Sports affiliates: the missing link
Betbrain's Rasmus Soejmark explains why sportsbook affiliates have to raise their game.
Bookmakers should build trust with sports fans via affiliate sites, and building trust with the affiliate itself is essential to doing that.
Sport is now a mass-produced product and consumers only choose to follow and watch events they can identify with, relate to or gain something from.
This situation has proven ideal for in-running betting, by allowing sports consumers and casual sports bettors “ a massive potential market “ to have several stakes during a game that would otherwise mean nothing to them.
Still, many operators find it hard to realise this potential as there seems to be a missing link between the type of sports bettors mentioned above and the activity of betting online.
While the operators are all talking about web 2.0 as the key to attracting and retaining these customers, it would be refreshing to see sports betting affiliates step up to the plate and deliver fresh content to allow operators to tap into this lucrative market.
Existing affiliate content consisting of tipster sites and services, odds comparison sites, review sites and free bet sites appeal mainly to savvy sports bettors interested in spending time online searching for valuable information and offers; something of less concern to less savvy sports bettors who also want to be entertained.
One idea would be for affiliates to try and recreate the banter and experiences around sports-betting friends share in the pubs or even at the stadium via an online community on their site.
If done correctly this would not only attract less savvy sports bettors, but by also engaging the operator in the community, it would personalise their brand in the minds of these less savvy sports bettors.
When these potential customers already trust the operator, the affiliate can then direct them to their site as a new and also more loyal customer.
This article first appeared in the July edition of eGaming Review.