GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 43 - February 2019

GPWA AFFILIATE INTERVIEW SERIES about A little bit more Heather Gartland She is 51 years old Her sites are www.topbossgroup.com www.pokiescasinos.com www.casinocasino.co.za www.casinossouthafrica.com …and a lot more! Her favorite food is Italian Her favorite book is any of Richard Branson’s inspirational books She is living in Auckland, New Zealand Her hometown is Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg photo by Magdalena Paluchowska/Shutterstock; Auckland photo by Rudy Balasko/Shutterstock; Italian food photo by Lisovskaya Natalia/Shutterstock It would also save us hours of work having to change the bonuses and update reviews every time they change. What do you think the industry will look like in five years? I don’t think there will be too many small affiliates around, as they will be swallowed up by the big guys. The casino affiliate programs are also tightening up on which affiliates they want to work with, so it cuts a lot of options down for the new guys and the smaller guys. I think there will be more regulation in previously unregulated countries. What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate? They are so used to it by now that they don’t question what we do. Most just think we do online marketing for the casino industry, but don’t actually understand how it works. What’s your approach to SEO and drawing traffic to your sites? Andy is the SEO expert at our company, and he spends hours analyzing trends and search terms on an ongoing basis. All the traffic to our sites is from organic search. How much time do you devote to social networking for your sites? Our team used to devote a lot of time to social networking, but we didn’t find the rewards matched up to the effort. The problem with social media is that one hour after posting, it becomes old news. We still use social media, but only on a weekly basis now, instead of daily. What do you like about the industry and running your sites? The fact that I can work when and where I want, and can work any time of the day or night. I am not bound by “normal” working hours. I also like that I get to meet people from all over the world and the world is our target market, which means there is unlimited potential. What are the most difficult things about running your sites? Trying to keep up with the number of casinos closing down, changing tracking links and bonuses, and keeping the sites updated with regular fresh content. If you won $10 million playing the lottery tomorrow, what would you do? The first things I would do are pay off every debt I have, buy a house for each of my children, give a big chunk to an animal charity and help out a few people that really need it. What were you like in high school? If you could imagine a nerd who played truant and smoked in the school toilets – that would have been me! If someone from out of town were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see? If I were still living in South Africa, it would be Sun City, which is a beautiful resort offering everything a holidaymaker would want – casinos, watersports, golf, tennis, restaurants and pools. In New Zealand, it would have to be the Sky Tower in Auckland. The view is amaz- ing – especially seeing the lights of Auck- land at night. Alternatively, New Zealand has spectacular scenery throughout the country, so a road trip through New Zea- land would also be a possibility. What are your pet peeves? Animal cruelty, bad manners and bad spelling. If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you and why? I would take three people: Richard Gere, Kevin Costner and then Bear Grylls, to ensure we all stay alive. For those of you who have no clue who the first two are, I refer you to my previous “dinosaur” point! If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be? I am not interested in having dinner with anyone except my family and close friends, because their opinions are the only ones that mean anything to me. Name three things that people reading this magazine don’t know about you. 1. I am quite the animal activist and often get myself into trouble with the law to help animals in distress. 2. I have flown on the Concorde. 3. I believe in psychics, spirits and feng shui. G P W A t i m e s . o r g Heather Gartland | Topboss