MRI Casino Marketing Blog
Livestream What Makes You Special

Previously, I spoke about the need for authenticity throughout a casino’s marketing campaign, how bottling the natural excitement of the casino floor supercharges your message and leaves the audience wanting more. From the power of custom photography to memorable promotions and gamified offers, casinos have a variety of tools that, when implemented effectively, can elevate their marketing from the competition and background noise of life.

One such tool, livestreaming, is still a rising star in the casino marketing world but holds an incredible amount of promise within its capable hands. In fact, livestreaming holds so much potential, I wanted to hone-in on its unique attributes and what specific qualities it brings to the casino marketing table.

A Window into the World

I asked you if it’s live or is it memories, but technology is quickly blurring the lines between the two. That, of course, is very good news for casinos trying to capture the thrills and excitement of their environment. Livestreaming is an especially effective tool that, although still finding its footing within the broader marketing landscape, is singularly capable of providing the audience with a clear and immediate window into a casino’s world.

Other industries are already integrating livestreaming into their messaging to varying degrees of success. Like any other form of experiential marketing, the ultimate success of a livestreamed event depends on how it’s rolled out as well as the content itself. For instance, while I don’t consider myself a diehard fan of The Cure -- my personal inventory of mascara and beat up Dr. Martens is scant at best -- I absolutely understand what makes them so appealing to their devout fanbase. Yes, I’ll sing along to “Just Like Heaven” or “A Letter to Elise” every time I hear them, but I’ve never taken a deep dive into the emo end of the pool.

However, The Cure livestreamed a performance of their seminal Disintegration album with great success, to give both their passionate fans and occasional listeners -- like me -- a chance to experience something unique. Those diehards were able to reacquaint themselves with memories of The Cure in concert, while others got a front row seat to see what makes Robert Smith so distinctive, gifted, and endearing, perhaps for the first time.

Casinos can open a similar window into their thrilling world by livestreaming moments from their floor or special events. If done properly to maximize the sense of ambiance and excitement, it will entice their existing base to want to experience those thrills again firsthand. Other audience segments that might consider themselves either occasional gamblers or non-gamblers can see what they’ve been missing and want to experience it for themselves. That’s a win-win if I’ve ever seen one, albeit with an important caveat.

Work with the Best

As livestreaming becomes more prevalent, there will undoubtedly be an avalanche of content that comes across as amateurish and unfocused, perhaps even driving away the audience it is was meant to entice in the first place. Therefore, casinos must be very particular with whom they work with for their livestreaming content, as well as how it fits into their overall branding and messaging.

Choosing the right technology is a critical part of that process, just as important as deciding what content to livestream. Casinos don’t lack for a choice of technology vendors, so due diligence is essential to leveraging the tremendous potential of livestreaming. Likewise, just because livestreaming is becoming easier and more cost efficient by the day doesn’t mean that everything should be livestreamed. To that point, a better understanding of the concept itself and a few real examples should help you decide how to best integrate livestreaming into your own casino’s overall marketing plan.

Uniquely Powerful

Livestreaming video isn’t just a type of media that people want to see from their friends and family, but something consumers are looking for from brands as well. Studies show that 80% of people would rather watch a live video from a brand than read one of the brand’s blogs, and 82% would prefer to watch a live video than to read one of the brand’s social media posts. Even better, 30% of people who watch livestreamed events will attend the event the next year.

Casinos are ideal candidates for livestreaming platforms thanks to their many different unique occasions and forms of entertainment. However, differentiating your casino from both competitors and other entertainment providers is a crucial part of a winning formula, emphasizing the importance of a strong and impactful social media presence. Social media creates a 2-way dialogue with gamblers where they feel connected to your casino, a dynamic that naturally lends itself to livestreaming.

When you livestream video, you place yourself in front of social media users’ faces. They’ll be alerted to your livestream and can quickly press a button or two to immediately immerse themselves in an environment that you alone curate and distribute. If you can capture the essence of that environment, they’ll keep watching, giving you more time to advertise, market your promotions, offer dining specials, push concert tickets, and whatever else you want to communicate.

How Casinos Can Use Livestreaming Video

Given how new livestreaming is to the marketplace, we thought it best to give you a few examples of how it can fit into a casino’s marketing strategy. As I said, be exceedingly choosy in what you livestream, pick events that represent the very best of what you have to offer, and the audience will follow.

Giveaways and Prizes

Are there large potential prizes at stake on the casino floor -- like a new car? Use livestreaming to show videos of items that gamblers can win if they come to your floor. Live video will give them a close look at what they can bring home with them.

Click here for an example of a livestreamed giveaway promotion

Celebrity Hosts and Performers

Lots of casinos host celebrity performers. Use live video to interview the performer, or have them address social media followers directly.

Chef or Bartender Showcase

Have the chef cook a demo of the meals they prepare at one of the casino restaurants to put their culinary skills on full display. This will get potential visitors hungry and consider coming into the restaurant to taste the food in real life. To appeal to the partying crowd, talk to the casino bartenders about drink specials, and have them mix up cocktails on camera.

Gambler Testimonials

Interview willing players at your casino who are having a great time. These testimonials will encourage other gamblers to visit and try their luck.

Offer Clickable Deals

With the help of broadcasting software, video frames can be designed to coincide with the casino’s brand and include such things as scrolling messages that promote casino events and offer codes customers can use and redeem when they visit.

Watch a quick tip how to add a clickable link to a YouTube video

Click here for more tips on how to add clickable links to social media videos 

Obviously, livestreaming will soon play a vital role as it becomes a more significant component of marketing campaigns from a wide variety of industries, not just gaming. Casinos are battling for a finite supply of attention and views, making their choice of livestreamed events and overall approach critical to their success. Given our experience and expertise in the field, we are uniquely capable of helping you leverage the inherent power of livestreaming, literally showing the audience what makes you so special. To quote a classic, if you build it, they will come. And we will show you how.