Become a pro affiliate manager: 10 mistakes to avoid in affiliate marketing | iGaming | PartnerMatrix

In the U.K. market, a middle-level affiliate can earn around £20,000 of commissions per month. Still, this number can vary depending on countries and gaming niches, in some cases even reaching $200-500K. Considering that this is only a small part of what casinos get in return, the dynamic development of affiliate marketing is no surprise. According to Sinista research, the online gaming sector (including affiliates) is predicted to generate $90 billion in 2023 only.

The importance of affiliate marketing is quite obvious in modern marketing, but sometimes we forget that being successful in affiliate marketing means succeeding in small tasks and everyday routines. Affiliate and casino managers can abuse their partner’s trust, forget to make payments in time, provide incorrect links, etc.

On the other hand, Affiliates can be overly demanding – because they know how nearly irreplaceable their role is for your company. So, as an affiliate manager, being on bad terms with your affiliates isn’t the brightest idea. Every simple misunderstanding can result in scamming suspicion for your affiliates, and wrong decisions can make them withdraw from your company.

Here are 10 common iGaming affiliate marketing mistakes you most definitely want to avoid if you wish to have great, long-term relationships with your affiliates.

1. Payments not being made on time

Let’s start with the elephant in the room – money. Affiliates work hard to promote your operator, but they also can become the cause of your failure. It doesn’t matter what time you set for your payment – once every month or when the affiliate’s net earnings reach a certain level – you still need to pay them on time. Affiliates work to pursue your agreements, so it’s only fair if they get paid accordingly. Furthermore, affiliates may suspect a scam, go feral, and write horrendous comments about you in forums if you start delaying their payments.

(!) Solution: To make your life easier, set automated payments for every month: use an affiliate software with an integrated payment system or use one of the most reliable payment systems out there.

2. No sub-affiliation offered

Many big affiliates like to have additional revenue sources, and that’s why they have their sub-affiliate networks – or simply put, other affiliates that are working for them. This means they have big affiliate connections they can refer to your casino on a cost per action (CPA) or any other basis. Finding new affiliates this way may cost less and be extra helpful for you.

(!) Solution: next time, don’t hesitate to offer/set up a sub-affiliation option when discussing the terms with your affiliates. Chances are, you’ll find new and more affordable affiliates this way.

3. Having strict negative carryover

One of the most common fears among affiliates is having a substantial negative carryover. This is why sometimes big winning players drive off affiliates and discourage them from working with certain operators. And only having a strict negative carryover that will stay for months sounds even more terrifying.

(!) Solution: it’s always a good idea to offer customizability in order to reset the negative carryover every X months and incentivize your affiliates. It will motivate your affiliates and create a more reliable connection between you.

4. No CPA offered

We have already discussed different commission types you can offer for your deals. And though a cost per acquisition (CPA) type of deal is the most common in the field, many affiliate managers still tend to avoid it. The reason behind this is simple – many operators are afraid of CPA abuse and don’t want to take any risk.

(!) Solution: instead of being scared of scams, simply get an anti-fraud tool to prevent CPA abuse and allow legit affiliates to take advantage of it.

5. No flexibility in the commission plans

While overly complicated, commission structures tend to lead to resentment and dissatisfaction among your affiliates; having a one-size-fits-all approach can also become crucial for affiliate managers. Offering only one commission rate can become pretty risky. You have to worry about not overpaying some affiliates who can operate effectively at a lower rate, or in contradiction – not underpaying other affiliates who can provide high promotions for attractive prices.

(!) Solution: analyze the market, determine what rates your competitors are offering, and go for an above-average price. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to use hybrid commission types, as this is the best way of keeping your commission plans flexible and easy to navigate.

6. Showing incomprehensive reports

We have already discussed how doubtful and suspicious some affiliates can become if you don’t provide them with enough information. But can we blame affiliates for trying to be alert in this field of work? Of course not. There will be misunderstandings and distrust if the affiliate manager refuses to clarify the situation. That’s why affiliates must be aware of their players’ moves and know the exact amount of people they bring to you every month.

(!) Solution: transparency is key! Be clear and concise with your affiliates, and for the best results provide them with our iGaming affiliate program that they can use to track their players and always be aware of their results. Don’t hide the results from your affiliates, or they may decide to stop including you in their following projects.

7. Using an obscure software

While talking about affiliate programs, let’s also talk about choosing the most suitable software for you. First of all, always remember that affiliates are used to high-end software and will refuse to work with obscure and questionable programs. That’s why when choosing an affiliate software, you always have to keep your affiliates’ comfort in mind.

(!) Solution: as an affiliate manager, learn to choose only the safe and easy-to-use affiliate programs. Be sure that it will be easily accessible for your affiliates while securing your data.

8. Not offering multiple currencies

Obviously, all of your affiliates live in different locations around the world. So, as we mentioned before, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the currencies you have to work with. You can’t have one currency convenient for every one of your affiliates. 

(!) Solution: always discuss every detail of the payments right from the beginning. Don’t hesitate to ask what currency is more suitable for your affiliates – and we promise they will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

9. Not sticking to your terms and conditions

An affiliate program’s Terms and Conditions contract will regulate your business relationships with your affiliates. Every professional affiliate manager knows how critical this contract is, not only for their operators but also for affiliates – this contract is mandatory, and not having one is very untrustworthy.

However, the most common concern regarding the Terms and Conditions for every affiliate is when operators update their terms without informing them. Not sticking with your policy terms or changing them without further notice can cause many problems, especially when you want to have a long-term work relationship with your affiliates.

(!) Solution: when you’re happy with the components of your Affiliate Program’s Terms and Conditions, make sure that the information is easy to access and all the new changes and updates are transparent. Always send newsletters to your affiliates containing all of the changes to avoid any confusion in the future.

10. High minimum withdrawal threshold

The payment threshold is a minimum limit you have to have on your account to withdraw the money you’ve earned. The problem with many iGaming operators is, ironically, a very high minimum withdrawal threshold. This may repulse many affiliates, as they would like to withdraw their earned money even if it isn’t too much.

(!) Solution: try to establish not a very high minimum withdrawal threshold that will be convenient for your affiliates. And we promise after the first withdrawal; your affiliates will become trustful and work for you more eagerly.

How PartnerMatrix Helps Affiliate Managers on Their Journey

PartnerMatrix is a powerful affiliate tool that covers everything needed to create an effective affiliate channel for your casino or gaming platform: payments, live data and marketing tools, segmentation and commission set up tools, as well as a unique anti-fraud system to protect your affiliate campaigns. PartnerMatrix allows you to create profitable affiliate marketing programs and build trustworthy and long-term relationships with your affiliates.

Conclusion

Even the most professional and experienced affiliate managers can face difficulties establishing connections with their affiliates: from sending payments on time to more delicate issues such as different backgrounds and comfort zones for each affiliate. Acknowledging these mistakes will help you avoid them in the future, thus establishing a transparent and trustful relationship from the very beginning that will go a long way both for your operator and your affiliates.