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Casinos face stiff competition when it comes to attracting and keeping customers. Whether it’s other casinos or the myriad of entertainment options available from a tap or swipe, customers have a lot of choices on how they spend their time (and money). But there are ways that casino operators can cut through the noise and make their venue their customer’s first choice.
So let’s take a spin on the brand loyalty wheel and explore five ways casinos can uplevel their marketing strategies.
1. Don’t talk about gambling. It may seem counterintuitive for a casino to not focus on gaming, but hear us out. Widening your sphere of influence can bring in customers you never thought about reaching. For example, let’s say Jane is in town on a business trip and is looking for a fun dinner spot. She may not immediately think of a casino for dinner, but if your website mentions delicious food and free WiFi, she may decide to stop in (and recommend it to her colleagues). And in the future, she could make your casino her go-to restaurant when she’s in town. Consider tailoring your marketing messages to attract customers outside of the typical gambler and turn them into a loyal guest.
2. Think local. How easy is it for customers to find you if they’re in your neighborhood? You want to make it as easy as possible to be found, especially for a local customer who could become a regular. Consider improving how high you rank in online searches by developing a search engine optimization strategy and tailoring your content to focus on your latest events, amenities, and other offerings. By doing this, a potential visitor will be sure to find you when they search for something like “fun events in my area.” You can also consider tactics such as paid advertising that will serve your casino up to a customer searching online. And if you’re looking for a way to attract customers IRL, consider location-based strategies such as beacons to lead them from their car straight to your doors.
3. Use your data. We live in a data-driven world where more industries are making strategic choices based on evidence. Casinos shouldn’t be any different. That’s why we created Foundation – hardware that delivers real-time data from every slot machine to a transaction engine that can interface with any other data source. Real-time control of slot data and credit meters allow casinos to optimize each player experience for maximum profitability. And when interfaced to any other data source, casinos can service and thrill players like never before. With Foundation, funds can be sent from a player’s bank account to any slot machine, an NFL touchdown can trigger a bonus, and a losing streak can be instantly mitigated in the interest of long-term loyalty.
4. Encourage positive feedback. It’s not surprising that when we have a positive experience we want to have another one. Casinos can leverage this to keep customers coming back. For example, a customer who wins a game feels happy and will be more likely to play that game in the future. Of course much of that is luck, but you can find ways to intentionally reinforce a good time. Consider some of these:
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- Turn a repeat customer into a die hard loyal fan with generous offers, special perks, and bonuses.
- Encourage customer reviews immediately after a positive experience, such as a winning streak or a relaxing spa session.
- Respond to positive reviews with offers for more experiences in the future.
- If a customer redeems a reward or promotion, offer another great deal right away.
5. Leverage your current customers. It’s usually better to “show” rather than “tell” so let your already loyal customers help you out. Show off positive reviews and comments on your website, post videos of happy customers on your Facebook page, or flash photos of winning customers on a screen outside of your casino. Consumers almost always trust other consumers over a brand, so let word-of-mouth bring you even more loyal customers.
The sky can be the limit when it comes to driving brand loyalty – it just takes some creativity, intention, and a dash of fun. Consider your goals for creating brand loyalty and try tactics such as word-of-mouth referrals, location-based marketing, and leveraging data to help get you there.
If you’re interested to see how you can improve brand loyalty with a simple hardware switch, visit our website or reach out to see Foundation in action.
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