As an iGaming brand, your most valuable asset is your existing player database. However, a database is only as valuable as its level of engagement.  A key component of your marketing strategy is to build strong relationships with your players and grow lifelong fans of your brand.

Email marketing is a high-touch and direct way to connect with your customers. We’ve taken a look at the top strategies of some of the biggest brands in gaming, and compiled our findings below. Follow these tips to build your email marketing strategy to get your players to fall head over heels for your brand.

“Have Them At Hello”: Use A Welcome Email To Set The Tone

First impressions have a huge impact on the future relationship between you and your players. This is an ideal time to showcase why players should commit to your gaming brand.

The most effective welcome emails provide players with valuable content. Often times, players become disengaged after receiving familiar, unenticing welcome bonus codes. A strong welcome email highlights characteristics that set your brand apart from competitors.

For example, an online casino that offers exclusive slot games can make this a focus of their Welcome Email. Game highlights can be described and a special Welcome Bonus code can be given. The email can be wrapped up with a compelling call-to-action to invite players to give the slot game a go.

Remember, your call-to-action must be clear and appear above-the-fold to help make it easy for your customers to know where to click, and where they will be taken.

Each Player Is Special: Segment Players To Target Results

To foster lifelong relationships with your players, they must be continually reminded that your brand’s values relate to their own. This can be achieved by sending each player targeted content based on defined player segments.

Top brands will have detailed strategies to segment based on unique player needs, interests and habits. They can be as simple as sectioning your database by:

• Player lifecycle
  • Registered
  • Deposited
  • Actively playing
  • Has stopped playing

Or segmenting can be more complex and include multiple criteria:

• Player Demographics
  • Language
  • Country
  • Age
• Gaming Activity
  • Last bet date
  • Game preference
  • Last game played

For example, many brands in the thick of the Euro 2016 are using email marketing segmentation to their advantage. As the quarter-finals approach, brands can send an email to encourage players to bet on their home team. Simple design elements, such as using a team’s colours in the email content, can be altered depending on a player’s home country. The subject line can also reflect this segmentation: [Home Country] For The Cup! Place Your Bets Now.

Targeted segmentation will ensure each customer connects to the email content and is relevant to their needs and preferences.

Spice Up Your Relationship: Provide Players With Unique Content

One of the biggest pitfalls of email marketing that we see is duplicate content. Though content calendars often call for repeating themes, emails with duplicate messaging often have the counter-effect of causing a negative association with the brand.

Should a given theme be reused, or even if the same bonus is being sent a second time to remind stragglers of the details, there are some quick ways to switch up the content without having to invest significant resources in to the process.

For instance, a simple change to the email subject line can be used to encourage a player to use a New Deposit Bonus:

You can also modify the main text of the message, the image selection as well as the call-to-action.

It is important to remember that sending varied content will keep players curious and wanting more.

Have a specific email campaign worked well for you in the past? Share it with us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.

Next Week: Engaging Your Affiliate Partners

Now that you have your B2C Email Marketing strategy underway, tune in next week where we examine how your email strategy can build strong relationships with your affiliates.