Over the last few decades the affiliate channel has evolved to encompass a wide range of traffic sources. Whereas affiliates tended to rely on organic traffic from Search Engines in the early days, now there is paid media and the rise of social media and community chat which has led to the channel being more diverse. With this diversity the lines of what “Affiliate” is and should be classified as have blurred.
Affiliate is now really a term we should use to focus on a certain payment methodology (CPA, RS, Hybrid , Tenancy) vs a traffic type. In this article, we delve into the pros and cons of different traffic sources for affiliates in the iGaming vertical, offering insights that can guide both seasoned and aspiring affiliate managers to define their strategic partnership decisions.
1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Advantages:
- Organic Growth: SEO offers long-term and sustainable traffic growth as your website ranks higher in search engine results.
- No cost for traffic: While optimising your website and backline profile to rank highly can be expensive and time-consuming, a webmaster of a high-ranking website does not have to pay the search engine for the traffic it generates.
- Targeted Traffic: Properly optimised content attracts users actively searching for iGaming-related information, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
- Trust and Credibility: High search rankings often correlate with perceived trustworthiness and credibility. If the likes of Google says that your site is worth visiting (by ranking your site high), a consumer is much more likely to view your content as an authority.
Disadvantages:
- Time-Consuming: Slow to deliver immediate results. SEO is a gradual process, and it takes time to see significant results.
- Algorithm Changes: Search engine algorithms evolve, impacting rankings. Frequent updates may require adjustments to SEO strategies.
2. Paid Advertising (PPC)
Advantages:
- Instant Visibility: PPC campaigns provide immediate visibility, ensuring your ads reach the target audience promptly.
- Controlled Budget: Affiliates can set daily or campaign budgets, controlling costs effectively.
- Data-Driven Optimization: Analysing PPC data allows for real-time optimization of campaigns for better performance.
Disadvantages:
- Costs: Bidding on popular keywords (especially in the iGaming vertical) can be expensive, impacting the affiliate’s abil;ity to gain momentum as they may require upfront cost to run campaigns and deliver volume to your brand
- Ad Fatigue: Users may become accustomed to ads, leading to ad fatigue and reduced click-through rates and that means slower player volumes
- Low value : If the wrong keywords are being used you could suffer with low player values
3. Social Media & Community Based Marketing
Advantages:
- Audience Engagement: Social platforms facilitate direct engagement with the audience, fostering a sense of community and trust.
- Visual Appeal: iGaming content can be visually appealing, making it suitable for platforms like Instagram and Facebook on the organic marketing and community side.
- Viral Potential: Engaging content has the potential to go viral, rapidly expanding reach and finding new audiences and engages audiences at a different stage of their opt in and review and awareness journey against your brand. As it’s not specifically target you might be reaching customers your own advertising budgets aren’t targeting and that’s fresh acquisition opportunities for you to explore.
Disadvantages:
- Algorithm and platform Changes: Social media algorithms can impact organic reach and visibility meaning that you’re at the whim of the social media platform when it comes to getting your content displayed.
- Policy Restrictions: iGaming content may face restrictions or be subject to specific advertising policies on certain platforms.
- Responsible Gambling & Compliance: Closed communities cannot be monitored and this might impact your ability to work with certain partners as they won’t be able to accurately target customers by age demographic.
4. Content Marketing
Advantages:
- Educational Value: Content marketing allows affiliates to provide valuable information, establishing authority in the iGaming niche.
- SEO Benefits: Well-optimised content can contribute to your backlink profile which in turn will help to improve search engine rankings.
- Low Cost: Publishers will often accept high-quality content at little or no cost.
- Evergreen Content: High-quality, evergreen content continues to attract traffic over time.
Disadvantages:
Resource-Intensive: Creating quality content requires time and resources it also costs a lot of money to do well. This means you may have to pay listing fees, translation fees and upfront tenancies without any assurance on the ROI this content may have for you.
Results May Take Time: Like SEO, content marketing may take time to yield significant results.
5. Email Marketing
Advantages:
- Direct Communication: Email marketing enables direct communication with a targeted audience.
- Segmentation: Affiliates can segment their email lists for more personalised and targeted campaigns.
- Cost-Effective: Compared to some other channels, email marketing can be cost-effective.
- Direct Communication: Whereas an affiliate places themselves at the whim of an algorithm with SEO or Social Media marketing, there are no such concerns with Email Marketing. The affiliate has the email addresses of their audience and can reach out to them directly without the need for a third party.
