Building an Effective Team

Building a team is a crucial step for anyone looking to scale their business. But it's far more than just renting an office, hiring employees, and assigning tasks. A real team is an asset that helps you grow and earn more, and not just a formality that drains your resources.

In this guide, we'll break down the principles of effective teamwork, key stages of team formation, and the secrets and pitfalls that many face when they stop working solo.

What is an Affiliate Marketing Team?

An affiliate marketing team is a group of specialists who focus on attracting, acquiring, and monetizing traffic. Their main goal is to scale this process.

The team's work covers every stage of the sales funnel, from creating ad creatives to in-depth results analysis. Each team member has their own areas of responsibility, whether it's analytics or creative development.

Team Structure

The structure of a team depends on your needs, the type of traffic you're driving, and your project's budget. Here are the most common roles in affiliate marketing teams:

• owner — who is responsible for scaling and structuring the team's internal processes. Their role is to provide strategic project management and ensure the team has the resources to meet its goals. For a period after the team is created, the owner also oversees its processes, gradually transferring operational tasks to a team lead;
• team lead — who oversees all team processes and acts as the link between the owner and the specialists. The team lead must be ready to quickly adapt strategies based on market changes. In the early stages of development, the owner often performs the functions of a team lead;
• specialists — who ensure the chosen funnel is working and that tasks are being completed. Their expertise is what allows the team to achieve its goals. For example:

• media buyer: who purchases traffic, analyzes data, tracks campaign conversions, and optimizes strategies;

• account farmer: who is responsible for creating and preparing ad accounts and profiles for campaign launches;

• tech specialist: who handles all technical aspects, including integrations, postback support, cloaking, and web applications;

• content creator: who develops creatives for ad campaigns, launches, and channels;

• financial manager: who is responsible for managing and analyzing financial flows and performance metrics. Their job is to ensure profitability, maintain financial compliance, and plan and allocate resources effectively;

• affiliate manager: who maintains relationships with advertisers and monitors affiliate programs and their terms and conditions;

• player support/handler: who interacts with players, directly impacting key performance indicators such as RD, LTV, and ARPU within a campaign.

The Functions and Principles of an Effective Team

Unlike solo operators, teams can handle more complex tasks and cover a wider range of areas by distributing roles and delegating responsibilities.

Key Team Functions:

• scaling: when the team finds and tests new traffic sources to supplement those already in use. It also implements additional tools to automate and optimize routine tasks;

• traffic management: when the team develops creatives, writes ad copy, and builds landing pages to drive traffic. They also set up and launch new ad campaigns;

• campaign monitoring and optimization: when  specialists track key metrics such as CTR, R2D, ROI, ARPU, and others. They make changes to the strategy if needed to optimize each funnel;

• resource and risk planning: when the team decides which resources, budget, and tools are needed to launch a campaign or achieve a specific goal. They also identify opportunities to increase the budget for successful campaigns and assess potential risks and how to mitigate them.

Key Principles of an Effective Affiliate Marketing Team:

• constant (self-)analysis: this involves analyzing the market, player behavior, team ideas, and the strategic plan for building and scaling funnels and all internal processes;
• accountability: tasks must be performed with quality and on time. Every team member should have a clear understanding of their responsibilities and complete all instructions precisely on schedule;
• regular communication: it's crucial to share results with one another and analyze them together. This helps resolve problems faster and increases the team's overall productivity and expertise;
• constant testing: testing new hypotheses is a vital part of the work that helps to adapt strategies and boost the entire team's effectiveness. It's important to conduct regular, preferably daily, A/B tests of different approaches, creatives, and new ideas to identify the most effective solutions;
• agility: a team must be able to react quickly to new challenges, find solutions, and minimize risks. This requires flexibility and the ability to think critically.

Who Needs an Affiliate Marketing Team?

The decision to create an affiliate marketing team should be the result of careful consideration, performance analysis, and an assessment of future prospects. This step requires a clear set of goals and a thorough understanding of industry trends.

When a Team is Needed?

You definitely need a team if you:

• you're taking on new projects, such as diversifying traffic in new sources or GEOs, but can't execute your ideas effectively or on time due to being overloaded;

• you spend too much time on routine, repetitive tasks and can't focus on strategic growth;

• you don't have enough time for your personal life because you're constantly busy.

