Affiliate Summit East and LeadsCon NY came and went last week in a spectacular blur. We were fortunate enough to attend and exhibit at both conferences, meet a number of prospective and current clients, and live it up on the streets of New York. Our time in New York was productive, but we realize that not everyone had the chance to make it to The Big Apple for the week. Because of this, we decided to compile a list of our key takeaways from the conferences in hopes that even if you didn't attend, you can learn something anyway.
1. Capitalize on the international market.
Now is the perfect time for U.S. companies to start capitalizing on the international market. Based on our experience at both conferences, we learned that, not only is there growing demand for lead generation, but the market is less sophisticated than here in the U.S. Some of the processes American lead generation companies utilize to maximize their revenue are not widely practiced outside of the U.S. This opportunity presents itself both for U.S. companies that expand into new markets and international companies that utilize the tools & processes common to the US market as they leverage their existing relationships to grow their business.
2. There is money to be made in mobile.
At both Affiliate Summit East and LeadsCon NY, but especially Affiliate Summit East, we encountered many people that are trying to monetize their mobile traffic, from impressions to installs. As mobile online traffic increases and transactions become more common on mobile devices, we anticipate this trend to only continue and the need to find a way to monetize this traffic explode. While much of this traffic will never compare in terms of quality to a search lead, for example, mobile traffic may offer a cost-effective way to feed into higher qualification lead categories like live transfers and "verified" leads as regulations like TCPA make aged leads and data less available. Those lead generation companies that can successfully create mobile-optimized paths for their lead flow will also enjoy the benefits of this traffic medium.
3. The Affiliate Summit East Meet Market was a must.
At Affiliate Summit East, we decided to exhibit only at the Meet Market and, I’ve got to say, it was the right decision. We were pleased to see that this portion of the conference was as packed as the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour. It was a diverse crowd, from vendors to advertisers to publishers, everyone with the common goal of increasing their business. Depending on your specific goals, justifying the cost of exhibiting (or even just attending) a conference on a direct response basis can be difficult, but the networking opportunities that the Affiliate Summit East Meet Market presented made the trip worthwhile.
4. All speakers are not created equal.
Between Affiliate Summit East and LeadsCon NY, we attended our fair share of sessions and the quality of speakers ran the gamut, from exceptional public speakers who put time and effort into their presentations to others that viewed it as an opportunity for shameless self-promotion. While tempted to call out the latter, I would instead like to mention one of the better sessions and the presenter, Rae Hoffman. Covering the topic of SEO and it evolution, she was engaging, knowledgeable and clearly prepared with examples for both advertisers and affiliates. You may have missed her presentation but you can still learn from her expertise at her blog, sugarrae.com.
5. NY may be the city that never sleeps but Vegas is the town for leads!
As a software provider for the lead industry, it is always good to be able to meet prospective and current clients face-to-face so, from that perspective, LeadsCon NY was a success. But, if we are completely honest, it was missing some of the buzz and excitement that always accompanies LeadsCon Las Vegas. Part of the reason is the layout with multiple floors making it harder to "bump into someone" but also, Las Vegas is a destination and gives people something to look forward to. So if your decision ever comes down to an either-or, stick with Vegas every time.
