The Balanced Marketing Ecosystem: Using Traditional & Digital Marketing to Maximize Your Acquisition of New Customers Allan Petrilli Manager of Affiliate Services Income Access Group
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW Introduction Setting the stage Current market and evolution Digital marketing channels what you need to know Tying offline and online marketing together Questions
CANADIAN ONLINE GAMING AT A GLANCE Land based properties Racetracks and casinos Online gaming websites (real money and free play) Run by provincial Governments Offshore accepting Canadian players Rogue from within Canada Social gaming Through traditional social platforms Web based games
CANADIAN ONLINE GAMING AT A GLANCE 2004: B.C. began offering online lottery tickets and sports betting 2010: Loto-Quebec introduced online poker and casino-style games for its residents 2010: British Columbia, through the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), became the first Canadian province to open an online casino to its residents 2013: The BCLC, Loto-Quebec and Manitoba Lotteries joined the Canadian Poker Network, which is the first regulated poker network in North America, enabling gamblers based in these provinces to play at the same online tables. 2013: To date, the RCMP hasn't brought a case forward against an offshore gambling operator 2015: At present, every province in Canada is able to permit, license and regulate its own online gambling sites
CANADIAN ONLINE GAMING AT A GLANCE Considerations of each market: Legislation impacts on marketing, content, market growth Geolocation, content, and payment processing limitation on market growth Population impacts on appetite for market entry and saturation Taxation profitability and growth Marketing ability to create a balanced marketing ecosystem
THE STATS - REVENUE Canada is 4 th in the world with total gross gaming revenue per capita $14 billion in revenue
CANADIAN INTERNET USAGE TRENDS In 2013, Canada led the world in web page visits/month, and second in hours spent online. 87% of households have an internet connection
THE STATS - MOBILE
THE STATS - MOBILE
THE STATS ONLINE USAGE
THE STATS - MOBILE Streaming Radio: Mobile = 95% (79% smartphones and 16% tablets) Desktop = 5% Games: Mobile = 85% (79% smartphones and 6% tablets) Desktop = 15% Social Media: Mobile = 72% (61% smartphones and 11% tablets) Desktop = 28% Weather: Mobile = 70% (61% smartphones and 9% tablets) Desktop = 31% Retail: Mobile = 53% (39% smartphones and 14% tablets) Desktop = 47% Millennial Media and comscore report that 56% of online content is now consumed via smartphones (44%) and tablets (12%) while just 44% is consumed on desktop computers.
THE STATS - MOBILE Canadians are now spending more time in mobile devices than desktop online browsing According to Google, 9 out of 10 smartphone users start a session on one device and finish on another. Because of this, Cross-platform is integral to marketing approach in 2015. There is a need to merge gaming channels. There needs to be a cross-over between when the player leaves the venue and is no longer able to play for real money and when they go home to play with virtual money (Or real money) Mobile App Usage is Dominating the Mobile Web: app Store Optimization is vital acquisition tool
DIGITAL MARKETING WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO SOLVE? You want to: Reverse effects of declining property traffic Increase revenue Integrate your offline and online marketing strategies (or build online strategies) Convert offline traffic into online, and vice versa Grow, develop, position and expose your brand
WHY IS DIGITAL MARKETING IMPORTANT Differentiation and brand identity is essential Customer Engagement Expanding your reach Converting non-gamblers through education and awareness Increasing the profitability of existing customers Increasing brand touch points and accessibility Collecting customer feedback And of course. KEEPING YOUR CUTOMERS ENGAGED ONCE THEY WALK OFF PROPERTY
DIGITAL MARKETING GETTING STARTED Consider your goals These are long-term They tell you where you want to go Be specific and realistic Make sure your goals are always in line with your online mission They help you improve your company s overall effectiveness
DIGITAL MARKETING GETTING STARTED Consider your goals Consider your objectives These are short-term They tell you how to get there, they guide you These are the steps you take to achieve your goals Consider your resources and budget Do you have the resources available? What is your budget? You have to ask yourself who s responsible? i.e., who will take charge of this project/transition? Who will be the point of contact?
