GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 7 - January 2009

64 GPWA Times | Affiliate Manager Interview Series NEIL MITCHELL | Webroute Services “Be patient and don’t expect immediate results. Learn and learn and learn and learn – learn about SEO, learn about PPC – even if you don’t use it your competitors may well do.” CPays, Webroute Services, and William Hill are merging their affiliate programs. What changes can affiliates expect from the new program? This is a really exciting venture. We are combining the affiliate com- panies of Webroute, CPays, and William Hill to form a super af- filiate program. This will mean more choice for our affiliates and players, more products to promote including casino, pok- er, sportsbook, bingo, and skill games, and a brand new affiliate software system which we be- lieve will be the best anywhere in the market. What will the impact be on agreements for existing play- ers? The only im- pact will be posi- tive. Our players will be able to play more games, use additional prod- ucts, and using one single wal- let will be able to move their money between prod- ucts. William Hill customers will also benefit sig- nificantly from the Playtech casino games and the liquidity of iPoker. Also, with William Hill now mov- ing to the Orbis platform, our play- ers will see significant improve- ments in the sportsbook as well. There seem to be two general models for affiliate programs. One is a network that repre- sents multiple brands and the other is a focused program that represents a few brands. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each model? I think we will now be able to of- fer the best of both worlds, with over 20 casino brands in 10 lan- guages, three poker brands, and a sportsbook brand, which is sec- ond to none. Our affiliates have a wide choice as to what they want to promote and what their play- ers will like. However, our players and affiliates also have the knowl- edge and confidence that all these brands are owned by one compa- ny which is publically traded, li- censed in the EU, and committed to the values of honesty, integrity, and trust. I think it is this com- bination which will make this the first true super affiliate program. What are your three keys to success for an affiliate? Identify your target market and build your activities around that. Generate traffic, this is key. No traffic means no players. Be patient and don’t ex- pect immediate results. Learn and learn and learn and learn – learn about SEO, learn about PPC – even if you don’t use it your competi- tors may well do. Ask your affili- ate manager questions, write your own content, and write it in a way that will make interesting reading for a potential player – the stickier your site is then the more chance of conversion. Build a relationship with your affiliate manager (it’s amazing what they can do for you sometimes). Read and contribute to the forums, and don’t spend all your earnings on fast cars – put some aside for tax, and some aside to reinvest into your site(s). How did you get started in this business? I have been in online for seven years now, and before that I worked in radio for anoth- er four or five – doing sponsor- ships and promotions, that kind of thing. Online seemed a logical career move for me, and I worked in various agencies and Affiliate Networks before I was recruited to Webroute. What songs are on your iPod? Midnight Juggernauts, Nine Inch Nails, Grandaddy, Beirut, Fight- star, Deftones, Goose, Arcade Fire – all kinds. I used to be a musi- cian, you know. We heard that you and your wife had your first child in September. How has she changed your outlook on life? I am lucky that I have a wife who is very relaxed about what I do. I get up at 5.30 every day to get into the office for 8.15, and get home about 20:00, so I don’t get much time with the wife or Daisy during the week. To deal with that I got rid of the laptop as I found that all I did was sit in the front room with them, logged on! It does get tiring, especially at the moment with it being our first, and what with Daisy being so small and up every few hours for a feed, but the thing that surprised me most was just how much time I must have wasted by sleeping in when I was younger! If you were casting a movie in which you played the lead role, and you had your choice of anyone in the world, who would you pick to play your romantic interest? Oooh. I don’t really go for people solely based on looks (don’t tell the wife) – I like quirks and interesting eyes. Eyes really tell you something about a person. So with that criterion in mind, probably Christina Ricci. Our crack research team re- ports you’ve suffered several injuries playing football.What are the two worst injuries you had? How did you get them? And how long did it take for you to recover? Heh – I have had numerous bone fractures, ruptured tendons, and the usual battlescars from high studs, etc., but the worst injury I ever had was the time when a player thought I fouled him and he jumped up. Instead of punching me, he just straight finger-jabbed me in the eye, detaching the retina and