To other people, the self of one individual is portrayed in the conduct and discourse of that individual. Therefore, the intentions of another individual can only be inferred from something that emanates from that individual. The particular characteristic of the self-determine is its identity.
Identity is critical to everybody and in few life challenges is this more relevant than in one’s career. The iGaming industry is a hubbub of personas, from IT geeks to international playboys, from the diligent copywriter to the extrovert publisher. It is a melting pot of individuals spread across the planet; all hell bent on carving out their very own slice of history in one of the greatest industries to have ever been conceived.
Even in such a comparatively small marketplace, competition is rife from company to company and from peer to peer. I’m going to examine the importance of self-promotion and examine a few examples of how to do it right—even in iGaming, overdoing it on the ego front can make you look like a pillock and be detrimental to your business… (Hint: no filming your birthday parties, unless your name is Calvin… it simply won’t be awesome enough for anyone in the industry to care about).
Happily, the last birthday party I have on film is sat on a VHS tape never to be seen again but it’s probably only fair for me to assess what I do to promote myself before examining others. Nine years in to my iGaming career, five years as a small business owner and I take to writing a column for some added exposure (and because I like to think I have something useful to offer the world beyond rare displays of vocalised wit). Documenting ones views, whether it be regularly or ad hoc, is one way to build a reputation. Without really considering the positive spin it would garner, I did put together a charity event at the backend of last year and quite often, it’s what people acknowledge me for most of all ever since. Clearly, doing the job you’re employed or contracted to perform ought to be the primary focus, but it’s always nice to have something unique to assist in getting recognition. There are plenty of other ways to be seen or heard.
Such as investing in a super sized foam version of one’s self…
This is the route chosen by AffiliateEdge.com‘s Martyn Beacon, who in spite of being a multiple award-winning affiliate manager, is best known in the community for attaching cans to his gloriously glabrous head. Beacon explains his company’s decision to immortalise this in the form of a larger than life Beacon stomping around affiliate conferences with Beaconade cans attached to his bald bonnet.
“The mascot is all a bit of fun; obviously, it’s branded and something that can roam freely around a conference floor giving high fives, hugs and posing for photos. With the right guy wearing the suit I feel the impact of branding and the awareness gained from this exercise has been well worth the investment. I didn’t see a single bad reaction to him, even when he was dancing on competitors’ stands. Something I wouldn’t be able to get away with, partly because I can’t dance!”
Few people vocalise themselves as frequently and as uniquely as Media Skunk Works founder Paul Reilly. A regular on the standing-room-only SEO panels at affiliate conferences, Reilly describes his approach to panel sessions as having been a vital part of developing that all important reputation and sorting the wheat from the chaff.
“There are a lot of bullshitters in SEO. Anyone can talk the talk but panel situations are the perfect platform where BS becomes all too apparent. It’s a forum to basically call out the talkers by the direct use of irrefutable facts—and better still, it’s live and in front of an audience. It’s also a fine line between thought leadership and pissing in the well—some things need to be kept quiet to ensure a competitive advantage, a little bit like the chef, holding back on a key part of the secret recipe so keep this in mind when listening to a panel discussion”. Nothing outlandish there, but of course panel sessions do occasionally see contributors fall flat on their faces—often at Reilly’s behest—so there is always risk attached when putting one’s self in the limelight.
Reilly claims to live by Seth Godin’s mantra of Be Remarkable. “Remarkability lies in the edges. The biggest, fastest, slowest, richest, easiest, most difficult. It doesn’t always matter which edge, more that you’re at (or beyond) the edge.” Reilly’s unorthodox approach to self-promotion has seen him step into the music festival business with the YO1 Festival, put on to 7000 revelers at York Racecourse in May, featuring acts such as De La Soul and MisterJam—organized simply because we like to party and offset our Casino Karma.
The need to increase exposure beyond doing a great job has touched affiliates too. Andrew Edwards, who operates Madaboutbingo.com, is doing what he can to build a reputation for himself in the iGaming space.
“I want to build myself and the Madabout brand as an authority figure within the industry. The interviews, panels, guest speakers and articles I’ve conducted and contributed to over the past few years have certainly helped boost my presence. My overall goal is to have an award winning site in each gambling vertical.”
Edwards is another to think out of the box when it comes to making noise at conferences. “I would like to think my walking a T-Rex around Earls Court, promoting Madaboutslots.co.uk helped me. It had excellent feedback from everyone I spoke to, besides the healthy and safety guys at Earls Court.”
Getting self-promotion right is tricky. It’s now a critical facet of building a career and in a small, but extravagant industry, whether you be a budding entrepreneur, an eccentric techie or an account manager trying to make a name for yourself, it is increasingly essential to get noticed for something greater than doing a good job if you’re to find the room to grow.
If you are not adept with words, or confident enough to brave out an industry panel, the obvious route to build a reputation is via social media. If you get the chance, pick up Austin Kleon’s book called Show Your Work: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered. The essence to his method is to share your work continuously, whether you believe it’s fit for publication or not, or even in its finished state.
In actual fact, Kleon encourages social users to pull back the curtain on their work and show the process. “By letting go of our egos and sharing our process,” he writes, “we allow for the possibility of people having an ongoing connection with us and our work, which helps us move even more of our product.” Well run LinkedIn or Facebook pages or Twitter handles are essential if you utilise any of them for business, and ought to convey your personality both in and outside of your work. Paul Reilly concurs. “I’m quite open and transparent and especially like to have fun with my personal Facebook account, a place I consider to be my playground.”
If you don’t find the time to pick up a copy, here are some vital takeaways from Kleon’s book, if you’re looking to social to build your reputation.
- You’re only as good as your last post, so share something every day
- Take things one day at a time
- Build up a network before you have a big project to avoid being human spam
And probably the most important lesson when bigging yourself up in iGaming.
Unless you are actually a ninja, a guru or a rock star, don’t ever use any of those terms in your bio. Ever.