DEVELOP YOUR PLAN Based on your goals, objectives, and budget (answered above), you now have the foundation for your online marketing strategy but how will you execute it? The next section will review the different digital strategies that your plan should include
KEEP IN MIND The following digital strategies, while independent of each other, have a much higher rate of success when leveraged as a group
DIGITAL MARKETING KNOWING YOUR OPTIONS In order to perform this online transition, the following tactics, or marketing channels, need to be implemented: Player website SEO PPC Media Buys Email Marketing Affiliate/Performance Marketing Social Media Blogs, Forums, Videos, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram/Flickr Each of the above tactics has pros and cons Depending on your strategy, some of these tactics will be more valuable
DIGITAL MARKETING GETTING STARTED Channels Audience (Database) Effort Costs Results Organic search External, Internal *** * Long-term Database marketing Internal * * Short-term Social media External, Internal *** * Long-term Pay per click External, Internal * *** Short-term Paid media External * *** Short-term Affiliate marketing External *** * Medium-term Paid social External, Internal * *** Short-term SMS marketing External ** ** Short-term Traditional media External, Internal *** *** Medium-term
SEO Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the use of various techniques to improve a website s ranking on search engines, ultimately to attract more visitors Considers how search engine algorithms work Websites compete for attention and placement in search engines Second most important digital channel for digital lottery acquisition Content quality + value to players User experience + User interface Spider accessibility + canonical content use Internal link architecture Keyword research + targeting
SEO Pros: Low cost The financial investment for SEO is low, other than time Permanence SEO results, once gained, have long-lasting effects Cons: Long term results which could impact brands looking for quick traffic wins Requires continuous maintenance Time consuming Vulnerability to changes made in search engine algorithms
PPC Pay per click (PPC) is an advertising model, or online campaign, wherein a website pays a set amount (bid price) whenever someone clicks on their ad. PPC and SEO strategies should be considered together when developing an online marketing strategy Keyword grouping Monthly PPC reporting Keyword bidding PPC ad copyright Your PPC Campaign Daily account management Identifying PPC budget PPC ad geo location targeting PPC keyword research Visibility Share keyword data Strategic organic keywords Top Channel for Digital Lottery Acquisition
PPC Pros: Speed Ad campaigns can be employed quickly but do still take time to grow Measurable Results can be analyzed for optimization Lucrative Control Cons: Using the right keywords can be rewarded Ability to control budgets and ensure you are spending to your means Temporary benefits Can be costly Google policies
MEDIA BUYS A media buy is the purchase of advertising in a media venue, such as newspaper, TV, radio, video, social or website (banner ad). Involves the planning, negotiating, purchasing, and tracking of the mediabuying results. Media-buying should reflect product branding and connect customers with the brand experience. Media purchases target specific audiences to boost: Traffic!!! Brand exposure Customer loyalty Trust
MEDIA BUYS Pros: Targeted Traffic You can direct your media buys at your niche market Efficient Quick traffic. You can also test player journeys, organize long term campaigns, etc. Brand Awareness Cons: Your presence in different venues helps promote your brand Can be costly unlike PPC, you can potentially spend money without any visits ROI can fluctuate if the campaign is not monitored closely
PPC AND MEDIA BUYING: IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS Put thought into your ad copy clicks are worth nothing if the user clicking doesn t understand what you are selling Customer Journey don t waste clicks, ensure that you landing pages and sign-up process are simple and straight forward Targeting important to start small and spend on geo s that you are strong in
EMAIL MARKETING Email marketing involves sending your affiliates a direct, personalized communication, with their specific needs in mind. Pros: Simple Emails are easy to do Valuable Sending relevant communications produce solid responses Low Cost Cons: There is little investment required if you already have your own property lists. Can be considered SPAM if not properly operated (CASL) Blacklisting
AFFILIATE / PERFORMANCE MARKETING Performance marketing is a business partnership between merchants and affiliates. Pros: Affiliates are experts, and understand the industry very well Act as a brand ambassador Both an acquisition and retention partner Payment based on performance Challenges: Needs support team Needs transparency Needs reporting
SOCIAL MEDIA Social Media are tools that allow people to create, share or exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities Communicates brand personality and authority, and builds relationships and trust through engagement An alternative to traditional PR channel Ability to communicate about products and services in a medium that adds value through content Great medium to connect with a younger demographic, as well as aging demographic that have disposable income
THE STATS - SOCIAL Millennials consume significant amounts of social media with highest being Snapchat!
