Online gambling is a big business in various parts of the globe and its popularity is increasing due to massive investments in advertising. Over the years, online casinos have determined many possibilities to run their ads, but affiliate marketing has proved to be the most effective. Needless to say, SEO, PPC, media, exhibitions, and various other offline activities are drawing in clients and should be a part of the bigger strategy. However, by comparing investments and outcomes, affiliate marketing wins the ROI competition.
Let’s have a deeper understanding of who affiliates are, what benefits they bring to an online casino, and how you can make the most out of these affiliate partnerships.
The functioning of casino affiliates
Casino affiliates collaborate with online casinos and run advertisements for their products. They act as middlemen, connecting gamblers with the gambling websites that would meet their needs, getting paid a commission for every player that visits the gambling website or makes a first-time deposit (FTD). This type of advertising was first applied in e-commerce and has extended to other industries, outside of the gambling realm.
What makes affiliate marketing effective?
There are numerous incontestable advantages that affiliate marketing has over other forms of online casino promotion, such as:
Payment based on achievements
It is always more convenient to pay for something already achieved, rather than to make an investment without guarantees on the result. Affiliate marketing is focused on performance and thus ensures a high return on investment (ROI). Even when the commissions paid to an affiliate are high, the casino’s revenue is certainly higher. 100% relevant traffic is converted into real sales.
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Quantifiable progress
The amount invested and earned can be calculated, compared, and evaluated up to the last cent, thus getting an accurate picture of your returns.
Simple tracking
If you are utilizing an efficient affiliate system (online casino software generally has a module that enables easy management of their affiliate programs), it will allow you to evaluate the affiliate’s performance. This information can be used for better analysis of what advertisements or banners could run better for you and adapt your affiliate program correspondingly.
Prestige and online presence
Prosperous affiliates are generally renowned in the iGaming world and being advertised on their websites will only add to the fame and credibility of your online casino. It helps to enhance the brand and make a long-term impression on the people in your industry.
Traffic sources for affiliate marketing
There are myriads of traffic sources for affiliate marketing out there, but the ones that are worth mentioning include:
1. Mobile Traffic
Mobile traffic is one of the fastest-growing sources at the moment. Even though some developing countries are still great admirers of feature phones, mobile incomes are sky-high. For example, Facebook’s shares are displaying a record high value, and this rise in their income is linked to the realm of mobile video advertising.
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On mobile, you can opt for:
- Popunders;
- Redirects (the user lands on a specific URL and is instantly redirected to your lender);
- Push notifications;
- Banner/Display.
Keep in mind that there are numerous web traffic sources, having both desktop and mobile traffic. You should always remember to separate them, for they convert differently.
2. Push Notifications
This is a new type of ad format and it has been making major waves for advertisers all around the globe. They may have started as a tool for users to receive instant email notifications on their device, but push notifications have since expanded into a mighty ad format, becoming impossible for affiliates to ignore. The impact of push ads is only set to increase and brings many advantages:
- Push traffic only contains real users who have opted-in to receive notifications, providing constant, high-quality traffic;
- Millions of global users can be targeted in all GEOs, right down to the city level;
- Can work in almost any vertical;
- The ads can be customized with titles, logos, descriptions, images, and even emojis, perfect for grabbing the user’s attention.
3. Adult Traffic
As reported by the Huffington Post, adult sites receive more traffic than Netflix, Twitter, and Amazon together. Moreover, an approximation of 30% of all data transferred online is related to adults, even the gambling niche is concerning +18 individuals. The adult niche is remarkably profitable and one great advantage of promoting on these websites is that the restrictions are less prejudicial to your affiliate needs.
4. PPV Traffic
PPV stands for Pay-Per-View traffic, also known as CPV (Cost-Per-View), not to be confused with PPC traffic sources. PPV essentially means that you pay the advertising network each time your ad or website is shown to a user. These networks install toolbars on the user’s computer, the advertiser bids on a specific website and when the user reaches that site, they are welcomed by a bothersome yet profitable ad. Using this type of traffic also offers the possibility of keyword targeting.
The Bottom Line
Online gambling is an industry that heavily depends on numerous external factors, including government regulation, and financial concerns. This is the reason why finding an efficient marketing strategy is not as clear as in several other business domains. Affiliate programs require dedication to ensure that one can grab the gamblers’ attention and guide them to the gambling den. In several cases, these programs go as far as providing free-to-play games and bonus codes.
With many traditional means of promotion being inaccessible due to legislation limitations, affiliate marketing has proven to be one of the most reliable methods to lift your gaming website to the top and enhance your profits.
