iGaming Promotion in Messengers: Features and Benefits

The marketing of casinos via social apps allows businessmen to distribute content faster, improve communication with punters, increase profitability, and attract more visitors to their gambling sites.

Smart Money offers you to consider the advantages and prospects of this promo method. Learn more about the stages of launching a casino and ways to assess an advertising campaign.

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How the Tool Works

This effective method involves promotion via social networks. The solution is part of a comprehensive SMM strategy that is designed to improve work with clients and increase conversion of the gaming portal.

To interact with players, entrepreneurs use:

• WhatsApp (number one among post-Soviet people);
• Facebook Messenger (occupies leading positions in the European market);
• Viber;
• Telegram;
• Vkontakte Messenger;
• Skype;
• Twitter, etc.

There are several ways to drive solvent online traffic:

• by installing an application widget on the gambling portal, for example, Facebook Messenger;
• by organising an advertising campaign directly in the social environment;
• by launching a multifunctional chatbot.

Benefits of Web Casino Promotion

Messenger marketing has the following advantages:

High efficiency	TextBack states that there are several favourable consequences of the connection of instant chat platforms: the client base increases by 1.5 times; the conversion rate increases by 22 %; openability and reactions to targeted messages increased by 80%; the click-through rate of advertising banners increased by 20%. Programs make it easier to work with gamblers at all stages of the marketing funnel: from the acquisition to their retention and provision of services
Work with punters	The solution improves connection with Generation Z, a group of users that is most interesting for the iGaming industry. These are players aged 18–30, with good profits and a loyal attitude towards casino entertainment (they consider it a pleasant pastime, not a way to earn money). Generation Z uses gadgets more often than other people. Therefore, these tools are the easiest and most effective way to interact with such a category of clients
Wide functionality	Messenger programs: make it easier for users to get to know an online casino (the company, the catalogue of solutions, and bonuses); reduce the load on the support service because initial requests are processed by chatbots; improve working with regular customers
Cost optimisation	The solution reduces the cost of digital casino promotion and retention of already registered gamblers. The decision to launch a chatbot makes it possible for managers to increase the number of platforms with minimal maintenance costs
Improvement of the image	Today, all top gambling providers have accounts on social platforms. It confirms the modernity of the iGaming brand and its desire to keep up with current trends

Prospects for Promotion in Messengers in 2022

The elaboration of an advertising strategy with an emphasis on the use of social platforms will enhance the profitability of iGaming brands and their recognition. This is facilitated by several factors.

Growth of the Instant Chats’ Client Base

At the end of 2021, the number of visitors to social platforms exceeded several billion people. In fact, every second inhabitant of our planet is somehow familiar with messengers. Moreover, such programs occupy the first position in the list of the most demanded functions of a smartphone (42%).

Thus, for instance, gamblers from post-Soviet countries usually open programs in chat apps, not on social networks.

The most popular applications in the CIS countries include:

• WhatsApp;
• Viber;
• Skype;
• Telegram;
• Facebook Messenger.

The growing audience is forcing representatives of the iGaming industry to expand their presence in this segment. This is the modern way to convey information to the target audience and improve connection with regular customers.

According to the Business Planner internet publication, 65% of players communicate with operators through such applications. More than half of gamblers are sure that casino projects, represented within the framework of social platforms, provide professional support and are ready to offer advice on important issues at any time of the day. This increases the level of loyalty and confidence in the iGaming brand.

Decrease in Efficiency of SMM and E-Mail Newsletter

These promotion methods remain popular with advertisers but their effectiveness is rapidly reduced compared to messengers. The main reason for such changes is that gamblers are less likely to open an e-mail and a social network page but they are more willing to use instant chat programs.

Promotion channel	Audience coverage
Publications on VKontakte	5–10%
Posts on Instagram	10–15%
E-mail newsletter	15–20%
Messenger programs	80–90%

The above-mentioned indicators confirm that, for example, an increase in the cost of e-mail newsletters does not guarantee a good result in such tasks as the attraction and retention of customers. It is advisable to develop an advertising strategy taking into account the changed preferences of users.

The Rapid Growth of the Industry

IT corporations are improving the functionality of instant apps in every possible way due to their huge potential for the business niche.

Thus, in 2021, such an option as monetisation of internet traffic was added to Telegram. It provided a double economic effect from the launch of an advertising campaign. Operators will get not only a new solvent audience and revenue growth but also a pleasant bonus in the form of cash savings on their accounts.

Moreover, Telegram recently launched a business cabinet with a wide range of settings for organising, scaling, and controlling marketing activities.

Similar updates were introduced by other social platforms. It confirms the rapid development of the industry and a huge potential for B2B companies.

Evaluation of the Advertising Campaign Effectiveness

The analysis of the results is carried out using KPI metrics (key performance indicators):