THE STATS - SOCIAL No surprise that social network Facebook drives highest volume of traffic of all social platforms.
THE STATS - SOCIAL Studies show social media is a medium to find out what friends are doing representing a great acquisition tool.
SOCIAL MEDIA - BLOGS Pros: Develop personality: put forward views and philosophies Develop brand and authority Build relationship, trust Ability to communicate about product and services that cannot be traditionally explained in web Cons: Can be time consuming, especially for novice writers Communications can sound too much like a sales pitch Negative comments Always respond/address negative comments, to minimize damage and secure relationship
SOCIAL MEDIA - FORUMS (i.e. discussion boards, message boards) Pros: Popular medium for affiliates and customers Ideal place to share industry expertise/knowledge Good source for increasing credibility Cons: Requires a high level of moderation; maintenance requires time investment Negative comments unfounded
SOCIAL MEDIA - VIDEOS Pros: Popular medium As of October 2009, YouTube reached 1 billion views a day Easy-to-view Control branding and marketing message Cons: Attention span videos need to be short and to the point Searchability of video not as sophisticated as written social media Can be a costly investment if you don t have resources Development Editing Hosting
FACTORS FOR SUCCESS Brand: trust, honesty, Product: consistency, delivery Campaigns that engage Management of your database Dedicated and engaged acquisition team Exclusive engaging promotions Solid retention and loyalty programs Exceptional customer service Prompt, reliable payments
OTHER FACTORS FOR SUCCESS Recommended marketing ecosystem: Mass market (above-the-line): TV Print Radio Billboards Ad networks (online and mobile) Digital marketing channels offer the ability to track and measure ROI clearly of marketing spend Targeted (below-the-line): SEO PPC Social media Affiliates Email/content marketing
THE VALUE OF DIGITAL MARKETING: RECAP You don t need to do it all Work with current assets Analyze your resources Evaluate your budget Understand your customers engagement with online marketing Start small and experiment Measure ROI and understand what works
THE VALUE OF DIGITAL MARKETING: RECAP Digital marketing is part of an integrated strategy: Combining short and long-term objectives As part of an overarching strategy leveraging online and offline tactics Phase 1: Internal Assets Phase 2: External Acquisition Aim of increasing reach, brand visibility, accessibility and customer engagement
SUMMARY - HOW TO BUILD A STRATEGY 1. Beginning with existing channels and content 2. Evaluating performance of existing channels. 3. Analysing current customer database, according to demographics, etc. 4. Segmenting ad/marketing campaigns according to customer segments offline versus online campaigns; campaigns targeting younger demographics, etc. 5. Diversifying acquisition strategy to include broader range of channels. 6. Integrating existing channels with new channels (PPC ads, affiliates, app marketing, ASO, social media marketing, etc.) 7. A/B testing on all channels. 8. Tracking on all channels to then optimise and recalibrate strategy accordingly. 9. Need for constant re-evaluation. 9. Three pronged strategy: Acquisition of New Customers Cross-platform marketing to existing customers e.g. converting retail lottery players into online lottery players; converting land-based casino into social/online players Retention/reactivation of customers/players.
THANKS FOR ATTENDING! For more information, please feel free to email me at allan@incomeaccess.com