As the holidays approach in December, affiliate activity slows down. But that doesn’t mean that you should too! Here are three ways that your affiliate managers can get your affiliate programme in top shape for Q1 2016.

Tip #1: Recruitment Prep

December is the perfect window to prepare your Q1 affiliate recruitment plan.

• Research affiliates in your vertical
• Catalogue these affiliates into a ‘recruitment database’ with contact details
• When January rolls around, you’ll be prepared to conduct direct email outreach campaigns during the first two weeks of the month

Tip #2: Promotion Planning

Affiliate managers should think of those first few weeks of outreach in January as laying the foundation for further recruitment during the year.

In-person recruitment is also critical. Q1 2016 has great opportunities for this.  And at the top of all of them is the London Affiliate Conference, the biggest iGaming affiliate event in Europe, taking place in the first week of February. To maximize your recruitment potential at LAC, start working on specific affiliate promotions for the conference now, such as:

• Special commission structures for affiliates recruited at the conference
• Player promotions that complement these affiliate promotions

Tip #3: Engagement & Transparency

Finally, as December comes to a close, affiliate managers should make sure that their existing affiliates are starting 2016 engaged and prepared.

When Allan Petrilli, our Affiliate Services Manager, went to the Berlin Affiliate conference (BAC) with the Income Access team last month, common feedback he heard was that affiliates need content well in advance. For example, slot affiliates need new game info in time to write reviews, and sportsbook affiliates need promotional materials well ahead of major football matches and sporting events.

How do you keep track of the content your affiliates will need in Q1 2016 and throughout the rest of the year? We have two suggestions:

1. Develop a content calendar that shows when new games, slots, promotions, and/or sporting events will be taking place. You can then share this with your affiliates This also improves transparency and increases trust with your affiliates, which was also a salient point brought up at BAC this year.
2. Based on this content calendar, develop a mailer schedule to send affiliates info by email about upcoming events and relevant content in a timely manner.

Want more details on how Income Access can help you prepare your affiliate programme for 2016? Get in touch with us today.