MissyWard.com

Join me at Southeast at SXSW Happy Hour

Missy Ward — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:45:19 +0000

If you’re headed out to SXSW next weekend, I’ve got a special happy hour lined up just for my fellow Southeast Techies and Social Media Lovers.

Hosted by Sloane Berrent and my fellow Southeast co-hosts: Adele Tiblier, Bert DuMars, Jason Keath, Jessica Murray, Lyell Petersen and Wayne Sutton, the Southeast at SXSW Happy Hour is an event where you can relax after a long day and connect with other leaders and social media lovers in the Southeast.

Date: Sunday, March 14, 2010
Time: 4:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: PGI Frost Bank Tower Building (401 Congress Ave, Suite 3300)
Directions: Walk out the 4th Street exit of the Convention Center and West 4 blocks to Congress Street.

Light food, beer and wine will be served, provided by our sponsor, PGI.

Everything is set, now all we need is you.

RSVP to attend Southeast at SXSW Happy Hour and connect with other party-goers on Facebook.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Affiliate Summit East 2010 Challenge – Just Do It

Missy Ward — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:16:55 +0000

I’ve always been a power-walker. You know, those crazy-looking people that look like their bodies are undergoing spasms as they scurry, más rápido, down your neighborhood streets.

So, a year ago, I made a halfhearted attempt at giving running a whirl. It was my goal to eventually run in a 5k Race for the Cure. What I found was that training for a run was a lot more time-consuming than I had ever imagined and without having that extra time available to me in order to be consistent, there was just no way that I was going to be able to reach my goal.

That was then. This is now.

As part of my post-Affiliate-Summit-West-2010 “Get Healthy” regime, I started running again. So far, it’s helped reduce the stress of giving up a bad habit, has given me a little more stamina and has definitely helped improve my sleep.

So when my business partner Shawn came up with the idea create a running challenge for charity this weekend, I couldn’t have been more excited.

Here’s the deal:

Affiliate Summit has created a Nike+ Challenge where we will donate $1 to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade for each mile run (up to $5,000).

In order to participate in Nike+ activities, you will need to follow these simple steps:

Get Nike+ Tracking
Register for Nike+
Join the Affiliate Summit East 2010 Challenge
Start Running and Sync Your Runs

Affiliate Summit East 2010 Challenge

So far, we have 21 people signed up for the challenge and folks are already clocking in some great mileage.

My Nike+ tracking device is on order and I’m just waiting for it to get here so I can start logging my runs. I’ve been using the Couch to 5k Running Program which has been great, but I’m anxious to connect with the rest of the folks in the challenge, which will be great motivation for me.

Plus, I’m all up for saving more boobies. (Check out IWalkForBoobies.com and yea, I just bought IRunForBoobies.com, so don’t even try it)

So, are you up for the Affiliate Summit East 2010 Challenge?

Register for Audience Conference 2010 – Only 300 Seats Available

Missy Ward — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:13:28 +0000

Without any further ado, I am delighted to announce that registration for The Audience Conference 2010 is now open.

So what is this Audience Conference anyway?

The Audience Conference is a 1-day event that features the smartest people across different disciplines who will speak about building and engaging audiences.

Last year, there were 20 speakers and entertainers who graced the stage of the Hudson Theater. This year, we’ll have dozens of speakers and comedians who will inform and entertain you on the stage of Caroline’s on Broadway, America’s Premiere Comedy Nightclub, located in the heart of Times Square in New York City.

http://flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/ CC BY-NC 2.0

There will also be an Open Mic, which will be open to all attendees who have the chutzpah to get up and perform 2-3 minutes of standup. (I am planning on getting up there myself, after all, it’s not like I’m going to miss out on the chance of saying that I got to do my schtick on the stage of Caroline’s.)

When is this event taking place?

The event is set for Saturday, August 14th from 9:00am-5:00pm and was deliberately planned to take place the day before Affiliate Summit East 2010 commences at the New York Hilton.

How much will you cost you to learn and laugh your ass off all day?

The early bird rate is just $99 bucks and includes a light breakfast, yummy bar food for lunch (yeah, you know the kind) and your beer and wine. The early bird ends on April 30th and then rates go up to $129.

What else?

