If there’s one thing online casinos are excellent at doing its marketing themselves. Every virtual casino worth its salt is an expert at getting its name out there, which is no easy task in this day and age considering there are hundreds of gaming sites in operation. The big picture is changing all the time.
So this begs the question of how online casinos manage to engage their target players in the marketplace and, equally importantly, keep them coming back for more? In this article, we’ll answer that question as we look at four key marketing lessons from online casinos that most businesses – online and offline – could also learn and benefit from.
Before we delve into said online casino marketing lessons, however, it’s important to acknowledge a universal marketing truth which is that nothing kills a bad product/service quicker than excellent marketing/advertising.
In other words, the product and everything about it – in this case online casinos – must be exemplary because if they’re anything less than that their own marketing efforts risk exposing them as poor, average or lack-luster. And being labeled as any of these three can be the ‘kiss of death’ in the online casino industry.
That said here are key ways successful online casinos market themselves successfully.
Best in Class Games
Games are the lifeblood of all online casinos; the engines that make them tick if you will. Casinos understand that to be competitive in this highly competitive industry they’ve got to offer players the best and latest game ranges.
This means forging lasting relationships with premier online casino software developers like NetEnt, Betsoft, Microgaming, iSoftBet and Pragmatic Play to name just a few.
By doing so they ensure their players have access to cutting-edge games with the best HD and 3D graphics, sounds, features and the payouts. In other words, they provide games with the most generous return to player i.e. that are verified to pay out the most winnings on average over time compared to many of their rivals.
Best in class also refers to the widest choice of games across as many categories as possible. In this way, casinos can be assured that the majority of players – whether new to casinos or suitably experienced pros – will find one or more games that suit their particular taste.
This is why the best online casinos have hundreds – sometimes thousands – of casino games including slots, video poker, Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Keno, Progressives, Bingo, Scratch Cards, Live Dealer and even games designed to be played solely with Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies.
When it comes to online casino games, more is always more. Few things generate positive word of mouth about an internet casino faster than the games that have been found to be not only easy, reliable and entertaining to play but worth it financially.
Bold and Free Bonuses
Bonuses are arguably the most common and effective marketing tool online casinos have up their sleeves. Ever since the first online casinos emerged in the mid-1990s they’ve been synonymous with two main types of bonuses – welcome bonuses for first new or time players and reload bonuses for signed up i.e. existing players. A popular marketing strategy for casinos is reload bonuses for signed up users.
Recognizing that ‘comping’ players the way land casinos do is impossible in the virtual world of internet-based casinos, those first pioneering online casino owners were rapid to realize that ‘upfront bonuses’ for online players were the way to go which is how the welcome a.k.a. sign up, match, matching or deposit bonus was born.
These are deposit bonuses where a player’s deposit is matched by a fixed percentage (usually 100%) up to a maximum specified limit. These bonuses in effect allow players to double up on their playing funds (deposit + bonus). Although welcome bonuses are still in use and widely popular, there is another kind of new player bonus.
A few years ago deposit bonuses started popping up in online casinos everywhere. Unlike welcome bonuses that require a bonus to unlock, no deposit bonus offers (worth either free credits or free spins) are 100% free to claim and use. All players have to do to redeem them is register for a new (and completely free) online casino account.
Plus, most no deposit bonuses give players the chance to cash out a nominal amount of real money winnings. That is if they fulfill the wagering requirements listed in the bonus terms and conditions. These bonuses essentially allow players to ‘test the online casino water’ by allowing them to sample some of their best real money games – free.
So effective and entrenched are no deposit bonuses – and casino bonuses in general – in the global online casino community that there are very few online casinos that don’t have at least one worthwhile bonus offer, very much like the bonuses showcased at this trusted resource.
Super Easy to Sign Up
Nobody enjoys filling forms online or otherwise. That’s why online casinos have made signing up for a new account fast, easy and painless. In fact, most casino registrations these days take less than two minutes from start to finish and that’s no exaggeration.
This is because virtual casinos have limited their sign up forms to the most basic and crucial information such as first and last name, email address, cell phone number, date of birth, gender, address and country of residence. The only other information players have to provide is some personal login details in the form of a username and password.
They can use these login details to access the casino on any platform including but not limited to Apple Macs, PCs, notebooks, laptops, smartphones and tablets. Not only is this new account sign up process simple and quick, but it allows for convenient and flexible logins going forward.
New Content, Games, and Rewards
Online casinos understand all too well how fickle online casino fans can be because there are so many online casinos to choose from and signing up is so quick and easy.
That’s why the best of them are constantly adding new content and games to their already vast portfolios, and launching fresh bonus deals and promotions.
The objective of any casino – land or online – is to keep players playing for as long as possible as it’s no secret that happier players tend to play for longer. The way casinos keep their players happy is to present them with new games regularly along with new and exciting bonuses and promotions that help their funds go even further.
Many leading online casinos even publish regular blogs and/or disseminate newsletters to inform players about new games, promotions and other rewarding offers.
By keeping the lines of communication open between them and their players, casinos keep them involved and invested in their going on and, crucially, coming back.
Last Words
Visit any leading online casino and you’ll find that it’s employed each of the marketing tools highlighted above, as well as many others. Top online casinos must be ‘maintained and polished’ constantly to keep them at the top and players wanting more. Online casinos generally pour tons of money into marketing due to the tough competition and as it is what will allow them to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
