GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 8 - April 2009

| GPWA Times 41 do a quick Google search on the name of the affiliate program to find out if it has a history of paying promptly. For example: A quick Google search of “Red Hot Revenue” shows an announcement from Affiliate Guard Dog stating that they are not paying on time. It’s just simply due diligence. If an affiliate program is found to not be paying regularly, do not promote it. When I find a program that has adequate payment methods, trusted casino properties, timely communications, a small minimum payment, affiliate-friendly terms and condi- tions,andtimelyaffiliatepayments,Iamready tomove to the next phase of evaluation. 7 Detailed stats I don’t mind an affiliate program that has an overabundance of statistics. I do, however, dislike programs that give nothing but com- mission statements mixed with “impres- sions” and “clicks.” As an affiliate marketer, I need information in order to tailormyWeb site and take advantage of traffic. Because of this, I need quality detail reports. I look for a program that has (at the minimum): Player Deposit Details: Simple deposit information by player and sign-up date. Campaign Statistics: The ability to set up separate campaigns and track them through the affiliate interface. Commissions Statistics: These stats should have the ability to be searched monthly. They should include (at the minimum) clicks, downloads, new players, deposits, and earnings. • • • Reports I like to see, but are not required, include: Player Game Details: Game reports (what games were played) tied to campaign information. This helpsme to target playersmore accurately on a per-page or per-site basis. Player Demographics: Details such as location and age are very helpful in targeting. Player Stats: Sign-up date Casino Stats: In programs withmul- tiple properties, breakouts of players by property as well as all other metrics by property are nice to have. Programs must have at least the minimum set of reports asmentioned in the top section for me to feel confident promoting them. 8 Adequate marketing materials Too many programs start off in the indus- try with virtually no banners, no standard banner sizes, lack of landing pages, and an overall lack of attention to detail. As Internet marketers, we depend on the materials provided to us. As such, when an affiliate program lacks quality resourc- es our promotion suffers. Every affiliate has a specific banner size they like to work with and I am no differ- ent. For me, I stick to the basics: 468 x 60, 125 x 125, and 234 x 60 are the com- mon sizes I work with. If I do not find the necessary banner sizes, I do not promote the program. It’s as simple as that. • • • • Once I find the banners I need, I tend to look at other areas of interest in market- ing materials: Landing Pages: I love a good landing page. It makes all the difference in the world. Once I can determine what type of players access the page, I can send themexactly where I want them to go. Geo-Targeted Banners: Banners that are served based on location are very helpful in targeting an audience. Don’t forget that banners do not translate using Babel Fish! The only way for a person in Germany to see a German version of your banner is to use Geo Targeting. Screenshots: Not many programs have game screenshots or casino lobby screenshots, but when they do, I make the most use of them. 9 Keeping affiliates abreast of changes A necessity in this industry is keeping on top of changes, especially where casino promotions are concerned. Some affili- ate programs are very good at keeping us informed, while others are not. New games and promotions should be mar- keted to affiliates as well as players. We want to get that news out and can help the program do a quality job of it. Keep me alerted to new happenings on your ca- sinos and I will help you promote them. 10 Commission structure Again, much of the need is about earn- ings. Commissions that start at 20-25% do NOT get my attention. A good affiliate program will start closer to 30% commis- sions. Things like Negative Carryover and Earnings Bundling (bundling casino prop- erties earnings together) DO get my atten- tion, but not in a good way. A program with 30% or more revenue sharing with no negative carryover and no bundling is a place that will get my full attention. So you see, Mr. Affiliate Program, affiliates that do their due diligence will take a look at your programand determine its overall qual- ity and your commitment to our success. The bottom line: If you are not committed to us, we will not be committed to you. • • • Top 10 things to look for in an affiliate program