Affiliate Summit West is just around the corner.  Well, actually it starts in two days meaning you may already be in your car, sitting uncomfortably in a discount carrier, or flying high in your own private jet on your way to Las Vegas.  If so  - you’re in for a few days of non-stop networking, training, interacting at the Palms, and even catching a bit of live Gospel music along the way.  Really - the Christian Affiliate Marketing Association is hosting a Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues Mandalay Bay Sunday morning. 

Quite frankly, it’s a lot to consume in three days.  Considering most in attendance will be hoarse and in need of a podiatry appointment upon return, how can participants be sure their time spent at Affiliate Summit is profitable on some level or another?

Tip #1: Check the Show’s Agenda Ahead of Time

This may sound fairly obvious, but industry vets know most days are jam packed leaving little time to preplan just about anything.  Plus - if you’ve attended enough events, you find you navigate one you can navigate them all.  While this may get you by, it’s not making the most of what a show has to offer. 

Take Affiliate Summit West for example.  At any given point during the day you can attend online marketing workshops hosted by industry experts, hob knob with new acquaintances, and listen to keynote speaker and founder of Mahalo.com, Jason Calacanis.  The trouble with doing things on the fly though is that you may not know ahead of time that the top five activities on your list are all scheduled at the same time.  Take your PDA and schedule workshops and activities ahead of time.  Just remember not to overbook yourself and allow room for spontaneous encounters and impromptu meetings. 

Tip #2: Network - Several Days Before the Show Starts

Peruse the list of attendees and make a point to contact companies of interest ahead of time to at least put your company on the map.  Even if nothing comes of it, the phone time will at least put word out that your company will be at the show. 

Talking to other attendees beforehand can also save you a ton of time at the actual event.  Pre-event conversations may reveal the business relationship is not worth pursuing for either party.  The opposite can occur as well where your initial conversation sparks interest from the other company who’s reps can meet you person with a clear idea of how the two companies can work together.

Tip #3: Market Yourself

We’ve all done it - forgotten to bring our business cards to the biggest networking event of the year.  Luckily technology gives us some leeway should we forget to stash that box of 500 cards in our suitcases.  Your iPhone, Blackberry or even that standard free cell phone that comes with a new plan can serve as a notepad to exchange info.  A scrap of paper and “borrowed” hotel pen works fine too - functionally anyways.  If there’s any convention where a business card stands out - it’s a tech related one.  Companies are now passing out CDs and even USBs in lieu of the traditional business card.  There are also several online companies that will print and deliver new business cards in a day. 

 
Three pre-show tips are manageable, as you’ll have enough to think about upon setting foot in Las Vegas - especially if you’ve just realized you left the office without your business cards. 

The definition of the term guerrilla is defined in many ways depending on the context.  In the military, guerrilla refers to operations carried on by independent or semi-independent forces.  Business-wise, guerrilla refers to a form of marketing that is low budget and against the grain of traditional marketing practices.  In the online world, guerrilla marketing conjures a number of definitions and leaving many to wonder exactly how does online guerrilla marketing applies to campaigns?

From the source…

In the 1984 book, Guerilla Marketing, author and GM creator Jay Conrad Levinson further explains guerrilla marketing tactics in his 1984 book,  as ones that, “rely on time, energy and imagination instead of big marketing budgets.”

In its basic form, guerrilla marketing is designed to break through the mess of traditional marketing and hit an audience unexpectedly.  Messages are attention grabbing and intended to capture individual interest rather than an entire demographic. 

Sound like a pop-up ad?

Online marketing does incorporate several forms of guerrilla marketing.  In fact, there are a number of sites that offer tutorials, tips by the hundreds, and even boot camps that will teach online marketers the secrets to delivering ads to that unknowing, yet, ultimately willing customer.   

Current online marketing trends thrive on demographic data, yet technology has enabled marketers to deliver highly segmented ads by tracking individual user actions.  This results in calculated pop-ups, highly segmented banner ads, and a slew of targeted emails in consumer inboxes.  Despite this pinpointed delivery, these ads reach consumers by surprise in what is usually a captive setting.  Plus, several online marketers employ low-budget, yet highly effective marketing strategies including blogs, article archives, and free offers.  A guerrilla marketer would refer to these strategies as ‘weapons,’ while traditional marketers would look at them as - well, traditional marketing tactics designed to promote brand recognition and customer retention. 

If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that online marketing tactics take on new forms by the campaign.  Information is instant and often ignites a viral response no matter the marketer’s original intentions. 

Microsoft Corp. may have made an offer Yahoo! simply can’t refuse.  An offer of $44.6 billion dollars to be exact.  Even combined, the Microsoft/Yahoo combo wouldn’t edge Google from its estimated 60% market share.  What Yahoo! does have though - a built in audience - one of the largest out there.  Plus, approximately 27% of the search engine market share. That’s at least enough to make Google nervous. 

The motive: Well, Microsoft’s motivation isn’t anything new.  The company’s been trying to purchase Yahoo! for the past few years, to no avail.  This time though, they’re hitting Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang up with some serious stock options.  Microsoft is currently offering a 62% premium bid on Yahoo’s closing stock. 

The forecast: Online advertising.  Despite Google’s falling stock value, the future for online advertising looks bright.  So bright analysts are expecting online ad dollars to double from $40 billion to $80 billion by 2010.   

Yahoo’s in peril, but is it bad enough to shut the doors?  Financial losses have been stark for Yahoo, with stock prices dropping to a four year low in January.  And what about Yahoo’s devoted fan base?  Well - a quick perusal of Yahoo Ask didn’t reveal much in the way of people inquiring about the buyout.   It may be too soon to get a sense of a collected sentiment from Yahoo regulars and whether or not they’ll venture over to MSN.com if the buyout occurs. 

While Yahoo execs have yet to respond, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer is adament the purchase will go through. The courts will also have at it, determining whether or not anti-trust laws are being violated.  In any event, time will tell if Microsoft will win with its fiscal fists, or if Ballmer and co. are simply California Dreaming.