Affiliate Summit is a Great Show for Making Connections & Polishing Your Marketing Skills

This was my third time attending the Affiliate Summit and my second time speaking at the conference. Every time I go to this particular conference I am astounded by the enthusiasm and knowledge of the staff and the attendees. There were a lot of great sessions focused around Social Media tactics, List Building techniques, site development and monetization strategies. If the goal of this conference is to educate and connect online marketers and build successful relationships among networks, vendors and affiliates, then Affiliate Summit hits the nail right on the head.

Being a speaker at a conference makes you view the whole experience a little differently. Normally I have time to go to all of the sessions and schedule regular meetings with affiliates and other possible partners. Instead my Sunday was spent preparing for a presentation that would not only be viewed live by people in the audience but recorded for many of the 5,000 plus pass holders to view at their leisure. Needless to say I missed some great sessions on Day 1, to prepare for my own.

Even though this wasn’t my first time speaking at the Affiliate Summit, it was my first time having a solo break out at this conference. If you missed my session here is  a recap of the points covered in my presentation Community, Conversation, Conversion – Social Tips You need:

Social Media is a Huge Part of an Online Consumer’s Life

Facebook accounts for 17% of the time spent online in the United States. That is a truly staggering number, and what is more impressive about that number is the rate by which it increased in the past 2 years. From Q3 of 2009 to Q3 of 2011 the time spent on Facebook in the United States increased by more than 4x.

On top of the time spent online in the US, a survey by Forbes found that 86% of online consumers in the United States and 79% of consumers in Europe have adopted Social Media into their daily habits.

Facebook is a Social Juggernaut

This is quick and to the point: Facebook amounts for 95% of all social media activity. When you are deciding which social media network to use in your social marketing efforts, Facebook is a no brainer.

The Wall is the Worst Landing Tab Ever

Why would you want to send new visitors to your wall? It is messy and in some cases filled with support issues and complaints. The wall has no call to action and is really going to cause more confusion than it is worth. In one of the worst examples I have seen, I landed on the wall of a page that didn’t even allow users to post content! Social media is not simply broadcasting, it is interactive, so two strikes for this page because I landed on their wall and then couldn’t even interact with the brand.

You need a default landing page that is like-gated. A like-gated page will drastically increase your micro conversions, and by utilizing lead generation forms on the page that is viewed post like you can begin to turn ‘likes’ into marketable leads.

Design is Critical on Facebook

You need to have a good looking default landing tab on your Facebook page. If you are routing traffic from your website or through paid ads, you do not want to waste that user’s time (and in some cases your money). Design a Facebook tab with a clear call to action, one that both welcomes, informs and mobilizes.

Post Different Types of Content to Increase EdgeRank

Most people don’t know what the EdgeRank is, but it is the algorithm that dictates what shows up in your fans’ news feed. Different content holds different weight, and posting content of different weight helps increase your EdgeRank. The algorithm focuses on content type, affinity with the reader and how long the post has been visible.

I’m planning to make a video of my presentation with the slides on our website soon, if I were to post them to SlideShare you wouldn’t see all of the content.

If you attended ASW12 tell me about your favorite presentation!

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