Lockdown has seen a surge in demand for bingo applications, particularly on mobile. Mobile gaming is now a sizeable portion of the online business, providing a range of excellent mobile friendly / small screen [app & browser]experiences that release users from the bind of their computer screens. Operators have invested heavily [in mobile]to encourage higher engagement rates, longer sessions and greater spend. However, recent studies suggest that by not offering #mobilepayments, they could be leaving up to 40% of potential revenues “on the table”. Newzoo reveals that mobile payment options such as #carrierbilling provide instant acquisition / improve on-boarding [especially for 1st timers]and vastly reduce the basket abandonment rate of the many potential players that just don’t want to use a payment card – at least at the point of initial engagement.
No surprise then that big bingo brands are now adopting a mobile-first approach to acquiring new customers. Consider the evolution; in the 1980s and 1990s, bingo halls were jam-packed with players across the UK, so there wasn’t much need for them to market their services beyond the local (physical) community. All the main cities had at least one spot for bingo aficionados to populate, and people simply went to their closest one. But, since the game has moved online [mobile]and sites aren’t restricted to geographical locations, they have had to adapt their marketing strategies in order to attract a new breed of players. To do this, they have started to modernise their online and mobile marketing methods:
Bingo Bonuses
One of the main marketing strategies that online bingo sites use to bring in new players is through bonuses. According to the online bingo with Betfair page, players favour promotions that reward them with certain things when they have completed a task. For example, by making deposits or betting certain amounts, players can unlock free playing money or other rewards. These bonuses are getting bigger and better as more sites tussle with one another in the cutthroat industry.
The idea of offering something for free is a hook to reel customers in, and it has become common practice in the internet age. Businesses will often give a low ticket service or product away for nothing in order to get clients into their sales funnel. They then take them through a process whereby they aim to collect contact details such as email addresses. From this point, they can advertise to them directly.
The freebie is also the first stage of taking a customer up the value ladder. By enticing players in with a free offer, bingo sites are then able to encourage them to deposit money by showing them the enjoyable range of games on offer. If a player becomes a regular, they could have a customer lifetime value that is lucrative to the business. For this reason, loyalty schemes are also common practice in the industry.
Advanced Targeting
Modern online businesses are able to target to their desired demographics much more easily than ever before thanks to the rise of social media marketing. Facebook ads have allowed bingo sites and other online businesses to reach the exact people they want to attract.
This is how bingo sites have managed to drastically broaden their playing demographics since moving online. They have been able to create different ads that are designed to appeal to diverse groups. They can then test them on the market and optimise them over time to keep showing the ads to people who are most likely to sign up. The Facebook ads can then be linked to a landing page which will guide players through the joining process.
Aside from transforming into an almost brand new application, bingo has succeeded online thanks to its marketing methods and the embracing of new technology to help with this. This has helped it to broaden its playing demographic massively and reach more people than ever before.
