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The Forums At Poker Affiliate Listings - Blogs - Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/ An Poker Affiliate Forum and Community For Poker Affiliates To Discuss Poker Affiliate Programs en Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:02:50 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/images/styles/ShinyBlue/misc/rss.jpg The Forums At Poker Affiliate Listings - Blogs - Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/ Using Time Sensitive promotions to convert http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/1188-using-time-sensitive-promotions-convert.html Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:26:14 GMT Hey Guys, I made this article for the December CyberBingo Newsletter but since there's a lot of members here who don't receive it I thought it'd be cool to re-post here. We've been talking about conversions and limited time offers on the last few ALR podcasts. Wanted to catch your thoughts and feedback here!

Closing the Deal (and getting more new players)

A few weeks ago I was speaking with an affiliate and they were sharing with some of the frustrations they were having converting new players. Basically, they had done some nice work on SEO and were buying traffic (from PPC and Facebook ads) but had yet to see any results from their efforts. The number of impressions and hits was up but the commission was staying the same. They asked me to look at their site and give them some feedback on what they could change in order to convert more Visitors to Depositing Players.

There were a couple small design changes I suggested, moving a banner from here to there and placing a peel down at the top. However, what stood out to me the most (by not standing out at all) was the complete lack on a ‘Call to Action.’ The visitor really had no idea what the point of the site was or felt any urgency to take action. The review pages were listed in alphabetical order on the site and there was 1 rotating 468x60 banner stuck in there in the middle – this was a template design. I asked him, “what do you want people to do when they come here?” His answer to me was, “well, I’d like for them to pick on these rooms, click through my link and make a deposit.” Good Answer! But there was no real reason for them to do it! So what did I suggest he do…?

Simple, use the age old practice of Time Sensitive Marketing. In other words, let your visitors know that you have an incredible offer for them that’s fresh from one of the best bingo rooms online. This offer is only good for a short time and your site has the best deal available. Add a current banner that supports this offer and let them know it’s easy and free to get started. If they want to click through to another page to read about the sites history, payment options and other details that’s fine. Those reviews are great for content and SERP’s but don’t usually convert the best. Again, on these ‘review pages’ make sure you highlight the offer and urge them to take advantage of it now!

Right now in the affiliate section of the site you can download these new, time sensitive banners for your site. All 3 of our brands feature a themed First Time Deposit Bonus along with that month’s special promotion. This Christmas we’ve added a few new elements to our creatives that will give your players some incentive to get started. Log into the affiliate site and check them out now! ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/1188-using-time-sensitive-promotions-convert.html Educating = Converting for Bingo Players http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/979-educating-converting-bingo-players.html Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:33:49 GMT We're looking through some changes at CyberBingo this month and one area I've decided to pay special attention to was 'conversions' from sign-up to deposit. With new affiliates coming on to the brand it's important for me to make sure that when you're sending traffic we can convert them to real players.

From an operators side there are always a few things to consider. One is the process a player goes through after they sign up. Another is the ease of depositing options (credit card acceptance rates). Also the people on staff who follow up with emails and support can increase your numbers a lot depending on how good they are.

From an affiliate side the thing I am learning about more and more is the 'model' super bingo affiliates use to convert more traffic. It seems like to me the sites that have the 'right' information about a program always tend to do better; regardless of how much traffic they're getting (percentages are still the same). So Greg, what's the right formula?

First off an ordered list is a must. Bingo players don't need a ton of choices. They don't usually have a ton of accounts like Casino and Poker players tend too. I'd suggest 5 great rooms to promote ideally each on a different software platform. See which offer a good bonus, offer you a good commission and then are responsive to players. Any decent program can get you good banners and a logo so that isn't a major concern. Another strong selling point is an image of the software and games. People like to see what it looks like. If a program accepts Us players then a flag or friendly message is a plus. Another is presenting the offer (deposit bonus, etc) as time sensitive! To get this great deal you need to click through and deposit before this date.
As for the information list, here are what I feel are the essentials. I'll use Cyber below as an example:

CyberBingo Facts:

* Min Deposit: $20
* Free Bingo Bonus Money: $100 (up to $300)
* Deposit bonuses available: Yes
* 1st time Deposit Bonus: $300
* 1st time Deposit Bonus Max Amount: $300
* Currencies accepted: USD, GBP
* E-mail Support: info@cyberbingo.com

There really isn't much along with a decent review (300-400 words) in case someone wants to read it. Most of this is for SEO. I can't stress the importance of a small list here. Both for the rooms you're presenting and the info about each one. Players are looking for a great deal that's trustworthy, not the in depth history of a program!

Educating players on how to make a deposit is another key to conversions. Bingo players are less savvy than other gamblers in general. Having a link from each review page to your 'How to Deposit and Withdraw' pages are both great for converting and for ranking! Remember, it's last cookie dropped :) Make them come to your site for information on cashing in!
Hope this helps, please shoot me any ideas or question anytime. Go get some bingo business while it's still a wide open market! ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/979-educating-converting-bingo-players.html PartyGaming, Ohio: Wong vs. Party Lawsuit http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/974-partygaming-ohio-wong-vs-party-lawsuit.html Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:28:54 GMT I get these legal updates from I Rose Nelson periodically and today's I felt like I needed to share with everyone. I think it's interesting that Nelson says this case might not leave a legal precedent. I'm still going through this all in my head but my takeaway is that that state courts dont really understand this (pertaining to the UIGEA) and it's easier to pass off to the jurisdiction being questioned - here Gibraltar. I'd be interested to know what the decision had been if the party being sued was a sportsbook or US friendly poker room? Good read.

