WOMEN OF AFFILIATE MARKETING – ARIKKA GREENE

Over the recent few weeks in light of the whole MegaUpload.com scandal there were a lot of industry vets that were left rather hi and dry and one of them was also part of the ECPM group which I am also a part of. I wanted to find out a little more about her, Arikka Greene and she was gracious enough to talk a little but about what happen and more importantly who she is as a person.

1. Hi Arikka, if you would be so kind, please tell us about yourself and what you are currently doing. 

Hi There! My name is Arikka (rhymes with America) Currently, I am living in the south of France! Up until last week, I working as a global sales manager for Hong-Kong-based company Mega Media Group (owners of Megaupload.com and Megavideo.com). As I’m sure you and the rest of the world have heard, there is an on-going court case regarding the file sharing Megaupload in progress. I will continue to support the reinstatement of this site 100% and wish everyone involved the very best.  In the mean time, I’ve finally started my own consulting firm, already taken on a few projects and looking for more! I’m also a founder and moderator for several industry related groups on Facebook including “Online Media Q&A,” “Online Media Job Board,” and “References and Referrals – Online Media”  In my spare time, I like to play the ukulele, guitar and sing for millionaires and celebrities on the French Riviera in a 1940′s inspired girl group called The Sundown Sisters.

2. How did you find yourself working in the Affiliate Marketing industry? 

It more or less found me. After university, I was completely unsure of what I actually wanted to do. I had a degree in marketing so I started applying to every single marketing job I could find on Monster and Career Builder. So many were either a pyramid scheme or some other kind of weird scam. One day, I received a call from a company I didn’t even remember applying to! I was about to accept a job in recruiting, but figured I’d check it out. It turned out to be TheUseful (modern -day ClickGen). The rest is history!

3. How have you found this industry to be? Was it what you thought it to be? 

I’m not sure how to answer this question, because the truth is I had no expectations up front. I do love how it changes from day to day with new trends and how it’s very much still the Wild West. I really enjoy working online. I believe that it’s the future and I’m looking forward to seeing the evolution 5 or 10 years down the road.

4. There are more and more women playing a significant role in this industry, what do you attribute that to and more importantly – do you think that to be the case going forward? 

It will most definitely be the case moving forward. As more and more women are introduced to the online marketing world, they will begin world-wide womanly domination! ;) But in all seriousness, There are more women than men. I attribute it mostly to that. Also, women are usually good at multi-tasking, cheer-leading, and ego-massaging - All extremely valuable skills in Affiliate marketing!

5. Who was or is a major influencer for you? 

Although, I’d like to think everyone I’ve come into contact with has influenced me in some way, I’d have to say that the most influential have always been innovative, entrepreneurial individuals like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg who have really pushed the envelope for technology in general.

6. What are your favorite must read industry blogs, FB groups or websites (brownie points if you mention RickyAhuja.com)? 

Well other than RickyAhuja.com (which is of course my default homepage), I like to read Techcrunch, Fast Company, Mediapost, and MrGreen (as well a lot of the other affiliate blogs when I have time). Of course I created 3 Facebook groups that also occupy a lot of my time.  They’ve all been created based on a trending need that I noticed. For example, my newest group “References and Referrals – Online Media” was created because there needed to be a centralized place to ask advice about other companies reputations and also to ask other industry professionals for referrals or contacts at those companies. The Online Media Job Board is another group that was created to connect job hunters with job recruiters. I think simplicity and ease of communication is key. Make sure to check them out!

7.  Where do you see the affiliate marketing industry heading with social media in the next year? Do you think that micro blogging platforms like Twitter, Four Square and FB have the potential to change the entire landscape of presenting information to the public? 

I believe they have already changed the way information is presented! Take the news for example (i.e. CNN). Any article you read online or hear on TV has a mention of Facebook page and any company that is competitive in the online world today has one in addition to a Twitter account. Even advertising giants like Pepsico and Coke are allocating budgets to social media spends because they realize it’s where their current and future customers LIVE. The organizations who are smart have already adapted to this new culture because they know with future generations, social media will only become more intense and obligatory. Pretty soon, social media will evolve to the point where we are living in virtual reality!

Now for a few FUN questions:

8. You are given a free pass to Affiliate Summit, Ad Tech or Leads Con – where do you go and why? 

Ad:tech still. I know it gets a lot of heat because it isn’t focused like the others. However, it’s still the largest, which to me equals more opportunities to actually find new clients from all industries. Affiliate Summit is great, but does it attract big brands? No way! Ad:tech can be a very productive show if you plan meetings ahead of time.

9. If you could pick the brains of anyone – dead or alive, who would it be and why? 

 Bob Dylan. Because he’s the greatest songwriter of all time and I’d like to find out what his inspiration was.

10. What advice do you have for my female readers who are looking to get into affiliate or online marketing? 

My advice is to educate yourself. Read publications, ask questions, and get experience. Once you have knowledge, you can compete with anyone and really shine with the best! Also, learn how to deal with men, there are a whole lot of them in this industry ;)