Player shaving, or scrubbing, is the bane of the affiliate marketing world. No matter how it’s done, or what it’s called the results are the same; fewer dollars in your account at the end of every month. While some webmasters fight shaving tooth and nail, others accept it as the price of working in certain industries like porn and gambling.
But unless you got into affiliate marketing as a hobby, you shouldn’t take shaving lying down. Simply knowing when you’re getting ripped off, and when you’re not getting ripped off, can make a big difference in the amount of revenue you see at the end of the month. Here are some tips for figuring out when you’re getting shaved.
1. Keep Informed
There’s no shortage of online forums and review sites that provide up-to-the-minute information about all types of affiliate programs. Online communities are the best places to find out who is shaving and who is playing on a level field. You can reduce your chances of getting ripped off in the first place by not doing business with shady operations.
2. Read the Fine Print
Stealing isn’t stealing if it’s something you’ve agreed to when you first signed on with that program. Less reputable affiliate programs have no problem changing the terms and conditions for affiliates and, oftentimes, you’ve agreed to abide by those changes.
Take the time to read, and understand, the fine print in the terms and conditions. If you’re not comfortable with the way a program is laid, just move on. There’s no shortage well run affiliate programs that have great reputations to work with. You can save yourself a lot of headaches by sticking with white hat operations from the get-go.
3. Watch Your Stats
Online gamers are a finicky bunch who move from casino to casino in search of better deals, and luck. That means you’re going to see a certain ebb and flow in your month-to-month statistics. But when you start seeing reliable players dropping off in large numbers, you’ll want to take a closer look. You can utilize a third party software platform to help monitor your stats, but that step won’t be necessary if you’ve been following the advice laid out in tips 1 and 2.
4. Build Relationships
Web based business relationships are different from traditional businesses. When your affiliate manager is in Malta and you’re in St. Louis, you’ll have to put a little more effort into getting to know them. But taking the time to build a solid relationship with your affiliate manager is well worth your time, especially when it comes time to resolve a dispute.
This is also a time to establish yourself as knowledgeable partner who won’t be taken advantage of. You’re less likely to get ripped off if you know the game, and your affiliate partner knows that you know the game.
5. Know How Shaving Works
There are so many different ways of shaving revenues, and players, that keeping track can be difficult. But if you’re not going to bother learning the tricks that rogue casinos pull on their affiliate partners, who will?
Be familiar with all the sites that are affiliated with each program you work with. Shady operators frequently take a player that you brought to the table and switch them over to another casino in their network without telling your. For all intents and purposes, that player is lost to you forever, but the casino is still raking in revenue from them.
Finally
No one is completely isolated from shaving, no matter how many precautions they’ve taken. But if you’ve done your homework, built relationships and kept a close eye on your player stats, you’ve got a better shot at getting that revenue you’ve rightfully earned.
What precautions do you take to avoid shaving schemes? Let us know in our Casino Affiliate Scams and Warnings Forum.