– How did you start working for a big affiliate company like the LCB Network?
Melanie: My first job straight from University was as an affiliate manager, this was back in 2009. Over the 2 years I received training and was able to gain insight into platforms such as Real Time Gaming, Top Game and Microgaming, and learn more about the online marketing world. LCB.org back then was just one site (latestcasinobonuses.com) with bingo, sports and poker as smaller branches. LCB’s traffic was growing rapidly and so was the site and the marketing work load, the founder needed someone to help with marketing and relationship management and as I knew the industry already and the operator side I was a good candidate. It was a great opportunity at the time but not without a few sacrifices such as leaving my home country and family. Its been 8 years now and the one website has grown into a successful network of niche sites leading the charge in the industry.
– What is the main rule of the LCB Network in choosing operator partners?
Melanie: For LCB.org particularly our motto is to list every casino brand, we are a comparison site so it’s important to have as many brands listed to compare bonuses and provide the best selection for our members and visitors. We also follow a philosophy of ‘knowledge is power’, by listing every brand even the rogue ones we are able to warn and provide pertinent information to our members and visitors and steer them away from the bad operators.
– Does it often happen that operators don’t pay affiliates fees?
Melanie: It is common yes, mostly when the program is short on funds and not operating with a surplus bankroll, affiliates then feel the pinch. On the other side of the coin there are certain programs that keep on operating their brands and just silently switch off the program with no notification to their affiliate base, just sneakily slip away without a word. It’s also important to look out for programs with predatory terms and conditions which refuse to pay your commissions due to an absurd activity clause for example you must bring in 5 active players every 3 months in order to receive payment.
– What kind of marketing instruments do you use to attract new players?
Melanie: SEO and organically driven traffic is our main instrument for attracting new visitors. We do very little SMM as the social platforms are slowly cracking down on gambling and shutting accounts on Facebook, YouTube etc and our focus on PPC is limited as this can be a costly and the quality of traffic is not very good. Our focus the past few years has been on content: curating, creating and styling content that is visually appealing, enjoyable to read and informative.
In the more recent few months we have created our very own in-house studio where we host Twitch streams (3 times a week so far) with our 2 bubbly presenters. We engage our current community and with growth will hopefully attract new eyeballs and followers, it is not an easy task and is something we will work at. Regulations are hard to predict in this space and this could impede on the success of our channel but we aim to push forward for the next several months to see if we can tap into this lucrative market, there is a discussion about this topic in Affiliate Guard Dog here.
– What kind of changes are in the LCB Network plans for the near future?
Melanie: Consolidation and continued organic growth, moving away from social and hopefully Twitch can be a profitable and sustainable avenue.