Studies from UC Berkeley.

Jeremy Schoemaker

Jeremy Schoemaker, aka “Shoemoney”, is a serial entrepreneur made famous by running one of the highest-trafficked websites in the world, Shoemoney.com, and by being a pioneer in the world of Internet marketing dating back to the early 2000s. He launched and subsequently sold three successful businesses –AuctionAds, FreeSEOReport, and Fighters.com — and in 2010 was named the “Most Influential Person on the Internet” by Fast Company magazine. Jeremy has been featured in major news and media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, ABC News, Techcrunch, the New York Times, Business Week and dozens more. In 2012 he published his first book, an autobiography, called “Nothing’s Changed But My Change: The Shoemoney Story”. The book was announced #1 bestseller shortly after. Later in 2012 Jeremy started a new company, PAR Program, a SaaS company to revolutionize the way companies are doing email marketing. The ParProgram was later acquired in late 2015 by GoSocial.

for technical SEO and organic audience-generation strategies across tronc’s vast portfolio of properties including the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Her team delivers data-driven strategies through a commitment to web-analytics, employee training, and honest reporting.

Greg Shepard

Greg Shepard is a seasoned veteran in building and running sustainable growth businesses. Greg’s former company, AffiliateTraction, was acquired by eBay Enterprise Marketing Solutions in January of 2016, at which point he assumed the role of Chief Strategy Officer. The company then rebranded as Pepperjam in April 2016 in a transaction that earned several prestigious tech M&A awards. After charting the company’s trajectory for future products and service offerings, Greg transitioned into his current role of Chief Technology Officer in 2017 to execute on the vision and strategy. Prior to AffiliateTraction, Greg was involved with and/or co-founded a number of online retail merchants, publishers, SAAS affiliate tracking softwares, and directories, all of which were acquired. He has served on numerous advisory boards, is a regular contributor to industry publications, most recently Adweek, and a frequent speaker at conferences around the globe.

Paul Schroader

Paul has been in Interactive Marketing since 1995 and he has spent the last 17 years focusing on Affiliate Marketing. Since founding PS Web Solutions in 2001, some of the clients Paul has worked with include TMP Worldwide (Monster.com), Oreck, Tabasco, Blanchard and Company, Blue Man Group and Temp-tations. Paul has worked with brands both big and small in pursuit of integrating efficient online advertising techniques into existing marketing plans. He has helped build very profitable online programs for numerous clients and constantly works to stay on top of developing trends. As the President and Founder of the Rocky Mountain Affiliate Marketing Association (RMAMA), Paul has helped affiliate managers and affiliates stay current on industry issues by providing a forum for networking since 2003. Paul recognizes affiliate marketing as a tremendous opportunity for clients and marketers, allowing for an extensive online presence within a set marketing cost structure.

Carolyn Shelby

Carolyn Shelby has been involved in developing and marketing Internet technologies since 1994, when she was the cofounder and managing partner of an Internet Service Provider near Purdue University. She specializes in technical and enterprise SEO, and has been helping corporations adjust their structure and focus to make the most of new media by integrating “search awareness” into their corporate culture since the 90s. As Director of Search Engine Optimization at tronc, Inc. (formerly Tribune Publishing), Carolyn and her team are responsible

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Stephan Spencer

Stephan Spencer is an internationally recognized SEO expert, consultant, and bestselling author. He is the co-author of The Art of SEO (now in its third edition), author of Google Power Search, and co-author of Social eCommerce. Stephan founded Netconcepts in 1995 and grew it into a multi-national SEO agency before selling it in 2010 to Covario. Stephan invented a pay-for-performance SEO platform called GravityStream that was also acquired and is now part of Rio SEO. Stephan’s clients post-acquisition have included Zappos, Sony Store, Quiksilver, Best Buy Canada, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Chanel. Stephan is the creator of Traffic Control, a three-day seminar on SEO, and the host of two popular podcast shows, The Optimized Geek and Marketing Speak.