What a Team Can Do for You

By building a team, you will be able to:

• delegate tasks. With small traffic volumes, you can handle all tasks and problems yourself. However, as you scale, this becomes increasingly difficult. A team of trained specialists will allow you to efficiently handle the growing number of routine tasks;

• adapt to the market changes faster. For example, when moderation policies and conditions on social media abruptly change, reach is reduced, and traffic volumes drop. To solve this problem alone, you would need time to study and analyze new requirements, find new methods, test them, and adapt to the changes. At the same time, you would have to do all this yourself while still trying to maintain traffic volumes, which is nearly impossible in practice;

With a team, you can perform these tasks at the same time without a drop in performance. You can test multiple hypotheses at once, divide the work into separate tasks, and delegate them to employees to find a new working solution faster;

• share knowledge and gain new insights. When you have 4-5 specialists with different perspectives working alongside you, you don't have to solve everything alone. People exchange ideas, share test results, and provide working strategies. This makes the team work faster and more effectively;

• increase your income. A well-coordinated team can scale successful campaigns, launch new ones faster, and drive more traffic. The result is higher revenue, greater stability, and the ability to plan everything months in advance.

When a Team is Not Needed?

Before you outline a strategy, start hiring specialists, and plan your next steps, you need to honestly and objectively assess your resources and capabilities.

A team is not right for you if:

• you're just starting out in affiliate marketing. In this case, it's better to focus on your own learning and mastering the basics of working with traffic;

• your resources are limited. Even supporting a small team of two or three specialists can be a huge financial burden. Expenses for salaries and training can quickly become a liability;

• you're not yet sure how or where you want to scale. Creating a team will only complicate the situation;

• you're not ready to train and onboard employees. A team is a responsibility. Not all employees will increase your business's profitability from day one. If you don't have the time or desire to explain, set up, and correct mistakes, you'll end up with a liability, not an asset.

Effective management is not about spontaneity or whims. Every step forward must be well-thought-out, deliberate, and justified. Only then can you avoid chaos, cash flow gaps, and unnecessary financial losses.

Managing Finances, Accounting, Payroll, and Cash Flow

Before you start hiring, you need to define a budget that will cover initial expenses like paid advertising, hypothesis testing, and employee salaries. This will help you get through the initial period of process optimization and team building.

You also need to decide whether salaries will be a fixed rate or based on a percentage of profit. For example, salaries for player support/handlers usually consist of a fixed portion plus a percentage of FTDs or RDs, as these are key performance indicators and a direct result of their work.

If your expenses exceed your income, the team risks a cash flow gap. This is a situation where a business lacks the cash to cover its current expenses, even if it has sufficient income in the long term.

How to Avoid a Cash Flow Gap:

• plan a long-term budget: the farther out your planning horizon is, the more likely you are to predict a cash flow gap and take proactive steps to avoid it;

• strictly follow your spending plan: Don't take money from the payroll fund, the budget for rent, or operational expenses. Avoid making spontaneous decisions with a high financial burden, such as an unplanned expansion of the staff;

• create a financial safety net: always have a separate emergency fund for unforeseen circumstances, such as needing to move offices or purchase expensive equipment. This is a contingency fund that should only be accessed in extreme situations.

Financial literacy is a key element in creating and developing a team. Following even the simplest steps to ensure the financial stability of your business will dramatically increase its resilience in critical situations.

Risks of Team Formation

As with any business venture, building a team comes with risks that can slow down your project or even lead to failure. To minimize potential losses, it's crucial to be aware of these risks beforehand and prepare to manage them.

Slow Decision-Making

The more people involved and the more links there are in the chain, the harder it is to make quick, informed strategic and operational decisions. This can lead to financial losses.

You can solve it by organizing work efficiently. Delegate certain tasks to individual team members and establish clear rules and processes. This helps get tasks done faster and reduces the burden on key team members, saving both time and effort.

Poor Internal Communication

If team members don't understand each other or don't get the information they need on time, work slows down and deadlines are missed. Poor communication is often a primary reason why people leave a company.

For this reason, it's essential to build open and transparent communication channels, hold regular meetings, and ensure everyone has the most up-to-date information.

Theft of Funds

It's not uncommon for dishonest employees to steal money intended for traffic campaigns, payroll, and other expenses. Using their access to accounts, payment systems, and the budget, they transfer funds to their own accounts under the guise of "tests" or "operational costs." 

To prevent this from happening, we recommend implementing a payment control system and regularly auditing your employees' reports.

Vague KPIs and Report Manipulation

Let's say the team owner set a KPI for a player support specialist based on repeat deposits from their referral link. A high-roller from a previous campaign enters a chat with the specialist.

Because there were no specific conditions for evaluating the employee's work, the specialist began to manipulate the payment system. They submitted false reports, for example, splitting a single $10,000 deposit into five $2,000 top-ups, artificially inflating their KPI.

This can create a significant cash flow gap for the team, and traffic will stop being profitable. To prevent these situations, you need to:

• develop a compensation plan that minimizes manipulation. For example, switch from a reward per repeat deposit to a percentage of the total deposit amount;

• conduct regular report audits.

