"加密货币项目的增长与新的合作关系是高度相互关联的。"—— Edward Ackins

Edward Ackins, CMO/Senior Member of MMT joins the latest edition of the Affiliate Grand Slam interview series

Edward Ackins and the rest of the MMT team focus on online crypto casinos. They specialize in Bitcoin casinos, and their flagship project is bitcoincasinotop.com. They believe that alignment, perseverance and confidence in their new products are the factors that make their performance successful. The problem is simply an opportunity for growth for them – here’s his story.

When did you first consider affiliateship as a career and why?

In 2018, I learned that the things that bring me joy can actually be profitable.

How did you get into the affiliate industry? Also, have you always been interested in the gambling space?

I used to attend digital marketing conferences a lot, and in one of those conferences, I met a group of people from the iGaming industry and started figuring out how it works. I’m also a poker fan and used to work in the offline gambling industry. So, I’m quite focused on this niche and have a good experience.

Where and how did you start your affiliate business? How much are you willing to invest?

In 2016, I started my first affiliate affiliate site in the fintech space and made my first money from it, and since then I have moved to iGaming. Yes, I was ready to dive in (laughs).

How did your affiliate business start? Is iGaming the only vertical you’re involved in?

It is always quite difficult to launch a new project in an already established market; But, it’s really interesting. In terms of excitement levels, the process can be compared to casino games. iGaming isn’t the only vertical I work in; I also have projects in fintech, e-commerce, R&D, but the team’s main course is iGaming. Our flagship project is bitcoincasinotop.com. We believe that by using our experience, by focusing on the results of this niche, we can succeed.

What do you wish you knew when you first started in the industry?

That’s a great question!

• How to choose the right partner.
• How to communicate with brands.
• How to properly track affiliate stats.
• How to set up your network as correctly as possible.
• What are the criteria for identifying a gambling expert and how to distinguish a real expert from a gangster and an impostor.

What was the biggest challenge when getting started?

Recruitment and team training

What’s been your biggest nightmare so far?

Search engine update (laughs). Thanks to constant updates, you never jump out of the uncertain state. Even if you’re 100% sure that you’re doing everything right, your website is always at risk.

How do you scale up your affiliate business?

Thanks to new connections – the growth of cryptocurrency projects and new partnerships are highly correlated. New partners help you improve, and product rise helps you find new partners. It’s a powerful cycle, and it’s great.

What helps your performance succeed? What are the main challenges?

Alignment, perseverance, and confidence in new products. These are the main factors, and I think every businessman can confirm this. Employees are also important: a team of like-minded people is capable of working wonders. The main challenge is not to stop, not to give up, and to treat the problem exclusively as an opportunity for development.

What are the main challenges in this area during the pandemic?

The most important challenge in the pandemic is learning how to adapt. Some of our employees couldn’t afford to work from home and couldn’t adapt to it, so we had to part ways. Overall, this makes us stronger.

What motivates you to promote more, and what helps you boost your motivation?

I don’t need any extra motivation because I love our project. I live in it and I can say I’m lucky because I do what I love. In addition, the people we choose have the same mentality. Daniel Pink said a great quote in this regard: “If you need to be motivated by me, then I won’t hire you”. I completely agree with him.

What is your company structure? Also, what is the most focused area of business development right now?

We have a relatively small and young team. The main team consists of 6 people: the boss, the marketer, the editor-in-chief, the editorial assistant, the programmer and the agency manager. We also hired 2 journalists, 5 gambling experts, and 2 financiers who specialize in cryptocurrency, all of whom work part-time. We work together, prepare in advance, and strive to improve the quality of the content, which is useful for our audience, which is Bitcoin casino enthusiasts. That’s what we’re focused on.

What is the structure of your company (including the agency team)? Also, what is the most focused area of business development right now?

If we are talking specifically about affiliate matters here, this aspect is mainly handled by our affiliate managers, with the goal of optimizing cooperation with existing partners and constantly looking for new mutually beneficial partnerships. The scope of her (the affiliate manager’s) mandate is really large, as cryptocurrencies have reached the peak of popularity, just like the gambling niche in general (there are a large number of annual reports on gambling commissions in most countries to prove it). We would like to thank SiGMA for organizing the event in the form of iGathering – these events are excellent in building new relationships and fostering new partnerships.

What markets do you focus on? Do you see potential in emerging markets?

The main market we focus on is Canada. We love the country, it has a big gambling market; In addition, we have Canadians on our team who can define and meet user intent based on their needs.

What markets are you targeting? Do you see potential in emerging markets?

If you talk about interesting markets, New Zealand is one of them.

Which global markets do you prioritize and why? Do you see potential in emerging markets?

The most promising market is the United States. We firmly believe that once the US market is legalized, it will lead the world gambling industry in a few years.

Which niches are performing best and which are the most profitable in your affiliate marketing? How do you find the best profitable niches?

It depends on what niche you’re talking about. Let me do this with my background in Bitcoin casinos, which I am good at. Globally, the so-called niche is online gambling, while the sub-niche is online casinos. In this case, we’ve only chosen a relatively small niche, and this market is what we know best – that is, online crypto casinos. That’s our focus in this huge niche.

Are you considering bringing in investors to expand your business? Or, in such a large M&A market, have you ever thought about selling your business?

I’ve never considered investors. I don’t like this model because it involves a lot of one-sided promises, which is very bad for the product in the long run. As for the sale, there is, it is possible. I think we’re going to be open to that kind of advice when our business is successful.

Have you considered going down the operator path?

No, we’re not interested. I’ve seen the industry from the inside, and I can say that operators aren’t as creative as we do. Our main goal is not just to make money, but to create a community of crypto gamblers, let it grow, help each participant solve problems, and share information. For us, it’s much more than just a business.

How does technology play a role in your day-to-day work?

Very impressive. Nowadays, everything around us is based on technology: most casinos operate online, and the most popular currency is Bitcoin, just think about the technological ecosystem around these 2 facts – security, blockchain, website, hosting, network marketing, external advertising, communication, casino software development, electronic payments, and many more.

Which emerging technologies such as AI and big data do you think will impact the affiliate industry in 2021 and beyond?

Currently, very few people use AI in gambling because the technology is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. However, we are already gradually focusing on this direction and starting to train our personal AI, because we firmly believe that it is the trend of the future.

How do you maintain relationships with multiple operators? What can operators do to strengthen support for affiliates?

Multitasking and communicative skills are our strengths. As a result, we have no problem working with multiple carriers.

What are the benefits of attending large iGaming events, and how can they do better?

Attending iGaming conferences allows you to gain new knowledge in niches, expand your knowledge of global online gambling, gain new connections, and build partnerships. Everything is already good!

Have you ever attended the SiGMA Summit? SiGMA Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas – which of these four would you be willing to book on your 2021 calendar, should the pandemic allow?

I have already attended several SiGMA Europe events and plan to visit Malta in 2021. I hope that in 2022, the epidemic will be under control and our team will go to SiGMA Americas. It would be cool if all operators attended the SiGMA conference and organized a meeting to meet future agents in person. This will help make it easier to do business.

Tell us a little bit about yourself – after all, business is about people, not just companies! Your hobbies, favorite books, favorite quotes, whether you also like gambling, etc.

As I said above, my job is my hobby. I also enjoy playing poker, chess, and basketball. My favorite book is Marketing Wars by Jack Al Ries and Jack Trout. One of my favorite quotes is Peter Drucker’s saying, “The best way to predict the future is to create it”.

Read more about SiGMA Proxy Grand Slam here.

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