The Forums At Poker Affiliate Listings - Blogs - Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/ An Poker Affiliate Forum and Community For Poker Affiliates To Discuss Poker Affiliate Programs en Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:16:43 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/images/styles/ShinyBlue/misc/rss.jpg The Forums At Poker Affiliate Listings - Blogs - Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/ From AM to affiliate, Life on the other side... http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/851-am-affiliate-life-other-side.html Fri, 29 May 2009 12:53:27 GMT You might have seen on my PAL/CAL profile that i now work on the affiliate side, although i feel i always worked for you as an AM anyway ;) Now is... You might have seen on my PAL/CAL profile that i now work on the affiliate side, although i feel i always worked for you as an AM anyway ;)

Now is the time to share my experience after a couple of weeks working at this very successful poker affiliate which is www.PokerStrategy.com with the hope you'll get inspired for your own affiliate business.

PokerStrategy.com started through eSport and what once was a small internet community of eSport gamers with a passion for poker, has grown in the biggest poker school in the world. The owner got contacted by games company to be sponsored; this is when he had the idea to use a similar model with poker.

Now about the reasons why it became so successful and how you could take PS as a model:
  1. PS were among the first to go through the free bankroll route: find your niche
  2. PS know they're good at what they're doing and do not get distracted: focus on your skills
  3. PS keep working hard to be even better at what they already are very good at: keep improving to maintain the advantage
  4. PS add a huge value to their members: do more than a simple listing of the rooms you promote
  5. PS treat their members as if they were their own players (not the operators´s): give your players good reasons to come back to your site
  6. PS becomes every day more influential in the poker business: go out there and network with fellow affiliates or other people in the industry
And in addition, it's definitely a fun company to work for!! What i do there is quite similar to being an affiliate manager. It opens my horizons though as there are many other great targets than poker sites working really well for us. Anyway i'll always be around in PAL and although it's currently tough to attend all affiliates with our current system don't hesitate to get in touch! It's an interesting brand to feature, with clearly a different positioning from operators. Have a look at what Giorgio is doing on Poker for Free ;) But don't copy him okay?

See you all around here on PAL.

Geof ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/851-am-affiliate-life-other-side.html Good reasons to go (back) to Amsterdam http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/801-good-reasons-go-back-amsterdam.html Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:56:45 GMT Go to the AAC (http://www.amsterdamaffiliateconference.com/) at the end of April beginning of March; here are a couple of good motivations: -... Go to the AAC at the end of April beginning of March; here are a couple of good motivations:

- Affiliate Series of Poker will take place there
- nice occasions to look into other verticals thanks to a4expo europe
- huge exhibitor list to meet more AMs, among which myself and the rest of bet365 aff team, email or PM to set up a meeting!
- Alex from iGaming business (not CAP, to be precised for some of you ;) ) has always proven to organize amazing events
- no way you can miss Queen's day, one of European city wide huge event not to miss to honor the birthday of the nation's Queen. From my personal experience i can tell you it's worth seeing and participating!!

Before CAC Amsterdam i posted some advice on on the sister forum CAL some advice on how to prepare meetings with AMs.

There's another great thread on CAL started by Greg where fellow affiliates give their thoughts on how they feel about the dialogue between affiliates and their AMs

It might be worth reading, because after CAC it's time to go (back for some of us) to Amsterdam at AAC.
For those who are just back from CAC, take a good rest and get ready to go again!

Will you go to Amsterdam for the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference ?
I hope so, because i want to meet with you and have a chat, to get to know what it takes to make / improve business with you. ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/801-good-reasons-go-back-amsterdam.html How to use Direct Download tracking URLs http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/752-how-use-direct-download-tracking-urls.html Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:45:53 GMT I thought the best way to announce that this functionality is now live at bet365 affiliates is to provide some tips on how to use it to optimize the... I thought the best way to announce that this functionality is now live at bet365 affiliates is to provide some tips on how to use it to optimize the boost in conversion rates it provides.

