4.62 billion People use social media worldwide in 2022, more than half the population of the planet. Narrow that down to adults, the people who can legally play online casino, and it’s almost 90%.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok; the list is long, and every platform is different. For any business to succeed, in any sector, they need to understand how to use social media to their advantage.
Social media is particularly important for online industries, as users are only ever a click away from becoming customers. With no physical high street presence, much of traditional advertising media is ineffective when it comes to online products.
Online casino is no different and, in a competitive industry, having the best socials can mean having the biggest success. This means understanding advertising, community, having the right presence, and all other kinds of social media interaction.
Many top online UK slots providers, such as 888casino, will do regular social media posts promoting their new games. If online casinos are to take full advantage of social media, however, they need to look beyond simple posting.
So, how do the best online casinos make the most of social media?
Know your audience
There is a lot of overlap in social media demographics, but each is used by slightly different customer bases. Facebook and Twitter, for instance, are an older demographic, while Instagram is the most popular platform with millennials.
TikTok is currently used by a mostly younger demographic, making it less important to online casinos that require adult customers. That will no doubt change in time, as TikTok users grow older, but the focus is currently on other platforms.
Know your platforms
It is also key to know how each platform is used, and how that affects interactions with customers. Facebook is community-based, Twitter is for snappy public interactions, Instagram is image-based, and YouTube is for videos, and so on.
Trying to shoehorn the same style of posting or advertising into every different social media platform can be counterproductive. Both content and interactions must be tailored to each outlet to make the maximum impact with each audience.
Know your content
Once you know who you are talking to, and how, you need to know what you are saying. Combining these three elements of knowledge is key to how online casinos use social media to their best advantage.
Here are the sorts of content used by online casino in social media, and how they are best delivered:
- Live streaming
This can be done on most social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and recently, even Twitter. It’s a great way to make announcements, show off new products and gameplay, and create interactions with your audience.
Live streaming is close to how traditional television promotion worked except with instantaneous feedback and interactions. Viewer comments and live questions bring streamers and viewers together and can create an instant community bond.
For effective live streaming, posts and ads must be delivered in advance to promote the upcoming broadcast. This creates a great opportunity for building hype without having to directly advertise a product as traditional media might have.
- Polls
Big on Twitter, and also to some extent on Facebook, a poll is a great way to generate quick feedback. These can be done seriously to gain real information, or in a more fun way to prompt interaction.
A poll can be a great conversation starter and requires direct action from the participating customers while also offering information. There are many overt and subtle ways in which a poll can be used, often with excellent results.
- Community groups
Facebook is the most common place for these, although some other platforms do provide ways to create them. They operate in the same way as a fan club or owner’s community, allowing customers to interact with each other.
Providers can use these as a way to communicate with customers, offering exclusive information or bonuses for members. Alternatively, they can take a more watchful view, closer to an old fashioned market research focus group.
Community groups can also be used to cement loyalty, spread word of mouth, and bring users from different backgrounds together. Sports clubs have thrived on these sorts of communities for centuries; now social media allows others to do the same.
- Information sharing
Creating content that isn’t direct marketing but still helps to sell the brand is a key use of social media. Sharing information about the product such as guides, tips, or fun facts via social media posts is hugely common.
This can come in the form of YouTube videos, Instagram images, Facebook statuses, or friendly tweets. Every social media platform offers a way to share information in a direct and interactive way with your audience.
- Direct messaging
While anyone can pick up a phone or send an email, social media is many people’s preferred communication method. In lieu of being able to speak face-to-face in a live casino, direct messaging feels personal and immediate.
By opening themselves up to communication by the same method people use with their friends, businesses can appear more approachable. In the communication age, there is little more valuable than understanding how people want to be communicated with.
This is just a snapshot of how online casinos use social media to their advantage. The best ways of using social media are constantly evolving and being refined, as are relationships between businesses and customers.
In 2022, a visible and approachable brand is not a nice-to-have, it is vital for the success of any business. If online casinos are to achieve these, they need to continue using, and succeeding with, all forms of social media.
Warning: Use social media responsibly when it comes to gambling.
Please gamble responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose.
Gambling can be a fun and exciting activity, but it is important to remember that it is also a form of entertainment. Like any form of entertainment, there is a risk of losing money when you gamble. It is important to only gamble with money that you can afford to lose and to be aware of the risks involved.
Here are some tips for gambling responsibly:
- Set a budget and stick to it.
- Take breaks from gambling regularly.
- Don’t gamble when you are feeling stressed, depressed, or emotional.
- Don’t chase your losses.
- Seek help if you think you or someone you know may have a gambling problem.
Gambling addiction can be a serious problem that can have devastating consequences for individuals, families, and communities. If you think you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, please seek help from a qualified professional.
Here are some resources that can help:
- The National Council on Problem Gambling: 1-800-522-4700
- The Gamblers Anonymous Helpline: 1-855-2CALLGA (1-855-222-5542)
- The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence: 1-800-622-HELP (4357)
Please gamble responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose.
