Affiliate Interview Series | Mike - MMMikeP

[GPWA Aaron]

Age: 29
Hometown: Belfast
Living in: Glasgow
Favorite Food: Chinese
Must Read Book: Anything from the Game of Thrones series
Sites:
bingotakedown.com
worldmobilecasino.com

When did you launch your sites?
Winter 2013.

How did you become involved in the industry?
I was first introduced after delivering content marketing and link building services to gambling affiliates. The work was challenging and I enjoyed learning about video slots, mobile platforms and live dealers.

How long did it take for you to start earning money?
An AdWords campaign in the second month generated income. It felt very satisfying to acquire the first few depositors.

Your World Mobile Casino site is focused, quite obviously, on mobile casinos. How much has this sector grown in the last three years, in your opinion?
Outside of the major operators, finding a mobile casino three years ago was rather tough. Now there are so many choices. We’re getting to the stage where casinos without a mobile platform are starting to get left behind. From what I’ve heard, mobile accounts for approximately 20 percent of the market. That’s much too large to ignore.

Tell us a little about Prime Scripting, your marketing/copywriting agency. How does the income it generates for you compare to the income earned from your two gaming sites?
Prime Scripting spans content marketing, link building, SEO and social media. Prime is the clear provider for my business partner, Christian, and me. But the gaming sites are fantastic because they teach us about the challenges faced by our clients. And that’s invaluable because we do a lot of work in the gambling industry.

In addition to World Mobile Casino, you also have a bingo site (Bingo Takedown). Any particular reason these are the first two gaming verticals your sites are focused on? Any plans to expand to poker and/or sportsbooks in the future?
We had considerable experience producing and publishing content for bingo and casino sites, so it was logical to start with those two. World Mobile Casino shares sports content, but not to the extent of dedicated sportsbooks. I wouldn’t rule anything out — but certainly not in the near future. I would need to work full-time if I had a sportsbook site. I’m obsessed with football and would want to immerse myself in the work!

Are you a one-person shop or are you part of a larger organization?
A few directors oversee our content marketing agency, but just a couple of us run our gaming sites.

Describe your work environment. Do you work from home or in an office? If you work from home, how often do you get to see and interact with other people in the industry?
We’re situated in a small office, but personally I started out working from home. Honestly, I rarely get to see any fellow affiliates in person, but I’d like to. The last time was at LAC 2013. I’ll have to make time to go in 2015.

What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? How about in an affiliate program?
I appreciate a nice balance in the frequency of communications. It can be distracting when you constantly receive Skype alerts or e-mail. First and foremost, I have to like the brands they represent. I need to feel that they are highly marketable. Above all else, though, I like to know I can trust them.

What’s your preferred method of communication with affiliate managers? Do you like to talk on the phone, by e-mail or via Skype?
I prefer e-mail. Then we can arrange any further discussions as required. I already receive plenty of Skype messages from my Prime clients. Too many distractions can compromise the quality of your work.

What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you?
The GPWA was the first gambling forum I registered with. And while I haven’t posted that often, I’ve done a lot of reading and the information has been invaluable. The GPWA has been a fantastic learning resource.

What do you like about the industry?
That it never stands still. There’s always a new innovation, merger, marketing campaign or rebrand to stir your excitement. Also, I really admire the proactive approach of successful affiliates.

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
Maybe I’m being a little unkind here, but I’m bored with the sites that remain the same for five years. I’d like to see greater activity among those sites. I can understand how a couple of lean years might slow things down, but five years is too long.

What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate?
I have quite a liberal group of family and friends. They were envious that I had such a worthwhile challenge in my life.

Do you gamble online? If so, what do you play?
I have reviewed a lot of slots, so plenty of those. I don’t really play table games because I prefer to go to an actual casino with friends for the evening to play roulette or blackjack. Football is what I gamble on consistently. I even managed to come out of the World Cup £80 up! Most weekends I will have a modest accumulator on.