Gambling and the Law®:
Trial in Gibraltar or Jail in Ohio

“If we read Ohio law as controlling the contract in question, the parties probably are guilty of a crime under Ohio law, the contract is void, and both parties could be extradited and prosecuted together in an Ohio criminal court."
Gilbert Stroud Merritt, Jr., Concurring, in Wong v. PartyGaming

A year ago, I wrote that, "Party Poker won a nice victory in federal court in Ohio, because its Terms and Conditions say that all disputes will be heard in the courts of Gibraltar."

The losers at the trial level appealed. The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has now issued its ruling, upholding Party Poker's win.

But one of the justices, 73-year-old Gilbert Stroud Merritt, Jr., from Tennessee, wrote a separate concurring opinion. He agreed that Party Poker should win. But his reasoning fits the old saw, "With friends like this, you don't need enemies."

The suit was started by two plaintiffs, Rose Wong and Patrick Gibson, who claimed they had lost money because Party Poker knowingly allowed other players to team up against them.

If they ever get to trial -- and they never will -- they will probably lose. They claim that Party Poker's “Collusion Prevention Statement,” warning about collusion and describing the ways it tried to eliminate colluding players, somehow proved that Party Poker did nothing to prevent collusion.

Wong and Gibson filed the suit as a class action. Meaning they were not merely asking for the small amount of money they said they lost through collusion. Rather, they wanted the millions of dollars they claimed everyone had lost. The risk was real. All they needed was a sympathetic judge and a runaway jury, which they might get in Ohio.

Fortunately for Party Poker, its Terms and Conditions stated that players “irrevocably agree to submit, for the benefit of the Company, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Gibraltar for settlement of any disputes...”

The Ohio federal trial judge, Ann Aldrich, held the plaintiffs were bound by this "forum selection clause." Plus, under the doctrine of forum non conveniens, the case should be heard in Gibraltar, for the convenience of the parties and witnesses and in the interest of justice.

Of course, two of the parties would be really inconvenienced: Wong and Gibson. Not only would they have to fight this in Europe, they probably could not bring it as a class action. And there would be no chance of a runaway jury, because Gibraltar does not allow juries in cases like this.

So, Wong and Gibson appealed.

The case raised a legal question that has not yet been answered: should federal or state law decide whether parties are bound by forum selection clauses?

Although this seems like, and is, a technicality, the answer will determine whether cases are heard where plaintiffs filed them, which is almost always near their own homes, or in foreign countries.

The majority of the three judge panel agreed with most of what Judge Aldrich had decided. Looking at all the factors in detail, they held that the case had to be heard in Gibraltar.

But the concurring opinion of Judge Merritt, quoted above, should give all Internet poker operators and players some nightmares. He ruled that the case had to be heard in Gibraltar, because to allow Ohio state law to apply would mean Wong, Gibson and everyone working for Party Poker would have to go to jail!

No one had raised the issue of whether Internet poker was illegal. "But sometimes courts have to raise embarrassing questions that both parties to litigation had rather we overlooked."

I don't think this will be cited as a precedent. But, it shows it is not only important to choose the right court, but also the right judge.

END
© Copyright 2010. Professor I. Nelson Rose is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on gambling law and is a consultant and expert witness for players, governments and industry. His latest books, INTERNET GAMING LAW (2nd edition just published), BLACKJACK AND THE LAW and GAMING LAW: CASES AND MATERIALS, are available through his website, www.GAMBLINGANDTHELAW.com. ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/974-partygaming-ohio-wong-vs-party-lawsuit.html PAL is a busy place now! http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/957-pal-busy-place-now.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:02:38 GMT Hey Guys, we've been seeing some serious traffic this past month and I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for being so supportive of the community! The posts lately have been really excellent and the amount of quality info and tips shared is pretty amazing. Every day there is something new happening in this industry and I can always find it withing a few hours right here! Great work Jeremy, Brandon and all the moderators. Keep up the good work.

]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/957-pal-busy-place-now.html 5 Things: Not at a Conference this week http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/921-5-things-not-conference-week.html Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:27:57 GMT For everyone who is a member of PAL this week is going to be an interesting one. You’re basically in one of two categories. You’re either attending... For everyone who is a member of PAL this week is going to be an interesting one. You’re basically in one of two categories. You’re either attending the BAC (Budapest Affiliate Conference) or you are at home doing the normal. Most affiliate managers and program representatives will be away from their computers and limited on providing much assistance this week.

I happen to be at home this week and wanted to share some insights on things to do when you’re not at an industry conference. This was a learning process for me in particular, being at the 80% of the gambling affiliate related shows over the past five years.

Five things to do this week while everyone else is in Hungary…

Simply your desktop (and your work lifestyle).

