BEST PRACTICES | MAY 2008
By Ben Kiel, LinkShare Account Specialist on the Chicago Services Team
This year's much anticipated LinkShare Symposium will take place June 23-24, 2008 in New York City. For more than ten years, LinkShare advertisers, publishers, and leading companies doing business on the web have convened at the LinkShare Symposium to strengthen business relationships and discuss issues facing the industry at large. Representatives from more than 200 companies are already signed up to attend this year’s events.
As the industry leader in performance-based marketing, LinkShare designs each Symposium to be an interactive forum to share knowledge and best practices to ensure our clients are consistently one step ahead of the market. Through expert speakers and high-level networking segments like LinkShare DealMaker, LinkShare strives to give our clients and partners exclusive strategies to maintain and grow their competitive advantage.
Maximize Your Participation! – The LinkShare Symposium presents an ideal opportunity to connect with decision-makers, attract new business partners, and strengthen your competitive position. Here are some ways to help you maximize your participation at this year’s events and take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet with your business partners face-to-face, all in one place!
Become a sponsor – We often hear from attendees that it’s hard to optimize time in one day to attend sessions, meet current partners, have informed conversation over lunch, and make deals at LinkShare DealMaker. LinkShare offers a variety of sponsorship packages to provide you range of participation and brand exposure opportunities at one or a combination of events. Whether you're looking to build your affiliate program brand or maximize your networking potential, we've got a package for you! Our sponsors benefit from exclusive perks such as previewing attendee lists, help scheduling meetings with prospective partners, hosting private networking tables during lunch receptions or the awards dinner, and having a branded meeting spot at LinkShare DealMaker - choose a combination of activities to enhance your partnership building potential!
Come prepared – With one day to make as many connections, leads, and deals as possible, you need to be ready. Understand in advance the types of people you want to meet, the type of offers you can commit to, and the levels of commission you can extend. Plan meetings with key partners before the event, and have data about their specific program ahead of time. Knowing your program backward and forward will help you save valuable time, and the publishers will also appreciate your efficiency. We also recommend printing out customized business cards or fact sheets before the event with all the important details of your program, which can save you a lot of breath over the course of the day.
A few quickies – Wear comfortable shoes, bring business cards, meet new people, and have fun!
Finally, if you cannot attend – there are ways to promote your company and LinkShare program to the hundreds of partners who will be in attendance. First, see item #1 (sponsorships). Our packages offer a wide variety of brand exposure and recognition online, offline and at the event. Second, use your LinkShare Account Manager as an advocate. If you have an exciting promotion coming up, or have a specific publisher you want to work with, let your Account Manager know so they can help make a connection on your behalf.
See you there!
Ben Kiel
Client Services Representative
