GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 33 - October 2015

Transition to mobile While more gradual than Google updates or mergers and acquisitions, the shift to mobile devices has presented an equally important challenge to affiliates’ busi- nesses over the last five years. Few could argue against overall consumer Internet usage trending toward mobile. However, it was initially less clear how dominant mobile would become in terms of overall wager volumes and new customer acqui- sition in the different gaming products and markets — and how quickly this tran- sition would happen. How have affiliates responded to the smartphone and tablet revolution? Many have battledwith the decision of when and to what extent they should jump on the mobile bandwagon. Both affiliates who bought in early and those who delayed their transition have faced challenges. The early movers reaped significant re- wards in the early 2010s. However, as mobile browsing has caught up with desktop over the last few years, many mobile-specific affiliates have become outdated. Meanwhile, sites that had not yet launched a mobile-friendly version were penalized by Google’s mobile search update in April. For nearly all affili- ates, the mobile user has presented chal- lenges in terms of conversion, user flow and player value, as marketing and user experience struggle to keep up with the new technology. Sims views this as the biggest challenge affiliates face today. “A user’s average attention span on a phone or tablet is undoubtedly shorter than on a PC or laptop,” Sims says. “This doesn’t only apply to time spent on my af- filiate sites but also to engagement of the games themselves. “It is fairly apparent that a mobile user in the casino vertical is less valuable on a ses- sion-by-session basis than a desktop user. (They) are undoubtedly harder to convert on casino than desktop users for these rea- sons — also because casinos haven’t yet optimized the sign-up process.” Considering the challenges that mobile presents and the inevitability of its rise, it’s not surprising that the affiliates who have had the most continued success are those who have both embraced mobile and continued to target the existing desk- top market. Hedging your bets One factor agreed upon by almost all ex- perienced iGaming affiliates — profes- sionals who have not only survived tur- bulent times but flourished during them — is that the key to continued success is diversification. They emphasize the im- portance of diversity in the brands affili- ates promote, the markets they focus on, the strategies they use to grow their Web traffic, and even mixing short-term and long-term focuses. Such an approach may run counter to the current business paradigm, which es- pouses specialization and a hyper-focus on ROI. However, diversification makes sense when one considers the industry’s history. Major events that reshape the in- dustry are becoming more and more com- monplace; an insurance plan is the only way to keep an affiliate business thriving. “For us, the key to long-term success is diversification on every level possible,” says Chris Grove of Online Poker Report, a poker news website. “Partners, markets, content, products — you name an aspect of your business, and there’s a chance you could improve your long-term stability by injecting some level of diversity.” This is easier said than done. Distributing your traffic among awide variety of brands, rather than focusing on a few of the top performers, can be challenging. However, consider the opportunities beyond simply insuring against the unknown. Affiliates are in a unique position to influence opera- tors to create more value for players. This, in turn, can bring more long-term value back to the affiliate. Affiliates who leverage their valuable traffic and their data on com- parative performance are able to influence lower-performing brands to invest more in their marketing, adding value to the indus- try as a whole. Similarly, it’s critical to find time to re- search new tactics and markets, even — and especially — when business is boom- ing. Sims suggests this is a core element of a successful affiliate’s business strategy. “I continue to experiment with finding different types of audience, adding new content to existing sites and experiment- ing with new development methods. Plus lots and lots of research — probably two to three hours a day simply reading web- sites and analyzing data.” Beyond research, Sims emphasizes the importance of simple old-fashioned con- versations. “It’s impossible to overstate the networking value of the conferences, and I regularly chin-wag with people in our industry to keep on top of changes and developments and hopefully to learn,” he says. From attending affiliate events to constant research, affiliates will have to become versatile digital marketing professionals to be successful in 2016. Their mobility is important in another sense of the word: Going forward, the most successful affili- ates will have a cross-platform approach that focuses on smartphone and tablet players but does not neglect desktop us- ers. Above all, to navigate an industry fre- quently buffeted by mergers, acquisitions and Google updates, affiliates will need to embrace diversity — at brand, con- tent and market levels and in their whole digital marketing approach. Diversified iGaming affiliates will likely be prepared to face the challenges of 2016 — and win. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allan Petrilli is the manager of affiliate services at Income Access Group, where he oversees the in-house team of affiliate managers for iGaming brands operating in Europe, the U.S. and other global markets. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce with a specialization in marketing from Montreal’s Concordia University. 16 Sailing the seas of change: Preparing your affiliate business for 2016 and beyond