I went to the “Meet The Super Affiliates” session at the A4U Expo last week. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the most popular sessions I attended.

Lots of good (but understandably general) advice was given out to the attendees. Again, these are just my notes frantically scribbled down on my conference programme to refer back to. If something doesn’t make sense - blame my shorthand!

The session was run by a panel of 4: - Kristopher Jones, Kieron Donoghue, Sri Sharma, and Duncan Jennings. I won’t do a bio on all of them, I’ll say only this: - Each one of them generates millions of pounds of revenue each year. Kieron in particular mentioned a monthly PPC spend I don’t think I’ve achieved in my entire career. That’s what a super affiliate is!

OK, so the session kicked off with a question to all panelists: “How Proprietory To Affiliate Marketing Success Is Technology V’s Strategy?” Here are some of the responses. Alas I can’t tell you who said what. But hey, it’s all wonderful advice!

- Technology helps but strategy is key to success was the overwhelming response from all.

So what strategy tips did we glean for our super affiliate panelists?

- Start small, and build your expertise around a simple strategy.

- Focus on a niche. Become the best within that niche. Create quality content.

- Find an angle to create your income stream.

- Understand the market before you even begin your strategy. Study market stats and buyer behaviour information to help you target your efforts effectively.

- If you lack an essential skillset, try to partner with someone who has those skills on a rev share basis.

- Pick a topic you are passionate about for your marketing efforts.

- Think about a different angle in order to direct relevant, converting traffic to merchants rather than taking on the big boys on generics. The example Kieron gave on this tip was based on promoting satellite TV signups. Rather than targeting people looking for straight satellite TV, look at targeting search terms relating to sporting events only available on pay per view. i.e. A Ricky Hatton fight on Sky.

- Don’t have the technical ability to develop a web site? Use Wordpress, Kieron is a huge fan of this excellent, free, and easy to use system. Here’s an example of a really, really basic Photo Developing Offers Blog I’ve recently added to one of my small niche sites. It took about 4 hours to set up, start to finish… including content!

- Want to know what this years top selling products will be? Ask. Next time you’re out shopping, keep your eyes open. Look for any products creating a buzz, ask retailers what they think will sell this year.

The overwhelming response from these guys was that you don’t need to be technical to be a success. Affiliate Marketing is, well, marketing after all. In my personal opinion it’s great if you’re technical or have technical resources at your disposal, but it’s FAR more important to be able to think creatively about new niches and how to target buyers.

Another question posed to the super affiliates was: -

Which Industry Sectors Do You Steer Clear Of?

Kieron: Travel, it’s a huge and competitve sector that involves a lot of work and very little return.
Sri: B2B products, which have a long sale time and where potential customers are likely to make a call rather than completing a purchase online.
Duncan: Web Hosting - Merchants make huge profits in the long term within this area, whilst the affiliate gets a one-off CPA. This makes for a situation where the lead rate is too low and the paid search costs are too high.
Kris: - Non branded products where there is a recognised brand within the same marketplace.

Finally, the panel was asked to give Two Top Tips for success:

Kris:
1 ) Find your strategy, replicate your strategy, and scale it up to build your business.
2 ) Respect the industry. Don’t be tempted to get rich quick, think long term.

Duncan:
1 ) Focus on quality. You’ll benefit far more from this approach.
2 ) Pick an area where merchants pay decent commissions.

Sri:
1 ) If a plan doesn’t make sense in one minute when you are talking about it. Drop it.
2 ) Put in 300%, but enjoy it or it simply won’t work!

Kieron:
1 ) WORDPRESS!
2 ) Don’t lose your shirt on PPC. Learn it first before you jump in with both feet. It’s way too easy to crash and burn!

Very, very simple and straightforward advice… but I really thought it would be very valuable for many of the readers of this blog and also serve as a good example of just how worthwhile it will be to attend A4U Expo 2008. And yes, I am angling for a free pass. Matt Wood, take note!

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