GPWA Times Magazine - Issue30 - October 2014

Leveraging social media to drive traffic to affiliate sites By Oliver Pemberton ord of mouth has always been one of the most effec- tive forms of marketing. To- day, the power of word of mouth has increased exponentially, thanks to social media. Over a third of the top-15 free smartphone apps are some form of social media plat- form. Affiliates that don't develop a social media presence are ignoring one of the best places to find new depositing play- ers, especially when trying to establish a foothold in an ever-growing market. According to a GlobalWebIndex survey of 40,000 Internet users across 32 markets, 82 percent of Internet users worldwide (ex- cluding China) now have a Facebook ac- count. Facebook and Twitter account for 99 percent of shared blog content, accord- ing to TrackMaven. When utilized effec- tively, social media can get your content into the palms of nearly all of your exist- ing and potential customers. For many affiliates, however, social me- dia is just a box that needs to be ticked. But social media cannot be treated like it’s another outbound marketing strategy; it’s completely different. People are not there to be marketed to; they’re there to be informed, entertained and educated. Accomplish those tasks, and value can be extracted. Social media is often seen as a new chan- nel for affiliates to digest and interpret, and human nature is naturally resistant to change. But it's important for affiliates to become fluent in it. Social media provides a platform for people to talk and express their opinions; people promote what they love and critique what they hate. This is a great opportunity for affiliates as they have a target market full of potential cus- tomers, in many ways free of charge. Additionally, social media provides a supplementary platform for user-gener- ated content. Forums have traditionally been the breeding ground for discussions between players about upcoming events, tips and so on, but now users have the ability to share their views, creating unique content on your page, ultimately providing betting stimulus and effectively sharing some of the workload. While it is important to have a carefully thought-out, long-term social media strat- egy, there is also an argument for tak- ing an instinctive approach. One of the main advantages of social media is the ability it gives you to promote to your potential customers in real time. What better way for affiliates to promote in- play markets and live streams than to converse directly with their potential customers? You are effectively reach- ing out to them, no matter where they are, while they are engaged in social ac- tivity, potentially concerning the event at hand. This is prime communication. Success may arise from a hybrid of stra- tegic and instinctive approaches to social media, effectively implemented across different platforms. Affiliates may set long-term aims and objectives, planning specific campaigns throughout the year, one of which may be to be socially active during key sporting events at times of high player activity, such as Champions League nights. We only have to look as far as this year’s iGB Affiliate Awards and the award for “Best Newcomer: Affiliate,” which went to Footy Accumulators, to see how important social media can be to an affiliate's success. Their presence across Facebook and Twitter was described by the judges as “Innovation, Innovation, In- novation,” clearly indicating their views on social media and its impact on the af- filiate market. As much as I advocate affiliates using so- cial media, I also believe it must be used to support a website. Yes, in the short term, an affiliate could survive using only social media platforms, but in terms of longev- ity and building a stable brand, exist- ing only in the social media landscape is not sustainable. In order to continually grow and ensure that consistent numbers of new custom- ers are referred, it is important that affili- ates invest in the development of a brand identity and then use social media to support it. W Social media provides a platform for people to talk and express their opinions; people promote what they love and critique what they hate. 11 Leveraging social media to drive traffic to affiliate sites