I have to attribute this particular thought to two influential people. One is our SEO guru and long time member Randy Ray for pointing out one of his favourite sites – unclutterer.com This site is a great place to come get inspiration and ideas on simplifying our everyday lives. Another is Leo Babauta of Zen Habits. He goes into an almost ‘religious’ way in which we can clean up our desktops and get motivated to act on the things that really matter.

If you’re in the position now where everything is running together (ie: you have 6 tabs open on your browser, 5 Skype boxes, Messenger going off, on a call, etc.) then chances are you’re not being as productive as you might think. If this is ‘just how you work’ then rethink things and see what’s a priority.
Zen Habits tip – Don’t use your email inbox as a priority list. Just because you received a message last doesn’t mean it’s the most important.

Access your own sites and domains.

Now’s the time to do this. You’ve been putting it off for weeks and months and letting good things expire and sit unattended. Make a list of which sites you have that aren’t achieving. See if there really is a market for that niche and what the top positioned portals for that niche are doing. If it’s impossible or doesn’t make financial sense to compete, drop them! Look at your domain names that are sitting there unused. Could a micro site or a partnership with a new affiliate help you make the most of that purchase? This goes along with Simplifying your life/work style. Take what has the most potential for success and devote more of your time and resources to it.

Brainstorm.

Everyone is away for a few days. This means you wont be getting as many emails and calls. Take the calm (before the storm) to see what comes to mind. Surf other peoples sites purely for ideas and inspiration. Take an extra 20 minutes to see how their developing those cool apps and improving their sites ‘call to action.’

Act on Something. Now!

So you’ve been thinking. You have some ideas, some untapped markets, some new features you’d like to add to your most productive or most potential sites. Develop a short, attainable course of action and go for it. Take the first step. If you’re excited about this new opportunity then go for it. Pull an all night work session and shut everything else out. Motivation comes in waves a lot of the time; when you’re excited about a new project get as much work done as you can before you level off back into normalcy.

Think outside the gambling box.

We’ve discussed this in detail on the radio show (affiliateliferadio.com) so I won’t go into major detail. If you have a chance download the show podcast and listen in. There are a lot of ways you can be making money online utilizing the same tools and principals as gambling affiliation. Read some blogs by web entrepreneurs (Shoemoney, Seth Godin, Copy Blogger, Dave Allen, etc). Look to these guys for ideas and for inspiration. Check out Warrior Forum and see what is moving. Check out Google Trends to see what is hot. Actually use your Twitter to start conversations with other marketers. They will love your insights into affiliate marketing and may share some amazing new verticals and opportunities with you in the process.

To all my friends in Budapest, have an amazing time. Take pictures and share what you learned with us here on the forums when you get back!

Greg Powell ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/921-5-things-not-conference-week.html TowerAffiliates Marketing Tools Overview http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/864-toweraffiliates-marketing-tools-overview.html Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:23:41 GMT I wanted to take everyone through a quick run through of the affiliate backend at TowerAffiliates (http://www.toweraffiliates.com) and point out some... I wanted to take everyone through a quick run through of the affiliate backend at TowerAffiliates and point out some of the tools that are available. I haven’t really seen this done too often in our industry and I think it’s nice sometimes to see what is out there and how it can be integrated into a marketing plan for your sites.

First off, TowerAffiliates is the affiliate arm of TowerGaming.com We offer poker (Ongame) and Casino (NetEnt), and have a new Sportsbook planned to launch this summer. Players can move funds to their poker and casino accounts through the website. There are loyalty programs on both the casino and poker side as well.

When you first log into the backend you’ll see a few marketing tools available on the left column. These include: banners, text links, email creatives, rss feeds and offline business card templates. There is also a section to set up a sub-affiliate tracker and of course view reports (four types).

Banners are broken into two main categories, Players and Webmasters. Once you choose your market you then select based upon which language you’d like the offer to be presented in. The most popular selection is the auto-updating banner (various sizes) in Global English. However, there are banners available in other languages as well such as German, Swedish, Lithuanian etc. If you have a site that is geo-targeted and you’re looking to increase conversions it’s always a good idea to choose a banner in the language most commonly spoken in that region. Google Analytics offers plenty of free reports that show where your traffic is coming from and the most common language and dialect spoken there. After picking the banner you like you’ll be able to chose the size and tracking link desired. Often times affiliates will set up separate trackers for different sites and campaigns. These are also a nice way to track which banner and offer is performing the best, and adjust internally to boost conversions. This is a very common practice used by super affiliates to tweak landing pages and boost clicks to deposit.

Next down the list is the Text Link section. In this section you can choose from 4 pre-written text links that have your tracking code built in. The wording used in these links has proven to be some of the best available for attracting new players. However, you can always alter the anchor text to whatever phrase you like. Simply copy and paste the code onto your sites and your link is plugged in. These have been shown to work well in correlation with a banner. For instance, some sites will use a small 240x120 banner to promote a deposit bonus and then follow up with a text link promoting the actual dollar amount for free. Mixing up your calls to action and tools are a great way to see what works best for your visitors.

One of my favourite tools are the Email HTML templates available on the site. For affiliates who collect email addresses and have a forum these can be a big help. It takes a lot of time and resources to create a quality mailer. Most affiliates will rely on their affiliate program to provide them with a good creative to use. I understand there is a science involved in converting through email. We have developed some great new email templates for you to use and their available now on the site. There are creatives made for the casino and poker room in both English and German. If you have an email list or even a forum that players go to for new offers and information then you will definitely want to check these out. When you select an email, your tracking code will be built in automatically.

