I hear some of you already asking “well how am I meant to this”. I have found the key is to not only follow the normal methods of marketing (eg. Dropping flyers, ads in newspapers, word of mouth) but to also think outside the box and be creative.
Below are a few ideas that defy the conventional marketing methods but can be used to improve your offline marketing results. Please note that advertising and marketing is not a cheap process, so be prepared, in most cases you will need to spend money make money.
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· Petrol Bowsers:
The other day while I was filling up my car at the petrol station, I noticed that smack bang in the middle of the bowser was a business card for a florist.
I thought to myself that this process could easily apply for Poker Affiliates. Not only is it easy to do, but the amount of traffic that hits a petrol station is huge, everyone who owns a car uses petrol.
I recommend getting some business cards made up (there are a number of places on the internet that will do it for free and just charge you postage) with your marketing/bonus code printed on them and stick them to the bowsers. I would also encourage you to gain approval to do this from the manager of the petrol station otherwise you may find your card will be pulled down very quickly.
This is important as your budget may already be stretched due to offline marketing and you may not have the resources to continually reprint business cards to replace the removed ones.
· Food/Beverages:
Here in Australia there is a very prominent juice company that makes smoothies while you wait, these stores are found right around Australia and are extremely popular due to the health trend that has been prominent for the last 3 or 4 years.
I have noticed that a number of companies advertise on the lids of the cups from this juice bar. The advertisements are a circular piece of cardboard that sits on top of the lid; it is almost too easy to place your bonus/marketing codes and a player bonus advertisement on these pieces of cardboard.
Beware, as this is a national company, you may consider only promoting in a particular state first to test the waters on the response you receive as well as keeping an eye on the cost.
· Receipts/Dockets:
Again, this is relative to Australia but I am sure that this happens in other countries.
When we purchase groceries or goods from a supermarket or retail store, the receipt we get for our purchase has on the back of it a number of advertisements and special offers (eg. Professional photography sessions, which offers you a second copy of prints for free).
This is another method that can be easily used by Poker Affiliates to drive traffic to Poker Sites with their Marketing/Bonus Code. Please note that a number of these retailers are national retailers and you may need to spend some money to get your advertisement printed.
· Public Restrooms:
One night while I was at a soccer match at a stadium that holds 50,000 people, I went to the bathroom during the half time break and noticed above each urinal, someone had stuck there business cards which advertised their home cleaning business.
Again this is another example that can be used by affiliates who have their bonus codes printed on their business cards. Also, above every urinal was an A4 frame displaying advertising material. It is very easy for anyone (including affiliates) to contact the advertising company and get an A4 ad in front of every urinal in the stadium.
This is clever marketing because when you are at a urinal you don’t want to be looking around, your eyes are focused straight ahead, and what’s better than having something to read. Now, granted that this type of advertising (in the A4 frames will cost you money), you don’t run the risk of having your business cards being pulled down every time the restrooms are cleaned.
· Bookstores/Library: The last example for offline marketing is very creative. It was mentioned by an affiliate on the PAP forums, so please do not credit me with this one and apologies to the affiliate for not referencing you by name.
Essentially this concept involves printing up your business cards with you bonus codes and heading into your local bookstores and libraries. Then finding all the books and materials relating to poker (and also online gambling) and placing your business card inside the front cover. This is very creative thinking but I do not agree with one affiliate's suggestion to target books on topics such as problem gambling, I find that highly unethical.
Although these examples are only brief, they are definitely thinking outside the box and taking offline promotion to a new level.
I am also aware that 2 out of the 3 examples are focused on Australian conditions, but I am sure they have at least given you some ideas and will encourage you to develop a strategy that can be applied to where you advertise and market.
PAW makes this possible by organizing and creating specific bonus codes for affiliates, it is as easy as sending a help desk ticket to with the subject title “Bonus Codes”.
Please remember that your first preference for a specific bonus code may be taken, so ensure you provide some alternatives in case your first choice is unavailable.
As a final note, I have found that there are two major issues to consider when undertaking offline promotion, they are,
1.Be Ethical – Try and do things the right way, don’t step on anyone’s toes and keep your advertising legal, and
2.Time and Money Considerations –Remember that you will probably not generate the same level of traffic as online advertising, so make sure you are willing to sacrifice time and money (hopefully only small amounts) in order to be successful.
*Remember that these are just general offline marketing practices, and that in order to succeed, you will need to identify your target market first and identify and use channels that appeal to that market.
Although only an affiliate manager for 6 months, Kane Elias has proven that he can handle the world of Poker Affiliates thanks to an extensive background in Marketing and Promotion.
Always thinking outside the box, Kane continuously demonstrates the ability to tackle challenges head on, bringing a refreshing new, unbiased view to affiliate marketing.
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