Well, its just about my second week at AKMG and I am finally starting to get the hang of things. It is very exciting to start fresh with a young energetic company and learn about the affiliate side of our industry. To give you a little history, I have been in the affiliate marketing space for a few years now and have had experience working on the advertiser side of things, but never had a chance (UNTIL NOW!) to work with the affiliates. I have wanted to work on this side of the industry for a while, so I am looking forward to delving into it – learning about all the different affiliates; what their likes are, about their families, and of course find out how I can help them run the offers that will work best for their type of traffic. My goal at AKMG is to help everyone make the most money possible and have a great time doing it. I look forward to working with each of you daily and meeting you at Affiliate Summit Boston this August.

I can’t think of a time in recent memory when I didn’t obsessively think about pixels firing, conversion metrics & EPCs. It feels like I’ve entered this parallel universe where my brain is only programmed to think about these things…I even dream about them. I’ve been in online marketing for over 8 years but it’s only been since I started doing affiliate marketing that I actually found myself in this interesting corner of the universe. I constantly evaluate every piece of advertising I see whether it be on TV, in print, online or other random methods and my first thought is how we could make that work for AKMG. When I’m not working and with friends, I sometimes want to say something that only other affiliate marketing people would understand. Like, “oh that campaign would be great for a 1st page submit”. Um, what?! Lord help me and my conversation skills lately!

I know so many people in this industry are just like this so they can relate to what I’m saying…which is why we’re able to get along and have such a social industry. People looking in from the outside definitely think we are a bunch of nerds, but I guess they are not capable of envisioning dollar signs in the sky from just about any type of advertising we’re exposed to.

It’s coming up on over a month since I joined the AKMG team as the Director of Technology and Information Security. What a fantastic company and group of people to work with! I really get to use all facets of my abilities and knowledge here. We have integrated state of the art affiliate and advertiser systems with our phenomenal anti-fraud and security techniques.

So a little bit about myself, let’s see… I went to school in Pittsburgh, PA (let’s go Steelers!) for Computer Science, focusing in cryptography and reverse engineering. When I was younger, I was known for taking things apart and putting them back together, specifically computers. Later down the road, I started doing the same with software.

I love what I do, and I love helping others resolve any problems related to technology, or anything else for that matter, while talking to them in a language they can understand! Being able to do this for AKMG and our business associates really hits the spot for me.

Being satisfied creatively with the work I do is so important. I’ve gotten more creative satisfaction than I imagined with my work here. In fact, when I’m not working as the techie over at AKMG, I’m playing the drums all of the time! I’m a professionally trained drummer, and I’ve had the opportunity to tour the country, play with top recording artists, cut tons of records and even work with the Blue Man Group.

I take a little Blue with me everywhere I go. If you haven’t seen the show you need to. I keep requesting PVC pipe, trash cans, and fluorescent paint for my desk. This is to no avail yet, but I’ll keep trying.

Anyway! I look forward to the days ahead, the people I’ll meet, and the shared success here at AKMG!

Josh

What I love most about getting to know my Affiliates is that for most of them, they have made a distinction between their work and their play. Affiliate marketing is just their job, but there is always a passion or hobby that they spend the rest of their time doing. I like to think of it as the “sanity savor” of each Onliner’s life.

You can only spend so many hours email marketing (I know that for many of you, ’so many’ equates to close to 24 hours a day), and you need something else to keep you sane. One of my Affiliates balances his work out with studying Theology, soon to be ordained. Another one of my Affiliates owns his own line of Cigars and is working on opening up a bar. I guess what I admire the most is these people’s ability to have a balance of passions that they are proud of. I’ve noticed that most truly successful people posses this quality. They have not only figured out how to be successful in the professional world, but also in their personal world. This is obviously easier said than done, however, in talking to my Affiliates these past few months and getting to know more about what they do other than mailing, I am realizing more and more how doable it really is.