As an affiliate, to make the most out of the new links, I would ensure my review:
  1. is extensive, this will reduce the urge your visitor has to visit the operator site and therefore get rid of at least one step in the sign up process.
  2. adds so much value to your visitor that they want to play RIGHT NOW.
  3. smartly directs your visitor to the call to action "download now".
  4. still gives the choice to your visitor to visit the operator's site; some visitors will always want to have a look.
  5. is updated with the latest offers; there is a life after conversion, your players would be disappointed not to find the offers you mention on your site and therefore they will not play and not earn you any commissions.
This is very effective on poker, but as well in casino. Casino players who play through the downloaded version generate more revenue than the ones playing on the flash games.

If you have any trouble finding Direct Download links in your affiliate account let me know and I will be pleased to help you.

Share your experience using direct download tracking URLs here, i'm looking forward to reading your comments! ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/752-how-use-direct-download-tracking-urls.html If i were an affiliate, i would... http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/741-if-i-were-affiliate-i-would.html Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:47:09 GMT Today i thought i would share a couple of tips. Eventually i will go back to being an affiliate, and i would start this way: 1. find a topic that... Today i thought i would share a couple of tips. Eventually i will go back to being an affiliate, and i would start this way:
  1. find a topic that really interests me, that will help writing content
  2. choose a niche in that topic, and become the authority in that niche
  3. choose a brandable domain name with my niche keyword and another short cool word, so that visitors can remember and relate to my brand
  4. write loads of content focusing on secondary keywords on different pages, i know content is king
  5. have the meta title include the primary keyword of each page, doh
  6. write kick ass meta description with calls to action to encourage clics, re-doh
  7. use the main keyword of each page in a header tag, doh again
  8. repeat the main keyword in normal paragraph, have i said "doh" already?
  9. write for my visitors, search engine algorithms do not have money to buy my products
  10. have a blog section on my site, best way to add fresh content, to show my personality, my know-how on the topic...
  11. ask my visitors to subscribe to my blog, that turns them into loyal visitors and encourages repeat business
  12. write regular posts for my blog, good for search engines and my blogs subscribers
  13. add value to my visitors, i want to be somewhat different don't i ?
  14. use calls to action, to tell my visitors what i want them to do
  15. create an ergonomic web design, i want my visitors to naturally click on "buy"
  16. focus on conversion, i want ALL my visitors to buy my product, subscribe to my blog, give me their email address, and recommend my product to their friends
  17. make use of breadcrumbs, my visitors will navigate easily and search engines will be guided to index my content
  18. host my site on my own server or virtual server, i don't want a poor environment to hurt my rankings nor a poor server to not display my content
  19. use analytics tools to know what works or not and keep improving my site
  20. constantly work on link-building, that's a never ending story
  21. listen to Matt Cutts and Jeremy Enke, they are the authorities in their fields
  22. stay on the white hat SEO side for my main domain, i don't want to take any risks with that one
  23. use right anchor text for linking, with the right keyword for the right page, making sure to have variations of anchor text keywords and not link everything to my home page; link building is so time consuming i'm better off doing it right from the start
  24. build a network of sites pointing to my main domain, as a way to create authority to my own site
  25. use keyword rich urls of sub niche for my network of other sites, keyword rich URLs do facilitate high rankings
  26. work hard, be patient and consistent, it's too easy to be discouraged
  27. set realistic goals, i want to see and measure my progress
  28. want to be a full time affiliate to have the time to do all of this, and more...
  29. attend to conferences to put a face on the names of the people i work with regularly and share some beers
  30. network with other knowledgeable affiliates or other actors in my industry, i can learn a lot from them
  31. learn from my mistakes to not repeat them and gather experience
  32. complete my set of missing essential skills (whether SEO, marketing, programming, copy-writing, ...), to reduce my dependence and/or understand better what i have to ask for when i need to buy services from someone else
  33. work with carefully chosen affiliate programs, to ensure i get the best converting products and affiliate services
  34. use offline marketing techniques, there are customers out there as well
  35. plan what are the next hot stuffs to promote in advance, to be the first to offer these to my visitors
  36. diversify and repeat the above