Conversion rate	This is the percentage of users who completed the target action compared to the total number of followers on the social platform. The desired action depends on the objectives. For the web gambling industry, this is registration, deposition of funds for the first time, the launch of several games, etc.
Cost-Per-Action	The metric is calculated as the ratio of advertising costs to the number of completed target actions: cost-per-click, registration, making the first deposit, etc. In the gambling niche, such an indicator as Cost-Per-Lead is also used. It is similar to the CPA parameter and shows how expensive it was to obtain the contact information (name, e-mail) of a person
Return on Advertising Spend	This is the profit that entrepreneurs receive for every dollar spent on a messenger campaign. The parameter is calculated as the ratio of advertising costs and revenues from its launch. A value above 1 or 100% confirms the success of web casino popularisation in apps for chatting
Average Revenue Per User	The metric shows how much income a player or a selected group of clients brings to the operator for a certain period. This indicator is calculated for the week, month, quarter, or year. The income from a user throughout his activity on the platform is called the customer lifetime value
Payback period	This parameter indicates how long it will take an entrepreneur to recover funds spent on the attraction of 1 consumer. To calculate the indicator, the Cost-Per-Action is divided by the Average Revenue Per User
Indicators of the outflow of gamblers (Churn Rate) and proceeds (Revenue Churn)	The outflow of customers is shown by the percentage of punters or subscribers of the messenger who, for some reason, stopped playing on the site or through a chatbot. Revenue Churn illustrates how much money the operator is losing due to the outflow of clients

How to Implement a Popularisation Strategy in the Messenger

Let us consider the main stages of launching a marketing campaign:

The Search for Promotion Channels

Those entrepreneurs who work with the players from post-Soviet countries often use the following social platforms:

1. WhatsApp. The most popular network with an audience of 70.6 million people. The account (WhatsApp Business API) provides various settings for launching and scaling an advertising campaign. In the messenger, it is vital to respond to requests of gamblers within 1 day, so operators cannot do without the built-in web assistant.
2. Telegram. Its core audience is men aged 25–34 (the most interesting group of users for the iGaming industry). This category of casino visitors receives a stable income and is happy to spend funds on content for money.
3. VKontakte. The functionality of this social network allows entrepreneurs to organise mass e-mail newsletters, implement chatbots, post content in thematic communities, utilise multi-level game mechanisms, etc.
4. Viber. The post-Soviet part of the platform consists of 37.3 million gamblers. The messenger also occupies a leading position in the Ukrainian market. Only invited players can be included in Viber group chats but all online casino guests can watch the dialogue.
5. Facebook Messenger. All posts within the community must have thematic tags. Moreover, in order to promote gambling services, managers must obtain written permission from the Facebook administration. One of the advantages of the messenger is a powerful analytical base with many settings for tracking the results of games in real time.

Involvement of the Audience

At this stage, experts use:

• internal tools (a large selection of options is available on VKontakte, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger);
• advertising (placement of notification banners and cooperation with bloggers).

It is also possible for casino owners to use a lead magnet. This is an offer that includes bonuses, cashback, discounts for attending specialised events (for example, eSports tournaments), and other benefits that gamblers will receive after they register or make the first deposit.

The main goal of the stage is to attract the attention of as many players as possible. After that, a group of clients who are ready to perform the desired action will be formed from them.

Warm Up and Retention of Consumers

The task of specialists is to turn casino visitors into regular customers, that is, to form a stable demand.

At this stage, marketers use the following methods:

1. Funnels in messengers. These are sets of interrelated notifications that provide various options for working with clients that lead to the completion of a target action. Using the funnel, you can divide the audience into different categories (amateurs, VIPs, doubting) and provide each of them with relevant information (from verification instructions to access to a demo version of the game). The solution also improves interaction with regular customers.
2. Newsletter. This is a mass message delivery to those gamblers who have consented to the processing of personal data. You can utilise text and graphic materials, animated elements, and links that can transfer punters to the gaming site. The tool is used to increase conversion (the transition of gamblers from the group of doubting clients to the category of regular customers), interaction with the audience, and data on new releases/bonus offers.

Chatbot Based on a Social Platform

A robotic assistant is a tool in the messenger that gives players automatic answers to their questions and distributes them between dialogue branches depending on previous reactions to messages.

In the iGaming industry, chatbots have extended functionality. In addition to advising users in the round-the-clock mode and building a customer base, they act as additional gambling platforms.

A modern chatbot can:

• attract an audience by providing up-to-date information and launching slot machines in the demo mode;
• register and verify clients;
• make a deposit using a bank card, an electronic payment system, or a mobile transfer;
• launch a game for money in different modes (standard, turbo, automatic);
• calculate and pay out the prize money;
• accrue bonuses.

Thus, a messenger-based chatbot is a full-fledged platform, the presence of which contributes to the growth of web casino visits and the profitability of gambling start-ups.

All functions (from the registration to payment of funds) are implemented within the framework of a social platform, so players do not need to leave it to perform certain actions. Interaction between the bot and the server of the gaming site is carried out through the API connection and the HTTP data transfer protocol.

The Main Things about Messenger-Based Marketing in the iGaming Industry

This type of promotion is considered the most effective.

• Among the advantages of the solution, we can name interaction with the audience, a large selection of methods for launching and scaling the campaign, good performance, optimisation of advertising costs, and improvement of image indicators.
• Promotion of an iGaming project in messengers contributes to the growth of the customer base of social platforms and their continuous improvement (by adding analytics and automating processes) by manufacturing companies.
• The target audience often uses WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Viber, and VKontakte. Based on these social networks, operators can launch multifunctional chatbots that will provide round-the-clock customer consulting and increase the number of venues.
• KPI metrics for the evaluation of an advertising campaign include the conversion rate, CPA, ROAS, and other indicators.

The Smart Money studio offers the following services:

• promotion of an iGaming project using effective methods (from the famous messenger-based one to traditional SEO optimisation);
• development of unique bonus programs aimed at retaining regular customers;
• creation of chatbots based on popular public platforms;
• integration of reliable affiliate services;
• elaboration of corporate identity, and much more.

From Smart Money, you can order a turnkey platform, a project under the White Label scheme, and the installation of reliable payment programs.

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