Sean Steinmarc

In his leadership role at TFC Tuition Financing, Sean is working to improve the affordability of education at all ages. A graduate of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Sean spent the first eight years of his career in financial services leadership roles across a Top 5 global bank and a Fortune 100 company. His primary roles were converging technology & business strategies, and improving operational processes. After a few years in education financing, Sean launched award-winning startup psGive to help brands solve digital marketing challenges through a combination of games & cause marketing. Now, Sean is applying his combined startup and corporate skills to move TFC, a 45-year-old organization, into the next era. In his free time, Sean enjoys finding new recipes to further his cooking skills, competing in Race to Affiliate Summit challenges, and whiskey.

Christina Szekeres

Christina is a successful entrepreneur and a businesswoman, with over 10 years of experience building, running and operating her performance marketing business. Christina is the soul and sass behind the FBQueen brand, her passion and purpose is consulting performance marketers how to take their business to the next level using Facebook Ads. She’s one of the Moderators on the Premium Affiliate Marketing Forum: STM and a welcome speaker at affiliate conferences around the world.

James Thompson

JT is the CEO of Daft Labs and has worked in the startup world for his entire adult career. He’s launched hundreds of sites for others and a handful of his own products. The primary focus of his ventures are typically around monetization and the affiliate relationship in some way.

Sandrine Thompson

As CJ Affiliate’s strategy and insights director, Sandrine helps affiliate clients improve their program strategy through

the application of insights into shopper behaviors and ecommerce trends. For the past four years, Sandrine has managed insights-driven projects for the global network and offers 13 years of experience in affiliate marketing, including 8 years managing some of the largest publisher partnerships in the US. Prior to joining CJ Affiliate in 2004, Sandrine worked for a global ad agency overseeing digital and print production for accounts such as VisitScotland, NRDC, Pret a Manger and VisitMonaco.

Colin Thomson

Colin Thomson founded Kast Media, a digital media and advertising agency that focuses on influencer marketing through podcasts, youtube channels, blogs, and more. Kast Media works with brands and personalities such as Tai Lopez, Verizon, and NPR, to manage, produce, and promote their podcast, and grow their influence and business. Recent success includes hitting 1 million downloads on a new podcast 3 weeks after launch, and $40k in revenue through sponsorships within 2 months of podcast launch. In the world of podcasting and influencer marketing, Colin is a leader in innovation and practical growth, and Kast Media\’s results prove it. Colin speaks about influencer marketing, podcasting, advertising, and building influence. His talks focus on the very practical and specific steps that lead to success.

Wade Tonkin

Wade Tonkin has been managing affiliate programs since 1999. He worked in a variety of other roles in the industry for companies including Kowabunga Technologies and Forge Business and co-founded GTO Management with Joel and Karen Garcia before joining Fanatics in 2010. He\’s the Affiliate Manager at Fanatics, running a team that oversees affiliate programs for 30 + ecommerce sites including Fanatics.com, NFLShop. com, MLBShop.com, NBAStore.com, Shop.NHL.com, SportsMemorabilia.com as well as for pro and college sports teams including the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Huskies and more. Wade has been recognized as Affiliate Manager of the Year twice by AvantLink, is a two time Exceptional Merchant Pinnacle Award Winner with Fanatics. Wade lives in Orange Park, FL with his family and enjoys OrangeTheory workouts, listening to History podcasts and running.

John Toskey

John Toskey, jtoskey@ebay.com, Director, Global eBay Partner Network at eBay. John is a passionate business leader and professional who thrives in demanding environments where immediate, measurable results are expected. At eBay, John drives strategy and manages execution for the largest global paid marketing channel for eBay Marketplaces. A regular keynote speaker and industry thought leader, John enjoys helping others learn from his experiences throughout the last 20 years of e-commerce evolution. He is a caring people manager, ensuring that his team is heard, respected, challenged and given opportunities to learn and grow.

