INSIGHT
INSIGHT
“With wagering predicted to hit $23.5bn
by 2020, even those most sceptical of the
market will concede that playing computer
games is more than just a basement hobby”
game Artifact back in 2017 led a few
affiliates to speculate on the game’s
potential as a new esport. A year later
Valve announced the launch of a $1m
tournament to take place at the start
of 2019, dramatically increasing the
likelihood that this title will make its
way to the bookies.
Generating value from
esports engagement
Too many affiliates spend too little
time focused on offering real value
and instead opt for quicker wins
that typically do not correlate with
long-term organic growth. Any
brand looking to generate meaningful
revenues from organic channels must
think carefully about how they plan to
engage their esports traffic, ultimately
with a goal of generating links and
brand citations.
Esports data
The esports market is awash with data
and, unlike in the traditional sports
market, much of it is open to the
public for free. For that reason, any
content strategy in this space should
seriously consider how data can be
used to enrich new or existing ideas,
whether it’s for a one-off marketing
campaign or as the fundamental
framework for a website’s content plan.
In the case of SickOdds, our
focus has always been in the use of
match-odds data to enhance the user
experience and ultimately drive more
traffic and more conversions. But odds
data not only allows us to draw up
comparisons, it enriches our match
previews, betting tips, news articles
and social posts. Data can also be
used to establish trust among visitors:
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iGB Affiliate Issue 72 DEC 2018 / JAN 2019
being able to provide Fnatic’s win
rate on Dust2 vs NiP, for example,
would be a hugely valuable insight to
any prospective bettor and adds a vast
amount of credibility to the brand.
The sports affiliate market is awash
with competitors and in the years to
come the esports space will be no
different. The use of well-executed
data is one of the most cost-effective
ways to elevate your brand above the
noise and to establish a level of trust
that will be a boon to SEO, social
and commercial endeavours over the
long term.
Building content
In order to scale up the quantity
and quality of content on a website,
the brand needs to have a team of
writers who know their topic inside
out. Creating an engaging brand
that appeals to the swathe of young
and passionate esports writers in the
industry is essential for the hiring
process. Esports writers will typically
be players themselves and they’ll want
to work with brands who share the
same level of passion. At SickOdds,
we have built a team of writers who
believe in our mission and share the
same love for competitive gaming.
Hiring in esports
The enthusiasm shown by young
esports fans is unlike any other
market. Writers and amateur
journalists are available by the
hundreds and are capable of writing
on a wide range of topics, from match
previews to technical game mechanics,
with a deep level of understanding.
Those looking to break into this type
of freelance work aren’t heading to the
traditional job outlets but instead to
esports-focused job listing sites such as
Hitmarker and Rekt Jobs.
From our experience, these writers
have a deeper knowledge about esports
and the competitive scene than writers
from more traditional platforms. As an
esports brand, whether you’re looking
for social media content, landing
pages, match tips or previews, these
writers can deliver. Hiring freelancers
across a range of esports titles can
have all bases covered in no time.
Where to start in esports
If you don’t already have a natural
passion for competitive gaming then
the first step would be to try and find
one. Esports have pulled in hundreds
of millions of players, many of whom
were not necessarily gamers before,
and if you’ve read this far then you
may well have an affinity to the sector
that you didn’t know you had. On the
other hand, if esports still isn’t your
thing, then it is essential that whoever
leads your project is neck-deep in
the scene and is hiring like-minded
team members.
Then, with a team in place ready to
make waves in the world of esports,
consider what opportunities there
are to enrich your content strategy
through esports data – and scout out
partnerships that could prove useful in
engaging this exciting new fanbase.
NICK PATEMAN
Nick co-founded an SEO
consultancy in 2010,
leaving six years later to
build an affiliate network that
now generates over half a million
unique users each month through
content marketing and SEO. Nick
also has a keen interest in emerging
markets and successfully developed
one of the most popular web apps
for the cryptocurrency Ethereum
in 2016. He co-founded esports
betting platform SickOdds.com in
the same year.