We met with Salim, Head of Affiliates at 4rabet, to discuss how an iGaming brand can work with affiliates: how to build a structure from the inside so that affiliates bring money to the product.
4rabet are the titans of the market who have been in business for a long time, and the more interesting thing was to find out how they came to such results. In the interview, we managed to find out insider information firsthand. For example, Salim shared:
- What to do at the start when there is no huge budget.
- A step-by-step algorithm for collecting information from the affiliate department.
- What kind of budget is needed.
- How to attract and retain affiliates.
- How to choose the software to create an affiliate program.
The material was prepared by CMO Alanbase Dasha Nikolaeva. It is recommended for anyone who launches a product or a CPA network and plans to create an affiliate program.
Alanbase: Hello! Tell our readers a little bit about 4rabet: who you are, how long you've been on the market, verticals, and geos.
Salim: Since the launch and for 5+ years now, we have been focusing on the Indian market. We were the first to make automatic payments for customers in the Indian market and continue to develop the Indian region (there will be enough traffic for our grandchildren). But right now we are entering new markets in tier-3 countries, stay tuned! We have both a betting line and a casino with games for every taste and color.
Alanbase: How quickly did the 4rabet begin to assemble the affiliate department after the launch of the brand?
Salim: The affiliate department began to be built immediately because uninterrupted communication with partners was necessary. Partners attract traffic mostly on their own money, and if something refuses to work, they need to be informed about it in a timely manner. Otherwise, it entails gratuitous expenses and deterioration of relations with partners.
Alanbase: Was there any strategy to collect the affiliate department, and how did it change over time?
Salim: Since the project's launch, growth has been month to month. Traffic has come from several sources, from internal buying to resale. We have always been and remain open to any option of cooperation.
Alanbase: If everything is done correctly and wisely, how is the affiliate department organized in general? Give me some kind of algorithm: do one, do two, do three.
Salim: Of course, through understanding the clear structure of the department. It is important to exclude the story that one person does absolutely everything (although it's not bad if he, of course, will be able to). What and who exactly will be needed:
It is important that any partner's issue can be resolved as quickly as possible. It's like some kind of advice or idea, technical setup, and raising the server for the tracker.
Alanbase: What are the positions in the affiliate department? What are the must-haves at the start of the department, and who is the department saturated with as the affiliate brand is promoted? Who is responsible for what?
Salim: Manager/support, analyst - this will be enough to launch the department. Grow along with the number of chats/contacts, those tasks, and the amount of information to save the budget.
Alanbase: Let's talk about numbers: How much will the department's organization cost the product? The minimum required staff pack, brand creation (landing page, promotional materials, PR)—everything up to the software.
Salim: To be honest, the figure can be infinite. A very extensive question that cannot fit in the text :)
Alanbase: How much does the maintenance of the department cost per month: the minimum required and the department of a large brand?
Salim: The minimum required budget is $10,000.
For a large brand, from $100,000 per month.
Alanbase: How do you choose employees for your department? Zodiac signs, psychological tests, anything else?) Seriously, are there any soft skills by which you immediately understand that this person will be suitable for the position of an affiliate manager and that one will not?
Salim: Sociability, initiative, empathy, and responsibility. This is the main thing I look at when selecting candidates. Passion is important for us so that a person really loves his job and understands that he is contributing to the development of the company.
Alanbase: How is the KPI system organized in your department? What are the KPIs? What are you awarding and fining for?
Salim: Each employee has their own motivation system, which grows as they achieve some results. In this case, the rule really works: the more effort you put in, the more you can earn.
There is a system of fines, but it is not necessary to resort to it because the guys are all responsible. This story works more like a demotivation in an already stressful business.
Alanbase: Is the HR brand system for top managers included in your tasks? How are you working on it? How do you work on retaining top managers and other key employees in the company? What kind of growth is possible for an ordinary business manager?
Salim: I communicate a lot with each manager. In fact, the whole team that works for us are guys who came to the market without experience, and training took place on the go. Now, I have personally developed prescribed manuals for training with an analysis of some controversial cases, as well as pitfalls. But this is only a theory – the juice itself occurs at the time of the start of communication. And every day, it would seem, the dense forest is becoming more transparent.
Both in working with partners and in working with my team, I take an individual approach. I am a very empathetic person and try to listen to intuition when choosing the type of communication with everyone.
Growth is unlimited and multiple. The first year's income is x5, the second year is still x2, and objectively, this is not the limit.
