TRAFFIC as within your team. Operators are choosing to look after number 1 in the current regulatory situation – they can’ t be relied upon to boost your affiliate brand or to be a traffic draw in and of themselves.
Strategy matters It’ s up to the affiliate to specify what the business goals are, who to market to and what the message is beyond odds and offers. The glamour of gaming – and the fact that some risk-takers are drawn to the industry – doesn’ t mean the success of a strategy should be left up to chance.
It’ s important to set out precisely what you expect from operator and platform partners and be seen to be an affiliate that gets things done and delivers on projections and promises. Using that leverage will help future-proof operations and build a collaborative relationship with partners, but in the initial stages of launch a detailed plan can help fill the gaps.
A launch and growth plan in the affiliate market needs to take account of challenges and risks, setting out alternative approaches if everything does not quite go as planned. But what happens if an operator partner pulls out? How will you change things up if a competitor executes an idea before you?
Customer insight Related to the need to plan is the need to apply understanding of customers to your affiliate site design and proposition. In a crowded market, the best affiliates win not because they are based on the best odds in the world, but because they have an approach that best meets customer needs.
It’ s important to prioritise content for humans – rather than search engines – and focus on the quality material that makes an impact with punters. It is also important to put ego to one side and accept that a successful growth strategy requires a complete understanding of the marketplace, customer demand and the sheer level of competition.
Undifferentiated offers and lacklustre sites reduce your affiliate brand to generic slogans and me-too content that punters could easily skip over. In the crowded UK market, there is no shortage of sources of sports betting news, or casino and / or slot platforms. An exceptional understanding of what customers are after – in terms of speed, tone of voice and social engagement – puts you on track to compete effectively.
It’ s little surprise that some of the fastest growing affiliate firms are staffed by former operator employees or are backed by owners with serious media reach – they have the ability and insight to target customers. But without these resources, it becomes all the more important to do the groundwork to capitalise on opportunity and minimise risk.
Marketing commitment Blueclaw is a digital marketing agency that specialises in areas such as SEO, content marketing and pay-per-click advertising, so marketing is an important part of our business. Many affiliates are hitting a ceiling in their growth mostly because of an underinvestment in time, money or talent in the methodologies that bring them traffic and FTDs.
The days of building a site and an audience finding their way to you is long gone. In gaming perhaps more than any in other industry, there’ s still a focus on
“ An exceptional understanding of what customers are after – in terms of speed, tone of voice and social engagement – put you on track to compete effectively”
some strategies that were quick wins in 2010 but just don’ t cut it now, particularly when it comes to SEO. Although there are complaints about things not being as straightforward as the good old days, customers can – and do – expect more.
In a changing regulatory landscape, and with increasingly fraught relationships with operators, some of the shine has come off the affiliate business model in gaming. So now it’ s time for affiliates to truly commit to their growth, with greater rigour and with an eye on the substantial financial opportunities that still exist in competitive markets.
MARTIN CALVERT is marketing director at Blueclaw, a betting and gaming-focused SEO, content marketing, PPC and social PR agency. Martin heads up Blueclaw’ s internal marketing team and performs a strategic role on behalf of a number of key clients.
iGB Affiliate Issue 68 APR / MAY 2018
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