Deceiving Players

A specialist might try to sell an account intended for creatives to a player for a small fee, pretending it's a "boosted" account from which the player simply needs to "withdraw funds". To minimize this risk, you should restrict access to creative accounts and conduct regular audits.

Theft of Confidential Information, Funnel, and Traffic

Confidential information like financial reports, lead data, and internal protocols or scripts can be valuable to competitors or sold off.

A dishonest employee might join the team, learn about successful campaigns and processes, then leave to run the copied funnel on their own. Such an employee might even try to poach your clients.

To prevent these situations, we recommend to:

• conduct real life interviews or via video calls with the camera on;

• agree on a minimum employment term with the employee in advance;

• not store valuable information like channels, bots, or source access on accounts used to run traffic; 

• monitor employee interactions with confidential information and leads for any suspicious activity;

• provide a personal link to each specialist to track their work;

• require a full set of documents when signing a cooperation agreement;

• provide access to confidential information and tools only on a dedicated work device, which is collected when the employee leaves.

To further mitigate security and data-related risks, it's highly recommended to have employees sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

Checklist: Are You Ready to Build a Team?

To determine if you're ready to create your own team, use this checklist. If every item is checked, you're ready. To make your scaling process as effective as possible, be sure to consult with a personal manager.

• 

  The scope of tasks has become too large to handle alone
  You're ready to test new hypotheses and have the resources to do so, but you're overwhelmed by daily operational tasks.

• 

  Your project has a clear goal, and you know which tasks to delegate
  Understanding exactly which tasks you plan to delegate and what specialists you need will help you avoid financial losses during the hiring process. 

• 

  You have all the necessary resources
  You've established a payroll fund and a financial safety net, and you've acquired all the necessary tools for future employees, whether that's hardware, accounts, or software.

• 

  You're prepared to start hiring
  The team structure is already defined, roles and compensation plans are written, candidate profiles and job descriptions are ready, and interview scripts are prepared.

• 

  You have addressed all potential risks
  The NDA text is ready and has been reviewed by lawyers, a transparent reporting and KPI system has been developed, and you have the tools to audit employee performance.

• 

  You're ready to reinvest for better results
  Reinvestment is the process of putting income from the business back into its further development. It is critically important for growth and scaling.

Launching the Hiring Process

If you have a clear understanding of your team's principles, goals, and budget, have formulated a strategy, and have identified the necessary specialists, you can begin the hiring process. 

Who to Hire First

In most cases, you can start with management: a team lead who will oversee all processes, adjust employee actions, and gradually take over all operational tasks.

Although in the initial stages of a team's work, the owner should manage all operational processes personally to help the team adapt and prevent overspending, they should eventually transfer these functions to a team lead. Otherwise, the owner won't be able to fully dedicate themselves to scaling, diversification, and strategic planning.

You can also start the search for other key specialists at the same time as you look for a team lead.

Where to Find Specialists

Recruiting services and platforms can be broadly divided into general and niche categories. General platforms are large job aggregators that are great if you're looking for candidates with no prior experience in the betting and gambling space. Niche platforms are popular among experienced specialists who are already familiar with the industry.

Candidate Profile

After you've listed the specialists you need, you should create a detailed profile for each role. This will help you quickly filter applicants and find the best fit. A candidate profile should include:

• hard skills;

• soft skills;

• salary range;

• work model: office, remote, or hybrid.

Not every employee needs a strong technical background when they join the team. It's challenging to teach technical skills, but it's impossible to teach manners and humanity. 

You should focus more on a candidate's soft skills and personal qualities, such as initiative, courage, flexibility, and energy.

Writing the Job Description

Once you have your list of specialists and a candidate profile, you can start writing the job description. 

It should meet the format and requirements of the platform where it will be posted and include:

• a clear and engaging title;

• brief information about the team and the business;

• a clear list of the tasks the applicant is to perform;

• candidate requirements: work experience, knowledge, and skills;

• key personal qualities;

• working conditions;

• a description of training opportunities and other corporate benefits that might interest candidates.

It's important to understand that at this stage, you're "selling" your business and trying to attract as many potential employees as possible.

If you need help creating a job description that will attract qualified candidates, contact your personal manager.

Candidate Screening and Interviews

Initial Screening

During the initial screening, you should pay close attention to a candidate's resume, portfolio, and experience:

• CV and cover letter: these should be well-written and structured. This is especially important for candidates in roles that involve external communication, such as a player support. If a candidate's writing has mistakes, lacks paragraph breaks, and isn't proofread for typos or formatting, it's likely they'll have a similar attitude toward their work tasks.