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Jeff Unze

Jeff runs business development and is on the executive team for BorderXLab, creator of the Beyond Shopping Discovery app. A top e-commerce marketplace for global Chinese. His focus is bringing US and European e-commerce merchants to market in China and other emerging markets. Jeff has worked in the Chinese internet space since it’s beginnings in 1999. He headed ad sales and marketing for five years as Sr. Director of Sales and Marketing at SINA.com (NASDAQ: SINA). At SINA, he was instrumental in bringing clients such as Nike, and Johnson and Johnson into the online space in China. After Sina, Jeff co-founded, Lucky Pacific Networks, an Asian-focused performance media company that utilizes mobile, email, video, display and native ads to deliver value to its stable of clients including Redbox, Marina Bay Sands, Ipsos, GreatClips, Expedia and Groupon among others. Jeff is a frequent China ecommerce speaker, BWG contributor and China marketing expert.

Ashlee Vega

Ashlee Vega is a senior marketing manager at adidas North America. She not only manages the affiliate marketing channel, but also oversees performance display and paid social. Ashlee has been with the brand for almost four years. Prior to her time at adidas, she oversaw digital marketing efforts at PacSun. She has held ecommerce positions at Abercrombie & Fitch, Eastern Mountain Sports and Fossil Watch Co. Ashlee received a degree in broadcast journalism from Texas Christian University.

Chad Waite

At the moment, I oversee all of the marketing efforts at AvantLink. This encompasses the gamut of necessary tactics and channels including demand generation, lead nurturing, targeted social and PPC advertising and content strategy among others. But high-impact, in-person events are what I really love. Whether that’s spearheading the design and execution of AvantLink’s annual AvantExpo user conference, organizing small regional networking events for potential and top clients or planning AvantLink’s presence at tradeshows, marketing through events is the aspect of marketing I enjoy most. I’m also an avid public speaker, both domestically and internationally. I love sharing my thoughts on anything I’m passionate about, be it something casual like cars or trail running to something professional like affiliate marketing. I’ve been a speaker at quite a few conferences including IRCE, Affiliate Summit West & East, and more.

Chris Whitling

Chris Whitling is Head of Marketing for HostGator, where he’s responsible for creating and executing the go-to-market strategy. With over 10 years’ experience in the web industry, four with HostGator, Chris has been down in the trenches and up in the macros (pun-intended). His understanding of the digital industry has been key in transforming HostGator’s brand and product identity. His combined technical and marketing experience provide him a well-rounded perspective on digital brand management.

Scott Wolf

Scott Wolf is the President and CEO of ArcaMax Publishing, and has served in that role from its launch in July, 2004. Under his leadership, ArcaMax’s revenue and profitability have grown consistently, recognized five times by the Inc 5000 for growth. The company’s email practices have been profiled by MarketingSherpa, a leading online marketing research institute. Scott entered the online world in 2001 to develop an advertising business for the newsletter division of ArcaMax Publishing’s predecessor company, an e-commerce company that used email newsletters to promote its products. The newsletter division quickly became the company’s most profitable and ultimately was spun off to form ArcaMax Publishing. Prior to that, Scott was a co-founder of Radio Profits Corporation, a sales consulting company in the radio industry. He is a co-author of “Segmented Media Publishing System”, a patent issued in 2014 covering the distribution of sequential segmented media content by email.

Tony Wright

With more than ten years of hands-on and strategic experience in interactive marketing and a background in traditional and interactive public relations and journalism, Tony Wright, CEO and Founder of WrightIMC (www.wrightimc.com) has spent his career helping businesses of all sizes be profitable on the Web. Wright is a search marketing geek and also has extensive experience in online crisis communication and brand reputation strategy, including corporate blogging and corporate monitoring, most notably directing the online corporate reputation management strategy for American Airlines immediately following the events of September 11, 2001. Wright has twice served as President of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Search Marketing Association, and is a sought after speaker at industry events, including SMX, Search Engine Strategies, Pubcon and others. Find him on twitter @tonynwright