Martins Lasmanis Speaks with SiGMA on Strategy & Trends
Media 24 CEO, Martins Lasmanis, sat down with SiGMA to discuss what it takes to grow an affiliate marketing company from a compact team to a global player in under three years.
In this exclusive interview, Martins shared insights on why agility and operational speed sets us apart, Media 24 expansion strategy, the future of sports betting affiliates, and much more.
Here are some highlights from the interview:
On what sets Media 24 apart from other affiliates
Our story is about very fast growth. In under three years’ time, we have grown from a small team to a company that we are today — with over 60 websites, about 40 employees, and 300 partners. We did that, focusing on the speed of our operations. Sure, we might have sacrificed some polishing here and there, but we prioritized getting our websites up as quickly as possible.
We are trying to maintain a similar mentality now, too. As we’re not a huge company yet, we can react much quicker when something changes. Agility and speed are something that truly set us apart.
On expanding to 90+ geographies
Our strategy was simple: plant seeds everywhere and water the most promising ones. We wanted to enter all markets with intense sports betting penetration. Then, we focused on GEOs that showed the best results, investing more in content, backlinks, and marketing and engaging with more local partners. This kind of approach allowed us to quickly figure out regions with the highest potential and invest strategically. Additionally, as we already have a presence in so many markets, it allows us to scale very quickly if we decide that we want to be stronger in a specific region.
On the future trends in affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing will continue to be a big part of the iGaming ecosystem. Operators will always need gaming traffic. And I don’t think this business will see significant changes in the near future. What can change is the willingness to diversify traffic sources from the affiliates’ side. This would require building larger organisations, hiring more people, and investing more funds. However, it seems like only larger affiliate companies will be able to survive in the future. We see plenty of examples now where small ones are being acquired, and larger companies are continuing to build their muscles.
We also see a trend in many countries where affiliates move beyond content-based websites. They create products with complex match data, projections, and analytical tools. Some affiliates are developing their own mobile apps. So, to remain competitive, affiliates will need to build better products.
User preferences are changing, too. The new generation of players wants faster and more accurate information. This will require us to rethink how the products are built in general, with a stronger focus on UX. The process of placing a bet or finding the best operator for a bet will need to be simplified. We might have to wrap all that journey into a single click or even a single voice command.
Read the full interview here: https://sigma.world/news/sigma-exclusive-media-24-ceo-martins-lasmanis/