Millions of people all around the world partake in online gaming each day, and none of them are the same. Millions of different players means millions of different cultural backgrounds, different gaming styles and preferences, different budgets, and that is just to name a few. Together, these factors create millions of completely unique demands. How can iGaming companies meet all of them?
How can they give each one of the million players a game of their own? The answer is iGaming CRM: customer relationship management. A well-designed CRM strategy is the most cost-effective way to boost player retention in the iGaming industry.
It allows for a thorough segmentation of customers, and enables the promotional communication to be personalized to their wants and needs. You can give your players exactly the kind of experience they want, thus nurturing their loyalty.
At the same time, CRM in iGaming can be a useful tool for overcoming some of the industry’s unique challenges. For instance, it can ensure compliance to strict regulations that iGaming operators are subject to by automating legal checks and storing customer data in a secure way. CRM also enables marketing communication to be personalized to the players’ geographical location, ensuring that the promotional content adheres to local laws and is respectful of local cultures.
LeverUP is a team of MarTech experts you can bet on. After years of designing CRM strategies for influential clients in the iGaming industry, such as Interwetten and Austrian Lotteries, we know what’s what – and we want to share our knowledge with you. So keep on reading, and find out how CRM in iGaming done right can be the least expensive option that drives the most revenue.
Betting Welcome Bonuses: a Losing Game for Player Retention?
In the iGaming industry, welcome bonuses are one of the most popular promotional strategies. They attract new customers, and get them to start playing. It seems simple: who would say no to a free bet?
However, welcome bonuses are the most expensive way to attract the least loyal players. They are a one-size-fits-all in an industry where personalized experiences are key, and all about customer acquisition when retention is what matters for long-term success.
But, if bonuses are not the way to build sustainable relationships with your players, what is? Using data and personalization to foster consistent engagement across all channels. In short: a good CRM platform.
With CRM in iGaming, the opportunities to grow customer loyalty are endless – and they are much more affordable than giving out tons of welcome bonuses! One such platform is Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and below are five ways it can increase player loyalty.
Communicate Efficiently
Some players prefer to communicate via SMS, while others only check their email. Track your conversion and engagement rates across channels, adapt your communication to your player’s choice of platform, and use Journey Builder to orchestrate cross-channel campaigns.
Segment accurately Players don’t just differ in platform preferences: they have diverse affinities, too. You can keep track of their likes and dislikes by segmenting them according to categories such as persona, value, or engagement level. Sports betting nerds, casual slot players, casino dwellers, high rollers, you name it – SFMC will give you insights into what, how, and when your customers play.
Personalize Player Journey
Once you have your customer segments, it is time to personalize. Promotional messages that are tailored to each individual player’s interests increase customer loyalty as the content reflects what they are looking for in their games. For instance, a message about the launch of a new mobile Roulette game sent to a casino game enjoyer will surely attract their attention.
Measure What Matters
Analyzing your metrics can help you evaluate player behaviour. Based on predictive churn and engagement scores, you can automate player retention journeys. If you see that a player has a 75% probability of churning, you can move them into a targeted retention journey to try and keep them engaged.
Nurture Loyalty
To nurture your relationship with loyal players, you can set up a system of tiers such as Bronze, Silver and Gold, and create exclusive journeys for each tier. Automated appreciation messages and personalized tier-up notifications will keep your players interested, building long-term loyalty.
Betting welcome bonuses are quick wins that do nothing to build long-lasting loyalty of customers. Don’t go all in too quickly: invest in building relationships over time with the help of iGaming CRM, and you will see the prize grow.
Maintain Data Compliance Using CRM in iGaming
When approached responsibly, online gaming is usually harmless, but it can pose certain risks to individuals who are more susceptible.That is why it is extremely important for iGaming providers to treat their players’ data with care. Data laws and regulations provide a useful framework for this – only, there are quite a lot of them, and they differ from country to country. A good CRM system can help you keep track of regulations, ensuring flawless compliance. It can:
Store Data Safely
Recognize Risk Behaviour
Tracking players’ activity makes it possible to detect harmful patterns such as abnormally long playing times, or unreasonable investments, which may indicate addiction. A CRM algorithm can detect such patterns and automatically exclude the user from all services and communications.
Prevent Fraud
By keeping track of bonuses that each player receives, CRM prevents bonus abuse, and ensures that the amount received by the player does not go over the legal maximum. Money laundering can also be prevented by tracking players’ wins and investments.
Advertise Responsibly
Advertising of iGaming services is strictly regulated. The phrasing which may be used differs from country to country, and in some, advertising on certain platforms – such as television – is not allowed. CRM helps make the most of available platforms, and enables the personalization of promotional content to each country’s regulations.
Communication Beyond iGaming Newsletters Boosts Player Retention
Newsletters are a reliable channel of promotional communication, but are they the best way to keep your players informed and engaged? The truth is that there is not one best way: to keep customers interested, communication across different channels and through different types of content is needed. With the help of CRM platforms such as Salesforce Marketing Cloud, you can ensure that the right message reaches the right players, at the right time. This is how:
Go Beyond Email
Personalize Content
Inform Responsibly
Conclusion: Don’t Leave Your CRM in iGaming to Chance
CRM in iGaming is the most reliable and affordable way of achieving player retention. It allows for a complete personalization of promotional communication – from the content itself, to the channel and frequency at which it is being communicated, everything is adjusted to the personal preferences of the player. The loyalty of the players is, thus, nurtured and maintained over time, making CRM a more sustainable alternative to old-fashioned promotional strategies such as welcome bonuses which focus on player acquisition rather than player retention.
At the same time, CRM in iGaming ensures that the data of the players used for personalization purposes is collected consensually, and remains safe. The automated tracking of players’ activity prevents fraud, too, thus minimizing the operators’ potential losses.
Similarly, the tracking of activity can help identify harmful behaviors in users prone to addiction, thus enabling the operator to stop those users from playing altogether. This kind of responsible approach to users’ data contributes towards a more ethical iGaming industry, and builds trust among your players, leading to more long-lasting relationships.
Finally, CRM in iGaming enables the personalization and automation of newsletters which, when tailored to each players’ interests and managed responsibly, boost user engagement and retention.
LeverUP Delivered a Salesforce Implementation for Interwetten
LeverUP carried out a Salesforce multi-cloud implementation for Interwetten, a pioneer of online entertainment that offers sports betting, live betting, a casino, a live casino, and virtual games to customers. They have bets on more than 100,000 different sports events held in over 70 countries and customers from more than 100+ countries around the world. Read the case study to learn more.
Don’t leave your player retention to chance. Get in touch with us to start your iGaming CRM journey.
