The advent of smartphone use has seen witnessed, and arguably contributed to, a meteoric rise in the gambling industry. While other sectors have struggled amiss amidst a series of financial crises over the past 10 years, gambling is one that has gone from strength to strength, with the online market alone worth over $35.97 billion (Global Online Gambling Report).
This is arguably due to the ease of access to online sites and apps via smartphones, which means that customers can access sites anywhere, anytime access the sites, with just a swipe of their phone! This trend is set to continue; with the Global Online, Gambling Report indicating the market will be worth $66.59 billion come 2020. With the market growing rapidly there is a lot of business opportunity and sales for all.
Targeting a Growing Demographic
Mobile devices, in particular, are being used for gambling, with The Gambling Commission revealing that the 25-34 age-group, in particular, is very likely to use a mobile device to gamble and bet while on the go, due to its convenience. With mobile establishing itself as the platform for gambling, why not hone in text marketing as your primary marketing channel. Or better yet increase your odds and combine it with other popular marketing channels to maximise your return on investment.
Market Where They Play; and When!
From opening a text message, customers can be logged in and betting within seconds by clicking on a URL link. There is no disconnect between intention and actual use of the service; the quality of betting mobile apps makes it a seamless experience.So it is crucial for marketers in the industry to target people while their propensity to gamble is strongest.
For example, gambling businesses will be fully aware of the growing trend for sports accumulators, particularly for football. Why not send a campaign late Saturday morning before the afternoon’s first Premier League fixture kicks off? Or a physical casino could send a text campaign on a Saturday night when they know the town centre is full of people looking to party. Promotion of offers such as drink offers and discounts could be an excellent way to increase footfall. Timing of your messages are just as crucial as the content within the message, ensuring you have a clear call to action.
Text in Play: Another Sales Opportunity
Another huge opportunity for gambling organisations is the rise of ‘bet in play’. Gaming organisations could target changing odds in real-time to encourage further bets. With the fast paced nature required to take advantage of ‘bet in play’, the fast open and response rate from text messaging is vital. This makes, making text communication virtually the only channel; directly into a device that is being regularly checked. Similarly, gambling businesses could promote ‘cash out’ options during matches to encourage customers to settle for smaller winnings. This type of ‘real-time’ marketing is all possible through products such as TextOnline with campaigns devised in a matter of clicks through an online portal. Other channels do not have the immediacy of text and promoting ‘bet in play’ in particular through SMS services is the perfect platform to take advantage of this.
Play by the Rules: Reel people in legitimately
Following years of misuse of data the ICO is has become more strict on how business can use data. This may sound like a challenge but in practise this benefits companies far better. Why? The simple answer is by people opting into receiving your messages, this means they are genuine customers who will be engaging with your content. Get potential customers opt in with an incentive. Use a simple short-code keyword that can be displayed on your adverts or website. For example, text BETS to 81025 and get £20 off your next bet. Create a sign up box on your website getting people to enter their number to receive the latest odds on the races or upcoming sporting events such as football or tennis! Customer data is highly valuable to them and even more so for your business, so you must show that you appreciate this by adding value back to them.
Developing a Tailored Approach
These examples of text marketing focus on those who are frequent gamblers and can be targeted for different offers. With some clever analysis of data, you can look at where and when your users bet and target accordingly. For example, it may be apparent that someone only used their account during the premier horse racing events. How about a text campaign in the lead up to Cheltenham Gold Cup or the Grand National? By using our SMS Gateway API multiple customers have been able to create tailored contact lists based on previous usage and text them accordingly. If you’ve got the data, your text campaigns can be highly targeted, ; sending messages focused on previous betting history. This approach ensures that occasional bettors are not bombarded with messages and keeps them as a customer.
If you want to find out more about how highly targeted text campaigns can drive real-time sales, contact our team on [email protected] or give us a call to discuss your promotional plans on 0845 112 1302.