There' certainly more to say so if you want to add your bits and pieces please add your comments!
And if you were to write a "if i were an affiliate manager" post i'd be happy to read it ;) ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/741-if-i-were-affiliate-i-would.html 7 tips to make the best out of affiliate systems http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/716-7-tips-make-best-out-affiliate-systems.html Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:45:30 GMT No affiliate system is perfect and usually affiliate managers work hard to improve its functionality. But it seems many affiliates disregard what... No affiliate system is perfect and usually affiliate managers work hard to improve its functionality. But it seems many affiliates disregard what they have at hand. It's probably because they have to deal with many different systems and i understand it can be a hassle. But i thought i would share here a couple of tips which would work on most programs.

1. Use the hosted creative gallery if you can.
The affiliate program will update the banner for you on your site to ensure the most accurate message is displayed. In some cases rotating banners programmed to display such or such banner depending on your visitor's behavior will boost conversion rates. But use it if you're confident that the hosted gallery is reliable (no downtime, ...)

2. Login into your affiliate account regularly.
And look for promotional texts. They might be hidden in some programs but usually they would give you valuable information about the hot stuff to promote.
Usually you would also find there the latest news from the program, ie. newsletters, etc...

3. Use the right tracking URLs.
It seems to be a no-brainer but a tracking URL landing on the sportsbook page will not convert as much if your site is poker oriented. So test the tracking URLs, check where they land and use the best one for your content. If the systems propose deeplinking use it!! Imagine your content is dedicated to poker tournaments; sending your traffic to the tournament schedule page of the room will convert better.

4. Use different trackers for your different campaigns.
Campaigns can be a newsletter to your members, a specific banner placement, a particular editorial, your different URLs... This concept of campaigns is infinite, just be creative. Ask your AM to give you more if you used all the default ones allocated to you. In some cases you can create them at will.

5. Analyze your stats.
They can tell you much about what converts and what not. And as per point 4. you used different trackers for your different campaigns you can fine tune your strategy by analyzing what works or not. Ask your AM if she/he believes a specific tactic would work or not!

6. Update your details.
Enter or update correct contact details so your affiliate manager can get in touch easily with you. The more info you give to your affiliate manager the better she/he can support you. Don't hesitate to tell your AMs what you currently work on and what are your goals.

7. Be nice to your affiliate manager.
Yes, we are human beings but work all the time with the system itself. Naturally you'll get better support when relations are good ;)

Which innovations would you like to see in affiliate systems? ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/716-7-tips-make-best-out-affiliate-systems.html more details about our new VIP programme http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/27-more-details-about-our-new-vip-programme.html Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:13:44 GMT I thought i would add some details about it as it generated loads of questions. See my first post about the benefits of our VIP program... I thought i would add some details about it as it generated loads of questions. See my first post about the benefits of our VIP program.

As you will see there are 3 stages indicated;

1) Play Your Game – explains how merit points are earned, where they can be viewed and at what rate they are paid. N.B. Merit points are earned at the same rate now for all VIP levels.

2) Earn Merit Points – Explains that higher VIP’s get better rewards for their merit points (rather than earning them faster as before), also shows what benefits each VIP level (Bronze, Silver, Gold & Platinum) can earn each month and how many MP’s they needed to have earned the previous month to attain each level. The page also includes a brief description of our ‘Diamond Club’, for the very special chosen few.

3) Get Your Rewards – At present customers can convert MP’s into either tourney tokens or cash (plans are in place to offer prizes, land based buy ins, etc). As you will see this is dependent on VIP level and the more they convert the better rate they get (encouraging them to hold on to their MP’s for longer). To claim their prize they click on the ‘Claim Now’ icon, they then complete a form and submit it, this generates an email to the Gaming mailbox. N.B. Each account can only claim one prize per month.

Any comments? ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/27-more-details-about-our-new-vip-programme.html Blogs on PAL: nice surprise http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/23-blogs-pal-nice-surprise.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:49:16 GMT I'm just back from London, and what a surprise to see this great blog functionality!!

I always dreamt to have a place like this where i could share ideas with the poker affiliate community...

