This is the first in a series of blogs where I'm going to talk about the keys to successful Direct Mail campaigns for the eGaming sector. As we've already covered in this blog, it can be a hugely effective marketing channel for the industry, but only if it's done right.
Week 1 – Audience
Audience is the key to the success of any DM activity and building a clear customer profile is the first step to a successful campaign. The more you can understand about the age, gender, spending habits, income and other relevant characteristics of your customers, the better you can target them.
Our own statistics show that Direct Mail in the eGaming sector has a customer acquisition rate of around 35%, with 91% of letters being opened. This is a hugely impressive figure that shows how effective DM can be when targeted correctly.
The key is to build up a database with as much information as you can from existing customers and divide them into specific market segments. The customer base of an online bingo business will differ markedly from a sports book or online casino and Direct Mail audiences will vary accordingly, so it's vital to pinpoint who your patrons are and use this information to visualise your perfect customer.
Lists can be obtained through numerous channels, including specialist providers, but the most important consideration is that they are both relevant and approved. For eGaming businesses there are guidelines and rules that need govern all Direct Marketing activity and there may be consequences if you don't follow them.
You can enhance the effectiveness of your campaign by dividing lists into sub-groups. This is particularly relevant in betting and gaming where the occasional gambler will be attracted by very different message or promotion to a high roller. Likewise, a 50-something female bingo fan will have very different aspirations to a 25-year-old football supporter.
In one Danish lottery campaign, which targeted customers across 5 key sub-groups, Direct Mail contributed 21.5% of all sign-ups at a cost per acquisition (CPA) less than 10% of the online marketing element. Modern printing methods mean that the cost of producing multiple different mailers is a fraction of what it once was, so take advantage and target prospective customers as individuals.
In summary, the more work you do to identify your ideal customers and build an image of your target audience, the more sign-ups you can achieve, so ROI will go up as CPA comes down.