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I had zero experience with affiliate marketing when I stumbled into the space. I was fresh out of university with two degrees and no real job prospects. I ended up taking a position as an executive assistant to the then CEO of YTZ. There weren’t enough administrative tasks to keep me busy so I started helping out in different departments of the company, learning the ropes. Within a year I joined the marketing team. Fast forward 10 years; I’m now the VP of Sales. Throughout my tenure we’ve operated in a lot of different verticals but we only got serious about iGaming a few years ago. With the affiliate business constantly changing we felt like we needed to refocus our efforts on a vertical that could bring more long lasting stability.
In part we operate as a traditional affiliate network, connecting publishers with operators. We set up deals for each casino brand, implement tracking and then provide our publishers with media kits to promote the brands. Our focus is on providing casino campaigns on a Cost Per Lead basis. This puts more of the risk on us but also gives us more flexibility with rates.
Our focus is Tier 1 English speaking markets. There’s obviously a ton of potential in high volume markets like LATAM and Southeast Asia. I’m particularly interested in Thailand and Vietnam. We’ve been cultivating some good traffic sources there for over a year now and we’re finally starting to see the fruits of that.
Our technology definitely gives us an edge. The ability to gauge player value ourselves is a huge advantage. It means we can be confident in the traffic we’re sending. It’s especially advantageous to have a good baseline when launching new brands and markets. This year we’re continuing to work on our technology, expanding our active markets and onboarding new partners.
We have thought about it. It could be an option for us down the road. Right now we’re focused on other things.
Not really. We’re used to the landscape changing and adapting our business practices as needed.
We’ve been in the affiliate marketing space a long time, so we have access to a wide range of traffic sources that operators wouldn’t otherwise have access to. We mostly work with direct mailers, site owners, ad networks and media buyers. This is almost entirely on a performance basis. Push and email were our top traffic sources in 2019.
If we fine-tune our technology to a point where we feel like we have a really unique product we could package and sell then that could be an interesting opportunity. As for the business itself, we’re a small collaborative team of experienced marketers/developers/media buyers. We enjoy what we do. We’re not looking to be bought out.
Share more information about player activity. Information is currency. The good guys, the ones in it for the long haul, want to provide good quality players. We can only do that with honest feedback. The quicker we get feedback the sooner we can scale the good sources and cut the bad ones. Frequent and open communication is really important.
Patience, flexibility, creativity, and the ability to adapt quickly. Being sociable helps too, both with colleagues and clients. It can be a draining and time consuming business but it’s a fun business as well.
For us it’s the backbone of everything. Our system is completely proprietary. Everything from reporting to ad serving and optimisation is built in-house. We rely on real-time stats, as do our publishers. The accuracy and granularity of the data we send and receive is very important. It gives us a leg up on competitors and allows us to deliver quality leads to our partners.
It still seems to be largely untapped. I don’t think anyone’s really figured it out. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there are some affiliates out there absolutely crushing it in Indonesia right now. Who knows? But It’s definitely an exciting market.
I wish I immediately understood everything there is to know about tracking.
Tracking. After a couple of years working with different affiliate software I got the hang of it. Now that I’ve got a handle on it I find that often the biggest barrier to getting a new partner live is tracking. A shocking number of casino operators and affiliate managers are lost when it comes to tracking implementation.
Time-zones can be an issue, especially in the initial stages of setup. Operators are located all over the world and it can be an arduous process negotiating new deals, implementing tracking links and going live. Ideally the whole process takes a day or two but I’ve experienced it take upwards of a month. Managing operators using different affiliate software can be difficult as well. NetRefer, Myaffiliates, MAP, etc., each has its own quirks and limitations. Working on various commission structures across accounts is challenging. Some markets or brands are better suited for one type of commission deal over another.
Face-to-face interaction is always beneficial for any business relationship. Most of my communication with partners is via Skype or through email so it’s good to speak to people in person. Our goal when attending these events is to meet existing partners. It’s a bonus if we can meet fellow affiliates that we’re able to have sign up to our network. Manoeuvring the exhibition hall can be difficult. I usually spend my time running from meeting to meeting and often get turned around. It would be nice to have more prominent visuals overhead to indicate booth numbers.
I attended SiGMA Malta in 2018. It was my first iGaming conference. I would consider Manila if I thought there was value in attending. We’ll probably attend SiGMA Malta again in a year or so. We tend to focus on affiliate conferences more than iGaming specifically.
I love travelling around Asia. The weather is amazing. Food is great. The people and culture are so carefree and laid back.
Admittedly I’m not a big reader. But I did recently order The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger which I’m looking forward to.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
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About SiGMA Expo:
SiGMA 2020 Malta will take place November 17th – 19th 2020 at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali. Positioned at the cutting edge of a very competitive industry, the event has evolved since 2014 into the definitive iGaming showcase, operating on both a European and world stage. In 2019, SiGMA’19 welcomed over 400 sponsors and exhibitors, 200 industry leading speakers and a record-breaking 15,000 attendees from over 80 countries, and in 2020 this staple in the global iGaming calendar is set to grow even bigger. To become a part of Europe’s leading iGaming event, book a pass or sponsor & exhibit.
For those planning to attend SiGMA events in 2020, this is the buzzing business environment to be expected: