GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 42 - October 2018

in affiliate marketing for the short term, and you shouldn’t be, either. Demonstrate your business compliance and make the operator understand that you value this relationship for long- term gains, and you may get more of their time to consider a closer collaboration. You might have online experience in other industries, but iGaming is a totally different sector. From the commercials to the culture, you need to be able to position and sell your business effectively so that those you pitch to really want your partnership and exposure for their brand. It’s important to note that it’s a unique, tight-knit industry, so you need to be able to deliver on your promise. Word gets around fast, and if you overpromise and under-deliver, it could have a serious impact on your brand and your future business dealings. A s an iGaming affiliate, if you are struggling to get ideal commercial deals in place, it could be a combination of mindset and marketing getting in your way. This is common within the industry, because most affiliates still don’t view their business as a brand or corporate company. If you are seriously looking to position your site for premium pricing, take a look at the tips below and remember them the next time you sit down for a live negotiation. In the end, they will help you break through to operators and get closer to the kind of deals you have often wanted but failed to secure. KNOW YOUR OWN BRAND All too often, affiliates sell their sites as traffic-generating powerhouses. What you’re doing here is underselling yourself. Traffic is not the main priority: diversification is. If you’re new to the market and you don’t have a lot of visits yet, but your customers are loyal and they follow your lead, use that to your advantage. Operators are looking for diverse forms of traffic — they want to work with affiliates who understand the market and have a good rapport with clients they can influence. Knowing your own worth and how you can impact an operator’s business is the first step to selling yourself in a good commercial standing. This kind of selling strategy will serve you much better than a purely traffic-oriented focus. Realistically speaking, you can’t generate the same amount of traffic as the big brands, so you’ve got to find your own value path. These days, driving brand engagement and influencing conversion are more important than sending blind traffic from one site to another. Having good-quality traffic is not enough: Being an authority on your subject matter is what really counts. Adding value is the name of the game. If you don’t bring anything special to the table, then why would an operator give you a premium commission rate? Know what it is that your brand does to add value, and then share that with the person you’re negotiating with. If you don’t know your unique selling position (USP), then they won’t know either. BUILD YOUR BUSINESS Your affiliate business is just that: a business. At all times, you want to be able to build the brand to meet your revenue goals. You need to understand that not all operators are the same. Affordability for one client may not be the same for another. Some clients may have better conversion rates or deduct less in fees or have better customer service, so you can’t go into a negotiation with a one-size-fits all approach. You have to remember you are not “just an affiliate portal.” You are an opportunity for that operator to reach a new segment of customers they haven’t yet engaged themselves. You need to listen to their needs to understand how you can meet this need and add value longer-term. Few operators are now investing LET’S MAKE A DEAL G P W A t i m e s . o r g 34