Although it may feel as if online casinos have been around a long time, they’ve actually only been around since the mid-1990s. A bill that enabled the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda to grant licenses to companies that wish to offer online casino services set things up for a whole new industry to blossom.

Back then, the websites of the early casinos were basic by the standards of today, but technological advances allowed them to become more sophisticated. Initially, they served up simple casino games such as poker, but then they began to expand their offering. Slots became part of the equation, as did live casino gaming and mobile gaming.

Today, competition is intense, and companies follow the trends to gain any edge possible on the others in their industry. Even small advantages can make a big difference. Below is a look at how companies build their target audience and some of the advertising and marketing methods they use to attract these players.

Growing an audience

Operators build their target audiences for online casino games by first understanding and identifying different factors so that they can then work out how to attract players and retain them:

Game type

Does the target audience prefer traditional table and card games? Do they prefer classic slots, such as fruit machines? Do they prefer more modern slots, like 3D slots and video five-reel slots? Are the games the type that feature stories and characters, which seem to be more popular with women?

Demographic profile

The operators like to get an idea of their target audience by creating demographic profiles which include attributes such as age, gender and income. This can help them to identify the motivations behind the player’s participation in online gaming. Younger people are in it just to have fun, for instance; whereas middle-aged people who have low incomes might be playing to win money; and middle-aged people on higher incomes may be playing to test their skills or even just out of sheer curiosity.

Motivations

Understanding potential motivations is important because it will help the operators to target the right people, as will the other factors above.

Some people play for money. They may even be professionals and have regular schedules for playing. The way for the online operators to attract people who want to win money is to capture their interest and run regular promotions and loyalty programs.

Other players are merely playing for fun. They may only play once in a while. The way to attract these players is to spoil them with large welcome bonuses for signing up and to have eye-catching designs.

Marketing tactics

Now that the companies know who they’re after, they’ll employ a variety of marketing and advertising tactics to get in front of their audience and tempt them through their digital doors. Here are some of them:

Make themselves easy to find online

As a company that offers its services over the internet, online casinos work hard on their search marketing, filling their content and website pages with words and phrases related to their offering. A good search marketing strategy can help them be more visible, get in front of their intended audience easier and attract them to the website.

Loyalty schemes

Keeping customers is even more important than attracting them. One effective way to do this is by rewarding customers who use their services regularly. Whereas new customers may receive bonuses for signing up or making their first deposit, players who already hold an account with them receive access to exclusive bonuses or other offers. As well as cementing the player’s loyalty even further, it’s an opportunity for the operator to show appreciation for the spend the customer makes with them.

Feedback loops

Customer service is important to online casinos. If someone has a good experience on the website, they encourage them to write a review or tell others about it. This social proof is highly effective because it builds trust for the operator with potential customers.

Other examples of feedback loops would be when the casino follows up with another promotion or discount after a customer makes use of one. As discussed above, loyalty schemes are also an effective feedback loop.

Social media

Social media is a powerful, effective marketing tool for online casinos. They use Twitter to display their customer service and respond to feedback by improving their website. This helps them to attract new players and retain existing ones.

Online casinos take to Facebook and other platforms to promote competitions to their audience. They’ll also use some of its promoted features to increase engagement with their content.

YouTube is a useful channel, too. Although YouTube is strict when it comes to casinos, operators can still employ the channel as a way to create engaging content for online gaming fans.

Content marketing

Content marketing is a major strategy throughout the industry that enables companies to engage potential players, by creating content that offers tips on how to play different games. Content may feature news about promotions and offers. Regular players may also receive newsletters informing them of new games that will be appearing on the operator’s site.

Online casino operators build their target audiences by thinking carefully about the type of players they’re trying to attract (or retain). They then employ appealing marketing tactics such as content marketing to attract and engage them or promotions to entice them and then build up their loyalty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betty Bugle
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