Disadvantages:
- Compliance Challenges: Strict regulations govern email marketing, and non-compliance can lead to penalties.You need to be able to make sure your partners are GDPR compliant and not spamming customers. You’ll also need to have processes in place to confirm if certain partners can email the market on your behalf based on your companies terms and conditions.
- Overwhelmed Inboxes: Users’ inboxes are often inundated, and standing out can be a challenge. You’ll also need to check content before it gets sent to ensure it’s on brand and targeting the right audience segments and offers.
6. Affiliate Networks
Advantages:
- Ready-Made Partnerships: Affiliate networks provide access to a pool of potential iGaming partners that already understand your vertical. Blind networks can be difficult to work with if you don’t have detailed tracking and post back to identify traffic sources and optimise them.
- Diverse Offers: Affiliates can choose from a variety of iGaming offers within the network.
- Tracking and Analytics: Affiliate networks often offer robust integration tools for performance analysis and real time data optimisation -especially when you’re working with a platform like Cellxpert that has an API feature for networks to utelise.
Disadvantages:
- Commission Structures: Commission structures can vary, and affiliates may need to navigate complex terms.
- Dependence on Network Policies: Affiliates are subject to the policies and decisions of the affiliate network. They also may not be properly vetted by the network account management team so fraud has a tendency to creep in if not managed effectively.
7. Influencer Marketing
Advantages:
- Authentic Endorsements: Influencers can provide authentic endorsements that resonate with their audience across multiple channels. Currently this is still a great way to build brand reach and awareness however the EU is already sweeping social media to understand what regulatory requirements may need to be put in place for marketing products and services in social media channels.
- Wider Reach: Leveraging influencers expands your reach beyond traditional marketing channels.
- Engagement and Trust: Followers often trust influencers, leading to higher engagement rates.
Disadvantages:
- Costs: High-profile influencers may demand significant compensation for promotions.
- Authenticity Concerns: Inauthentic or forced endorsements can harm an influencer’s credibility.
8. Mobile In – App Marketing
Advantages:
- Widespread Usage: With the high growth of smartphones over the last ten years, mobile app marketing taps into a massive user base.
- Push Notifications: Affiliates can utilise push notifications for direct user engagement.
- App Store Visibility: A well-optimised app can gain visibility on app stores.
- Gaming on the move: As a mobile device, a smartphone user can generate revenue on the move regardless of their location which can mean a higher payout for affiliates.
Disadvantages:
- Development Costs: Creating and maintaining a mobile app can be expensive.
- App Store Competition: The app market is highly competitive, requiring strategic promotion to stand out.
- Lack Mobile Tracking Your current technology solution may not have mobile app integrations. Cellxpert is integrated with Appflyer and can track all traffic sources into one dashboard with ease.
- Policy Restrictions: As with social media networks, many app stores will have restrictions around how iGaming apps can be marketed or made available to mobile gamers.
9. Community & Chat Channels
Advantages:
- Loyalty and Retention: Building a community fosters loyalty, encouraging repeat engagement.
- Word of Mouth: A strong community can contribute to positive word-of-mouth marketing. Telegram has created many new features and functions to host communities on platforms and even enables social casino games to be played within the platform
- Feedback Loop: Direct communication with the community provides valuable feedback for improvements.
Disadvantages:
- Time and Effort: Establishing and maintaining a community requires consistent time and effort.
- Moderation Challenges: Managing community dynamics, especially in online forums, can be challenging.
- Affiliates need to be tech savvy & good marketers as the same time to succeed – you may have to educate them on how to build and market your brands professionally.
Final thoughts
There are may more diverse traffic sources to explore online and these are just a summary of the common platforms and places that iGaming brands are sourcing good opportunities right now. While each traffic source has its advantages and challenges, a successful affiliate in the iGaming sector often employs a balanced and diversified approach. Relying on a single source of traffic to build your program can leave you vulnerable to changes in algorithms, policy updates, or shifts in user behaviour.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each traffic source allows affiliate managers to craft a strategy that leverages the best of multiple channels. An effective and adaptable affiliate is one who not only capitalises on current trends but also anticipates shifts in the iGaming landscape, adjusting their approach accordingly.
Often, the ability to adapt, change and capitalise on emerging opportunities across a range of potential traffic sources can lead to a thriving presence for your brand with your audience.
If you need help with your affiliate program to track a multitude of traffic sources, get in touch with us!
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