GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 17 - September 2011

The method of payment should be clearly stated The problem here is that some affiliate programs don’t share their methods of payment clearly on their website. Sometimes it can be found in the FAQs, but many times an affiliate doesn’t know what method of payment is used until AFTER it signs up with the pro- gram. It is very important that affiliates learn the method by which they are go- ing to be compensated BEFORE enroll- ing with a program. The last thing af- filiates want is to find out that they live in a country where the methods of pay- ment for the program they are promot- ing are not suitable and that they have wasted their time and money on a site that won’t be able to pay them. Reply and respond to e-mail in a timely manner One of the biggest complaints from af- filiates is the lack of a reply to e-mail or phone calls. If affiliate managers aren’t answering questions from their affiliates in a timely manner, there is a big prob- lem. But sometimes the manager is not at fault. It seems that some hosting serv- ers will actually block e-mail that has online gambling content/links and this can sometimes be the cause of affiliates not receiving replies from their affiliate managers. Both the affiliates and affili- ate programs should use options other than just e-mail to ensure that commu- nication is efficient and that e-mail isn’t getting lost in cyberspace. Get the facts before reacting An overreaction about a certain problem by affiliates before all of the facts are known can also become a major issue. Often an affiliate doesn’t know about certain information on its account, but it goes ahead and makes assumptions before trying to resolve the problem di- rectly with the affiliatemanager. Likemy doctor always says, “I cannot prescribe if I don’t see the patient.” On the other side of the coin, I have also observed that some affiliate managers are still learning about what a fast en- vironment our industry is. Often they haven’t been able to deal with some is- sues in a timely manner before an issue grows into a big problem. It is important to focus on sales but it is also important to make sure that af- filiates are happy at all times. With such a big number of gambling affiliate pro- grams these days, it is very easy to turn around and find another one to be re- placed with. Connie Burstin Connie Burstin started Burstin Marketing Group Inc. in 2006, after working for nearly eight years as an affiliate program manager. Her company specializes in affiliate marketing and affiliate marketing consulting. Since arriving on the scene, Burstin Marketing Group Inc. has grown steadily to become an online marketing service provider. Growing up in Peru, Burstin immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1992.“Coming to Canada to do business was a challenge,” Connie says.“But it was a priceless learning experience. I quickly got to know the problems that arise when negotiating language and cultural differences.” Her experience in dealing with worldwide customers gave her the necessary skills to begin international marketing efforts. One of her focuses has been on providing services to companies looking to enter non-English markets. She has amassed a team of marketers, graphic designers, writers, and other communicators who specialize in the international and multi- lingual spheres. “ For every good relationship between an affiliate and an affiliate manager, there are probably many more that are not so rosy. ”