MRI Casino Marketing Blog
Smart Questions

Marketing Results believes there are only smart questions when discussing the ins-and-outs of casino marketing. In fact, the more questions, the better. Questions mean we are thinking about how to tackle challenges that we are facing in the market today.

We recently embarked on gathering our top, must current, casino marketing client questions. Read on to see our clients’ questions, and our answers.

1. Covid pandemic and the shut-down of businesses underscore the necessity of strong data collection practices and marketing capabilities. How do I take steps to go digital in my database marketing efforts?

As things settle after the pandemic, it’s time to reflect and analyze what we’ve learned in the casino industry. Covid pushed businesses to go “digital” faster than they were necessarily ready for, but in doing so, pushed them where they needed to be.

Digital isn’t only about doing business from a distance. Digital is also about moving your players and your casino into a digital environment for a more flexible and efficient way to market and operate. It delivers a more interactive experience for your casino players, and creates cost efficiencies for print, production and postage for a more sustainable way to communicate.

If you haven’t converted your casino into digital–it’s not too late. Marketing Results guides their casino clients, step-by-step into converting their traditional marketing into digital. Through our work, we’ve learned how players accept and adopt new ways of play–often we hear, “it’s not as hard as I thought it would be”.

2. How can market research be used to identify player attitudes for casino gaming from and for traditional venues?

Market research does not have to be elaborate. It can be done quickly and serves as a strategic tool in helping you make informed decisions. Here are a few quick ideas: how about player intercepts on your player floor? Have a conversation! What do they like? What do they dislike? What do they wish there was more of in the casino experience you offer?

This type of research is known as qualitative research and Marketing Results has interviewed hundreds of casino players. One of our favorite forms of qualitative research is Focus Groups used to understand the unique needs and attitudes of various gambler segments. Groups provide rich color and insight into the decision process applied to competitive casino selection and satisfaction. Marketing Results believes in a mixed methodology of research–qualitative and quantitative–encompassed in our Awareness, Attitude & Usage Studies.

3. How do we prepare in Marketing to launch Sports Betting?

Have a plan! That’s how you launch sports betting at your casino property. Like any new program, sports betting requires a phased, strategic approach. Marketing Results specializes in launching new programs and is living and breathing the implementation of sports betting with many of our casino clients.

Planning your marketing strategies before launch, mapping out ongoing campaigns will also be equally important for awareness. A phased approach, a soft launch for technology, and an arsenal of property signage, digital communications, and direct mail for advertising.

4. How do I determine my competitors' direct mail strategies?

Shhh…it’s a secret, secret shopping that is. You can know how your competitors are rewarding their customers, as well as determine how their card program fits into their strategic marketing plan. You don’t have to be in the dark. Marketing Results offers secret shopping of your top competitors so you can get a look, down to the dollar of an ADT player.

The old way of having your employees shop the competitors, play the casino competition, it just isn’t accurate enough—and it’s time consuming! You can be all player types at once with our secret shopping, seeing the whole strategy so you can make your next, smart move. We enroll in the designated competitors’ tracking card program, obtain program information, evaluate the customer service experience, observe promotions, and document direct mail received. You will see the whole strategy, which allows you to be more strategic with your marketing plan.

5. How often should we update our website?

Casinos should consider their website each year when they do their annual budget. Are there new amenities or programs that need to be considered? Are there issues when updating the site through the CMS? Are there new features that would help engage players? Like a house or a car, your website needs regular maintenance, especially as your customer and marketing needs change.

Marketing Results offers digital assessments to help make recommendations to keep your experience fresh for your casino players and your brand.

6. What marketing and gaming value would we get if we have an online portal for players to view their points, offers etc.?

Marketing Results has found that their casino clients’ VIP players often prefer an online portal over direct mail. Having the portal available 24/7, 365 days a year, players can see what offers are available to them at any time and make a decision to visit your property versus a competitors, or another activity outside of the home.