For candidates in technical or operational roles, like programmers, the standard for grammar may be less strict, but the ability to express thoughts clearly and logically is still critical for effective internal communication;

• portfolio: it should contain verifiable experience and case studies or creatives. The content should be consistent with the CV and the requirements of the position you're hiring for;

• experience: The duration of a candidate's work in the field and the skills and tasks they list should align. For example, if a candidate with only three months of experience in affiliate marketing claims they independently managed traffic budgets and handled the entire creative production cycle, there's reason to believe the information is not accurate.

If a candidate fits the profile, has a well-written cover letter, and a CV with a portfolio that shows relevant experience, you can invite them for an interview.

The Interview

The goal of the interview is to get to know the candidate better as a person and to verify the information on their CV, cover letter, and in their portfolio. Sometimes a candidate may not perfectly match the skills and experience for a role, but the interview reveals their strengths and potential. On the other hand, a candidate who seemed ideal during the initial screening might not live up to their claimed knowledge and skills in the interview. An in-person interview also allows you to objectively evaluate a candidate's soft skills.

Interview Structure:

1. Getting to know the candidate.

2. Discussing the candidate's professional experience and successful case studies.

3. Discussing the candidate's challenges and failures in difficult or controversial situations.

4. The hiring manager's presentation of the project, including the work process and time management.

5. The hiring manager's description of the goals, motivation, and expectations for the role.

6. A discussion of working conditions, schedule, and salary expectations.

Let's look at each stage in more detail.

The Introduction

This stage is for evaluating a candidate's communication skills, general demeanor, and soft skills. It can also provide a glimpse into their stress tolerance.

Sample questions:

• "How did you get into affiliate marketing?"

• "Why are you interested in working with our team?"

Experience

Here, you assess a candidate's knowledge of the iGaming market, verify the experience listed on their CV, and gauge their readiness for the workload.

Sample questions:

• "What is your experience in affiliate marketing?"

• "Tell us about a successful project you worked on. What were your key achievements?"

Technical Review

This phase evaluates a candidate's professional skills, potentially with a test such as analyzing a campaign, launching an ad, or making a creative.

Sample questions:

• "What tools and platforms did you use in your previous job?"

• "How do you handle data and analytics? What tools do you prefer?"

• "How do you adapt to changes in ad platform algorithms?"

• "Tell us about a project that didn't go well, and what you learned from it."

Expectations and Goals

This part of the interview is for discussing future tasks, the probationary period, and ROI targets to ensure the candidate understands the requirements and is ready to meet them.

• "What are your short-term and long-term career goals?"

• "How do you see yourself developing in affiliate marketing over the next 3-5 years?"

Terms and Compensation

This part of the interview is where you discuss salary, payment schedules, bonuses, potential delays, and other conditions to ensure the candidate has a full understanding of their compensation and work environment.

Candidate Evaluation

Every team has its own way of evaluating candidates, but here are a few key points you should pay close attention to:

• candidate's hard skills: you can ask the candidate to complete a test assignment or solve a case study during the interview;

• the structure and coherence of their answers: how the candidate organizes their thoughts;

• being honest when discussing past results and statistics.

It's important to remember that not only are you evaluating a potential employee, but they are also evaluating you. Your values should align from the very beginning. If they don't, there is a risk that you won't be able to establish effective teamwork.

Drafting and Signing an NDA

Signing an NDA is a good legal tool for protecting yourself against dishonest employee behavior. However, it's important to understand that simply signing the document doesn't guarantee complete data protection. It's more of a deterrent that works best when combined with other security measures.

What an NDA Should Include:

• key terms and definition of confidential information: confidential information includes any data disclosed by one party to another that is not to be revealed. This could be trade secrets, business plans, financial data, technology, client databases and anything that has value and isn't public knowledge;

• party obligations:

• do not disclose confidential information to a third party without the prior written consent of the Disclosing Party;

• use confidential information solely for the purposes defined in the NDA and the employee's job description;

• take all reasonable steps to protect confidential information from unauthorized access;

• penalties for violating the NDA's terms;

• exceptions and special circumstances;

• a list of data that is not considered confidential;

• the term of the agreement;

• other conditions;

• signatures of both parties: any changes or additions to the agreement must also be made in writing and signed by both parties.

By signing the NDA, both the employee and the company confirm that they are familiar with and agree to its terms. 

The NDA should be drafted in advance, before you start hiring, to avoid rushing and making mistakes.

Conclusion

By following the recommendations outlined in this guide, you can assemble a team that will not only achieve your goals but also become the foundation for the continued growth and development of your iGaming projects.

Creating an effective affiliate marketing team can significantly accelerate your business growth. A solid structure, clear roles and responsibilities, a transparent compensation and auditing system, and a focus on soft skills will help you form a cohesive team ready to face any challenges in this dynamic market.