Introducing Brokers are one of the primary client acquisition channels for forex brokerages. A well-structured IB program — with the right tracking tools, promo materials, and commission infrastructure — can generate consistent trader volume at a lower cost per acquisition than direct paid marketing. But IBs perform only as well as the tools and materials they are given to work with.
This guide covers the promo material types that perform best in IB distribution, how referral tracking works technically, and what brokerages should provide to IBs to maximise their effectiveness as acquisition partners.
Why Promo Materials Matter for IB Performance
IBs vary significantly in their marketing capability. Some run sophisticated digital campaigns across multiple channels with custom landing pages and audience segmentation. Others share referral links through personal networks and messaging apps. The brokerage cannot control which type of IB is in its network — but it can ensure that every IB, regardless of their marketing sophistication, has materials that work.
An IB who receives only a referral link and no supporting materials will produce lower conversion rates than one who receives a referral link, branded banners, a trackable blog article link, and SMS-ready text with the referral embedded. The conversion difference is not primarily a function of the IB’s effort — it is a function of whether the brokerage has equipped them to succeed.
Promo Material Types and How Each Works
Referral URLs
The referral URL is the foundation of every IB’s toolkit. When a prospective trader clicks an IB’s referral URL and completes registration, the new account is automatically attributed to that IB in the CRM. On MT4 and MT5 platforms, the trader’s Agent Account field is populated with the IB’s number, creating a persistent link between the trader and the IB for commission calculation purposes.
Referral URLs can be configured to open different landing pages — the general registration form, a specific account type, a promotional offer, or a product-specific page. Referral Groups Logic allows the brokerage to specify that traders registering through a specific IB’s link are placed into a designated account group — with different trading conditions, commission tiers, or product access than the general registration flow. This enables IBs to promote specific products to specific audiences without manual account management by the broker’s operations team.
Blog Articles as Trackable Promo Materials
Brokerage blog articles can be converted into trackable IB promo materials by appending the IB’s referral parameter to the article URL. When an IB shares the article on social media or via messaging and a reader clicks through to register, the registration is attributed to the IB — even though the content itself is educational rather than promotional.
This approach is particularly effective for IBs who build audiences around trading education. An IB with a YouTube channel or social media following can share a genuine educational article from the brokerage’s blog, and conversions that result from that content are tracked and commissioned automatically. The content feels organic to the IB’s audience while delivering measurable acquisition value to the brokerage.
Banners
Banners are image-based promo materials that IBs embed on their websites, in email campaigns, or share on social media. Unlike text links, banners render as visual content — which performs better in social feeds and email newsletters than plain URLs.
Brokerages should provide banners in multiple formats and sizes — standard web banner dimensions (728×90, 300×250, 160×600), square formats for social media, and mobile-optimised variants. Each banner should be pre-embedded with the IB’s referral tracking. Tools like Canva or Adobe Express allow the brokerage’s marketing team to produce a banner library at reasonable cost — the key is providing enough variety that IBs operating across different channels have appropriate assets for each context.
SMS and Messaging App Links
Many IBs — particularly those operating in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America — run their networks primarily through WhatsApp, Telegram, LINE, or SMS. For these IBs, the most valuable promo material is a short, clean referral URL (ideally shortened) accompanied by pre-written message copy they can personalise and send to their contacts.
Providing IBs with ready-made message templates — in the relevant language — for WhatsApp and Telegram reduces the barrier to distribution and ensures the message that goes out is consistent with the brokerage’s brand and compliance standards. An IB who writes their own promotional message may inadvertently include claims that create regulatory exposure for the brokerage. Pre-approved templates eliminate that risk.
Referral Tracking — How Attribution Works
Accurate referral tracking is the operational foundation of a functional IB program. IBs who do not trust that their referrals are being correctly attributed stop promoting. Tracking disputes — where an IB claims they referred a trader who does not appear in their commission dashboard — are one of the most common sources of IB relationship problems.
The Multi-Level IB system in the Kenmore Design CRM handles attribution through cookie-based tracking on the referral URL, with a configurable attribution window. When a trader registers through an IB’s link — regardless of whether they register immediately or return to the registration page days later within the attribution window — the registration is assigned to the IB. The commission calculation then runs automatically based on the IB’s configured commission structure, without manual calculation by the broker’s finance team.
For multi-tier IB structures — where an IB refers other IBs who in turn refer traders — the system tracks the full referral chain and calculates commissions at each tier automatically. This is operationally significant because manual calculation of multi-tier commissions at volume is error-prone and creates the attribution disputes that damage IB relationships.
What IBs Actually Need to Perform
Beyond materials and tracking, IBs need visibility into their performance to stay motivated and to optimise their promotion efforts. An IB dashboard that shows real-time referred trader count, active traders, trading volume, and commission earned — broken down by referral source where possible — gives IBs the data they need to understand which of their channels and materials are working.
IBs who can see that blog article referrals convert at a higher rate than banner referrals will shift their effort toward content promotion. IBs who can see that traders referred from one geographic market trade at higher volume than another will focus acquisition on that market. Giving IBs performance data is not just a service feature — it is how the brokerage shapes IB behaviour to maximise the value of the program.
For a full overview of how the IB and affiliate management system works, see the Multi-Level IB page or schedule a demo to see the IB dashboard and promo material system in practice.
Request a Consultation on IB Promo Materials & Referral Systems
Get expert guidance on building effective promo materials and referral tools for your Introducing Brokers. We’ll help you structure referral URLs, banner systems, landing pages, and tracking logic that make it easy for IBs to attract traders — and for you to measure performance.
Together, we’ll review your current IB setup and design a referral framework that supports scalable growth, clear attribution, and long-term partner engagement.
