Today’s AskMissyWard.com affiliate marketing question comes from Chris Gar who asks:

“What WordPress template would you recommend for a new affiliate that allows it to be used for multiple sites and includes all the bells and whistles like seo opt, and all of the social media links, etc. I’m not necessarily looking for a free template, just a good one.
Thank you.”

Hey Chris,

There’s only one solution that will fit your needs that I wholeheartedly recommend and that is Thesis For WordPress, by DIYThemes.

Now, that being said, I must disclose that I oversee their affiliate program for charity. However, before I worked for them, I was an extremely satisfied customer and recommended the Thesis for WordPress theme, to anyone who was in the same boat as you. I currently use Thesis Theme on MissyWard.com, FeedFront.com and GeekCast.fm.

The main reason why I am a happy Thesis for WordPress user resides in the fact that while I know enough about designing, coding and SEO to be dangerous, any tool that can help me spend less time doing this kind of stuff and let me concentrate on marketing, is a godsend.

The skillfully-coded HTML + CSS + PHP framework that Thesis for WordPress runs on makes optimizing each page of your site for the search engines, super easy.

Here is a video showing how easy it is to control every page of your site using Thesis for WordPress:

The Thesis option panels also allow you to make design changes very easily. Whether you’re looking for a 1, 3 or 3-column option, you can test out tons of different layout and font options with just a few clicks of your mouse.

Most recently, Thesis 1.6 was released boasting new design controls making it even easier to construct your site exactly the way you want it. Here is a quick video showing how simple it is to design a site using Thesis.

Most importantly, the support staff is terrific and always there in a pinch if you get stuck on something. Additionally, there are dozens upon dozens of Thesis for WordPress users that post tutorials on how they’ve made things happen on their blogs. Couple this with the video tutorials that the DIYThemes staff creates and you’ll find that the learning curve for using Thesis is fairly small.

There are two options for purchasing Thesis For WordPress. First, there is a Personal Copy which is only $87. This will allow you to use Thesis on one website. Based on your question though, it looks like you’re wanting to use it on multiple websites, so I’d recommend that you pick up the Develolper’s License which will allow you to use Thesis on as many sites as you want. This option is only $164.

I hope this helped you with our decision, but I’m here if you have any other questions.

If you decide to purchase DIYThemes’ Thesis for WordPress, please consider using my affiliate link. (Hey, I am an affiliate marketer after all, ya know.)

Shawn Collins and I will be manning the Affiliate Summit booth (#1455) during ad:tech New York on November 4-5 at Javits Center.

In addition, we’ve partnered with Murray Newlands of MurrayNewlands.com (interviewer extraordinaire) to conduct video interviews during the event that we will host on the Affiliate Summit Blog as well as on GeekCast.fm.

Murray will be roaming the ad:tech floor looking for folks to talk about affiliate marketing, social media, search marketing and more and would love to interview you. So, if you see him, flag him down!

Additionally, you can swing by the Affiliate Summit booth to pick up some Purell®, eat some of our leftover Halloween candy and schedule a time to interview with Murray.

This is a great opportunity to share your insights on the industry with the rest of the Affiliate Summit audience.

We look forward to seeing you. Oh… and this is Murray. He’s not hard to miss.

I just got back late last night from the ShareASale ThinkTank 2009 at The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, California, which took place October 23-25, 2009.

If I had to choose one word to describe the event, it would be “spectacular”.

What makes this affiliate network event so unique is that all invited guests are provided with complimentary accommodations in a beautiful resort, food and entertainment in exchange for their collective brainpower to help identify new ways in which to increase their respective businesses and enhance the ShareASale platform.

What is interesting is that one would expect that only top-tier affiliates and merchants would be invited, yet there were many up-and-coming affiliate marketers in attendance, eager to gain knowledge and build new relationships.

I arrived a day early and was fortunate to attend the Yankee game (although everyone in California was calling it the Angels game)with some long-time affiliate marketing buddies.

The conference started the next day with the annual golf-outing with ShareASale’s CEO, Brian Littleton. I preferred to sit the round out and instead take some pictures and video of the golfers as I tormented them (and the non-ShareASaleThinkTank-players) with my crazy golf cart antics.