As for RSS feeds, these are an excellent way to keep fresh content coming into the site. I always like placing a feed on my review pages as a way to inform players there is something to be won right now. If you have a review page for TowerGaming then I’d really encourage you to add the RSS feeds. One feed is for new poker tournaments and freerolls. Another popular feed is the Casino Jackpot feed. This is a must for anyone with a casino portal! Usually a solid review, a deposit bonus banner and a jackpot feed are all pieces of a successful offer page. I’ve even seen these used on landing pages and micro blogs as a way to provide updates and fresh news.
Twitter tip: Adding an RSS feed to your twitter account is a great way to provide news and info to your followers.
All the feeds on TowerAffiliates will have your tracker built in as well so there is no coding that needs to be done.

Offline marketing is still a very viable marketing tool in gaming. I knew of several large affiliates who would simply create a landing page (with no SEO) and distribute cards and flyers to players all over. We have developed some really clean business card sized adverts that you can download and use. These are great for in-house promotions and poker/casino pub meetups. If you’re often around potential new players then having one of these professional marketing pieces to send them home with can be a great way to convert a new player. Having something in hand, that tells them where to play and how to receive free money is a great marketing tool used by many of the largest retailers in the world. You never know when you’re going to run into a new player, so being prepared can add to your revenue.

Sub Affiliates can be an amazing source of income for many webmasters. On TowerAffiliates it’s easy to set up your own sub tracker and spread the word that there is a great new place to earn money from. Many affiliates are looking for a new program to promote that converts and takes care of their partners. You may even use some of the copy from this blog post if you like to attract new webmasters to the program – under your tracking link! Simply click on Sub Campaign tracking and add a tracker. There you can chose the tracker type and start earning money from other affiliates.

There certainly are more ways than this to promote our program; but this will give you a good idea of what is available right now. TowerAffiliates is a program that sees affiliates as the most important part of the marketing mix. I am always more than happy to check out your site and give you some ideas on how I feel we could be fit into the mix. If there is something you’d like that you don’t see available please feel free to email or PM me here on the forums. Thanks for all the support. I’ll be looking forward to seeing some responses!

greg@toweraffiliates.com | Skype: gregdpowell | AIM: gregdpowell

]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/864-toweraffiliates-marketing-tools-overview.html Amsterdam Affiliate Conference: Duex http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/829-amsterdam-affiliate-conference-duex.html Wed, 06 May 2009 17:02:04 GMT As of writing this review of the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference both Jeremy and I are in the air on the way back home. For me it’s the absolute best... As of writing this review of the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference both Jeremy and I are in the air on the way back home. For me it’s the absolute best place to recap the week before. I am not online, haven’t been home yet to get distracted and can’t be reached on the phone. It’s nice to actually zone out sometimes and think about what just happened. Lots of the time spent in Amsterdam is a blur, no matter how many trips you make there per year. This time around was no exception. However, taking into consideration the dynamics coming into this conference; many of people have decided that Amsterdam is for three things. Making more money for themselves when they get home, speculating about the nature of the online gaming industry, and taking in all the extra curricular activities the city has to offer. I’m not sure if that is the priority list, but I am positive it’s not in that particular order.

So I arrived early, Tuesday April 28th early. I repeated the sound judgement call I made a few weeks back for CAC. Get off the plane, get into a taxi and head the airport. Once I arrived I went upstairs to the nice but massively overpriced Hotel Okura. I threw my stuff in the room and washed my face. After that I headed downstairs to the hotel bar and ordered an €18 chicken sandwich with salad. Remember I did say this place overpriced. After being served the meal (which I am pretty sure was off a Children’s menu) they notified me that there are no hats allowed in the hotel. I stuck my Party Poker beanie in my jacket and ate up. I bet they wouldn’t have made Beyonce remove her fashion piece if she came by for a quick bite. Yeah, Beyonce was staying at the hotel. I didn’t see her, but Jeff from BestCasinoPartners.com had the opportunity to meet her.

Wednesday was a boring one. Basically I did some work on my laptop and watched a few more familiar faces stroll in. We did hit the A4U Expo as well for an hour. Thanks again to one of my favourite forum owners out there for the ‘press pass’ (Matthew Wood). Thursday was Queens Day so it was a good play to play it cool.

Alright, for anyone who knows or have searched on YouTube you know that Queens Day in Amsterdam is off the hook. It’s wild in the sense that even the locals who have been there 30+ years treat it like a shark swimming up on you from behind. It’s one of those surreal moments where every five minutes you’re going, “this is really happening.” If college was like this I would be completing my Masters and going for a PhD. These guys know how to party. Jeremy and I walked no less than 6 miles, drank no less than ½ liter of vodka and spent no less than 3 hours looking for a can back to the hotel at 3am that morning. It was a seriously good life experience.

