As one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, other business markets can learn a lot from observing how online casinos stand out from the growing crowd of competitors. Most online casinos stand out by using a combination of good marketing techniques and offering customers high levels of service.
In the US and many parts of Europe, the online casino industry has reached a peak level of competitiveness. Long gone are the lawless days of pre-regulation; regulated markets allow for many operators to try their hand at offering customers their services. But when there are so many operators all vying for the same customers, how does an online casino platform stand out from the crowd? Being a cut above the rest in such a heavily saturated and, in many cases, mature environment necessitates that an online casino platform do more than be regulated and have fun games. Success for an online casino platform like Empire Casino in such an environment requires a good combination of clever marketing and offering of high-quality services that set it apart from the competition.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the methods, such as good branding and marketing, and offering high levels of service, that successful online casino platforms utilise to stand out.
Smart Marketing and Consistent Branding
Similar to many other types of online services today, online casinos aren’t shy about using smart marketing techniques. Advertising designed for different niches of players can, with the use of algorithmic marketing, be served directly to the players for whom it is relevant. For instance, players who only ever play casino games through their mobile will get offers related to mobile-friendly games, and people who predominantly play slot games will see advertising related to slots.
It’s true that some regulated markets have restrictions around targeted advertising, but online casinos in those markets have a host of other techniques that can boost the profile of a platform. Things like partnerships with streamers or influencers, campaigns run for engagement on social media, and even the production of other sorts of content for marketing purposes are all smart ways for a platform to set itself apart from the rest.
With all that marketing going on, it’s crucial for an online casino to have strong and consistent branding. If they have a host of different marketing avenues, but none of them are using the same name or symbology, then it will be pure accident if they stick in anyone’s mind and see traffic from their efforts. Building an identity around the online platform and consistently portraying it in the same way is crucial for modern advertising in saturated markets. Especially in markets that have strict marketing regulations, brand recognition can make or break a platform.
The Power of Bonuses and Other Promotions
By far the most visible and obvious way for online casinos to try to attract customers is by offering generous bonuses. This is especially common for new players, with the offering of welcome bonuses practically an industry staple in many markets. These bonuses can come in a variety of forms, such as free spins, matched deposits or cash-back offers.
So, if bonuses are an industry staple, how does offering them help a platform stand out? Well, to start with, platforms that don’t offer bonuses stand out for the wrong reasons; online casinos in many markets must offer good bonuses to be at all relevant. Secondly, not all bonuses are created equal. Apart from the actual content of the bonus, how clearly the terms are communicated and the language around their offer can make a big difference, especially to casual players who aren’t used to unpacking the minutiae around how bonuses work.
After a platform gets a player in the door, so to speak, there is a range of other promotions that are often used to make being a return player more attractive. Things like top-up bonuses, weekly cashback rewards, and sometimes even events related to a certain season or real-world event are all somewhat common.
Rewarding Players with VIP Programs
One of the more popular ways for online casinos to try to drive repeat business is through rewarding players with VIP programs. These programs often work on a tiered system, allowing players to progress through ranks and slowly unlock additional features by playing more games.
At the higher levels, these programs often offer things like personalised bonus offers, dedicated customer support management or even access to events that other players simply cannot engage with.
The whole idea of these types of programs is to encourage players to play over a long period of time. By making players feel rewarded for being loyal to a platform, it makes it just that little bit less likely that they’ll go looking elsewhere when they feel like playing online casino games.
Offering Above Average Customer Support
While ideally, most customers who visit a platform will never need to contact customer support, if customer support is fast to respond and assist when needed, it can really boost the image of an online casino in the eyes of customers.
Online casinos that offer live chat, 24/7 customer support access and treat their customers with respect and kindness are much more likely to see their customers return, and even to speak glowingly about them. Sometimes, standing out from the crowd means being better when things don’t go so well.
Providing a Good Range of Games
A key selling point for many people is how many games a platform offers. The best online casinos typically have a few thousand games, many of them designed by well-respected and well-known game developers. Without a deep library of all sorts of different games, it’s likely that many customers will get bored and go in search of other games on other platforms.
Online casinos that consistently bring new game offerings to their players and update the types of games they have available are more likely to see long-term success.
Final Thoughts
There is no singular magic bullet that will make an online casino successful; it takes time and hard work on the part of the operators, and a not inconsiderable amount of luck as well. But online casinos that provide a good range of games, brand and market themselves well, offer good bonuses, provide their customers with above-average support, and have meaningful VIP programs are more likely to see success in today’s modern online casino market than those that don’t.
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