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OK, a little misleading but it grabbed you didn’t it?
Dollar signs spinning around and all that.
No one is prepared to give away their “secrets” in this biz as it is highly competitive, but, there are a lot of common ground rules that work, some more than others, some more for others.
Let’s pass the hat around and see who the givers are. Downside is you give and other’s take.
Upside is you are there already. AND someone may come up with something you hadn’t thought of.
I can’t put that out and not give a little, so first off the rank (forget the site design, menu bit, that is a given here that this is a fully working site, but not WORKING)
GOOGLE – Basically so effed up at the moment it is useless. So much emphasis on google in the past that it may have crippled you. OK, maybe a gazillion people search there a day, but do not ignore the lesser search engines as these are often picked up by the larger.
http://www.searchenginecolossus.com spend a few hours manually submitting….repetitious, boring but will pay dividends.ADVERTISING – I sell traffic as a sideline. I use that traffic myself. Conversions are more often than not woeful. Think what you are doing…your home page may look good to you but a catchy ad will look better to over saturated pop-up sick visitors.
NEWSLETTERS – Less and less people sign up these days. Face it, they expect spam. Give them something informative and fun to read, your unsubscribe ratios will be almost non-existent.
I hope others will contribute to this thread. 😎
Tried to edit/add, timeout…so new post instead.
THE CASINOS – Try the software yourself, this way you can write a review infomatively, free games are just that, deposit, withdraw and THEN you will know how players are treated.
I was just about to add that PERSONAL testimonials are a very powerful way to promote online casinos, but deaning beat me too it.
So let me expand on what he said.
You should write a testimonial that is HONEST and shares your PERSONAL experiences with the casino. Web surfers can tell the difference between a true, sincere testimonial and a canned “testimonial” provided by the casino’s marketing department that is nothing more than a thinly disguised sales pitch.
If your web surfers read your testimonials and find that they can really TRUST your opinions, they will believe you when you recommend a certain casino or tell them about a “hot bonus offer” and you will build a loyal base of players that will pay dividends for years to come.
You should concentrate on a casinos strong points and not just their bonus. Every casino offers a bonus of some sort. Give the player a different reason to play there and you will find your player retention will greatly increase.:bigsmile:
Originally posted by dvs007
You should concentrate on a casinos strong points and not just their bonus. Every casino offers a bonus of some sort. Give the player a different reason to play there and you will find your player retention will greatly increase.:bigsmile:I agree 100%
If I didnt’ make that clear before, let me say that you should not concentrate on the bonuses, everybody has them, so no big deal.
Instead, focus on your PERSONAL experience with the casino games, the software, the customer support, the deposit options, the withdrawal options, etc.
Put yourself in the surfer’s shoes. Ask yourself, “What would I want to know before I put MY money into an online casino I’ve never heard of?”
Good feedback guys and an excellent thread. :thumbsup:
Because of its nature and helpfull tips I am thinking of moving it to the Newbie section and making it sticky…
Is that cool with everyone?
Hey Prof!
Yeah, I think this has turned into more of a “newbie” thread than a general thread.
Go for it!
I’m going to add my 2 cents here, even though I’m not as good at doing this as I’d like to be.
I think one of the best things you can do to be successful in this industry is to form an online virtual community around your site or your websites. This keeps your customers coming back to you. It increases your value as an affiliate to the casinos. And in the long run, it’s a lot cheaper than just buying lots of new traffic all the time.
It’s been said that the value of your community is exponential in relationship to its size. A community of 1 person is worth 1 unit. A community of 2 people is worth 4 units, and a community of 10 people is worth 100 units. I think that’s as true in this industry as it is in any other.
It’s a lesson we should learn from eBay. They remain in a dominant position in the online auction industry because of the size of their community, period. Other online auction sites have better software, better programmers, bigger advertising budgets. But at the end of the day, I don’t buy anything at any other online auction site because there’s usually no one there selling anything. And people don’t sell things at other online auction sites because there’s no there buying anything.
Build the community or the network. It’s where the real money is, and it’s also where the satisfaction is.
Randy,
All I can add is ….
AMEN! :thumbsup:
Hi,
well this is pretty much what Randy said but I will say what I have to say in my own way, so if it’s repetitive…
don’t send me a card at Christmas.
You become a middleman and that’s all you’ll ever be; all you’ll ever be thought of as from a sponsor’s point of view.
You become a starting point and you’re just that. Where it all starts.
Sell your site. Not the casinos. Make it clear to your visitors that there is one thing between them and the casinos and that is you. They have a choice; they can go to a SE and find the casino directly, and they are on their own. They can go thru your site, and they have a 3rd-party with an interest on the outcome of any situation involving them and the casino.
Make yourself (your site) important. and then BE IMPORTANT. Listen and follow up, answer emails promptly.
That said; it is most wise to only promote casinos that
1.) make you money. That’s why your in this business. You ain’t baskin-robbins so unless your claim to fame is 31 flavors; dump the non-producers. they are screwing you! at best; they are holding you back; most likely, they are stealing money out of your pocket.
1.) this is as important as the other #1. Make sure they pay your players without hassle or BS tactics. The odds are in the casino’s favor. They will win in the end, there is absolutely no reason for them to pull bullshit tactics to get out of sending a check for a few thousand dollars. Truth be known, it’s likely half that money will have already been re-deposited into the casino as soon as the check has been in the player’s hand for 48 hrs. The player just wants to see that they are going to be paid. Then they’ll be back.2.) get a working relationship with the casinos that make you money. Talk to them. Bitch a lot. but do it nicely. Any program worth its salt will appreciate the fact that you’re making an effort to improve things for all involved. That = mo’ money in the end.
3.) Don’t take any shit. If a program will screw you once , they are going to do it again. That said; be understanding and give them every reasonable chance to prove they are worthy. Mistakes do happen, but rarely over and over.
4. with #3 in mind. Get this tattooed to your forhead backwards so you can read it when looking in the mirror
IF IT WALKS LIKE A DUCK, TALKS LIKE A DUCK, YOU ARE PROBABLY GETTING DUCKED!
My 2 1/2 cents
Well put BB1!
Ditto!
Can I get an “Amen”?
I’m not so sure that this should be a newbie topic. The idea is to share success stories with other affiliates. Affiliates who have the desire to make money.
I’ve been burnt myself and if “top affiliates” share thier secrets it benefits everyone. The truth is, you can give 10 people the magic secret to making money, but only 1, if you are lucky, will ever act on it. There should be no fear of competition. Statistically, most people do not act on good advice, and likewise most affiliates will not.
I earn a living marketing different programs and if the 5% or so of us who actually survive on this income shared ideas and perhaps even worked together, then it would benefit us all.
I will link share etc. with anyone serious about doing well. It is not about competition, it’s about community. Affiliates are being shat on far too much and as a combined voice that works together, it would be good for all.
Excellent post, Kevin.
Kevin,
You make an excellent point.
In most industries, companies see their competitors as “The Enemy.”
But the Internet doesn’t work that way. Most successful affiliates are willing to share and learn from each other, trade traffic, and do whatever it takes to increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.
That’s because Internet marketing is not a “zero sum game.” In some industries, the only way you can make more money is to take market share away from your competitors. But the Internet is an ever-expanding marketplace. If one affiliate does well, that does not necessarily take business away from another affiliate. If two affiliates work together and share ideas and traffic, it is possible for BOTH of them to make more money, rather than one losing market share to the other.
I don’t know any other industry that operates that way. As I said, the Internet is unique. I have been marketing online since 1997 and I have seen the power of working WITH your “competition” rather than against it. When done properly, EVERYBODY prospers.