How long do you give yourself for answering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer?
I’m very quick at responding to e-mail for my agency clients. They never have to wait longer than a couple of hours. But I have to admit that I’m slower with affiliate e-mail. For tips, I recommend turning off the volume alert for e-mail. The sound draws your attention away from the task at hand. Check e-mail at regular intervals instead.

How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?
I have various long-term to-do lists as well as an extensive spreadsheet for tracing client orders. For my daily tasks, though, I always write these down in my notebook. That way I don’t forget about anything important.

How much time do you devote to SEO and/or social networking in order to drive more traffic to your sites?
Social media is fast becoming a quagmire for many affiliates. Some have invested hundreds in Facebook advertising only to have their accounts blocked and their pages removed. I think you need thousands of followers/likes to elicit an impact with social media. With regard to SEO, I try to spend a full day each week building links – they aren’t going to build themselves. I really enjoy the challenge of link building.

You are very active on Facebook with your sites. Have you been successful in leveraging your "likes" into depositing players?
We can generate a high level of interest by sharing “engaging posts” that are not related to gambling. And this is the best way to succeed because you develop loyalty with your audience. They won’t be receptive to great deals if they are faced with them every single day.

What are your current thoughts regarding the use of Facebook ad campaigns?
They are potentially a huge waste of money. Facebook can approve your ads only to reject them later. It’s as if your fate is determined by the attitude of whichever staff member is working that day. And contacting them is a nightmare. Facebook ads are highly risky, but unfortunately you need campaigns if you want likes for your page.

What’s the most difficult thing about running your sites?
Being patient. We all want to be successful, but waiting for success to arrive can be challenging.

What’s the best thing about running your sites?
Having the freedom to pursue my own strategy.

What do you do to stay in shape – both physically and mentally?
I exercise at least four times a week and I eat relatively well. Mentally, I write fiction and spend time with friends on a weekly basis. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in your work.

If someone were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see?
Back home in Ireland, I always take visitors to see the Giant’s Causeway. I once took a client after a meeting and we took amusing photos. Those were the days long before “selfies” ever existed. Now I avoid photographs!

When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go?
I can always jump on a plane home to Belfast for the weekend. During the week, though, I go for a run in the country park near to where I live.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere with mountains, snow and ski slopes. That’s because I love to ski!

What’s your all-time favorite movie?
[I]The Prestige[?i} – it’s a 2006 film from Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight Trilogy. I loved reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Prestige conveys London prior to entering the 20th century, and the sense of mystery is remarkably similar to the books I referenced.

If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?
Toughest question yet…

1. Oscar Wilde – every table needs a guest who is renowned for his or her wit.
2. Stephen Fry – I love listening to his explanations on QI.
3. David Lynch – a bizarre director who shares fascinating insights.
4. Jennifer Lawrence – tremendous actress and all-round wild card.
5. Eric Cantona – I’m a lifelong Manchester United fan and Cantona would surely be a great guest.

What are three things that nobody knows about you?
I qualified as a ski instructor in Canada; I play guitar; and I used to be a DJ.

[TheGooner]

MEMBER ACTIVITY Posts: 9 Posts Per Day: 0.03 Last Activity: 2 Oct 2014 Join Date: 19 Feb 2014

[Maria F]

Great interview Mike!

I would also like to have dinner with Stephen fry

[sweetbet]

Interesting interview. I like Jennifer Lawrence too. She's not just a pretty face

[Gamer]

Hi! Great to read your interesting interview, Mike.
Well done bingo site, with easy-going layout.
Wishing you good luck with your sites!

By the way: "With regard to <acronym title="Search Engine Optimization">SEO</acronym>, I try to spend a full day each week building links – they aren’t going to build themselves. I really enjoy the challenge of link building. "
Don't much linking in the short period of time. It's not healthy for your site. Do it slowly and don't become "hot water boiled"