Christoffer Ødegården is the Head of Marketing at Bojoko.com, a leading affiliate marketing platform in the UK iGaming industry. Known for his expertise in digital marketing and affiliate strategies, Christoffer is here to share insights on how affiliate marketing works and the secrets to success in this competitive field.

Q) Can you tell us a bit about Bojoko?

A) Bojoko is an affiliate marketing platform dedicated to helping Brits find UKGC-licensed operators. We provide a user-friendly space where players can discover, compare, and choose safe and vetted brands. Our mission is to offer transparent and comprehensive information to help players make informed decisions.

Q) How does affiliate marketing work in your industry?

A) The biggest difference between our industry and others, such as hotels or travel, is that on top of the regular advertising standards and practices from ASA and CAP, we also need to follow the guidelines from the UKGC. 

The UK is a very strict and heavily regulated market, which means that there are many factors to consider. What we do also impacts our partners, who are responsible if we share wrong or outdated information. Vigilance is key.

Q) What strategies does Bojoko use to attract and retain users?

A) Our strategy focuses on creating high-quality, informative content that addresses the needs and interests of British players. Our mission was always to place the user first, leading to a great degree of trust and retention. Our readers know we do not embellish our reviews and have strict rating criteria. Additionally, they can leave user reviews and learn from each other. 

Over time, we have covered every user query, which gives us powerful signals in Google’s search engine. Consistent traffic from regular users also sends significant signals, creating a positive loop of signals and increasing exposure.

We have also worked hard to build up a team of experts who regularly share their expertise in the British media. Seeing trusted names behind our website and the reviews themselves is a big boost, and we get a lot of natural brand recognition and exposure.

Of course, we also do PR, newsletters, etc., but our core focus has always been building a great product where users can quickly find what they are looking for and make informed choices.

Q) How does Bojoko’s user-first approach impact your affiliate partners?

A) Our user-first approach positively impacts our affiliate partners in several ways. By prioritising our users’ needs and preferences, we ensure that the content we create is relevant, trustworthy, and engaging. This leads to higher user satisfaction and retention, which translates to better performance metrics for our affiliate partners.

When users trust our recommendations and have a positive experience, they are more likely to sign up and deposit at the brands we promote. This results in higher conversion rates and increased revenue for our partners. 

Our focus on transparency and genuine user reviews also helps build long-term relationships with users and partners, fostering a sustainable and mutually beneficial ecosystem.

One thing we do that is quite different from most of our competitors is that we do not sell positions. Our rankings are based on our experts’ genuine opinions and user engagement. If you have a good brand, this benefits you greatly. However, we also offer feedback for any partner wishing to improve their conversions with us and give data insights on how they can improve.

Q) That’s an interesting approach. Can you elaborate on the type of data insights you provide to your affiliate partners? 

A) Certainly! At Bojoko, we provide our affiliate partners with detailed data insights that help them understand what drives user engagement and conversions. We track various elements, such as which bonuses are most attractive to players. For example, welcome bonuses, free spins, and no-deposit bonuses have different levels of appeal based on term sizes, percentages, wagering requirements and other key terms and conditions.

We also monitor how additional features, such as payment methods and game developers, influence First-Time Deposits (FTDs). Brands that add specific payment options and game developers can expect instant conversion boosts.

Our platform includes dedicated pages for bonuses, payment methods, and game developers. We analyse these pages’ traffic and conversion rates to see how different features perform. When an operator adds a new payment method or partners with a new game developer, we often see an uptick in engagement and FTDs from users who value those additions.

Q) Can you share any tips for someone looking to start in affiliate marketing?

A) Start by choosing a niche you’re passionate about and understand well. Focus on creating valuable content and building a strong online presence. Use data analytics to track performance and make informed decisions. And most importantly, be patient and persistent; success in affiliate marketing takes time.