The days of pure acquisition are over. What matters now is retention
The world of igaming has changed a lot recently. Markets are becoming very regulated, companies are growing in number, and all this makes the uniqueness and special distinctions of individual brands greatly diminished. What can you do to find your way in such a defragmented world and adopt the right strategy? First of all, it is important to remember that the customer must be taken care of, and it is not enough just to encourage him to register, but to make him real fan of your brand.
Many operators believe that today acquisition is still the most important thing because it is what pushes the whole business forward. It is not important whether the product is completely successful, whether operationally the company is ready to accept more players. The most important thing is the number of new depositors. Nothing could possibly be more wrong.
How does the player find the way to an operator?
Player registering with an igaming operator can get there in several ways. If our branding is strong enough and our own marketing efforts are geared in the right direction, it is very possible that the customers themselves will decide to search for our brand name or download the app directly from the store.
Another option is that the players will come to us with the help of media or affiliate activities. Affiliate partners work in different ways and their way of acquiring customers also varies. In most cases, the biggest affiliate partners in the world such as Better Collective, GiG Media, Reketech or Catena Media will do it using traffic going from google search or the power of their own branding (like Ask Gamblers).
The techniques and phrases affiliates position themselves for are different, but in each case they focus on delivering traffic to the chosen operator and their work ends when they sign up and make a deposit. Affiliates do not necessarily care that a user coming to their site plays one selected brand (especially if the cooperation is based on CPA billing and not revenue share).
What does a player do on the site or app?
Most players coming to a new operator are of course attracted by the welcome bonus. In the case of operators strictly connected with bookmaking – the biggest incentive will be a deposit bonus, freebet or risk-free bet. In the case of casino operators, these can be deposit bonuses or free spins. As we know very well, the type of welcome bonus greatly influences what type of customer we eventually attract.
At this stage, the final product doesn’t matter that much yet. If the player has deposited funds, it means that he was motivated enough to use the brand’s offer. However, this is the key moment for the customer to remember the first impressions of the operator from the good side. Let’s not hide, in today’s world the offer itself is similar – both when it comes to betting and casino games. The most important thing happens a moment later.
Welcome bonuses used up. What’s next?
Depending on whether the player manages to win something and what kind of experience he has had with the operator will determine whether he stays with us for a longer period of time. The moment of the first deposit is comparable to the first impression when we meet new people. That first time happens only once. Let’s keep that in mind!
At this point, it is also worth asking ourselves some questions. Could the customer have experienced technical problems on the site or in the application since the deposit? Has the customer contacted our customer support and his problem may not have been resolved completely positively? By any chance, did our welcome bonus terms and conditions contain catches that the player might only find out about during the game?
If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, this is already a signal that the player may not decide to stay with us for the long term. After all, in the long run, it is not important how many new players you are able to attract, but how many of them will stay with us for the long term.
The player decides
In today’s world, player’s choice is practically unlimited. In a decentralized world and access to the Internet, there are many opportunities to use operators around the world – in both regulated and offshore markets.
If, with the first impression we mentioned earlier, the player does not decide to continue with the operator, he will simply go further into the endless adventure and wander to other brands. Perhaps he will be attracted by another affiliate site, which, after all, does not care about keeping the player in one place.
What can be done to keep or attract the player back?
In any case, we should consider what went wrong if the player decided to leave us. Was he a typical bonus hunter? Was he disappointed by our offer?
Having a registered customer who visited our site and, most importantly, left his data enabling us to reach out to him, we should be able to take advantage of this.
By determining the source of the problem, we will know what messages to use. If he was met with rudeness from customer service, it is worth showing him that we are improving this element of our business.
If a player won his coupon or casino game during his adventure with us – it is worth reminding him of this win. People are sentimental and remember the good things.
However, in the long term, nothing can replace building a strong product and brand. In the first case, try to build a unique product that will stand out from the competition. It will be faster, more attractive, and technologically advanced, or perhaps a more appropriate phrase here would be to say technologically tailored.
Building a strong brand is worth remembering at every stage of business formation. If we are distinct and if we speak the language of our audience, such a customer is much more likely to return to us or be interested in our retention campaign. After all, how many igaming brands do you know that really stand out from the competition? Try to change something in your strategy, and the results will surely come quickly!
