TRAFFIC
OPERATORS NEED
TO HELP THOSE
HELPING THEM
Do operators owe affiliates more support? Blueclaw’s Martin Calvert details the collaborative digital
strategies that prove they do
DOES ANYONE FEEL that digital
marketing in the betting and gaming sector
is getting easier? Didn’t think so.
Although there are still huge
opportunities in the industry, with new
markets and technologies opening up
access to new players and territories,
competition remains high and regulatory
changes can be a double-edged sword.
Recently, major operators have changed
how they relate to affiliates, some of whom
are complaining that trust is being broken.
The fact is there is a balance that needs
to be struck between the heavy reliance
most operators still have on affiliate traffic,
and the need to have greater clarity over
how players are being acquired.
Some operators will try to lay down the
law and prove that their partnership, which
they probably talked up while wining and
dining potential affiliates, is actually pretty
one-sided against them.
A more collaborative approach opens up
new potential for growth, whether you’re
giving story ideas to journalists to win
coverage, building rapport with a top social
influencer or working with industry partners
to create, share and amplify content.
Operators with an eye on growth need
to meaningfully collaborate with affiliates
and, in turn, affiliates need to work with an
understanding of what operators need in
the current regulatory environment.
Short-term, slash-and-burn tactics are
out. Long-term, high-quality strategy is in.
So, what does collaborative digital look
like in gaming?
1. Operator and affiliate collaboration
When it comes to SEO and content
marketing in particular – and, let’s face it,
gaming companies depend on both to succeed –
any approaches that fuel player acquisition
must be based on collaboration.
“Rather than simply waiting to be fed traffic, operators
should be supporting affiliates with their digital marketing”
they can have in their affiliate partners,
despite a changing regulatory environment.
For too long, operators have been happy
to let affiliates battle it out to send them
traffic. A more focused approach with
operator marketers lending their expertise
with collateral, consultancy and hands-on
help will boost everyone.
2. Collaborative SEO
Operators need traffic that converts.
Affiliates need traffic that they can pass
on profitably.
Operators should be working closely
with affiliates and helping them to steer
their strategies in different directions.
In a battle royale, where every affiliate is
competing for the same traffic, results are
limited. Operators know the traffic they
need – and sharing that data with affiliates
will help everyone.
With more of a steer from operators,
affiliates have a chance to specialise more,
resulting in the breadth – and volume –
of traffic needed.
3. Collaborative content
However, there is another way and it’s
one that we at Blueclaw believe will benefit
both operators and affiliates: a genuinely
collaborative approach to digital marketing.
Why collaborate?
Cost-based digital marketing always has
a ceiling. If you’re paying for clicks or
coverage, you can go only as far as your
budget allows.
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iGB Affiliate Issue 66 DEC 2017/JAN 2018
That means working with partners,
industry experts, websites and publications
to increase performance. Rather than
simply waiting to be fed traffic, operators
should be supporting affiliates with their
digital marketing.
The more closely that operators and
affiliates work together, the greater the
visibility that operators have of the sources
of their traffic and the greater confidence
Content marketing is intrinsic to
contemporary SEO and link earning. Most
affiliates lack the resources required to win
big links from the mainstream media, but
operators’ professional marketers can and
should share some of their knowledge.
Content marketing and PR are already
dependent on working with media outlets
and responding to their needs to secure
coverage, whether it’s via content