I have learned so much from my Affiliates, not only about the ins and outs of online marketing / what offers are hot today, gone tomorrow…you know the drill; but also about the importance of having a life outside of all that jazz. It is so easy to get caught up in this industry that never sleeps–to never come out from behind your computer, or find yourself checking stats at 4am in the morning. Those who have been in the industry a long time however, have found ways to pull them away and keep them sane. This priceless sanity is what allows people to stay in the business for 10 years and counting!

So think about it…what passion do you consider your sanity savor?

I never knew how much I valued free time until now that I barely have any of it. I know most of us in our industry can empathize and are in the same situation as I am. I literally haven’t stopped or had a night off for the entire month of April..not sure how it’s already April 25th by the way. So tonight will be my first night with “free time” and I plan on doing absolutely nothing. I can’t wait for it it start! Most people would think I’m crazy when I say it’s tiring sitting in front of a computer all day but it has finally caught up with me plus the travel really did me in. So it’s time for a little “me” time without my computer. I hope everyone else can have a little of the same this weekend.

Anyway, here’s a quick list of what I’ll be doing with my free time:

1) Nothing
2) Staring at the TV
3) Nothing
4) Sitting by the pool
5) Nothing
6) Sipping sangria on Lincoln Road

Ok, I won’t be able to stay away all weekend…of course Ill be checking revenue numbers but only once a day instead of obsessive compulsively like usual!

Yes, I know what you’re all thinking. Sounds like a bunch of bull, right? Well before you pass too much judgement, allow me to explain. Invisible productivity is all those other things you are constantly doing to further productivity even though they may not be directly identified through looking at the revenue numbers at the end of that same day.

This includes things such as building relationships, prospecting new clients, organizing your contact info, organizing your day, reading industry books, etc. In our industry, you cannot itemize these tasks and put an exact number on how lucrative each one is. You just have to trust that by doing those things which go over and beyond the bare minimum of what is necessary to get by will soon prove to increase revenue.

I have definitely had those weeks when I feel like my work is dragging me down and I am just doing enough to keep up, but once you decide to take the reins and refuse to let your job control you, you suddenly gain clarity, feeling as though you are on top of the world and capable of accomplishing anything.

For me, staying in control of work and life always means staying organized. Taking that extra fifteen minutes at the end of the day and then again first thing in the morning makes such a difference. When I take the time to plan my day, breaking it down into sections and deciding what to focus on in each of those time slots, it allows me to manage the chaos and inevitable surprises that are thrown in my way without getting too off track.

I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about and each have your own way of how to maximize productivity, both invisibly and that which produces instant gratification…like when you finally give into my nagging and drop our GreenTea offer.

Bottom line is, don’t forget to ignore those things that may not produce instant revenue like GreenTea (that was the last comment, I promise), but that help you stay organized, informed, and are constantly bettering you at your job. After all, the more you invest in yourself, the better you will be able to benefit the company.

Trust me…I am a BIG fan of seeing BIG numbers come in at the end of each day, but there is a lot that goes on behind that number that can indicate a productive day as well. You just have to remember that it’s a combination of both that will keep you on top of the world!

Fifteen days later and I’m back in Miami at last. I started the month off at LeadsCon in Las Vegas, then headed to work out of the Santa Monica office, then to Napa for some wine tasting with the AKMG crew and finally to San Francisco for adtech. What a crazy few weeks but it was worth it with the new business we drummed up plus the relationships we’ve further solidified. Once again…the AKMG skate decks were a huge hit! We heard people were auctioning them off in the lounge area and they were going to the highest bidder. If you didn’t get a chance to stop by and pick one up, be sure to catch us at Affiliate Summit in August where we’ll have a new Boston board.

This trip made me realize (again) what a great industry we work in. I don’t know many other people that get to hang out with smart, funny, innovative people on a daily basis. People that you genuinely like. It feels like we spent half of adtech laughing with our advertisers and affiliates…just having a good time while doing business. I don’t think you could ask for more in a job. Unless of course you’re partial to grey cubicle walls and long, serious meetings that accomplish nothing. I prefer the quick, to-the-point meetings in our booth followed by cocktails at the W Hotel.

