This week we surveyed a segment of iGaming affiliate partners to determine what they look for in a successful affiliate partnership. Surprisingly the top 5 things they commented on were not uncommon across the breadth of conversations we had.
We’re sharing some of these common things to help you elevate your affiliate program performance and get back to basics to build solid relationships from the get go.
Lucrative Commission Structures:
The ultimate goal for any affiliate program is to build partnerships that ensure everyone wins fairly in the commercial negotiations that are concluded. iGaming Affiliate programs offer varied commission structures and this is one of the first things that an affiliate will look at when considering whether to sign up for a partnership.
Your affiliate program doesn’t need to showcase the largest commission structure to be of benefit to partners who are looking to test your brand out (especially if it converts well!). However your program should fairly compensate affiliates for the promotional work that they undertake to drive new customers to your brand offers. Being transparent about what your commission structure offers and being clear about the deductions that will be made to monthly payouts is imperative at the start of your relationship and sets the tone for success further down the line as your partnership grows.
A lucrative commission structure will ultimately be the lifeblood of an affiliates business. Affiliates will spend time, resources and often their own funds to promote specific offers and brands so they need to ensure that their reward is profitable when considered against their efforts and business costs.
Strong affiliate revenue will serve as a direct incentive for long-term, optimised campaigns which drive more sales and more revenue for all parties involved.
Transparency of data and timely reporting is equally important as it fosters long-term trust and relationships between the affiliate and the operator they partner with. Affiliates want to clearly understand how their commissions are calculated, what factors influence their earnings, and how the payment process works as they factor this into their campaign strategies to drive traffic to your sites. Hence, a transparent commission structure eliminates ambiguity and prevents misunderstandings, fostering a positive and collaborative partnership.
What’s more, transparency in terms of earning potential instils a secondary level of confidence in affiliates regarding the fairness and reliability of the program and the partnership as a whole. Affiliates will often promote multiple products and a number of brands to hedge their bets against losses. Meaning that they’re constantly comparing programs and weighing up where is best to spend their time and efforts.
When affiliates can easily track their performance and understand the metrics that impact their earnings, they feel a sense of control and assurance. Access to granular reporting tools and quality tracking which is what Cellxpert prides itself on delivering, plays a rather important role in supporting this trust to happen earlyon.
Reliable Tracking and Reporting Tools:
For an affiliate partnership to flourish, there needs to be trust shown on both sides of the fence.
For an affiliate, that means that they need to have faith in the fact that their traffic is being accurately tracked, sales are attributed correctly and that the revenues generated by existing players are displayed correctly and in an up-to-date manner.
When it comes to more experienced affiliates, accurate data that is updated in real-time allows for live campaigns to be optimised, which should result in maximised sales and earnings. For example, if an affiliate notices a particular marketing channel is under performing, they can promptly adjust their strategy to focus on more effective channels, thereby improving overall campaign efficiency.
Reporting tools should be easy and intuitive to use and show detailed insights into clicks, conversions, and player activities. More advanced tracking solutions will accept third-party values from the affiliate (such as keywords or campaign IDs), which can be returned in the reports to allow further optimisation of a campaign.
Paramount to any affiliate platform, though, is its ability to attribute sales quickly and accurately to affiliate partners and at a campaign level. This allows affiliates to build out rudimentary attribution models against their own data to help make data-driven decisions around how to best run their outbound campaigns.
In a vertical such as iGaming, where competition is fierce, affiliates need to be agile and adaptive. Recognising this and being able to offer reliable tracking and reporting tools which empower affiliates to optimise their promotional strategies based on performance data will help a program stand out from its competitors.
A Responsive and knowledgeable Affiliate Manager:
In an industry based on relationships, the role of an affiliate manager is pivotal in fostering a collaborative and supportive partnership with an affiliate.
