As affiliates probably hear everywhere nowadays, Latin America is one of the hottest locations for online gambling at the moment. Online gambling has become a relevant activity in the life of many Latin Americans and from 2009 to 2011 affiliates in and out of the region have managed to draw more traffic to online gambling sites than in previous years. Casino affiliates have the online poker industry to thank for sparking the interest of Latin Americans for online gambling. The PokerStars’ Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) and the World Poker Tour (WPT) made great impressions on Latin American players and also opened the gate for them to enter the global online gambling market.
BUT… even though the online poker industry did a great job at throwing players in the gambling industry’s direction, casino affiliates are still left with a big problem that no online gambling industry seems to be able to resolve: Latin American player conversion. So sorry to disappoint, but this isn’t a dating guide on how to attract Latin Americans, but instead this article is a guide on how you can start tackling this problem effectively and make the most of your Latin American traffic.
How-to Guides: A Guide on How to Use Them to Your Advantage
Casino affiliates must realize that even though the interest of players on gambling has been caught, this is not enough to make them convert to real money players and visit online gambling sites frequently. In Latin America there is a lack of understanding of casino games and due to the cultural diversity in the region, most people know different versions of the games and a different understanding of what gambling online is. This can result in players losing interest in the activity quickly due to a lack of education on the benefits of it, and they may also lose interest once they realize the Blackjack version on the casino you promote is nothing like the one they play at home.
The best way to overcome this problem is by adding educational content to your site. Once a player visits your site and shows interest in playing at a casino, affiliates should be reliable providers of educational information that will enhance their online casino experience. Most casinos provide how-to guides to their games, so you don’t even have to come up with the content on your own, but just redirect it from the casino to your site. If you get really lucky, you will even find those how-to guides to be provided in Spanish at some casinos, but otherwise you will need to do some translation work.
Cultura Latinoamericana Revealed
If you speak English, “cultura latinoamericana” were probably two easy words to understand (if they weren’t, then consider this your first Spanish lesson: it means Latin American culture). Learning the local language is a key element to entering any market, but it is even more important to understand the culture because this understanding trespasses any language barrier.
Latin Americans are warm people who like to have close personal relationships and like the feeling of familiarity. Excuse me for making such a strong generalization, but this is an aspect that I really appreciate about the Latin American culture and that I think can be beneficial for affiliates to understand. The fact that in most Western countries in the developed world relationships tend to be more professional and focused, Latin Americans are usually turned off when they encounter what seems, for them, to be a cold hand. Whenever you are dealing with Latin Americans, try to be as warm and inviting as possible, this can be applied to the way you provide content on your site, to your marketing campaigns for the region and it should be considered in the type of promotions you run.
In order to avoid having your Latin American players run away and attract them to your site, try to build a community in which players are comfortably open and in which the forums are active. Latin Americans will appreciate the familiar environment and will be more likely to stick around to see what you have to offer.
On Bonuses and Further Recommendations
Another recommendation is that you keep updates on the latest bonuses that your casinos offer, and that you try to close deals that involve bonuses that are beneficial for Latin Americans. In order to do this you should consider the amounts that these players can realistically gamble with and the compatibility that the wagering requirements and bonus percentages have with the payment processors in Latin America.
Finally, in order to make business with Latin Americans casino affiliates should not think of them as business partners, but as friends or at least acquaintances. Latin American players will show great appreciation from the familiar and respectful treatment they get and that positive relationship will eventually turn into $$$ signs for you once they start depositing at your casinos.