In part one of our white label gaming guide series, we discussed the pre-launch phase of starting a white label operation. We looked at the vital components that are necessary to build a solid foundation so that your business – whether it is a white label online casino a white label online sportsbook, etc. – can start off on the right track.
In this second part of the guide, we’ll examine the key aspects of how to develop brand awareness and gain traction with your business after launch, to best capture the interest of your target audience.
Don’t Try to Take on the World
As we mentioned in part one of our guide, approximately 200 new online casinos launch annually. Every year, these ambitious start-ups expect to gain a strong foothold in the sector by being the new market-leading brand. However, the reality is that most of these newly launched cookie-cutter white label casino sites, quickly find that their results do not meet their initial expectations.
These are the two common marketing mistakes that are made:
- Using outdated marketing materials and strategies
- Trying to attract a global audience
Most brands will create original banners and attempt to come up with a unique theme, but beyond that, it is quite common for many new businesses to offer the same content and marketing materials as the next white label brand.
For instance, while it was once a clever strategy for white label casinos to use marketing materials that featured the same popular characters from the slots of top industry game providers, this strategy was used so frequently that these marketing methods have long lost their appeal to players.
In addition to avoid falling into antiquated iGaming marketing habits, it is also a good idea to avoid employing a global marketing campaign strategy. The simple reason is that global marketing campaigns are less effective than those campaigns designed to persistently target two to three markets.
Limiting the population that you’re targeting allows you to narrow your focus. This way, you can effectively research the local social and economic peculiarities of each market and budget to the customers who have the highest profit potential.
Choose Specific Markets
The multi-billion-dollar online gambling industry is saturated with competition. Not identifying and targeting specific markets is one of the reasons online gambling brands shut down within their first year.
It may seem like a good idea to target the industry as a whole, since it has tens of millions of customers worldwide. However, competing against 10 other brands and beating their advertising offers in select regions is a much easier feat than trying to compete against thousands of competitors – especially the big and established operators – globally.
How do you pick a target market?
A target market is a set of individuals who share similar needs or characteristics that your business can serve. In other words, they are the customers who are most likely to visit your site and spend money.
This could mean just about any market within the global iGaming industry, so which one(s) should you target? Generally speaking, the top regions for internet gambling are usually divided into three types:
- Regions that accept international licenses
- Regions that are governed by local market-specific regulations
- Regions where online gambling is restricted
Targeting regions that accept international licenses
Choosing to target a region that accepts international licenses will require you to have the appropriate license from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) or Curaçao. Both licenses are commonly held by white label iGaming brands, with the MGA license being preferred due to it being the more trusted and respected regulator of the two.
Examples of popular markets where international licenses are accepted/tolerated include Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Brazil, Japan and Finland, among many others. That said, keep in mind that these are unregulated markets that may or may not run province-/state-owned gambling sites, but that lack an official national governing body and the legal framework required to prevent their citizens from registering and gambling at offshore sites.
Targeting regions that are governed by local regulations
In Europe, there are several regions that require operators to have the appropriate local license in order to advertise and offer gambling products to their citizens. Examples of some of these countries include the UK (UK Gambling Commission), Sweden (Swedish Gambling Authority), and Denmark (Danish Gambling Authority), etc.
In addition to requiring the necessary local licenses to target players in these regions, you should also know that competition in regions like the UK and Sweden are fierce. Although there is potential to achieve high lifetime value of players if you gain a foothold in these markets, you should also know that if you want to compete there, your marketing costs will skyrocket.
Targeting regions where online gambling is restricted
Typically, you should avoid purposely targeting players from any regions where online gambling – or gambling as a whole – is strictly prohibited. This will prevent you from running into any potential legal issues with the country’s government.
That being said, keep in mind that while some countries have made certain online gambling activities illegal, others are permitted. For instance, Australia has declared online casino gambling illegal, but online sports betting is allowed with the appropriate license. This is why it is important to investigate target markets and learn about their laws, and social and economic quirks to determine which region is the right fit for your white label brand goals and offering.
Once you have effectively captured your entire target audience with your marketing campaigns, then – and only then – should you consider expanding into fresh markets.
Think Outside of the Typical Content Box
Beyond selecting the market(s) that you want to target, you also need to create quality and engaging content to attract players from these markets to your site. Standing out takes more than simply offering welcome bonuses, free bets and free spins. It is about offering great content and great promotions while making the most of your online casino CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system.
Fundamentally speaking, players are attracted to brands that provide:
- Unique concepts
- Interactive environments
- Interesting characters
- A wide range of products (e.g. an array of casino games or sports betting markets)
- Generous bonuses and ongoing promotions
- Loyalty programs
All of these selling points, when implemented effectively, can improve the likelihood of customers choosing your brand and staying with you long-term.
As such, to make sure that your white label casino or betting site has strong content, it is important to not only be creative when it comes to these selling points, but to also ensure that what you offer reflects the demand in your target markets. For example, it would be a grave mistake to target an African market without offering virtual sports or to target a German market without offering games from Merkur.
Beyond having creative content that appeals to the territory of your targeted customers, you need to do your research to determine the level of functionality of the player management solution that is offered by a provider. This means having a look at what the white label platform solution you choose offers, including:
- Type of CRM solution
- Bonusing capabilities of each product
- How many third-party suppliers they have integrated into their platform
- Range of payment providers available
- What promotion tools have been incorporated into the content
Prepare to Market – Customer Acquisition and Tracking
With a targeting plan and a localized content strategy, the next step is to prepare your offering for market. This includes:
- Integrating affiliate software
- Setting up a CRM system
- Integrating a traffic delivery system
- Incorporating customer tracking software
When you have the appropriate software in place, you will be able to adjust your strategy and partnerships as you see fit, because you will be able to see exactly where your money is going.
By setting up the appropriate systems, you can avoid falling prey to the sharks in the marketing sector who are known for charging new and unsuspecting companies astronomical cost per acquisition rates to sell them useless traffic at ridiculously high prices. You don’t want to be one of the new start-ups that fails to set up the right systems only to watch your marketing budgets quickly dwindle after launch.
What are the right channels for acquiring customers? First and foremost, you’ll want to put affiliate marketing into effect. Affiliates, supported by email campaigns, pay-per-click and cost per impressions, are one of the most cost-effective ways to build brand awareness and help drive organic traffic to your site.
For a long-term marketing strategy that will help to reduce cost per acquisition (CPA), these channels are a must as they will assist in creating extra value for your white label brand.
Work with the Right Partners to Drive Revenue
With a strong marketing strategy for your target market and using the best and most cost-effective channels to acquire customers, you are headed in the right direction for making your white label business a success.
In part three of our white label gaming guide, we’ll discuss driving revenue as you’re bootstrapping your business through the power of brands and partners.