If you’re interested in sponsoring this event, there are a limited number of opportunities available and all with a great level of visibility for your brand. We are also taking speaker proposals now through April 30th.

Lastly, please keep in mind that there are only 300 seats available for this event and I assure you, they are going to go fast. I will not be holding any seats back — first come, first served — and don’t say I didn’t warn you

Friends of Missy Save Big at LeadsCon

Missy Ward — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:34:50 +0000

LeadsCon, the conference and expo for marketers in the online lead generation industry is just around the corner.

While I’ve tried to get out to a LeadsCon before, prior commitments have precluded me from attending. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to checking it out and have made a note of quite a few sessions to attend.

Although the conference is new to me, I recognize a lot of the folks that will be speaking and in typical Missy-style, I’m already lining up the invites for lots of fun evening events. (It is Vegas after all!)

The owner of the conference, Jay Weintraub also hooked me up with a sweet discount for my friends who have yet to register for the show but are planning on attending. My discount brings the price of registration down to $495.

If you’re reading this, you’re now officially considered a “Friend of Missy”, so please feel free to use my discount. It’s good through this Friday only, so don’t delay.

So, will I see you at LeadsCon?

Affiliate Summit West 2011 – January 9-11 at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Missy Ward — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:22:42 +0000

I’m excited to announce that Affiliate Summit West 2011 will take place on January 9-11, 2011 at the Wynn Las Vegas.

This will be the 16th Affiliate Summit and it is expected to be the largest Affiliate Summit to date.

The timing of the conference will work out perfectly for those attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), as those dates are January 6-9, 2011.

Registration will open in August 2010.

See http://www.affiliatesummit.com/about/ for the history and growth of the premier affiliate marketing conference.

Please Help Me Kick Breast Cancer’s Arse

Missy Ward — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:56:46 +0000

In 2007, I founded AffiliateMarketersGiveBack.com (“AMGB”) with a goal to raise money for to support Breast Cancer research, treatment, awareness and community programs through combined efforts within the Affiliate Marketing industry.

Since then, through efforts with Affiliate Summit (Affiliate Summit) and Affiliate Marketers Give Back, we have raised a combined total of $165,000 for charities such as the Avon Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and The National Breast Cancer Foundation.

On June 5-6, 2010, I will again be leading Team Affiliate Marketers Give Back as we take to the streets of Chicago for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

I’ve set myself a lofty fundraising goal of $30,000.00.

Yes, it’s a big commitment, one that will require me to train and fundraise for the next 5 months. But, breast cancer is a big disease, one that still affects far too many people and I’m determined to do my part to help put an end to it.

The money I raise will be managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade to help provide access to care for those that most need it, fund educational programs, and accelerate research into new treatments and potential cures.

I’ll be just one of thousands of people that will walk up to a marathon and a half over a weekend, raising awareness of the cause and educating even more people.

I can’t do it without your support.

How to Make a Donation to My Fundraising Account

You can help me with my fundraising goals by making a donation on my fundraising site: IWalkForBoobies.com.

How much should you donate?

A minimum donation of $40.00 representing $1.00 per mile I walk is recommended, but I suggest donating what you are comfortable with.

For companies or folks that have additional funds allocated towards charitable efforts, there are some Team Sponsorship Opportunities available on http://www.affiliatemarketersgiveback.com

Thank you in advance and wish me luck!

>>>Donate at IWalkForBoobies.com

I Love This Bar #ASW10

Missy Ward — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:03:28 +0000

“Friendship isn’t a big thing – it’s a million little things.” ~Author Unknown

If you happened to be monitoring the #ASW10 hashtag on Twitter after Affiliate Summit West 2010 ended on Tuesday, January 19th, you may have come across some goofy tweets from me and my cohorts about heading off to Toby Keiths Bar.

For those of you that know me, you may have been surprised that I would go to a place that serves nothing but greasy food and has a modest wine list that features three simple choices: pink, white or red.

As if that isn’t enough, the coup de grâce… Toby’s only plays country music (something this die-hard rock chick just can’t cope with).

Now, what if I told you that I’ve gone there 3 years in a row?

One might wonder why I would subject myself to this excruciating torture, year after year. The answer quite simply is that I’ve got friends in low places and I wouldn’t change them for the world.

