Successful gaming affiliates are those who diversify their portfolio and offer more than just gaming or poker ads. And for those interested in new ways to make money in their gaming niche, travel affiliate programs may be the best solution.
What’s the connection between travel affiliate marketing and casino affiliate marketing? Online gambling and professional poker are international businesses. Most gambling affiliate conferences are based in various locales around Europe — London, Dublin, Madrid and Milan, just to name a few.
And professional poker is big on tournaments held all around the world, as well. For starters:
- The World Series of Poker (WSOP), held in Las Vegas each year, is poker’s biggest tournament, and an event that sees people from all the world heading to Las Vegas.
- The World Poker Tour. A series of international poker tournaments held globally, the WPT’s media crossover with the Travel Channel should give you some idea of its potential for marketing travel websites.
- The WPT also includes the Latin American Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour, and other regional versions of the tournament that are all perfectly suited for promoting travel websites.
How to get started
Getting started in travel affiliate marketing is the same as any affiliate program. Do your research — find the program that’s best suited to your website’s niche. At that point, setting the affiliate program up is the same as any other. Register with the affiliate program, get your affiliate tracking code, install your marketing and ad banners, and start earning!
What to know before starting
What should you know before starting travel affiliate marketing? The best area to consider is how to fit travel website affiliate marketing in your online business plan. Here are some ideas.
Poker tournaments. Hotel deals for Las Vegas would fit nicely into a blog dedicated to the World Series of Poker, particularly since the WSOP gets press all year around.
Online gambling business. If you’re a U.S.-based affiliate, you probably already know that most online gambling companies are based far away from American shores. London, Malta, Costa Rica, Gibraltar, and now France — these are the online gambling business hubs.
As an affiliate, you don’t have to travel to these locations regularly. But the more involved in the business you get, the more you’ll see that opportunities and businesses related to your site are based overseas. And that includes affiliate conferences. The London Affiliate Conference, the Barcelona Affiliate Conference, the iGaming Super Show — these are big events, and there’s a good chance your fellow affiliates are looking for travel deals, too.
List of recommended travel-related affiliate programs
Finally, let’s take a loot at some recommended travel website affiliate programs to help you get started (courtesy of our sister site, AffiliatePrograms.com).
Direct Flights
Direct Flights is a travel website, or, more specifically, an online travel booking engine, that lets customers book all the elements of any trip, from air flights and car rentals to hotel accommodation and travel insurance.
ABetterStay.com
Focusing more on timeshares, vacation rental properties, resorts and bed and breakfasts, ABetterStay.com is an interesting alternative to most travel websites focusing primarily on hotels. This difference could be critical in inspiring conversions, particularly among those who like their accommodations to have a bit of golfing, fishing, or skiing on the side.
Travel Affiliate Pro
The self-proclaimed highest commissions in the travel industry (at a stunning 70% rate), Travel Affiliate Pro’s hook is a cool integration with Google maps, as well as WordPress and auto-generated hotel lists. This is all designed to provide travelers with an easy and interactive way to find what they’re searching for.
Other great travel websites to consider include Expedia.com, Priceline.com, and Travelocity. As these are also probably the best known travel websites in the U.S., heavily advertised on TV and elsewhere, they can offer an element of brand power that may help boost your conversion rate.
Questions? Comments?
Do you agree that travel affiliate marketing a legitimate business crossover with gambling affiliate marketing? Do you have experience promoting travel websites hand-in-hand with your gaming ads? If so, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Sound off in the comments and let us know.