So many thanks to Jeremy for this great innovation!! I was not very keen on doing too much of a hard work just coming back from London (a bit knackered), so this is just perfect for today ;)

Oh, and thanks to all the guys i was lucky enough to meet out there, and let's keep in touch!

I believe all affiliates should maintain a blog on their sites, it just adds so much value!! Show your personality, your know-how and build trust!

What other goals do you have with your blogs? ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/23-blogs-pal-nice-surprise.html new VIP Program at bet365: more transparency, more rewards http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/22-new-vip-program-bet365-more-transparency-more-rewards.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:34:30 GMT Poker at bet365 keeps innovating: after of our Million Dollar Mission... Poker at bet365 keeps innovating: after of our Million Dollar Mission we are pleased to launch our new VIP program.

Here is the sum up of the key benefits:

All ambiguity now removed:
- Single merit point earning band
- Fewer and better VIP levels
- Transparent and simple-to-understand rewards
Much better rewards:
- Cash and token rewards based on total Merit Points only
- Up to $150,000 cash reward!
- Superb VIP rewards when players are upgraded
- Luxury holidays to win and special VIP Account Manager service
Seamless:
- Players keep their old points – converted into the same value in the new system
- No need to do anything except play! We’ve made sure old points have provided players a head start in the new system
- Easier VIP levels – now Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum – something everybody can relate to.
Visit Poker at bet365 for details.

I believe VIP programmes are the alternative to rakeback, but that so far no operators really tried to make up a clear offer to make them work.

I just created another post expalining more details about the VIP: check it our here

And you, what do you think of the existing VIP programmes out there? ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/22-new-vip-program-bet365-more-transparency-more-rewards.html New depositor freerolls at bet365: an extra incentive to the deposit bonus http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/21-new-depositor-freerolls-bet365-extra-incentive-deposit-bonus.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:21:57 GMT In addition to our 200% up to $600 bonus, we have added an extra incentive for players to deposit: the new depositor freeroll. This weekly tournament... In addition to our 200% up to $600 bonus, we have added an extra incentive for players to deposit: the new depositor freeroll. This weekly tournament has a $1,000 prize-pool (every Wednesday at 19h30 GMT).

In addition, the top 100 finishers qualify for our Monthly New Depositor Freeroll (Last Day of Each Month at 19h30 GMT). Another $2,000 is up for grabs here, and players can win a share of it free of charge!

To increase the excitement in the New Depositor Freerolls, a bet365 Bounty player will join the field. The player Knocking our bounty player will earn a $22 Tournament Token for use in the event of her/his choice.

See all details on bet365

This is an extra step which bet365 makes to get your players to deposit, and i'm convinced that will prove effective ;)

What do you think are effective methods to encourage players to deposit? ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/21-new-depositor-freerolls-bet365-extra-incentive-deposit-bonus.html Million Dollar Mission at bet365: the best place to rake on iPoker in February http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/20-million-dollar-mission-bet365-best-place-rake-ipoker-february.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:16:22 GMT You really do not want to miss this awsome promo: poker at bet365 takes the iPoker Febonanza $400,000 and turns it into a $1,000,000, creating the... You really do not want to miss this awsome promo: poker at bet365 takes the iPoker Febonanza $400,000 and turns it into a $1,000,000, creating the Million Dollar Mission.

That means that winning players will earn a whopping 250% more at bet365 than on any other iPoker room!!

For example, the first placed finisher from any other iPoker room will win $20,000. However, if they earned their points on bet365 they'll walk away with $50,000!!

It is easily the best iPoker promotion you can find anywhere during February.

So, if you have any players who you think have the skill and inclination to make the final leaderboard standings you should do both of you a favour and send them at bet365.

This is a really simple proposition from bet365:

* We don't make any changes to the points structure or earnings formula, it's all as stated in the original iPoker promotion description.
* All raked hands earn points, regardless of stake levels, game type or bet type.
* The 300 players with the most points during February will receive money

See all details on our Million Dollar Mission here. ]]> Geof http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/geof/20-million-dollar-mission-bet365-best-place-rake-ipoker-february.html