The world of politics and Brexit in the UK …
... and Trump vs Biden in the US at the tail end of 2020 :
By broadening out beyond sport and into other areas where there is significant interest in the odds of different events happening , Oddschecker has carved out a strong reputation that lines up well with its brand positioning and core offer .
Again , these campaigns are speedy to outreach , timely , and in many cases have an emotional element that stokes curiosity and opens up mass appeal . That ’ s particularly the case with emotive subjects like Brexit and Trump , but even areas like the chances of a scratchcard win touch on our emotions and the universal concept of luck / life chances .
It may be that your affiliate brand has access to other forms of data or is adept at combining publicly available data into something new – whatever you have to work with , where data tells a story and aligns to the news agenda , there ’ s scope to amplify media coverage and drive SEO value through earned links .
DREAM JOBS – BONUSFINDER
Emotion also plays a part in Bonusfinder ’ s ‘ dream job ’ series , in which the affiliate has launched multiple unbelievable opportunities for fans to experience a highly unlikely job .
This kicked off with an ice cream tester opportunity in summer 2020 :
... but evolved into sending superfans to baseball stadiums across the US to test out the best hot dogs :
Such campaigns are inherently linkable – always a priority for any SEO-driven campaign – but they also open doors with journalists who understand that writing about such opportunities is a way to boost their own clicks and reader engagement .
The ability to earn major media coverage and social shares in new markets is one of the main advantages of ‘ dream job ’ campaigns .
Affiliates can benefit from similar initiatives that open up opportunities in new markets and play on the public ’ s interest in the unusual .
Again , familiarity with the brand isn ’ t essential for media coverage with this type of campaign – so smaller affiliates ( or affiliates launching in a new country ) may want to consider similar themes that can open up doors in the media where conventional PR would fall short .
SUMMING UP
These campaigns , though ranging from light and pop-culture focused to datadriven and analytical , all accomplish a few key things .
They take affiliate brands that general , non-betting audiences are likely unaware of into the mainstream and use creative , newsworthy ‘ hooks ’ to earn media coverage that translates into social media impact , off-site SEO value and direct traffic / depositing players .
At ICS-digital our igaming campaigns run the gamut from serious to silly , lightweight to heavyweight but , like the most innovative betting brands , the importance of a reactive and agile approach is evident to our teams . Of course ‘ big bang ’ campaigns can win awards , but with so much volatility in the industry there is value in focusing on smaller , agile campaigns and continuous little victories .
Common threads include use of data , expert timing , leveraging of exclusive insights , drawing in pop culture / mainstream media trends to give a signal boost and ( of course ) making life as easy as possible for journalists .
In SEO terms in particular , this continuity of link-earning has real value and for affiliate brands who hope to one day be acquired , the mainstream media recognition is no bad thing when building up a prospectus for potential buyers .
It ’ s clear that affiliate enterprises can run effective campaigns that accomplish several marketing goals at once – the challenge for those not already going down this path will be if they can take the step to be bold when it comes to organic acquisition and establish methods that work for them and their brands in 2022 .
Q1 2022 • ISSUE 89 • 13