MRI Casino Marketing Blog
No Two Marketing Plans Are the Same

No Two Marketing Plans Are the Same. Or at Least They Shouldn't Be.

Marketing plans are one of those things that if you ask anyone in the marketing space if they have one, they’ll likely answer “yes”. But will they be able to produce and share a cohesive, strategic, and actionable marketing plan from their files?

In our experience, likely not. It’s a hard thing to do, and it’s an even harder thing to make the marketing plan actionable and follow through on executing it.

So, what makes an effective marketing plan? More importantly, what makes an effective marketing plan for a casino? We have a consultative and collaborative approach to creating marketing strategies and plans for our casino clients. Here’s how we break it down:

Database & Customer Assessment

Understanding your customer is the foundation of any successful marketing plan. For casinos, this means diving deep into a 12-month look at your database by player stage, region, gender, and average daily theoretical (ADT) win. This thorough database analysis allows us to uncover insights and behaviors of your current player base, providing a clear picture of who they are and how they engage with your casino.

Revenue Objectives

Next, we set clear revenue objectives. This involves analyzing monthly data throughout the year to assess the effectiveness of marketing and advertising strategies in meeting annual goals. Based on these findings, strategies may be modified, or new strategies may be introduced to ensure that revenue objectives are met. This continuous loop of feedback and adjustment is crucial for staying on target.

"We’ve seen first-hand the impact of a well-executed marketing plan. It just all works better and gives the casino marketing teams the direction and game plan to execute. No one has to question the objectives. They know what to work towards and executed well, we’ve seen remarkable revenue growth..."

Brand Marketing & Advertising

Once we understand our customers and set revenue objectives, we move on to planning brand marketing and advertising initiatives. These initiatives are reverse engineered from the results we want to achieve. A comprehensive casino marketing plan lays out casino marketing initiatives and tactics to deliver the desired results. This includes everything from brand marketing and advertising to database marketing to player’s club structure, operations, and programs.

Database Marketing

Database marketing is a powerful tool for casinos, leveraging the detailed insights gained from the database assessment. By targeting specific segments with tailored messages and offers, we can drive engagement and loyalty. This approach ensures that marketing efforts are both efficient and effective, maximizing the return on investment.

Player’s Club

The player’s club is a critical component of a casino’s marketing strategy. It serves as the primary touchpoint for customer engagement and loyalty. An effective marketing plan includes detailed strategies for the player’s club, from structure and operations to programs and promotions. This ensures a cohesive experience for players and helps drive repeat visits and higher spending.

How a Casino Marketing Plan is Developed

We begin with the customer at the center of the plan. By diving deep into a 12-month look at your database, we can understand the insights and behaviors of your current player base. Next, we set clear revenue objectives and analyze monthly data to assess the effectiveness of marketing strategies. Then, we plan brand and marketing initiatives, reverse-engineering from the results we want to achieve. This integrated approach ensures that all marketing touchpoints are considered and that the plan is actionable and measurable.

How to Measure Against a Marketing Plan

Measuring the effectiveness of a marketing plan is crucial. This involves setting clear metrics and KPIs at the outset and regularly tracking progress against these goals. Monthly and quarterly reviews allow for adjustments and refinements to strategies, ensuring that the plan remains on track. Key metrics might include revenue growth, customer acquisition and retention rates, engagement metrics, and return on investment (ROI).

When to Develop a Marketing Plan

The ideal time to develop a marketing plan is during the budget season. Make the marketing plan first and allocate the budget and resources to make it happen. Your marketing team will thank you, but so will the finance team and Casino General Manager. Another word of advice is to ensure that your marketing plan is delivering against the Casino General Managers objectives. What are the little goals to get to the big goal? Quarterly measurements ensures everyone is on the same page. Marketing plans should be dynamic documents, revisited regularly, together, to adapt to changing market conditions and business goals.

“Marketing Results serves as consultants to our casino clients. We listen first and think about their players always. Developing marketing plans is one of our favorite things to do with our clients…”

For more information on Marketing Results and our services, send us an inquiry here.