And if you want more information about how to find affiliates, we recommend reading the “Top 8 sources of partners for couples”
Alanbase: Choosing software for an affiliate program: When should you develop your own software, and when should you use ready-made solutions? Is your recommendation for an experienced person in Affilka? It can be packed into 4-5 items.
Salim: As I said, we have been on the market for a long time, for the 6th year, and we had our own decision on the platform. In the first stage, the software covered the necessary needs, but as traffic and volumes increased, the functionality became scarce. What can I advise young brands/networks here?:
Your solution is a separate investment of funds and the implementation of all the functionality, which can take a very long time.
SAAS cannot always cover your needs because not everyone can customize statistics, work with events, and quickly add new functionality.
We settled on Alanbase because it covered absolutely all our basic needs and even more. It started with the above-mentioned customized statistics, worked with events, added metrics visible in a single dashboard, and ended with cohort analysis.
Alanbase: What should you be prepared for if you decide to develop your own? Pitfalls, non-obvious difficulties, deadlines, etc?
Salim: The niche is narrowly focused, so when developing your solution, you need to be prepared for difficulties with understanding the verticals you are working with, logic, and their implementation.
Alanbase: How do you choose ready-made software? What do you personally look at in the first, second, and third head?
Salim: 1. Real-time statistics are very important, especially for partners. The optimization of their advertising profiles and, thus, the quality and cost of the traffic attracted directly depend on this.
2. Customized statistics—for example, more detailed qualifications. For example, the client's accumulation of bets for $10 to create a paid goal.
3. Cohort analysis – allows you to delve into traffic analysis much deeper than just looking at general statistics, bypassing some third-party tools.
4.Interface and ease of use—everything loads quickly and works smoothly. The logic of the arrangement of things in the partner's personal account and the admin area also does not cause any questions or “rolling out whistles and bells.”
Alanbase: About the brand. What do you think makes a brand attractive to affiliates? How do I build a product brand for the web? TOP 5 (any number) points that you use to characterize your offers for affiliates?
Salim:
- Honesty.
- Transparency.
- Stability.
- An excellent product.
- Flexibility.
Alanbase: Is the work on attracting affiliates to gambling and betting offers different? If so, what is it?
Salim: There are a huge number of funnels for attracting partners. It depends primarily on the sources from which traffic is attracted. I can't say that there are cardinal differences: a little logic and creativity, and you can always find the traffic that you need.
Alanbase: Your website shows a large spread in payments: $20-100 for CPA and up to 50% for revshare. This is a method of attracting high-quality affiliates, right? And what other methods do you use (what can be made public)?
Salim: Each traffic cost differently; of course, SEO by HF keys will cost many times more expensive than the well-known FB. I would not call this a method of attraction. This story is more informative in nature.
Alanbase: On the website, you state that working directly with an advertiser is many times more profitable than using a CPA network: with networks, the web loses 10-50% of profits. At the same time, most of the media buying companies we interviewed say that it is a) safer to work with networks (they will not steal, etc.); b) less stress (the network takes over all communications with the product). How would you explain in detail why you should not be afraid to go to work with a direct referral and what is the profit for the web here (clear support, service, numbers)?
Salim: I want to point out right away that we give our offer for resale, but everything is always on an equal footing at the start of work. We all know the game “Broken phone”: the more contacts in the chain, the more distorted the final information will be. Accordingly, it seems to me more reasonable to work directly due to direct communication and achieving goals in the shortest possible time.
Alanbase: What other objections do you encounter from the webmasters in cooperation during negotiations, and how do you close them?
Salim: There will always be dissatisfaction; this is the natural order of things. Someone may be unhappy with the conditions or feedback from analysts. The most important thing is to find win-win solutions for both business and partner.
For example, a higher rate does not always mean more money. It is important to convey this information since many factors ultimately affect earnings, starting with partner traffic and ending with the conversion of the offer. At 4RABET PARTNER, we invest a lot of effort and resources precisely in the stability and high envelope of the offer so that partners can fill in huge volumes and earn a lot.
Of course, if you are creating an affiliate department right now, you need good software to create an affiliate program. Alanbase can be such a solution because, with us, you will receive four modules in one window: managing partners, offers, statistics, and payments.
In order to view Alanbase from the inside, leave a request for a demo call with the manager, and then get free access to the service for 14 days with full functionality and without linking a credit card.