This restaurant, however agonizing for me causes my business partner, Shawn Collins such happiness. And that’s the reason why our li’l internet family gets together every year. We love seeing him that happy over something as silly as this.

The video above was produced by Todd Farmer, my friend for many years. Besides being a master of video, he also happens to be pretty darn smart.

Enjoy!

Marketing War: Affiliate World vs. Brand World, who will win?

Missy Ward — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:15:11 +0000

The above blog post was written by Pace Lattin and appeared on IndustryPace.com

While I don’t necessarily agree with the fact that the “Affiliate Marketing World” and the “Brand World” operate as mutually exclusive as the author suggests, I do concur that as budgets get tighter, the latter will need to work with innovators who know how to connect with their audience to ultimately generate an action.

Affiliate marketers are those trailblazers… and we’re hungry. It is the combination of savviness and moxie coupled with the retailer’s belts continuing to tighten on non-proven ad spends that offer up a huge opportunity for the affiliate marketing industry to continue to flourish in 2010, which I previously wrote about here.

To read the full article, “Marketing War: Affiliate World vs. Brand World, who will win? Missy Ward Knows!”, that appeared on IndustryPace.com, click here.

Let me know what you think.

Get a Review Copy of Internet Marketing from the Real Experts

Missy Ward — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:47:52 +0000

Do you have a blog, publication, site, podcast, video series, or some other outlet where you’d like to review Internet Marketing from the Real Experts?

Internet Marketing from the Real Experts is a collection of affiliate, email, blogging, podcasting, video, search engine, and social media rock stars that break down the how and why of Internet marketing in a clear, easy to understand way.

The dozens of contributors in the book are the people that do this stuff every day, and the chapters in the book are comprised of their voices, their ideas, their action items, and their lessons learned from mistakes – all for Internet marketers to grow their business the day they start reading the book.

Internet Marketing from the Real Experts is the first book from Velocity NYC Press, an imprint of Morgan James Publishing, and a division of Affiliate Summit.

Please note – your audience should be focused on entrepreneurs, small businesses, etc., and the place where you plan to review the book must be regularly updated with original content.

Submit your request for a review copy of Internet Marketing from the Real Experts.

Connecting with Other Affiliate Marketers in the Affiliate Aquarium #affaqua

Missy Ward — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:10:35 +0000

“And in the kingdom of transparency, he who creates technology to foster conversation is king” – Unknown

For years, many networks have taken a cryptic approach when it comes to connecting their advertisers with their affiliates in an effort to avoid the direct collaboration between the two and protect the network’s “cut” of commissions.

In my opinion, the lack of transparency is *one* of the major reasons why the affiliate marketing and performance-based lead generation industry has gotten a bum rap in years past.

As our industry matures and the need for transparency increases, those networks that foster a collaborative environment will wind up with the keys to the affiliate marketing kingdom.

To that end, I was pleased to hear about the launch of ShareASale’s Affiliate Aquarium during Affiliate Summit West 2010.

The Affiliate Aquarium is a social platform located within the ShareASale network which connects affiliates with merchants in all the usual “socially acceptable” ways such as searching and friending, groups, blogs, events, etc.

According to the ShareASale blog:

…Our goal is to create a more open communication platform where Affiliates and Merchants can be introduced to each other based on their mutual interests (either professional or personal). It has been our experience that increased communication leads to greater realized profits for both parties.

I for one am pretty stoked about the collaboration opportunities from both a merchant perspective (Affiliate Summit runs its affiliate program on ShareASale) and an affiliate perspective (I’m also an affiliate on their network.)

So, I spent some time swimming around the Aquarium today and found a ton of folks that I already know as well as some prospective affiliates to work with on the Affiliate Summit program and a few good merchants to feature on MissyWard.com and a few of my other sites.

To kick things off, ShareASale has also announced that they will donate $5.00 to the Mercy Corps efforts in Haiti, for each ShareASale affiliate or merchant that sets up their profile in the Affiliate Aquarium between now and January 31st. In addition, they will match the donation up to $15,000.

So my advice to any ShareASale merchant or affiliate is to set up your profile in the Affiliate Aquarium and find out how transparent conversation through social networking can really boost your profits and give Haiti a helping hand.

Then swim on over and Friend Me