A well-chosen social media marketing strategy is among the key aspects allowing operators to achieve success and make headlines for the most important gambling news. Jacob Reid, Organic Social Media Manager at LeoVegas Group, agreed to tell about major legal obstacles in gambling, the best platforms for marketing, as well as the greatest tactics for creating a loyal community.
Jacob, why is social media marketing so important for building a successful gambling brand?
When you think about the target market of online gamblers, a high percentage of these users have an extremely close affinity with social media. This is one of the key reasons that SMM has now become a key marketing tool in order to build a successful gambling brand. Social media is effectively the face of your brand to digital consumers. Due to their reliance and time spent on social media, many customers will judge a brand based on their social media presence alone. Desirable brands always have a strong social presence, and the stronger their social presence, the more successful the brand becomes. These days, a high degree of trust is built by what consumers see from their brand on social media, and without that presence, there is no denying you are missing out on a great opportunity to grow your brand to its full potential. Alongside this, it’s another great channel to reach out to your consumers, and show your brand in the most entertaining way possible. Not only the brand but the players as well will be able to benefit from a successful social media marketing strategy.
How to create viral content for this industry? Which classification of viral content is the most suitable for gambling?
Creating viral content is great, but the idea shouldn’t start there, what you should ensure you do is create content that represents your brand. It’s important that the content pushed through your social media channels is also aligned with your other departments, and that you are all working towards the same goal, which is something at LeoVegas Group we do really well. If all channels are pushing the same message, you are much more likely to achieve a state of ‘viral content’ rather than attempting to create ‘viral content’ within itself. In my opinion, promotional content can be a very important type of viral content. In my eyes, offering players exciting, engaging, and rewarding content is a key factor to creating successful viral content.
Are there any regulatory challenges for social media marketing? How can SMM professionals deal with them?
Personally, I have never worked in an industry with so many regulatory challenges, and one of the greatest challenges for a professional working in this industry is that each market has its own individual regulations. Being aware of these regulations is important, and these will tend to come with experience. Keeping in close contact with your legal team and regularly updating yourself on the ever-changing regulations would be my best suggestion to dealing with these challenges. I believe that challenges such as these only drive us to become more successful marketers, as we are forced to learn about these boundaries, and think of ways we can legally overcome them.
It isn’t a secret that, for example, Facebook has a set of restrictions concerning the advertising of gambling games. Is it that difficult to get FB permission for this type of the ads?
For those who aren’t aware Facebook has a specific online gambling license that is available for gambling companies who are looking to advertise online. There is an application process that you must pass if you are wishing to advertise through their platform. Although it can be extremely frustrating for Social Media Managers to deal with these policies, I think it’s a great way to ensure that all advertisement of gambling sticks to the regulations. Although it can often work against you in terms of creativity, we have to remember that we work in an industry that comes with certain obligations. Whatever tools are out there to enforce this, in my eyes are a massive help to the industry. Sometimes these restrictions can force you to come up with new ideas in how you can make your channels as successful as possible, rather than seeing them as an obstacle you should use this as a reason to think outside the box and find new ways to reach your goals.
What are the most effective methods of social media marketing for gambling products?
A good magician never reveals his secrets! So unfortunately I am not willing to disclose the methods that we use as part of our strategy, as I believe we are currently implementing some unique methods that have yet to be used in the industry. However what I will say is that I always aim to be as creative as possible, while trying to push content that represents the brand. People want to see exciting and engaging content, and if you have an entertaining product you should aim to push that in the most exciting way possible. I sometimes feel in this industry it’s very easy to reproduce the content that other brands are pushing, but who wants to see the same regurgitated content? Ensuring that you think outside of the box and that your content represents your brand is the most important aspect of creating effective social media content.
What is your opinion on posting information about big winners on social media? Does it really help to attract new customers?
Who doesn’t love hearing about a big win? It’s all part of the excitement of the industry! However, we do have to be aware that there are a time and a place, and also a certain manner in which we should present this information in front of consumers. Different markets have different regulations, and being aware of the boundaries is important. If you are using this as a tool for an acquisition you must do so carefully. There are certain markets where information like this isn’t accepted, so a level-headed approach is needed. A fair balance of content is required in this industry, and the ‘Big Winners’ debate is a great example of this. But in my opinion, big winners can be a useful acquisition tool when used correctly.
Which platforms will be the most efficient in terms of conversion in 2021?
In my eyes, I will be very surprised if Facebook is ever replaced as the top-performing platform when it comes to conversion. The advertisement setup they have in place is pretty much unrivaled by other platforms, especially when it comes to conversion. That doesn’t mean to say that you should not be operating specific strategies on other platforms, as these can be equally as valuable to your brand. However when it comes to conversion Facebook, will always be the number one, in my eyes. It is worth noting that Social Media Marketing is not all based on conversion and that a successful SMM strategy should have a fair balance between Paid Social (focusing on conversions) and Organic Social (focus on brand awareness). I fully believe that without a combination of both, you are limiting your potential conversion rates. Sometimes a consumer isn’t won over with one ad/campaign, it can take multiple approaches before you as a player decides to commit to your brand, and that’s why it’s important to not throw all your eggs in one basket, and focus on a balanced approach. In my belief if you combine most of the methods we have spoken about above you should see some successful conversion rates via your SMM channels.
How to create a loyal online community for a gambling brand? Which tactics are the best for this?
We live in an age where online communities are at their peak, and there has never been a better time to benefit from this. In order to form a strong community, all members have an important role to play, and each member should be able to benefit from being part of the community. The brand should act as the ‘pack leader’ of the community, which is something that represents our brand image very well here at LeoVegas. If you do this, you will start to form a loyal online community that is constantly looking to grow and move forward together. The ways you grow your community, and what it means to be part of it, are all down to the strategy you put in place. Loyalty is built over time, and high quality, consistent posting will help to build trust with players. But the approach you take should represent your brand, and you should work in line with your other communication channels to ensure that you’re representing your brand image as accurately as possible.
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