The Cheltenham and Grand National races are coming up in a little more than a month, so the other Income Access affiliate managers and I are flying to get our promotions finalized with our merchants and to organize our affiliate outreach lists to get maximum exposure for this event. If you don’t work in betting and don’t follow the races, then you’re probably not familiar with these two events (I know I wasn’t until I started managing betting programs last year). Basically, the Cheltenham and Grand National are to the sports betting industry what Christmas is to the electronics industry, or what Valentine’s is to the flowers and jewelry industry; The single most important event of the season, which can make or break your financial year.

I spoke to Richard from Online Betting Guide (who also owns a site that specializes in Cheltenham betting tips) about what are the factors that affect which brands they promote for the Cheltenham. He had some very interesting feedback about the event, which I think provide a lesson not just for affiliate managers in the betting industry, but for all affiliate managers regarding affiliates with season specific sites:

You cant underestimate how competitive Cheltenham is for UK bookies. They normally plan their entire year and budget around it. So, it’s a bit like saying you have a client who thinks it’s a good idea to run a TV ad campaign during the superbowl!! Even with a BIG FAT cheque book it will still be very hard.

….There are some things which really some brands shouldn’t try and compete on (as they will struggle against companies who dominate such areas). But there maybe some easier angles, depending on the brands strengths and budgets….

….Why Cheltenham and What is it they are looking to achieve? Branding? Volume Accounts? Lower volume but higher quality? Or are they just aiming at Cheltenham because everyone else does? (Hope not this one as that’s suicidal!)

Player Promotions

- they tend to increase their free bets, so rather than say a £25 free bet they may go to £50 or £100 or even £200. They often leave this till the last minute trying to out do the competition. Bookies are far too focused on their competition!! So I would play this differently and plan something that will appeal to the punter, rather than something that’s just a bit higher than the competition.

-  incentives like offering 5 places on EW bets when others offer 4, sometimes going 6 places to outdo competition. Don’t bother – punters aren’t excited about getting 6^th place, they bet a horse because they think it will win, sure you need to be competitive on the places, but if the odds are ok you shouldn’t lose too many guys to a bookie offering one extra place.

- Free bets when horses fall or finish second or lose to a certain other horse, or lose by less than a certain distance. If clever enough these can really work – will be happy to chat through some ideas.

-  Cash backs when something specific happens like a certain horse/s win or a trainer does something specific. Again, if clever enough, great publicity, can really work.

Affiliate promotions

- To be honest get the cheque book out and buy space, that’s how most affiliates work around Cheltenham – In fact you are probably too late as Ive been hounded since the end of last year. Smaller affiliates see this as their pay day, a few banners pays their holidays. Most wont work of course (I could tell you which ones will work for a feeJ )

- There are maybe 3 or 4 or so affiliates that dominate the space, so you are probably best focusing on them, they are more likely to work on a reward basis rather than fixed fees, but again this depends on which product we are talking about as these guys wont promote any old brand just for cash. They are more than likely going to stick with what worked last year/ bookies they have top relationships with already, so it will be hard but this is where the accounts are.

- Don’t try anything like win a day at the races for sending loads of accounts – that wont interest affiliates these days.

Content, marketing, tools

-       I would invest the budget elsewhere to be honest, the key affiliates can do their own content, and having the smartest or coolest banner really isn’t worth the investment. I would focus on the compelling offer.

For me, the big takeaway from all this, whether you are talking about the Cheltenham, Valentine’s Day, Christmas or any other big seasonal event, is that in dealing with affiliates who specialize in these events, there are some pretty straightforward rules:

1) Be prepared well in advance – Affiliates devote their whole year to building their sites around these events, so don’t try to contact them a month before hand. Start thinking about Christmas in July.

2) Unique, Compelling Customer Offers are the MOST IMPORTANT factor – Yes, brand matters. Yes, extra affiliate cash is good. But ultimately, these affiliates are thinking about their customers, because they want repeat visits. Focus your efforts on giving the customer something special, and affiliates will appreciate this.

3) Don’t Try to Be Something You’re Not – Ultimately, remember that you can’t compete on every single factor. If you are a flower specialist, don’t try to sell diamonds. If you’re a betting brand, find a unique angle, don’t just try to have the biggest freebet. Ultimately, this ties back into #2.

4) Asks the Experts What They Want – Even if you work for psychic hotline, you could still benefit from actually ASKING affiliates what they want. You’ll be surprised how often they will open up and give you a detailed road map, so you can stop fumbling around in the dark. And just to reiterate point 1, DON’T WAIT. If your whole financial year depends on Christmas, you should start by asking affiliates in January what worked for them.