How we got up for the show at a decent time still amazes me. There were people at the show Day 1 who had not been to bed yet. This industry is full of animals. I am not kidding you that dudes I work with at Tower Gaming should be in the Ironman. My ego was crushed by their stories of debauchery. Now I know why they understand gaming so well, they are simply just cut out for it. Overall I was pretty pleased with the show. Taking into consideration everyone actually was hoping for a bust so they could hit the internet forums it was a decent show. The most common complaint, outside the ASOP getting cancelled again, was that the show ‘wasn’t as big as London.’ Newsflash here to anyone savvy enough to read this far into the post. There are not going to be any more shows as big as CAP London 2009. I’ll call it now and put that speculation to rest. We had a killer lunch with PokerListings.com and I also had some fun with the usual suspects inside and outside the expo.

We did some stuff this night that I can’t remember. It must have included the Red Light District, pizza slices and Strongbow cider. I’m satisfied that sufficient enough of a recap.

Day Two was really enjoyable for me. I came to the show late and immediately got involved in a good discussion on SEO and geotargeting outside. There were solid search people here this time around and I really appreciate how open they were. We are going to bring a few on the radio if contracts permit. Enke and I made it a consistent 3 years running speaking at Affiliate Boot Camp about Poker Affiliate Strategies. It was your typical no holds barred approach to what relevant. We had a great turnout this time around also. The highlight of my show was a session attendee telling me this was ‘the best part of the show’ to him. I sincerely appreciated that and it made it definitely worth the while. I decided to reflect on my good nature immediately afterwards with a double Jack Daniels and Ginger Ale. Note: This trip I decided to change it up to mix the JD with ginger ale in an attempt to be creative. The jury is still out there.

Now this night was just silly. On so many levels it was crazy and fun and dangerous. It was totally irrational and everything you expect from the people behind this forum. As you guys know Jeremy is a bad gambler. Not in the sense he spends a lot, it’s just that his picks are as random as a monkey picking stocks. He had to watch the Kentucky Derby because he had money on the race. He just didn’t know which horses he had bet on. Degenerate.
We went to the Intertops party at the infamous (after Kyle Healey) Player’s Club right off Dam Square. This was a screw up on the conference planning group. Every event was within 4 blocks on the square; but our hotel was miles away. Anyway, we are going to going off a little on Intertops and a few other people this week on the radio show, so tune in. We have to drop some bombs every once in a while to keep it real and this will be no exception. We had a great steak dinner with our homeboys from Bodog and then settled in at the wildest sports bar I have ever witnessed. Jeremy is going to write 500 words about this very event so I wont go into too much details. Here are my Cliff Notes: Celtics Win, Cover Charge for a Fight we weren’t aware of, segregation, 27 mixed drinks, Hockey madness with Canadians, Bodog is a wild bunch (still), Thai people love boxing, the sun comes up at 7am in Amsterdam and Jeremy Enke misses another flight.

Sunday Bloody Sunday. We slept in some this day taking into account we were out till 8am the night before. I think we got up around 4pm or later actually. I was really hungry so we took showers and headed out. I am going to give everyone a chance to guess now where we went. It wasn’t the Van Gough museum. It wasn’t the Anne Frank house. It was the only place in Amsterdam you can actually get an Obama burger, the Red Light. Now, we aren’t total scumbags, we just know this area the best and have a good idea where food and drinks are. Alright, I tried. Seriously I was talking to Jeremy and both of us have been to Amsterdam more than any other city in Europe. If this whole gambling thing doesn’t pan out I always have a home as a RLD tour guide to fall back on. I had a good time tonight. I consumed the most dangerous thing of the entire trip this night even, a shot with orange juice. I am allergic to citrus fruit but the guys from Rounder Radio didn’t know this. I can’t blame them, it is kind of weird. I was being a baby after this and worrying so I headed back to the hotel It ended up being a good idea because we got up and made our flights. Before checking out the whole Tower Gaming crew did throw the Hotel Okura a few more bones. Five people ordering eggs with bacon and toast - $235.00 no joke. I did mention Beyonce was here so maybe it’s a Rockafella surcharge.

These reviews are hard to write. It’s almost like giving an awards acceptance speech; you’re inevitably going to forget someone you had a really good time with. It’s all about name dropping and talking shit about the parties you went to and who bought you bottle service. This review is more satire than just facts. I figured since there are maybe 3 good writers in the whole industry that go to shows I needed to do ‘my thing.’

Here is my conclusion, the trip was good. It was better than the previous CAC show and I would go back next year. I didn’t fight anyone, although Alex Pratt did insinuate I start one outside the conference. These shows are never going to be as big as they were in 2006. I am done with Amsterdam now till next year. I honestly need some time off. I am pretty boring dude at home so a solid week there is a stretch for me. I have a lot of really good friends in the business so from that aspect I always enjoy it. I talk to Enke about 4 hours every day as it is so that wasn’t too far off. He also asked my wife to have phone sex about 3 times this week (also standard). I had to run to catch my flight home after going through customs so right now I am good. I am going to take it easy tomorrow and look forward to seeing everyone else recap of the show. I am one word over 1,700 right now so it’s a wrap. Comments away… ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/829-amsterdam-affiliate-conference-duex.html Amsterdam Recap: A tribute to the Affiliate Lifestyle http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/802-amsterdam-recap-tribute-affiliate-lifestyle.html Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:13:56 GMT Before we all read the overly clichéd recap on other forums I’ll try my best here to deliver something closest to the truth about our experience at CAC Amsterdam 2009. Anytime there is a conference in The Netherlands you’re bound to come home with some hazy, piecing together the night type of recollection. This conference for me was a little of that, mixed with a little more of ‘you’ve been on this business too long’; more below.

