Open Letter to Affiliate Programs

[Amateur]

Dear Affiliate Manager,

It is coming up on the Holiday Seasons and the start of a New Year, and I thought it would be a good idea to start off on a good note in 2005. So, I have listed a few suggestions from several webmasters I hope you will see as a positive step to improving your fine program.

1 - Paying affiliates on time is important. We value timely payments just as much as you value receiving your pay on time.

2 - Responding to emails and phone messages could mean the difference between a sale, or even prime placement. You never know where your next whale is coming from.

3 - Telling one affiliate one thing, while telling another something different is a ticket to disaster. We talk to each other.

4 - Detailed stats that show which hits, downloads and deposits are coming from where, improve targeting of advertising campaigns. Not everyone will take advantage, but for those who do, it is a very helpful tool to have available.

5 - Programs that use certain form of "coercion" to "against" affiliates will see fewer webmasters taking them up on their offers: e.g. Extremely high minimums for payments, requiring a minimum number of new players each month before payments are made on existing players. These tactics are offensive, and narrow your exposure, when the idea is to increase the number of affiliates advertising for you.

6 - If an affiliate program promotes more than one casino, combines the negatives from one casino with the profit from another, and then carries over negatives, do you wonder why more webmasters don't carry your casinos? Guess? Why bother sending depositing players somewhere that is basically throwing money down a hole, when you can send the player to a place where they will have the same games, get paid just as quickly, have as good a customer service, or better, and the webmaster makes money as well?

Webmasters have initial expenses to advertise your product, with no guarantee of return on that initial investment. That's the name of the game. But making it harder to stay in business, where your product gets less exposure, hurts affiliate programs, the casinos they represent, and the webmaster as well.

Since the major search engines are now banning gambling advertising, I'm sure you know how difficult it is now to get targeted traffic. For this reason, webmasters are having to work a lot harder to send hits to you. Hits are more expensive, as well.

Don't be surprised if webmasters narrow the number of casinos they advertise, to the ones they feel will make the most return on the money invested in advertising, and time spent gaining traffic.

Those that convert the best, will get the traffic. Those casinos that don't seem to convert, for whatever reason, or whose results are hard to measure in dollars, will be moved to back pages, or be removed altogether.

This is an unfortunate part of any business. The products that don't show a profit, don't get prime placement, in your local retailer, or on the internet.

Paying on time, and making lower minimum payments, $100, for instance, gives the impression an affiliate program is working with affiliates, rather than making it harder on them to promote your product.

Hey, believe it or not, there are affiliate programs who, right now, have $500 minimum payments, advertise for more than 2 casinos, combine them the profits from one with the losses from another, and carry over negatives!! And then email webmasters asking why they can't get front page spots!!?? Or any spot at all!! Others are always explaining why webmasters' payments are always late! They were out sick, or there was an earthquake, or the dog ate the checks.

My Mom used to tell me that

"with a closed fist, nothing can get out...but nothing can get in either".

[universal4]

Good post Liz.

And before this thread turns into a listing of everyone saying how nice the post is, We can ALL agree that she brought up many many topics that have been discussed rather extensively, both recently and many times throught the existence of the GPWA.

And Affiliate Programs, if you feel that any of your terms fall into some of the categories that "could" get you reduced exposure in any way....don't throw up your hands and walk away now....

....get to us, and be willing to discuss some of these issues openly with us, or realize that your exposure may end up suffering.

And for those Affiliate Programs that have stuck it out and stayed on top of these issues, and been willing to discuss them and work on resolutions, as well as those who have helped set the trends with innovative ideas and discussions....we Commend You and Thank You, and for you we are sure you WILL see increased exposure and traffic to give you your ROI that you are looking for.
Rick
Universal4

[VPJunkie]

Both are excellent posts that I'm in full agreement with.

[Amateur]

Good post Liz.

And before this thread turns into a listing of everyone saying how nice the post is, We can ALL agree that she brought up many many topics that have been discussed rather extensively, both recently and many times throught the existence of the GPWA.

And Affiliate Programs, if you feel that any of your terms fall into some of the categories that "could" get you reduced exposure in any way....don't throw up your hands and walk away now....

....get to us, and be willing to discuss some of these issues openly with us, or realize that your exposure may end up suffering.

And for those Affiliate Programs that have stuck it out and stayed on top of these issues, and been willing to discuss them and work on resolutions, as well as those who have helped set the trends with innovative ideas and discussions....we Commend You and Thank You, and for you we are sure you WILL see increased exposure and traffic to give you your ROI that you are looking for.
Rick
Universal4

Thank you Rick for making your post. You are correct, and I hope this post is read and taken as an invitation to affiliate programs to work to improve our relationships. Now, more than ever, we need cooperation to make things better for all of us.

Our industry is under fire right now, and we have no idea what changes will follow in 2005. Hopefully, we can turn the corner, and move forward.

But we don't know yet, and improving communication is one way we can make steps in right direction.

Being of different cultures, sometimes our meaning are misunderstood, which makes communication more difficult. But since all of our livelihood is in jeopardy right now, the effort will only benefit us all.

[MGunnin]

Good post, full agreement here.

[casinoglen]

Liz sent a copy of this to me, and asked if I had any input. I figured why mess up a good thing. It was well said.

I long ago dropped programs that required a $500 minimum payout. Things are a bit better now, and if the program works at converting those players, then now it's not so long a wait. Back then, just starting out, spending money on advertising and having money all over the internet that couldn't be touched because of the $500 minimum. Those casinos are a thing of the past I STILL HAVE a couple hundred here and there because of those policies.

Newbies cannot afford to have money held back as such. In many cases, they are paying for advertising, and need that money for the next month.

Detailed stats are important. Not changing terms and conditions in the middle of the game is important. Paying on time, everytime is important. If you say payments will be out the second week of the month, make sure it's done. Sometimes it's those things that make or break an affiliate. Especially when they depend on that money to keep things going for the next month, until the site is able to pull the traffic you wish to see. Working together, that's what it's all about. I for one am grateful to finally have figured out which programs I wish to work with. Namely, those who have open communication channels and don't make me feel like I"ve been shoved in a corner somewhere.