iGaming Affiliate Management - The Focus Of 2021

With the news of yet another lockdown, your new year plans as an iGaming affiliate may be facing challenges and setbacks sooner than anticipated. 

Just like life currently is, the landscape of iGaming is unpredictable and constantly changing. Since the world has frequently faced strict measures which have forced us to stay at home, people have consequently spent more time than ever online. In fact, 2020 statistics showed the highest record of online usage, with UK adults spending more than a quarter of their waking day searching the web in the height of lockdown. 

With Covid-19 vaccinations being rolled out in the next few months, there’s no telling how the iGaming industry will be affected in the aftermath. It’s vital that affiliate management is prepared for anything and ready to face challenges head-on. That’s why it’s more important than ever to gather all the resources you need to ensure you have the most productive iGaming affiliate management possible.

To make sure you’re ready to conquer 2021 as an iGaming affiliate manager, here are a few areas you should focus on…

Improve your Remote working:

As we’re all familiar with by now, one of the main results of a lockdown is anyone who’s able to work remotely doing so. A survey conducted by SIGMA found that 72% of the iGaming sector implemented remote working in the first lockdown. 

The days of jumping on a flight to go and correct an issue or have a meeting are over, and for now, our lives will remain structured around a digital workspace. Communication is key and if you want to achieve your goals, it’s imperative that you stay in contact with your team, they know exactly what they should be doing and they’re getting it done on time. 

It’s evident that remote working is here for the foreseeable future, so it’s vital that iGaming affiliate managers adapt to working remotely and flexibly. Ensuring you keep a positive mindset and keep your affiliate team engaged during second and third waves is key. 

Improve your Affiliate “Customer Culture”: 

One of the most important areas to focus on as an iGaming affiliate manager, is creating a good customer culture. By this, I don’t mean working on your customer service, but actually understanding the needs of your consumers and how you can provide this. Focus on developing a system which meets those requirements in order to create a brand that consumers actually want to engage with. 

It’s vital that you try to build relationships that will last during these tough times and beyond. Treat them like people and not sales, so that when/if life returns to normal you’ll have loyal customers, enabling your program to expand and flourish further.

Tackle Compliance Concerns: 

With a wave of regulatory and compliance requirements on the horizon, there will be a lot of changes across various iGaming markets this year. Many regulators are conducting inquiries and reviews and planning on making changes to their current laws that could have a knock-on effect for affiliate managers. 

It’s vital that iGaming affiliate managers are keeping up with and are aware of any changes in compliance that they will have to make for their international markets. Whilst any restrictions should be covered in an extensive terms and conditions document that operators provide, it’s imperative to know exactly what’s expected of you to avoid any compliance breach. However, this means affiliates have to think out of the box to ensure their content is as attractive as possible to consumers, whilst also adhering to the regulatory confinements. 

iGaming will always be an industry subject to more regulation than most, so to stay ahead of the game it’s important to understand which regulations are upcoming and how they are being enforced. 

Focus on Quality Over Quantity: 

There’s been a dramatic shift in consumer preference towards quality over quantity. Consumers are more concerned about engaging with content and programs that bring added value to their life. Your affiliates are just the same. So how will you be providing them with quality promotions, service and support?

It’s vital to focus and work on the overall quality of your program management and deliverables. We cover this in detail on AffiliateINSIDER’s inside feature from Martin McGarry, called The Affiliate Life. It’s so important that your program is catering to support new affiliates and onboard them efficiently to drive early success. Now is the perfect opportunity to consider the value of your current partner network and become more selective when it comes to who you engage in person with and who you leave to soldier on alone on the long tail. 

Summary: 

This year is already proving to be as unpredictable as the last, so it’s critical that you focus on particular areas to stay ahead of the game and attempt to reach new levels of success in 2021. However, with the rolling out of Covid-19 vaccinations, it’s uncertain how this will affect the iGaming industry. But for now, the increase in demand for online entertainment options will hopefully continue for a significant amount of time. 

If you need extra guidance to develop your affiliate management skills and boost your affiliate program performance, I can help!

I’ve put together an advanced training program (AMPP) for Affiliate Managers which has been paired with my extensive digital business and affiliate marketing expertise. The course is designed to amplify your performance and talk about the disruption taking place in our market now and how to navigate to the future. 

You’ll get access to expert advice and practical affiliate management coaching to enable your team to reach their fullest potential by utilising the AMPP program as a support for on the job training.

The next AMPP Cohort begins 27 January and you can book your ticket HERE.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make sure you’re equipped to face the challenges of this uncertain year head-on.