So the trip started out with ambition. I was heading out on Saturday to arrive Sunday morning. I was going to bring my camera, blog daily on the forums and overall try and take over the show. These were some pretty good goals, and debatable that some of them were achieved.

Starting off Saturday morning I woke up to the most random, out of the Arctic snowstorm to ever hit Oklahoma in the twentieth century. All of the flights were cancelled and I was stuck trying to figure out a new way to get out before the conference started. It turns out that United must run the same schedule for American degenerates heading to Amsterdam daily as my new itinerary was the same, only leaving on Sunday. Short flight, long flight, duty free purchase (as seen in the image below) and then the train to the hotel. I arrived at 10am ready to sleep but with a full day to dredge through.

Day One was exactly what you would expect at a CAC Amsterdam show. There were a few people strolling around, a few more drinking water by the gallon due to the party the night before and others like me just checking in. Luckily I was scheduled to speak on Day 2 so I decided to hit my room for a much needed shower and change. Refreshed I headed back downstairs to catch all the gossip from the previous nights Operators Meeting. Turns out that I didn’t miss much; other than the annual 4 Mojitos I always drink on Sunday courtesy of Euro Partners.

I have to say that Day One at the conference was pretty boring. There was just a lot of the same topics being discussed as we always cover on both the forums and the radio show. In fact, listening back on the last session of Affiliate Life Radio I am positive more information comes from the show each week than any session at any gaming conference (period). We should start charging for downloads right lol?

The highlight of this day was definitely heading to the apartment/hostel/rehabilitation center that was being rented for the week by: Jeremy, JohnH, Kyle, Brandon and Steve. Honestly this place made me Déjà Vu. I was just watching an episode of Intervention on A&E before I took off Sunday. There was a mom all strung out of crack and she was jumping from house to house looking for a place with power. I sat there saying to myself, “this is pretty messes up, the places her family finds her must be upsetting.” I still think this but now in my mind it’s an image of Karen (Jeremy’s wife) saying the same thing when seeing the place he called home last week. The Krasnapolsky is no Ritz Carlton, but it might have well as been compared to the now infamous ‘Green House Effect.’ As John Holloway on the forums for pictures and be surprised.

Day Two was the fun night in Amsterdam. I had a great breakfast that day, gave two presentations (one with Jay Todd) and met with a friend of mine, Karim from RaketheRake.com. Always good to get feedback from the leading people in our industry and this was the day to do it. Popped out of the show around 1pm and had steaks with David from TowerGaming, Alex Pratt, Steve and Jeremy. This was another great talk and overall a good lunch. This day made the conference worth coming over for and it was refreshing to get back to business (cliché #1) before a night out. We all headed back inside to meet up with GoodKarmaKid, Kyle and a few others and headed into the final panel session aka Beer Session aka worthless hour of my life.

Before the conference there was obviously a lot of talk going on regarding where affiliates would spend a majority of their forum time. Where would gaming affiliates come to receive their PM’s and speak with their affiliate managers in a public dialogue? I’m not going to go into that here, but I think we have a pretty good idea now. If anything this helped CAC build some buzz and provided some background music to all the ‘business’ (are we back to it now) going on.

That night, after the conference ended was a blast. I mean we absolutely killed it in the streets of Amsterdam. We had a good dinner together at an Italian place with Giorgio, Stephen from Commission Account and the rest of the gang. This was of course after we drank way too much way too early at the Europub (thanks Jeremy for the drinks). Needless to say we found the Red Lights, the best/worst pizza stands and countless other wild encounters. I wrapped up the night with a 4am walk back to the hotel, drunk dialled my wife and crashed fully clothed in my over-priced, twin sized bed.

Day Three was also fun. It was low key but just what I needed. We sat around the apartment looking at each other trying to debate on seeing Ludacris in concert or the Holland Football match. We went into great debate and ended up just walking around and crashing a local Irish pub – with complementary drunk Irish soccer fans. I crashed out pretty early and split the next day.

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I could be off, but here is my take. There were around 300 people there, 75 affiliates and the rest operators. Jason Duke is a good speaker; we should have him speak more at these shows. White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO sessions are about the equivalent of watching 4 hours of Saved by the Bell (mildly entertaining but no value in life). For every topic in the booklet there were 3-4 other ‘agendas’ people had going in. The term ‘back to business’ is really annoying as no one is ready to do that yet. People looking to start new forums remind me of the same drunk people who crash a wedding trying to catch the bouquet thrown out from the bride. Affiliates really want some more to come home with when they leave a show. If someone can figure out how to deliver on that again they will be very popular. Affiliate Programs who book small venues and buy drinks for 3-4 hours never get a dollar in return out of their investment. It’s a good idea for conference organizers to reward their speakers with something. I’d be down with a free meal even, pen set, post it pad, anything. I’ll do it all again in 3 weeks. Now I am going back to bed. ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/802-amsterdam-recap-tribute-affiliate-lifestyle.html Bingo Audience 2.0 – Selling to Men and Younger Women http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/744-bingo-audience-2-0-selling-men-younger-women.html Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:04:30 GMT Before I get started here let me say that for most sites the majority of players are still women aged 35 and up. I would say this demographic has... Before I get started here let me say that for most sites the majority of players are still women aged 35 and up. I would say this demographic has declined in comparison (not in volume) over the past 3 years and will continue to do as the games popularity grows.

