Income Access CEO Tips Affiliates

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 10:01 AM
Written by Daniel O

Working in the online gambling business, reporting news to industry insiders and delivering reviews of gambling sites to players, not to mention traveling to international gaming affiliate events, we meet interesting people. Here we bring you highlights of a chat we've recently held with Income Access CEO, Nicky Senyard, an experienced professional with some valuable tips.

Nicky told us about IA relationships with and ongoing support of affiliates, and even throws in some tips.

What sets Income Access apart from other affiliate programs? What should an affiliate look for considering working with Income Access?
What distinguishes Income Access is our focus on building long-term relationships and our commitment to technology. Affiliates that are considering joining our network should look to start a relationship with a member of our affiliate management team and learn how our flexible affiliate software features can support the unique needs of their business.

For Income Access, long-term relationships are at the core of every business's success. Every business, affiliate, or operator has their own unique needs, and it's only by establishing a strong working relationship that we can really understand what our affiliates need to succeed.

This commitment to relationships is also what guides the development of our affiliate tracking technology. In addition to offering affiliates in-depth campaign performance reporting and a variety of marketing tools to help them target and refer their players, we also regularly communicate with our affiliates about what technology they need to succeed. The Income Access software is in a constant state of development and is regularly updated with new features, and this development is guided by what our affiliates need to grow their business.

When affiliates first join the IA network, we encourage them to touch base with one of our affiliate managers. Our managers will be able to look at their business model, and let them know how we can best support them, both in terms of marketing resources and performance reports. In addition our team can work as a bridge between both affiliates and operators and assist in creating a sustainable business partnership between both parties.

How do you maintain relationships with your affiliates over the long term? What do you do to keep the relationship going for a long time?

We build and maintain relationships with our affiliates by solving problems and creating solutions. Every relationship is unique and evolves over time, so by maintaining contact with our affiliates and proactively asking questions about their business model, we can keep track of and meet their changing needs.

First, Income Access affiliate managers tailor their support to the needs of each affiliate's business model. This includes supplying them with reporting and creatives that help them better target their players, as well as supplying them with resources to build and deploy new campaigns.

Our affiliate managers also make sure that affiliates are always aware of any news or developments, including promotions, new banners and marketing tools, and software upgrades. In addition to receiving updates upon logging into their account, affiliates also receive updates via their preferred communication channel - whether it be email, instant messaging, snail mail, or phone call.

Our affiliate managers take the time to know our affiliates, ensuring that communications are always targeted. Affiliates only receive message that are relevant to their business - i.e. we don't send bingo promotions to poker affiliates.

Overall, our affiliate managers work hard to understand the individual needs of affiliates, and then provide them with the tools they need to reach their goals. In order to do this effectively we focus on consistency and professionalism in all our interactions because we believe affiliates should be treated as valued business partners.

Are there any brands, other than casinos, that you plan on operating, such as sports betting or financial markets?
Income Access is actually already partnered with a variety of online gaming operators, including bingo, casino, poker, sports betting, softgames and mobile gaming companies. We are even partnered with forex merchants. Some of these brands are members of the Income Access affiliate network, and some license the Income Access software to power their own, stand-alone affiliate programs.

Whether a program is part of our network or just powered by our software, all affiliate programs powered by IA feature the same powerful affiliate software with in-depth tracking reports. Our software is also tailored to the marketing and reporting needs of the specific vertical it's used to promote. Completely customizable, operators can configure the IA software to meet the needs of their affiliates, whether they be casino, poker, sportsbook, or bingo affiliates.

Finally, please share a tip with affiliates who promote Income Access brands, what should they be doing?
The best step you can take as a new or existing Income Access affiliate is using your relationship with your affiliate manager (AM) to learn how our software can support your business needs. AMs know our software inside out, and can provide insight on how you can use its different features to maximize conversions. Your AM can help you use our in-depth tracking reports to monitor campaigns and our marketing tools to optimize them.

Working closely with our AMs will also help us better understand your channels (e.g. sites, newsletter, etc.) and provide tailored support to optimize your efforts across these channels. A strong relationship with your AM will also ensure that you're aware of upcoming promotions that are particularly suited for your channels.

About Income Access

Providing integrated marketing solutions for the igaming industry, Income Access offers four different services to meet the unique needs of their individual clients: (1) an affiliate network of over 18,000 gaming affiliates, (2) affiliate management services, (3) igaming affiliate marketing software, and (4) an SEM agency specifically for the igaming industry. Since its establishment in 2002, Income Access has worked with over 60 operators across all gaming verticals, including some of the most trusted names in online gaming, such as Victor Chandler, Sportingbet, tombola, and Game Account.