GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 8 - April 2009

| GPWA Times 27 marketing, a way of acquiring cus- tomers that’s highly dependent on original Web content. Webmaster affiliates hoping to at- tract viewers and send them to an online casino can’t afford to appeal to a single language or cultural group, and in order to motivate a viewer to click on a casino link or banner ad, both the casino and the webmaster’s content have to speak directly to an individual viewer. There’s enough variety and compe- tition online that if viewers don’t instinctively relate to what they’re reading and seeing they’ll go else- where. Web viewers can afford to be par- ticular. Even if a site has been translated – into Spanish, for ex- ample – if a Spaniard picks up on a misused idiom or turn of phrase, he or she will go to another site. If webmasters want to maximize conversions they can’t leave any evidence that the site was pro- duced somewhere else. It has to be natural. The bulk of the online gaming in- dustry was traditionally focused on Western markets, and this made sense as Americans typi- cally have both the familiarity with gambling and the disposable in- come to make the transition from land-based to online casinos an easy one. But the situation has re- cently changed. Political winds in the U.S. have been turning against online gambling over the last few years. Online gaming venues are turning their attention to foreign markets in hopes of making up for lost profits in the U.S., and that means localizing the ca- sinos and their advertis- ing content for the differ- ent international regions they’re targeting. As times change and economies fluctuate, companies are looking outside the U.S. and their other traditional markets for new customers. Get- ting Web sites translated and content stylized for different regional mar- kets can be the best in- vestment a company can make for its future profit- ability. And by adding the value of having updated, targeted, and culturally accurate content and ad- vertising, a company can get an edge over the oth- ers in their international markets. In many ways this is a new challenge that a lot of companies are facing, but we are happy to help. It’s rewarding to see a company successfully speak to people from another country; it’s an affirmation that we can relate to one another. And that’s good for people, and for business. Connie Burstin started Burstin Marketing Group Inc. in 2006, after working for nearly eight years as an affiliate program manager. Her company specializes in affiliate marketing and since arriving on the scene has grown steadily to become an online marketing service provider. Growing up in Peru, Burstin immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1992.“Coming to Canada to do business was a challenge,” Connie says.“But it was a priceless learning experience. I quickly got to know the problems that arise when negotiating language and cultural differences.” Her experience in dealing with worldwide customers gave her the necessary skills to begin international marketing efforts. One of her focuses has been on providing services to companies looking to enter non-English markets. She has amassed a team of marketers, graphic designers, writers, and other communicators who specialize in the international and multi-lingual spheres. From the ground up, Connie has built Burstin Marketing Group Inc. into a company capable of meeting all the online marketing needs of businesses operating internationally, in North America, and those looking to expand from one region to another.