Last week, the Affiverse team attended SiGMA Europe where the world’s gaming community gathered in Valletta, Malta. As we embark on the long list of follow-ups from a successful week, we take a look back at the event and what we learned…
A Week of Connecting
25,000 delegates, 250 speakers and 800 sponsors were the ingredients of a fantastic recipe for success. The event united gaming industry leaders, affiliates, operators, and suppliers seeking opportunities to shape the future of the industry.
Making meaningful connections is so important in affiliate marketing which is still highly relationship based. The Affiverse Agency team are able to listen, learn, advise and enjoy the company of peers, catch up with familiar faces and forge new business relationships at these events. We’re always delighted to meet so many of our AMPP Affiliate Manager alumni in person too!
6 Key Takeaways from this event and how Affiliate Marketing keeps growing:
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Innovation vs stagnation = Brand Clarity
The industry is certainly growing, but is innovation set to continue? We saw many white label casino brands popping up – but most were offering similar marketing propositions and unable to easily distinguish their brand from their competitors. The question is then – how should affiliates be able to do that? Having clear brand identity is key to stand out! There is a real need for stand-out USPs to be developed and for brands to showcase who they are in attention-grabbing ways. Answer the questions people need to know: Who are you? What do you offer that sets you apart and why will players love your offering? These are questions all affiliates need to know to market your business successfully.
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Powering success with media and influencers
Affiverse Founder, Lee-Ann Johnstone, took to the stage to discuss unlocking the keys to a mutually beneficial partnership with working together harmoniously with content creators and influencers. Now a bright shiny trend she warned of the dangers of falling into cyclical campaigns vs building longer term partnerships using influencers strategically to grow your brand recognition and build customer authenticity. Her panel discussion also focused on how influencers are playing a much larger role in the partnership economy leading to Ambassador marketing, in some cases, which requires a different strategy again to work effectively for brands. Collaborating with influencers is a powerful strategy to expand market reach in 2024, but doing so without a clear WHY can be harmful for your business in the long run.
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Content is (still) king!
As if it was ever in doubt – content retains its royal status! Plenty of engaging content was shared during the week. AI is a popular means of enhancing this and improving efficiency, but at the heart of this was the continued need for the human eye. As well as the panel discussion Lee-Ann was invited to be part of, we enjoyed many other speakers and discussions during the course of the week learning from others in the industry. Especially around recent algorithm changes and how this is going to impact SEO affiliates longer term. Many were asking questions but few had clear answers yet, so make sure you’re talking to your partners in the coming weeks to understand impacts and expected bounce back times on traffic drops too.
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Take a breath and use time outs to network too!
The expo is a bustling hive of activity, but we also had meaningful conversations outside of the expo tent. We met a lot of new affiliates, some of whom were feeling a little overwhelmed at their first big event. Take the time to identify these affiliates, reach out, listen and learn. The outcome of these interactions is a successful conclusion for both parties and a new deal signed, sealed and delivered before we arrived back in the office on Monday!
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Always seek to Add Value
You are going to have to learn how to add value in the competitive playing field if you want to stand out and survive in the growth spurt that we are seeing. Affiliate managers who are introverts – use that to network 1-1 with your key partners. Affiliate managers that are extroverts – get out from behind the screen and Skype and start networking at physical events, speak, moderate panels and get your personal brand delivering value in all aspects of your job and work life. Now is the time to take action and get ahead of the competition and you do that by STANDING OUT.
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Tracking and Reporting
This was a big discussion point. We overheard lots of conversations surrounding this as we waited in line to catch-up with Assaf Dor, Founder and CEO at Cellxpert. Assaf has since published to his LinkedIn profile: “What struck me most is how many times I was asked if Cellxpert offers live reporting updates. It’s great to see so many brands looking to share real time reporting with their partners to aid their campaign delivery and reporting metrics.”
And Finally…
Our Affiverse annual client dinner party revealed that networking still happens as relationships are nurtured. The importance of people was never more prevalent. We’re lucky to co-exist in such an exciting industry and we thank all those who were able to join us for a successful evening of celebrating what we all love best. The best deals still begin with a shared conversation and a handshake!
