iGB Affiliate 71 Oct/Nov | Page 17

TRAFFIC A STRUCTURE FOR SUCCESS Creating a scalable and profitable affiliate programme all starts with choosing the right technology, says Lee-Ann Johnstone. Think of it like a building: get the foundations right and the rest will follow AN AFFILIATE PROGRAMME can be a lifeline for new brands who want to obtain maximum brand reach but have a limited budget. The whole concept of affiliate marketing is based on the premise that your brand will be promoted far and wide, but you’ll only be paying for that exposure when a customer deposits and wagers at your site. Although this channel has evolved into a complex digital medium it is still considered to be one of the most prominent acquisition drivers for the igaming industry. When managed correctly, an affiliate programme can build long- term sustainable wealth for your business. It requires a dedicated set of skills and experience as well as a clear strategy to start right, then needs scale for maximum ROI. You have to have the right tools, commercials and digital acumen in place to ensure your programme delivers the best results. The technology you pair up to launch an affiliate programme therefore has to be exactly the right fit. Don’t get stuck paying for things you don’t really need Nowadays you’ve got your pick of technology providers to choose from. The first thing you need to do is decide if you can manage and resource your own private, white-label solution or if you want to piggyback off an established network to get things going. There are pros and cons to each option. The point is you don’t need to splash out on a top-of-the-range tracking solution when you just want to dip your toe into the channel to see how it feels. A white-label solution will allow you to set up your programme with a degree of tailoring specific to you. This is still an off-the-shelf scheme so it won’t be bespoke in design but it does offer your brand a level of customisation that a network cannot. “Get your technology wrong and it could cost you a lot of money down the line when you need to expand, or worse, have to migrate because you can’t customise to allow your programme to grow” iGB Affiliate Issue 71 OCT/NOV 2018 15