Life’s a Beach

My wedding anniversary is coming up next month, and we are heading to the beach!!!

One of the best things about affiliate marketing is that, since you are your own boss, you have the flexibility to take time off whenever you wish and do things most people may not have the opportunity to do. For instance,  I’ve never been surfing, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try. Guess which hawaiian beach is famous for awesome waves?

Waikiki, once the hangout for Hawaiian royalty, is the now the playground for people from all over the planet. It has a modern infrastructure of hotels for all tastes, and wide spectrum of all types of  cuisine and flavors from all over the world. It also offers an active nightlife.

But, Waikiki Beach, with its crystal clear waters, white sand, coconut trees is the place to be for surfing! Waikiki surf reports indicate waves can reach up to 10 feet high. I never been on a surf board before, so waikiki surfing lessons are in order.

A search for “surf board rental waikiki”  brings up Moku Hawaii, which rents boards for as little as $30 per day. Yay!

Surfs up!!!

Electric Bills

This is guest post by Arthur Lawrence

Texas is hotter than any place I’ve ever lived and up until this year my electricity bills were out of control. My best friend Julie told me about http://shopelectricityratestexas.com where I could save some dough on my rates and it’s gotten better, but I still haven’t gotten used to this heat. It’s pretty unbearable when I get outside in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt and I’m still sweating like crazy – and I tell you what, if you’re planning on moving somewhere like this you better not get leather car seats! Hmm, could there be a new marketing niche here?

I know I’ll get used to it eventually but I feel like we didn’t even have a spring, it just went straight to summer. I hope fall isn’t the same way and we get at least a couple of months of cool, pleasant weather before I have to pull out the down jacket and get my furry boots on. Texas, you’re such an enigma and I don’t know why people are so fiercely loyal but I tell you one thing, there is good BBQ here!

British Airways Fare Sale!

My job has me traveling to different marketing events, be it for Social Media or the SEM/SEO verticals. Last month, it was San Diego, CA. Last week, Las Vegas, NV. I might need to go to Austin, TX before years end. I flew to London some months ago for SES, which BTW is coming up again: February 16-19, 2010. I enjoyed London – well, except for the cold – but I definitely would not mind going again. Which brings me to British Airways.

For all you travel gurus, British Airways has a super ‘World Sale’ going on, good through November 19th. If I book now for the SES conference in London, flying from Orlando to London is only $289 each way that week – NOT BAD!!!!! And it’s not just London that’s on sale but Asia, the Middle East and Africa too!

My recent travels reminded me how the economy has affected even the airlines – the only complimentary offerings the airlines provided during my recent flights was something to drink (which consisted of either water or juice or soda). Anything else is extra.

What’s cool about British Airways is that they provide you an “upgraded” experience: 200+ On-Demand Entertainment Options, ergonomically designed seats (complete with lumbar support, adjustable headrest and recline ), eyeshades, flight socks and of course complimentary food and cocktails on all flights. Yeah!

Too bad I can’t fly them to Texas…

Just Got Back From Pubcon

Last week I was away in Las Vegas, manning a booth for our illustrious ‘Sponsored Conversation’ marketing company. Had a great time. Saw some old friends, made new ones, had some delicious enchiladas at the Hard Rock Hotel (Pink Taco restaurant) and got to see some sites – well, we walked down the strip (shrug).

The show was smaller than expected, way smaller than the DMA tradeshow from a few weeks earlier in San Diego, but my colleague and I got to meet some great people in the SEM/SEO space and hopefully garner some lasting business relationships with them.

I met some key Super Affiliate Marketers as well which will help define the path this blog will be following in 2010. Stay tuned for details…

The Power Of "F" (face-to-face :)

As affiliate marketers, our focus is on generating online sales for the businesses we represent. Henceforth, most (if not all) of our business dealings are done through the interwebs (i.e.: we research and choose a niche, register a domain with hosting, build a site, develop content and drive targeted traffic to generate conversations). But we can’t (and shouldn’t) underestimate the power of face-to-face meetings.

I encourage you to maximize your networking opportunities at affiliate conferences, such as Affiliate Summit. Many affiliate managers want to talk to affiliates face to face. It’s crucial they know who and what methods are being used to promote their programs. And they want to know what proven marketing methods you are using. Sure, this can be explained via email, but face-to-face adds another element to your business dealings, the human element and consequently, solidifies your relationships. And just think of the possibilities of meeting and learning from affiliate gurus – in person!

With the recent economic downturn, however, it’s no secret that many businesses are cutting back on expenses, which includes travel for f2f’s. In a recent CFO Research Services/American Express global study, a solid majority of survey respondents (87%) say their companies plan to spend less on business travel this year compared with last year. The same report mentioned “that companies seek to control travel spending without compromising sales activities, client relationships, and critical business operations.” Conflicting, isn’t it? What are business to do?

Well British Airways has one solution. The airline and its partners are giving away FREE travel “grants” to 100 small-to-medium size U.S. businesses to anywhere in the world British Airways flies. The campaign, entitled “Business Opportunities Grants”, is part of a multi-phased initiative to help business get ahead by focusing on tangible, human connections as a crucial driver of business growth. As part of the program, British Airways will award each grant winner 10 roundtrip transatlantic Club World business class tickets, Courtyard by Marriott will provide each winner $1000 toward accommodations and Canon will give them a Wireless Office all-in-one printer, specifically designed for small businesses. Pretty cool, eh? How do win your own grant, you ask? Compete to get one here: Business Opportunity Grant. In doing so, you will continue to value the power of “F”.

Happy travels……