Now, more importantly, it’s almost time for the weekend here in Miami which means I can finally relax and catch up on some necessary sleep…

Weird title, I know. But the phrase “fat and lame” came up twice this week in conversations with two different advertisers…so of course I had to blog about it. Fat and lame is what happens when a company gets too big that they are at the point of becoming inefficient, slow, cumbersome and bogged down with red tape and unproductive B.S. The actions taken by fat & lame companies are the exact opposite of everything that a start up stands for and represents - innovation, growth, hungry, quick moving and streamlined. The absolute antithesis of fat & lame.

When the picture is painted like that, who in their right mind who want to work for a “fat and lame” enterprise? Not me! I figured that out a while ago that I’ll only work for small start ups since I can’t deal with slow moving people and companies. I have lived on the east coast for too long to tolerate slow…no thank you! Life is too short to deal with extra, unnecessary stress…especially in our fast-paced industry with non-stop trade shows and months that fly by. It seems from the conversations I had this week with colleagues, most think along the same lines that fat and lame is something to avoid!

On that note, if you’ll be at ad:tech San Francisco, be sure to stop by our booth #5984. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll snag one of our fabulous AKMG skate decks. Be sure to get there early…they were a huge hit at Affiliate Summit and I’m sure this event will be no different. No fat and lame allowed!

There comes that time every year when the inspirational energy of New Years Resolutions starts to wear off and you get too busy to notice that things are piling up. I suppose the purpose of Spring Cleaning then is to kindly remind us that we need to get our life back in order. In this process of throwing things out and making room for the new, you are forced to reevaluate everything, continuously asking the question, “what good does this do me?’

Spring Cleaning is important to do in our industry as well. It is an extremely vital act to look at our collection of offers and analyze each one, asking what good is this offer doing our Affiliates? We are constantly striving to add new, unique, high converting offers to our network, but the only way to do this is to clean out the old, non-converters. This will inevitably lead us to having the most solid, well-rounded, and reputable offers around…and not because we have every offer, but because we have hand-selected and fine-tuned our offering to encompass the best offers. I think now would be an appropriate time to throw in a “it’s about quality, not quantity.”

So this year when you are doing your Spring Cleaning, remember to keep in mind that not only should you be analyzing what you decide to throw out, but also think about the types of things that will eventually replace these old items; think about what it is that you are making room for. After all, the most productive part of cleaning, is that you are making room to bring in the new…and as we all know in this industry, if you aren’t constantly updating, refreshing, and fine-tuning, then you will surely be left in the dust.

So Happy Spring Cleaning Everyone!

As we are nearing the end of another month, I have to say that this year’s “March madness” was especially exciting. For all of you basketball fans, you know that the term “March madness” refers to the craze, excitement, and unpredictability of the NCAA tournament–even though all the number one seed teams might actually make it to the Final Four this year!

For everyone else who is in this industry, you understand that the month of March is crazy because it is that 31 days post Affiliate Summit in Vegas and pre Ad Tech San Francisco when goals are high and productivity is vital. Being a start-up company, we are all very conscious of setting monthly goals and making sure that we adhere to them. Fighting to hit these goals each month keeps things extremely exciting, especially in these last few days of each month.

Throughout the month, you will surely hear a lot of “MTD” talk around our office. Whether it’s calculating Affiliate revenues or tracking offer volume, the month-to-date numbers and stats are what keeps us on our toes and very tuned in to what needs to be done so that we are able to end the month with no regrets as well as enter the next month with high confidence levels.

Our AKMG team grows stronger and more conditioned with each passing month, and it is always crazy to look back at previous months and see how far we have come in such a short time. While the inevitable month-to-date madness can be stressful at times, it is the hurdles that challenge us to come up with new plays and procedures, which in turn help us reach a higher level of success each month. It has been a great season so far for AKMG, and I look forward to the craze, excitement, and unpredictability that is yet to come.