That evening’s event consisted of the Sunset Welcome Reception and dinner which was a fun, networking experience loaded with yummy sushi, lobster, pasta and more. It was the perfect setting to rekindle old business relationships and forge new ones.

After breakfast on Saturday, the day was filled with sessions geared towards understanding various demographics including women, men, education and life experience and home/office. This was followed by a Vendor Lunch in which tables were set up so that attendees could have the opportunity to speak with the various participating companies. My business partner Shawn and I manned our Affiliate Summit / FeedFront Magazine table and it worked out great for us.

From 2pm-6pm, there were exhibit opportunities for Merchants to meet with current and potential affiliates. Unlike your traditional exhibit hall, there were no booths. Rather, each exhibitor manned their “Cabana” outside, overlooking the pool.

Saturday night was a “free-night”, so a bunch of us went out to Javier’s Cantina for dinner and headed back to the hotel to continue chatting the evening away.

Sunday’s breakfast was followed by the “Things We Need to Fix” session in which every attendee had the opportunity to express their opinions in person to CEO, Brian Littleton. Many feature requests, suggestions and even a few complaints were addressed which will help shape future ShareASale offerings and enhance their already dynamic platform.

This is my 3rd ThinkTank and by far, it’s been the best. Hopefully one of the suggestions that came up during the “Things We Need to Fix” session will be instituted. If it is, maybe I’ll see you in Hawaii for ShareASaleThinkTank 2010

To view the rest of my ShareASale ThinkTank 2009 Photo Collection, please click the image below:

I’m back from BlogWorld Expo 2009 and headed straight out to the ShareASale Think Tank. (#ThinkTank09)

Post will have to wait on #BWE09, but enjoy the photos in the meantime.

Missy Ward with Loren and Michelle Feldman of 1938 Media

Click photo above to view the set.

Why am I not wearing an Affiliate Summit shirt, you ask?

Well, I’m sporting the Tatto Media shirts as part of my “Brand My Boobies” campaign, in which Tatto Media donated $4,250 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation on behalf of my Affiliate Marketers Give Back effort.

Thanks Tatto for giving back!

10/21/09 Update: As a Diamond Sponsor of Audience Conference, I have received 5 Complimentary Passes to give away. If you’re interested in attending, please register here using discount code “Missy”. First 5 lucky readers get them.

(PS – If you are not 100% sure that you can make it, please do not take an opportunity away from someone else. The conference has a limited capacity for attendees and the folks that want to be there will be angry with you)

(Originally published on August 22, 2009.)

Successful marketing is not a numbers game. If you think that your circle of influence is defined by the number of folks that follow you on Twitter, think again.

Smart marketers understand that no matter how large your audience is, if you can’t get them interested and give them a reason to listen, you might as well be sending direct mail.

So, in a world overloaded with extraneous information and overwhelmed with banal obligations, how does one cut through the clutter and not only reach; but engage, retain and establish a loyal audience?

Herein lies the reason for attending Audience Conference, 2009.

The Audience Conference is a place to learn from those who really understand audiences today. Bringing together some of the most exceptional people in a unique format riding the cusp of performance and conference while keeping you informed and entertained in equal measure. From the entertainers who engage audiences directly to the statisticians who measure them, to the technologists building tools to help us reach new and larger audiences and engage with them.

On tap are some tremendous names already scheduled to speak, including Dan Farber of CBS News, Mike Arrington of TechCrunch, Jason Calacanis of Mahalo, Brian Clark of Copyblogger, Ethan Kaplan of Warner Bros. Records, Rae Hoffman of SugarRae.com, Loren Feldman of 1938 Media, and so many more.

The Audience Conference is taking place at the Hudson Theater in NYC on Friday, November 6th. There will also be a limited opportunity to attend the VIP dinner with the speakers on Thursday, November 5th.

The scheduling of the event couldn’t be any better timing as so many marketers will already be in New York City for Ad:tech, earlier in the week.

Affiliate Summit is proud to be a sponsor of what is sure to be a phenomenal event.

Registration is just $399.

But wait, there’s more.

I have negotiated a special 10% discount off the registration price

Click here to register for Audience Conference
Discount Code: AFFSUM

Seating is limited for this event, so if you’d like to secure your spot and take advantage of the discount, I suggest you register early.

