Employing a solid marketing strategy is critical to any business’s success, and nowhere is this more apparent than in online markets, especially the online gambling market. Online casinos find themselves in an extremely competitive market where brand loyalty is hard-won.
The market is rife with established and startup casinos vying for a piece of the action that is estimated to be worth $525 billion soon, with many casinos failing to make an impact along the way. The casinos that make it to the top incorporate several marketing tools to convert and retain their player-base effectively. We will look at the best ways to create a successful marketing strategy, touching on topics such as affiliate marketing, mobile marketing, social media marketing, and more.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is undoubtedly one of the best, budget-friendly, and most effective ways to get new players and create awareness around the brand. Affiliate sites operate by advertising the online casino on their website with ads (supplied by the online casino). In contrast, other websites serve as online casino portals that feature useful info, online gambling reviews, and player guides.
Every affiliate deal varies, but the standard payment plans are as follows:
· The online casino pays a portion of the new players’ lifetime or fixed-term spend to the affiliate - this is called revenue share/rev share.
· The online casino pays the affiliate a fixed price for every new player that signs up – this is called cost per acquisition or CPA.
Affiliate marketing is an excellent option for all online casinos as they only spend money once they receive new depositing players. It’s a far better option than conventional advertising that requires an up-front payment without any new players guaranteed. Also, many online casinos offer exclusive offers for players signing up from a particular affiliate site.
Online Casino Design
The first point of contact with a potential player is the online casino’s homepage. If the page is uninspiring, generic, or drab, they certainly won’t hesitate to close the browser tab and do a Google search for a top casino that they’ve already heard of or know.
The same goes for an affiliate site’s supplied marketing material and the casino’s landing page; if the online casino’s promotions and offers are of subpar visual quality, the potential players would certainly question whether the online casino is worth the while. Ads with vibrant and engaging graphics and animations go a long way as online casino players are visually-inspired and expect a prelude to the action and excitement that an online casino is advertising.
Mobile Marketing
As mobiles become ubiquitous, mobile marketing is a vital tool for online casinos. In its simplest form, mobile marketing constitutes SMS campaigns. This form of marketing is an easy and cost- effective way to reach people directly on their phones.
These types of ad campaigns target players that have already signed up at the online casino. An SMS serves to inform players about special promotions, offers, or new games. Mobile marketing is a useful tool as it drives traffic to the online casino and promotes mobile phones to play at online casinos on the go. If players are accustomed to playing on their phones, they’ll more than likely revert to the casino’s mobile website when they have moments to spare.
Certain online casinos have sophisticated apps that form another part of mobile marketing as the apps utilize in-app or in-game marketing that pushes notifications to the players.
Social Media
A social media presence is essential in reaching a wider audience. Not only is it a modern prerequisite to have a social media presence, but it also allows the online casino to advertise its service, promotions, and special offer across a broad spectrum of social media platforms including, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Social media allows an online casino to foster a relationship with its players. It’s also an essential resource in determining the casino’s demographic or target audience, enabling the casino to funnel its resources into a specific channel.
Email Marketing
It’s essential to combine mobile and email marketing to deliver a comprehensive marketing strategy that focuses on ROI. A casino that incorporates both elements improves its odds of reaching more players and provides a positive player reaction to the disseminated information.
Many casinos send weekly newsletters via email, while others opt to bombard their players with daily mails that edge players to unsubscribe at a whim. Achieving a delicate balance between the two is essential, and that’s where creative marketing ala marketing experts come into play.
Marketing Experts
Implementing a successful marketing strategy is daunting, but it becomes significantly more comfortable when a casino solicits marketing experts’ services.
These professionals target a casino’s marketing strategy’s problematic aspects and implement tools to overcome any difficulties. Marketing experts have extensive knowledge, fresh ideas, and expertise to achieve the casino’s marketing goals. The experts will also set out a customer journey and plan unique player experiences to improve profitability and player retention.
Ad Networks
Marketing experts will, in all likelihood, implement marketing tools that harness advertising networks for effective reach. Ad Networks create a link between the online casino and popular websites that are willing to display the casino’s ads.
Casinos should consider using Adsterra or Google’s Adsense to earn money from website monetization. These platforms allow the casino to publish ads on websites that target their desired demographics.
Adsterra and Adsense are equivalent in terms of profit, while Adsterra boasts no restrictions on the website’s traffic volume and offers near-instant website approval.
Meta Tags
Despite many sources reporting that meta tags have little use in 2023, it is still advisable for online casinos to implement meta tags as they are still useful in particular aspects. The meta description provides a summary of a specific web page. Google often displays the meta descriptions in search results that influence click-through rates.
Google announced that meta keywords and meta descriptions do not factor into Google’s ranking algorithms; however, the meta descriptions can influence a page’s click-through rate, influencing a page’s favorable ranking. There are intricate subtleties to constructive meta tags, and a casino should consult marketing experts to get it just right.
Limited-Time Promos And Special Offers
A strategy that online casinos often overlook is to keep things exciting and enticing. Updating promotions and offers is vital to player engagement, especially when players have multiple offers from other competitive online casinos. Time-limited offers work based on psychology; the fear of missing out drives players to act or engage with a casino’s offer or promotion in a higher volume than ordinary offers.
Creating Fanfare Around Any New Developments
Casino players pursue entertainment, and it is best practice to keep players abreast of any new development regarding new games, promos, tournaments, or impressive jackpots. In particular, new games garner significant interest as the games are frequently accompanied by special offers and naturally offer players the opportunity of trying something brand new. It is not uncommon for casinos to generate extensive promotional campaigns around the release of an anticipated game.
Online casinos should also consider incorporating games by popular gaming developers that supply substantial gaming assets for marketing if the current games lack player interest.
Retention Is As Necessary As Acquisition
There is no time for casinos to rest on their laurels once there is a substantial player base to impress. Retaining new players is vital as casino players are fickle by nature. One of the best methods to keep players is by offering them a loyalty program that rewards them for playing as they ordinarily would; that way, they are still benefiting from gameplay as new players would.
If that doesn’t sway the base, recharge bonuses, special match bonuses, and free spins are crucial to making a player feel valued.
Players have more choice than ever, and online casinos have to go the extra mile to acquire and retain their players. With the online gambling marketing guide, a new casino is sure to be on the right track in next to no time. This article’s proven techniques will undoubtedly attract more players and help casinos cash in on the massive online gambling market. It is also essential to note that the most successful online casinos use several techniques as the gaming environment is continuously evolving. Player loyalty ensures that the casino can continue to turn a profit. It is not uncommon for casinos to set aside a significant marketing budget to keep everybody every single one of their players happy.
