GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 35 - June 2016

look at it — who is very into roulette and writes interesting blog posts for us. What is the most important thing an affiliate site needs to offer players? Consistency and the truth. I used to make things look nicer than they are. If you do that and players find that your offer is not entirely true, they won’t come back or will play less because they were misled. Be truthful and know what your players expect. Don’t update the news weekly if the normal routine is daily news. How do you get players to come back to your sites after their first visit? Again, by being consistent and truthful. If they know you update them with what they want, they will have no reason to go to another site. Also, be the first every time something new comes out. Keeping mo- mentum is also a good way of getting your visitors to love your site. What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? How about in an affiliate pro- gram? Affiliate managers need to respond fast and, most importantly, be proactive. They need to think with you and be able to foresee what you will like. For example: when a new game comes out, send them a tailor-made news message with their tracking code in it. I guess not all brands will want to do this due to cost-efficiency, but if you can, do it. What’s your preferred method of com- munication with affiliate managers? E-mail. I think Skype is nice if you want to close a deal, but I don’t like the chat function. It keeps me from my daily rou- tine — all these affiliate managers keep popping up. What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you? I’ve been around for a long time and I value the work the GPWA does. It’s a very credible com- munity and trustworthy. It helped us get informed in the business and meet other people, and the Seal of Approval is also great! What do you like about the industry? It’s fast-paced; in some ways it’s a bit outdat- ed, but that’s also the charm. People are young, they’re innovative, and it doesn’t matter where you come from, nor what color your skin is or what language you speak. Everybody can play along. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be and why? Companies in iGaming should devote much more time to personalized market- ing. Other industries are so much farther along in this, hence I call the gaming in- dustry outdated. Personalization in mar- keting is critical in increasing conversion and retention. What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate? They don’t re- ally understand it. The Internet is a world apart. It’s alsoaworldbehindcloseddoors, really. I think most of the people are fine with what I’m doing, but we can’t expect to receive the same praise as people who work in green products or help the poor. How do you manage your to-do lists? Do you use any special software to help you out? Crazily enough, I don’t make much use of agendas, nor did I ever make to-do lists. It’s all in my head. I prioritize natu- rally. I tend to forget the things I don’t think are important as I’m not a detail- oriented person. I like to think of the big picture. I’m very happy I have a team of professionals around me that do think in detail and work in a much more struc- tured way. How much time do you devote to social networking for your sites? Not too much. To be honest, I think it’s a bit overrated. Facebook for me personally isn’t such a great medium anymore. We don’t use Twitter much for gaming. Same goes for Google+. I mean, we share the posts, but that’s it. What’s the most difficult thing about running your sites? SEO strategy. When do you move up building links, or when do you withdraw from it because it’s a bit safer? Algorithm updates are always exciting. On the other hand, Google still ranks websites in a very old-fashioned way. Domain authority is too important. There are a lot of new websites out there that are 10 times better than some old por- tals that, just because they have existed for such a long time, still receive the value. What’s the best thing about running your sites? I guess it’s the mix of content, new creatives and, for me personally, making deals. I’m a deal-maker and I love doing it. What do you do to stay in shape – both physically and mentally? Not enough. I should exercise more. I play tennis and I go to the gym sometimes, but not enough. With food – I eat pretty healthy and try to go low on sugars; with alcohol (also a sug- ar), I am less disciplined, unfortunately. What do you do with your spare time? Hang out with my girlfriend and friends. I hardly watch TV anymore. I like being GPWA AFFILIATE INTERVIEW SERIES Joris (center) and friends at a conference in London in 2014. GPWA Affiliate Interview Series 40