I was looking over some of the larger bingo rooms this week and I am starting to see a shift in the way some of the sites have been redesigned to appeal to a more broad audience. Three years ago every bingo site was designed with a pink background, an middle aged women holding some cash and a bright white or yellow button promoting ‘free cards’ or spins. While some sites have been successful with this strategy and are hesitant to change; others like SunBingo and Ladbrokes have adapted a new marketing strategy. They are incorporating more of an unbiased gender approach and even have a few men on the homepage. They are emphasising their slot games, jackpots and other money makers that affiliates should be excited about as well.

Certainly there still needs to be a focus on the traditional bingo market in any good bingo portal. However, many men and younger females are starting to enjoy the games and can make you quite a bit of extra money. When a 28 year old woman hits a page that looks like it was designed for her grandmother (or 2 year old daughter) she is going to have a hard time being interested in the offers. Likewise when a man comes to the site he will also be turned away from the one-sided marketing angle. This isn’t going to be where you make the majority of your money; however designing a site that is appealing to a mass audience can help you boost your earnings by 30%

Like I discussed in the previous post traditional bingo hall demographics can give you a start on who you’re going after. If you visit a local bingo hall you might be surprised to see the number of men that are playing! I would imagine from what I’ve experienced there will be about 25% men watching the balls drop. Best of all men are notoriously more compulsive to play bigger games and more video poker than the women who will let their deposit last all month. The number of men who come to your site may be smaller, but their profit margin could be much bigger. In markets like Spain and Portugal men actually play bingo online more than women. This is another one of many interesting facts you’ll discover when you start translating your site into different languages and utilizing country specific promotions and landing pages.

The goal of this post is to point out how narrow focused the majority of bingo portals are. As programs start to develop new markets and attract new players (men and young women) you will reap the rewards of having a portal that isn’t splashed with pink dots and cute images; but rather clean design and a compelling call to action! ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/744-bingo-audience-2-0-selling-men-younger-women.html Conversions: Call to Action and Making Money http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/735-conversions-call-action-making-money.html Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:16:27 GMT A call to action is simply showing your customers “the next step” if they are interested in doing business with you. They will make a deposit, set up... A call to action is simply showing your customers “the next step” if they are interested in doing business with you. They will make a deposit, set up an account or place an order on your website. A call to action is what makes you money. This is a conversion.

I used to spend a lot of time reading through the forums at WickedFire.com and speaking the owner on AOL. The guy was pretty smart and seemed to attract the true black hat, banned from every email server type of dudes that you’d really like to get advice from. He introduced me to Eli from BlueHatSeo.com as well and kept me from wasting my time reading through the pure garbage put out there by our resident ‘seo gurus in the gambling industry. One thing that I learned while spending time there was a real call to action is what separates the men from the boys in the conversion metric.

We all love to use Google Analytics and sift through the wonderful stats it gives us. Time spent on site, average click through rate, how many people visited from India etc. all makes us wonder what we’re really doing to drive traffic. We get excited when the graph resembles that of a site on the rise and then scratch our heads when we check the mailbox and there aren’t any checks in there. What are the successful webmasters doing that we aren’t? We’re writing pages and pages of content, ranking well for keywords and trading links with some really popular sites? The answer may be this; you’re not leading your visitor to making a decision – a decision that makes you money!

Without sounding like a John Chow blog or posting a $100k Google adsense check I’ll try and draw some insight and get straight to the point. Before jumping into the examples I am going to say most of this info was learned via the back hatters out there who for years abused the system and created thousands of MFA (made for adsense) blogs and ran network of spammy, program driven content generated sites. Did they want to sell anything? No. Did they attract tons of traffic and lead people to click on the cleverly disguised adsense copy? Yes. These are the people who checked their mailbox and found the big checks and a complementary Shoemoney t-shirt to boot.

Another great example of leading people to click, deposit or pay for your product are the infamous long landing pages often attached to an Adwords campaign. Search for ‘debt consolidation tips’ and click on the sites on the right column. You’ll cost them some money but it’s for the sake of learning. What you’ll see here are 1 page sites that want you to do one thing; enter your information in and become a customer. Whether these guys are selling leads, getting commission for real customers or simply email marketers who are going to bomb you with every relevant offer possible they are all mastering one thing. They are getting you to make a decision and make them money.

In the gambling space we have some additional barriers. One is we can not use Google Adwords campaigns (in the States) and we also have a ton of competition around us. Don’t be fooled into think that the debt, finance and pharmaceutical affiliates have it any easier. However, our customers often need more information and are usually savvy to the fact they know their business is valuable. Online gambler want to know that they can successfully make a deposit and withdraw in a timely manner, that there is a nice bonus for their business, that there is plenty of action on the site and that it’s a safe room to play at. Often times webmasters will provide so much information and news/stories that they loose site of converting that visitor into a customer. Players get lost in the forums and reading through the news and then leave to actually find a deal. They see your banners; they just aren’t going to click on them. All of a sudden that 2:32 average time spent on your site isn’t making you any additional income.

