iGaming has expanded into an immense sector threatening to take the spotlight away from live gambling. The proliferation of online operators goes hand in hand with a significant increase in the number of casino affiliates emerging on the international stage, in an idiosyncratic cause-effect loop without an end in sight. Affiliates have become an essential ingredient in the boiling pot of internet gaming, a bridge between operators and customers that both have come to depend on in their daily activities.
Cyberspace is a distinct environment where players usually never hear, see or talk to casino management or representatives in person, a fact which, unfortunate for some but embraced by others, institutes an overarching issue of trust that has been plaguing this industry since the beginning. This is where affiliate services factor in as especially important, mediating between the two parties in many crucial ways and serving as an invaluable partner for the benefit of everyone involved. Not all of them are successful or even useful, but those on the top know how difficult it is to rise above mediocrity in a field that has yet to receive official recognition and public approval on a global scale.
Content: Is It Really King?
In the field of casino affiliate marketing, content is always a challenging subject. Online gambling is a very peculiar entertainment sector – simultaneously narrow and broad, it is always on the verge of reaching a critical mass and imploding into a bottomless pit of genres, subdivisions, new directions and information you absolutely must be familiar with to keep your business afloat.
How you choose to deal with content depends on what your goal is in the context of iGaming. There obviously has to exist a basic idea about the kind of information you want to offer. It is always best to focus on the aspects of gambling you know best and start building from there. Contrary to popular but wrong opinions regarding content marketing that inexperienced beginners often cling to, less really does mean more.
Quality beats quantity, and internet players want relevant, up-to-date and valuable information that will elevate their online experience. This is the only proven way to retain an audience, increase traffic and ultimately achieve and sustain a profitable company. Integrity is the basis of every affiliate marketing service. Flooding your website with pages and pages of irrelevant information and links will always backfire and turn off visitors who want accurate, quick and to the point directives, guidance and referrals as to how, where and when to play. Do not underestimate your audience – even when inexperienced, people can instinctively sense when, behind a colorful and cluttered site, you don’t have anything pertinent to offer.
But then comes the next significant obstacle – how to be unique among thousands of competitors who all offer the same thing? There is no single best answer to this question and it is at this point where your creativity and imagination come into play. Having in mind the congested market and relatively limited material to work with, the bottom line is you absolutely must come up with an original concept to catch the attention of your target group. This refers not only to content but also to the way it is presented and an added value it can provide on top of its main purpose.
Working with Proven Partners
The customer is always right, and your customers are players first, operators second. That doesn’t mean to prioritize by mismanaging partners, but simply to make sure not to hand over your players to criminal groups and bad casinos. The black market is an immense problem in e-gaming, and as any experienced affiliate will tell you, the line between honest and predatory is very thin and fragile. If you’re just starting, it might be difficult to distinguish between the good and the bad unless you’re willing to learn the hard way. Many have done exactly this and are now leading affiliates recognized by major operators and respected in the gambling circles. Connecting with top dogs, attending iGaming conferences and popular forums can do wonders for beginners and seasoned professionals alike. The vast majority is open to cooperation and gladly exchange ideas and experiences in open discussions, no matter how difficult it was to obtain them in the first place. Remember, this is still a growing field despite a large boom in recent years.
Operators with a bad reputation are well known in the community, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble finding out who they are and what they’ve been doing to get negative feedback from players and former partners. Use all the resources available to research current trends and issues and work out a plan.
Dealing with Uncertainty
The most important thing for an affiliate beginner is to stay optimistic in the face of an ever-looming uncertainty of virtual gambling. What is true today may be wrong tomorrow. Good guys go wrong all the time. Laws change and markets disappear. Players tend to complain, operators may bail out on you or simply fail to convert despite your best effort. Being a casino affiliate is a continuous learning process during which you’ll evolve and improve. As any other profession, it takes time and dedication to master.
While having a clear goal, determination and a desire to learn means you’re halfway there, it is important to always keep in mind that iGaming is a dynamic sector in a vulnerable stage of development and a very gray legal zone. Although on one hand it certainly is global, there are many regions where internet wagering is illegal, so the international syntax reach doesn’t quite cut it for a casino affiliate. Changing regulations are something to be mindful of when choosing your partners, or directing a substantial volume of your traffic to a single site. However, you can look at this matter from another perspective – change can also be positive and many countries are currently embracing e-gaming as a natural extension of the land-based industry. Europe and Asia are emerging as the largest and most profitable markets, and any aspiring affiliate would be wise to focus on specific or more probable candidates.
