MRI Casino Marketing Blog
3 Ways To Better Digital Marketing: Practice, Practice, Practice!

"A river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but its persistence.”

 – Jim Watkins

Think of the marketplace as a casino floor after a big fight in town. It’s loud, crowded, and moving fast. Now imagine trying to communicate with someone on the opposite side of the casino on that busy night – not the easiest of tasks. That dynamic is what marketers face every day, trying to separate the signal from the noise and develop a voice that engages despite the background roar of life. While in no way impossible, engaging online marketing requires a unique voice and unforgettable brand identity that only stems from constant practice.

That thought reminds me of a social media post I recently saw from a musician: “Practice is what you do at home. Rehearsal is what you do as a group. Never show up at rehearsal without having practiced enough.” Applying that life lesson to a digital marketer, an engaging message requires patience and practice. Just like that musician, you can only reach marketing excellence after devoting the time and effort needed to master your skills before pitching an idea or assembling a strategy. After all, you get paid for performance, not practice.

Simply put, the margins for error are too slim, customer bases can be too demanding in casino marketing to play the role of a mad scientist in the midst of a campaign. For that reason, I’m offering a few best practices to help you enhance your marketing skills, turning your practice sessions into a targeted and potent training ground that will turn a gambler’s head and hold their attention, no matter how loud the background noise might get.

Experiment Within Target Audiences

People call online marketing the Wild West, and for good reasons – boundaries are vague, rules ill-defined, and, to put it mildly, anything goes. Thankfully, that relaxed environment also means experimentation can bring gain with little loss as the ephemeral nature of digital media leaves little chance of doing serious damage by going outside the box. But, obviously, don’t test the fates.

Be flexible and fearless but always informed, testing different channels and techniques as you practice. For instance, when we want to target a topic like “Casino Data Transformation,” we need to market the concept to a varied audience. Therefore, we tailor the way information is delivered to best fit our specific targets. We may feature a technical article, a marketing advice column, or analytical results to pique the interest of individual audiences. Think about your varied audience in regards to the brand and write to specific interest groups. What do you think they care about? Write from their perspective instead of your own. For example:

• Player Development Director: “Free Tools That Identify Your Gamblers Spending Habits”
• Slot Director: “The Craziest Things Your Slot Analysis Is Showing”
• Food and Beverage Director: “Using Data to Order the Appropriate Ingredients”

Keep logs of what works, combining styles and methods that were already successful with new content. Most importantly, remember to remain professional. You wouldn’t show up to dress rehearsal in wrinkled pajamas, so don’t put sloppy marketing out into the world.

Stay tuned for Part 2 - a look at finding your niche and the importance of practice, practice, practice.