So what can you do to increase conversions, boost your profits and start re-investing into new sites that follow the same strategy? You start by designing your site to convert the players who came there for your content. They came through a search, an ad, a linkback or a post. You know they are the right demographic, now it’s up to you make them play (and pay). Some of this is done by presenting them the right information. They are looking for the basics, and then they are looking to be ‘sold’ on your picks. Just like how a bookie makes money by convincing you here and now is the time to play; so will you do on your own sites.

Keep your design simple, clean and easy to navigate. Players are looking for your picks and where you think they should play. Display this information in an ordered way. I like to have a graph or chart that shows 4-5 different rooms and what differentiates them. Maybe one is best for a biog bonus, one is easiest to clear. One poker room might have the highest guaranteed games and one site may be the loosest action online. Whatever your niche is you’ll be able to create 4-5 selling points and then become an expert on those particular rooms. Unless your BonusWhores.com or PokerListings then I wouldn’t worry about listing 200 programs. Your visitor wants to make a deposit today, at one new room. Don’t bombard them with information and too many choices. Cal them to make a decision, take action and start making you money.

Having a professional design is another major advantage you have over the competition. You’re not in the position to be a GamesandCasinos.com and throw up a 1999 template and still earn cash. You’re going after a new breed of players. These are players who know what rakeback is, what a reload bonus is and where they can get into a rake race or guaranteed event. Bloggers who used templates where ads were professionally placed and were not intrusive to the visitor did substantially better than those who went with a picture based, massive header, and 500+ site blogroll did. Likewise webmaster who created a clean, organized way to list their programs with the advantages each one had are doing better than those affiliates who list tons of programs with generic reviews do. I’ll post some design examples below that I find very well and leave you with your creative juices flowing for the comments below. ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/735-conversions-call-action-making-money.html Part One – Learning to enjoy the game (enough to promote it) http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/30-part-one-learning-enjoy-game-enough-promote.html Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:01:24 GMT Have you ever been to a casino and sat down for an hour to play a few games of bingo? If you have and you also promote online gambling then you’re in... Have you ever been to a casino and sat down for an hour to play a few games of bingo? If you have and you also promote online gambling then you’re in the minority. Just one in every 10 webmasters who promote online bingo has actually played the game in person. What this results in is a bunch of websites (portals) that all have the same information. Everyone is simply reading what everyone else has to say and putting it into their own words.

Now, you don’t have to be passionate about bingo in order to make money promoting it. I know several very successful webmasters who promote several different products; and do very well at it. However, these diversified affiliates use email marketing as their primary medium to reach their audience. Writing an email and choosing the correct subject lines are easier than creating a compelling website and keeping fresh content coming. If you are serious about promoting bingo then I would suggest taking at least one night to head to your local bingo hall and talk with the patrons there. You might be surprised what they are into – and you might be able to conduct a little marketing in the meantime.

Most webmasters who promote online poker also play the game, or used to. Likewise most casino affiliates have once in their life pulled a slot machine arm. No question this makes it a little easier to write content, know what players like to see and chose where and how to call your visitors to action. I have had countless affiliates ask me “where do I even start” when building their first bingo portals. This is primarily due to the fact that they have no clue who an online bingo player is or what they are interested in. They know there is money to be made in bingo and there isn’t a ton of competition. The reason these two facts remain true is because webmasters simply don’t know where to start!

Step one is doing some initial research. Check out your local bingo hall and start reading through the forums that bingo players frequent. The less ‘spammy’ Yahoo groups that are devoted to bingo will show you real life examples of who the players are and what sort of things they enjoy. A lot of players are very casual and enjoy paid subscription skill games. Massive gaming communities like Pogo.com contain the exact demographics you’re looking for in a website visitor. Bingo is a culture more than a get rich quick game like slots. The players love the fact that they can win money; but they are equally as interested in the ‘attractions’ outside just the balls dropping. They are interested in chat room (and moderators) and in the players themselves. It’s amazing to me that more of a social networking environment hasn’t been incorporated into the game as of yet. I am sure that the major operators are keeping this in mind with their 09’ re-designs. You as a webmaster should be as well!

Simple portals still work well for bingo. As you start working on your new site this week keep in mind a few things. One, these are real people who are interested in things other than a deposit bonus. Two, they are however interested in winning money; so don’t leave that out! Thirdly make sure that you have options available for different spending levels. Some players are looking for free cash, some are looking for a small match bonus and others are looking to get the biggest bang for their buck and play for a month on their initial deposit. Lastly make it easy to navigate. Bingo players aren’t the most savvy web users (they are not idiots either). Make sure that you clearly explain which programs are best and why. Also explain how to make a deposit and how to make a withdraw. Online Bingo is a booming business and it’s time to take your piece of the gold rush!

Author: Greg Powell
Greg is the Casino Affiliate Manager for Tower Gaming. He has run his own bingo portals and was the founder of the online bingo room BingoSuite.com He has been involved in affiliate marketing and online gaming since 2003. ]]> Greg http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.com/forums/blogs/greg/30-part-one-learning-enjoy-game-enough-promote.html