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The online casino industry is highly competitive. It seems like a new service arrives every day and with many having almost identical welcome bonuses and similar game selections, getting new customers for your casino can seem like an uphill struggle. However, there is one tool that can position you ahead of the pack: Brand Awareness.
What Is Brand Awareness?
Brand awareness is a term used to describe how familiar consumers are with a potential brand and its products. It is important to your business because it allows consumers to know what you do, making you the trusted, go-to resource. As customers now expect more from companies they work with and purchase from, brand awareness helps build a trusting, reciprocal relationship between both.
Imagine you saw the golden arches of McDonald’s. Immediately, you know what that company does and what its products are. This is because of its long-term brand awareness campaign. You may see signs for other lesser-known fast food outlets or independent eateries and have no idea what they do or how they operate. CoSchedule.com have broken down the history of this iconic brand in this article, which can be used to infer your own strategy.
When it comes to casinos, many of the big players already have brand awareness in hand. For example, Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos have bars, restaurants, and hotels all over the world. You know what you are getting when you walk in. However, for emerging businesses and new casinos that don’t have this, brand awareness can take some time to build.
How to Build Brand Awareness
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One way to build this reputation is through a campaign of online reviews, which can often be combined with affiliate marketing. This is the process by which a website or individual recommends a product. When the reader follows the link and buys the product, the affiliate marketer will get a small cut of the profit. It works on the premise that many people trust word of mouth more than a company's recommendations and are more likely to purchase or sign up if they see a recommendation.
A great example of this can be found in the best online casino recommendations made by Onlinegambling.com. The top of their list of ranking factors is the company's reputation. They speak with the players and industry experts to decide which are the best. Discussing this on their website shows potential customers they have done their homework.
Creating Value Beyond the Product
Another way to build brand awareness is to create value beyond your product. This involves making things that can educate and entertain, but don’t directly bring sales or sign-ups. Luckily, as a casino operator, you are in a great position to provide this, as people always want information on the many games in the casino.
You may decide to do a podcast interviewing successful gamblers. Other ideas could be to create blog posts on blackjack strategies, or techniques for poker playing. Perhaps you might write eBooks on rules and variations of different games. The digital marketing experts at Hootsuite.com have a list of ideas here that can help you create value and build wider brand awareness. All this will help position you as an authority and when the time comes to sign up for a casino, yours will be the first name people think about.