If you still think it’s good enough to build up a large amount of Twitter followers and blast out boring corporate messages or irrelevant nonsense, not only is this event not for you, but you’re also missing the point and the huge opportunity.

Will I see you at Audience Conference?

In case you missed this yesterday afternoon…

West Chester, Ohio – October 20, 2009 — iNET Interactive has announced today the acquisition of ABestWeb (http://www.ABestWeb.com), the largest online community serving the needs of affiliate marketers. As part of the iNET Interactive network, the 60,000 member community is expected to benefit from iNET’s expertise in operating and growing online communities. ABestWeb’s (ABW’s) advertisers are expected to benefit from the addition of a professional sales team.

The ABestWeb acquisition builds on iNET Interactive’s presence in the Internet marketing space, complementing Search Marketing Standard, Pay Per Click Universe, and SEMCompare.”

For those that have not been part of the ABW community before, it is a place where affiliate marketers discuss affiliate marketing issues and help each other grow their businesses. It is also a place where one can cultivate friendships that transcend a virtual world and can wind up lasting a lifetime.

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing the owner of ABW, Haiko de Poel, since 2001-ish.  While we may not have started out seeing eye to eye, our mutual respect for the affiliate marketing industry and each other allowed us to evolve our relationship and I now consider him a close friend.

When I heard the news, I couldn’t wait to congratulate him. On our phone call Haiko shared that he is very excited about the whole deal — not just because he’s benefiting by the sale, but because he truly feels that the members of the ABW community along with the industry as a whole, will do the same.

I also had the opportunity to ask him what he’s going to do now. While “going to Disney” rolled off his tongue, I have the feeling he’s got something up his sleeve and I look forward to finding out what it is.

I also can’t wait to see the enhancements at ABW.

If you ever wanted to know what went on during the 2009 AffiliateMarketersGiveBack.com, Avon 40-mile walk for Breast Cancer, below is a video from teammate Kevin Strawbridge with all the highlights (and lowlights).

Watching it got my all teary-eyed again. I’m so proud of our entire team and thank everyone who donated and helped us promote the event.

Today’s AskMissyWard.com affiliate marketing question comes from Robert (no last name provided) who asks:

“Could you give a few good resources for newbies getting into affiliate marketing. Such as books, magazines, and websites.”

Hey Robert,

The 2009 Affiliate Summit AffStat Report is available for free to download.  In addition to benchmarks and affiliate marketing feedback from participants, it also features a directory of Affiliate Marketing Forums, Blogs, affiliate marketers to follow on Twitter and a quick reference guide to affiliate marketing terms and acronyms.

Additionally, you can sign up to receive FeedFront Magazine for free, which contains articles on affiliate marketing, social media, search engine marketing, interviews and more.

These two resources are loaded with information that’ll get you going

A few days have passed since IZEAFest and I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with the new friends and business associates that I met there via Facebook, on Twitter, via email, on the phone, etc.

The face-to-face networking that takes place at events such as IZEAFest is truly the springboard to the “virtual conversations” that continue on, post conference.

The unfortunate part about conferences is that eventually, they come to an end and somehow you just don’t get to talk to everyone you set out to meet.

In the last two days, I’ve heard from a couple of people who told me that they didn’t come up to me to say hi at IZEAFest because they always saw me talking to someone and they didn’t want to interrupt; or when I was alone and checking my email, they didn’t want to be a bother.

Please.. bother me!

I love meeting new people. I enjoy finding out about what you do and how I can help you grow your business.

I want you to be more than a Twitter avatar to me.

So, here’s the deal. In the next two months, I’m going to be at the following conferences:

BlogWorld Expo: October 15-17 (Come swing by my booth #328)
ShareASale Think Tank: October 23-25
Ad:tech New York: November 4-6 (Come swing by my booth #1455)
Audience Conference: November 5-6
Social Fresh Cruise: November 12-16 (Come swing by my lounge chair)

… and I really want to make sure I get to meet you.

Why don’t we set a time that’s convenient for the both of us to do so? This way, there are no awkward moments, no shoulda’s and no if-only’s that can get in our way.

Once I get your information, I’ll shoot you off an email to connect to set up a good time for us to meet.

Here’s looking forward to meeting you!