A responsive manager will:
Help an affiliate stay up to date with promotions
In an increasingly competitive landscape, the difference between converting a player and seeing that player go elsewhere is up-to-date news and promotions. An affiliate who can provide his/her readers with up-to-date promotional news will resonate much more strongly with his/her audience.
Be responsive and communicative
If an affiliate has questions or problems relating to the partnership or a particular problem, (s)he needs to feel that they’re going to get answers quickly. Typically that’s over email, but communications could also take place over the phone or a messaging service. A quick, clear and timely response will not only be able to ensure that campaigns are maximised over the short term but also form the foundation of a trusting, working relationship over the long term.
Provide the affiliate with regular content
While accurate promotional news may well be what ends up converting a player, affiliates understand that regular fresh content across all of their channels is key to ensuring that readers stay engaged with their brand. For affiliates who promote from a website, regular content also provides for SEO benefits across the whole domain.
Therefore, an affiliate will always prioritise a program that can provide them with fresh content for their readers. One surefire way to ensure that a program remains visible across an affiliate’s properties is to provide them with regular content that can be posted on blogs and social media channels.
Work with him/her alongside a shared set of goals
Transparency is key to a successful working relationship. Therefore, a successful affiliate program will be clear about what is expected from individual affiliates while also listening to what they need to achieve those objectives. Annual feedback sessions are a good way to foster this shared learning. When one side wins, both sides win as long as a transparent and realistic conversation has been had by both parties.
Competitive and Exclusive Offers:
The iGaming landscape is one of the most rewarding in terms of commissionable product opportunities in the affiliate channel. That also makes it one of the most competitive. There are thousands of websites competing for players and traffic.
As a result, being able to offer something different and unique is key to a particular affiliate standing out from the competition. Exclusive offers, promotions, and bonuses not available elsewhere serve as a powerful tool for attracting first-time readers to an affiliate’s website while also ensuring that previous visitors return to their content time and time again.
An exclusive offer or promotion is also a great way for a program to be included in an affiliate’s newsletter, or offsite advertising opportunities which is typically where the most valuable players reside. The offer is delivered directly to the player’s inbox and, therefore, doesn’t require players to come back to the site to be made aware of it.
The ability of an iGaming program to be flexible enough to provide unique incentives for individual affiliates definitely helps it to stand out from its competitors.
Player Retention Strategies:
It can be hard for smaller affiliates to send players in volume. Equally, larger affiliates are looking to send their traffic to whichever platform gives them the biggest bang for their buck.
Whatever type of affiliate you’re working with, sustained success for both parties goes beyond acquisition and relies heavily on effective player retention. iGaming affiliate programs that can demonstrate a commitment to player satisfaction, resulting in players coming back to the table time and time again translates into strong returns both for the affiliate and the program itself.
A strong retention strategy provides:
- Sustained revenue streams which continue to generate revenue over the long term as players stay active, deposit, and engage with the platform.
- An increased lifetime value of the player. Affiliates benefit from this approach as it extends the duration of their earnings from each referred player. The program will likely benefit from increased exposure across the affiliate’s channels.
- Stability for both the affiliate and the program. Maximising revenue from existing players means that all parties don’t need to rely on the unpredictability of constantly finding new players. As such, the affiliate can plan their next campaigns with more confidence, and be more willing to test new marketing strategies.
- Enhanced reputation and trust. Affiliates want to partner with platforms that prioritise player satisfaction and engagement. Not only do they earn more revenue doing so, but they also look good amongst their readers for recommending places where people enjoy playing. They enhance their own reputation and trustworthiness with their audience which also benefits the program as the affiliate is happier sending more players, knowing that they will be well looked after.
Getting these models right are the cornerstones of any successful iGaming affiliate program. With Cellxpert you have the ability to track accurately, provide data driven insights and commercialise your traffic sources accurately to provide a win-win for all parties involved.
Ready to take your affiliate program to the next level?
Book a call with us today and discover how Cellxpert can help your affiliate program grow!
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