"Bizdevs" in iGaming: a guide to working with advertisers from Trident

💬 Hey there. This is the media buying team at Trident Media — specifically, our Business Development unit. We've put together a guide for those looking to grow as an Affiliate / BizDev manager, or who are already managing their first advertisers within a team.

The tips were shaped by our BizDev managers Katya and Alyona, who work with advertisers on a daily basis and help our buyers increase revenue by building trust-based business relationships.

How to establish first contact at a new place?

1. Let's start with the basics: communication ethics and attentiveness — these are non-negotiable when working with partners, especially if this is your first job, and even more so when you have a large number of partners and you're just getting to know everyone and diving into the workflow. Develop (ideally before you need it) the ability to handle crisis communication, because whether you like it or not — "fires" will happen, and you'll be the one putting them out. On the bright side, those "fires" will definitely build your stress resilience.
2. Do your research. When an advertiser is handed over to you, or you find one yourself, do a quick research — look at their products, their GEOs, the history of the partnership (maybe you stopped working with them at some point — find out why).
3. Personal contact always beats messaging — schedule a meeting or a call; it will have a positive impact on the level of trust.
4. Company presentation. If it's a new contact for the team — prepare a concise but clear company presentation: your traffic sources, the GEOs you work with, and have your traffic stats ready from the start. Agree on a test, KPIs, and targets — then refer back to rule 1.
5. Individual approach. And of course, attention to the small things unrelated to work — holiday and birthday greetings, gifts from the team — transform good into great!

Where should BizDevs look for new contacts?

Let's start with the online approach:

1. ASKGAMBLERS — the tab that never gets closed on a BizDev's laptop. It's a catalog portal featuring hundreds of casinos — you scroll, open, search, follow affiliate program links, and if you want to visit the casino's website and evaluate the product itself, don't forget to enable a VPN for the GEO the site operates in. If you can't find a direct contact, head to LinkedIn, search for employees of the brand or its parent company. Once you find them — open the conversation clearly, with a team presentation and a proposal to discuss potential cooperation.
2. Conferences and events: if you've been in the Ukrainian market for a while, you already know the lay of the land, so local events are more about maintaining existing partner relationships. That said, you can always check the official KRAІL website to see if any new online casino licenses have been issued — you might find new local advertisers there.
   
   International conferences are a different story entirely — the more you attend, the more new contacts you bring back for the team. So for "BizDev Goddesses" (not everyone can travel right now), attending relevant international events is a MUST HAVE. Just remember that some countries require visas — and yes, we can share our own fail here: this year, we didn't manage to sort out visas for the UK trip in time and missed IGB London, which is quite literally a goldmine of new advertisers.
3. Social media: most serious gambling affiliate programs have a presence on Instagram, so doing additional research through hashtags and searching for new profiles is always worth it.
4. Referrals: the market is dynamic, and talent movement across the industry drives referral movement — so listen, ask, and recommend whenever you have the chance.

Key takeaways from this section, for building strong relationships:

• Understanding the advertiser's needs (GEO, traffic source, KPI, specific targeting). Once you understand what the advertiser is looking for, match it against your team's capabilities and goals. If there's a match — the next step is the first deposits.
• Transparency and openness in communication. Nobody reads minds, and hints aren't an option in business relationships either — so the foundation is honesty. Open discussion of all aspects of the partnership, including expectations, limitations, and potential risks.
• Focus on results: refer to point 1 and work on quality.

We've covered working with advertisers — now it's time to talk about working with the team.

1. First contact with the team is no less important than contact with advertisers. So for starters — set up a meet, tell them about yourself and your experience, without the "back at my previous team…" kind of attitude. Keep it simple, but stick to the facts. You might even organize a small get-together, because nothing builds relationships quite like the first team party at the office, where you learn more about people's lives outside of work.
2. Talk to your team: exchanging thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and feedback (within reason) is a constant part of your job — even when things don't go as planned, support your teammates rather than pushing them further down.
3. Balance the team's capabilities with the advertiser's demands. A bizdev like no one else knows their teammates' strengths and weaknesses — who runs what traffic and what to expect — so manage expectations on both sides (teammates and advertisers), run retrospectives with the team, discuss both successful cases and not-so-successful ones. Remember, you are the lever that balances relationships both within the team and with advertisers.

Also, we're looking for a bizdev to join our team, so if you're interested in coming on board — reach out to HRD Yulia on Telegram!