5 Takeaways From the Affiliate Summit West 2015

The internet is the most highly effective marketing medium of all time and the Affiliate Summit West was by and large the best affiliate marketing conference of all time. This is true for two major reasons. First, more than forty percent of the world’s population has regular access to the internet today. As of 2014, that was more than 3 billion people. In the United States alone, there were more than 279 million internet users, which is 86.75 percent of the USA’s population. Second, the internet allows marketers to reach their target audiences in new ways. With more traditional marketing outlets such as TV, radio, and newspaper, marketers are forced to cast a wide net hoping that they will reach their target audience. They do this by throwing information out there while also trying to entertain. Online marketing, however, allows marketers to more accurately reach their target audience. And, it allows them to engage and interact with this audience, which increases sales and results in better brand loyalty. Of course, there are always new ways to market online. This is precisely why I attend the Affiliate Summit. So, what are my top 5 takeaways from ASW 2015?

Providing Greater Value

This is a continuing trend from 2014, but it is still a highly relevant one. Advertisers and Publishers are increasingly skeptical of sales pitches, so those marketers that pitch constantly are being ignored. The way to overcome this is by providing greater value and substance. In other words, marketers should actually focus on caring about the needs of their partners. This means creating value for the client, addressing customer concerns, and engaging with them in a more empathetic way.

Telling a Story

Gone are the days of boring marketing campaigns filled with information and dull corporate talk. This year ASW2015 was more about  bring about more compelling campaigns centered on inspiring human stories that reach consumers on a deeper, more emotional level. These stories, to which we can all relate, go viral quickly. After all, who doesn’t love a great heartwarming story? Not to be biased – but Click Syndicate has some of the top people in the industry that reach people on a different level. You can message me and we can go over this. 🙂

Embracing Inner Silliness

As stated before, brands need to come up with a more effective way to create authentic connections. One highly efficient way to achieve this, especially with the millennial generation, was through a clever ploy or just plain silliness. Embracing your inner silliness allows you the online marketer to earn trust and loyalty.

Learning to Write Code

Many Affiliate Summit attendees believed that learning to write code was and is the next necessity for digital marketers. This is due to the fact that branding, social media, web content management, public relations, and search engine optimization (SEO) are all necessary for a fully integrated online marketing strategy. Those marketers who can learn to write code better understand how web development not only affects, but also enhances and optimizes their marketing campaigns.

Moving Toward Mobile

As online marketing evolves, digital marketers are looking for new ways to lower the time during which consumers see the message and make a decision, all on mobile. Smartphones provide the perfect solution. So, an increasing number of online marketing companies have gotten into the mobile space be it downloadable games to real time bidding exchanges.