After taking a break for SBC Lisbon, Footprints in the Market | Influencing iGaming is back with Episode 6 of Season 3! On this week’s episode, we’re delighted to welcome iGaming entrepreneur Brandie E. Black! Brandie sat down with Digital Footprints Managing Director Sharon McFarlane for a chat about everything from common SEO mistakes to understanding ESG in iGaming. Listen in below.
Common Marketing Mistakes
Marketing is an expansive, ever-changing space, and staying ahead means being aware of the latest trends. While keeping your finger on the pulse is never a bad thing, brands need to be able to discern between what’s relevant and what isn’t. Pursuing the wrong strategy or taking part in the wrong trend is, at best, a waste of time and resources and, at worst, potentially damaging to your brand image.
Brandie said: “Some B2B iGaming brands might see a trend on TikTok, like one of those dance trends, and want to get their staff involved. They do it because it’s hot at that moment, but it’s completely off-brand and doesn’t really fit with their image or clientele.
“Marketing and social media departments might think they can get a lot of traction, but in some cases, it can do more harm than good. I mean, sometimes it’s brilliant and it works, but it’s a risk.”
Rather than jumping on every single social media trend you see, take the time to think carefully about how it aligns with your image and what results you hope to achieve. This can help you filter out what to pay attention to and what to ignore, and can save time and resources in the process.
The Importance of Targeting in Affiliate Strategies
The affiliate space has never been more competitive, and with increased regulatory scrutiny, it’s never been so risky. For affiliates old and new, localisation and targeting are critical. Not only can they help focus in on a particular audience, but they can also help affiliates remain compliant wherever they operate.
Brandie said: “For affiliates, niche is everything. And you waste a lot of time not localising, at least when you launch. You can miss a lot of traffic by not doing that. You can’t just go crazy in unregulated markets. I mean, you can, but I’m not sure if that’s very smart at this point in time.
“Not localising for traffic means you’re going to leave a lot on the table. Second, if you’re not doing it properly and following some kind of marketing compliance, that’s another risk you take. If you’re really trying to build a solid business, that’s not the way to go.”
Authenticity in iGaming
In today’s iGaming landscape, brands must demonstrate their commitment to player protection and responsible gambling. However, this needs to be done in an authentic way to really drive the message home.
Brandie said: “How does a brand portray that it cares about player protection and responsible gambling? The website is the first place to start. Of course, responsible gambling messaging has existed forever, but how do you take that a step further authentically? You’ve got to incorporate that into your content, first of all, but even before that, into your brand story.
“You’ve really got to take a step back, clean the whiteboard, look at your brand story and values and think how you can tweak them to be more receptive to player protection. If you have self-exclusion tools, how easy are they to access? Are you telling people they exist or are you just throwing them on a hidden page?”
Brandie and Sharon also discussed:
AI’s Impact on SEO (jump to 09.50)
Understanding ESG in iGaming (jump to 28.35)
Building a Sustainable Brand (jump to 37.24)
A huge thanks to Brandie E. Black for taking part! Watch this space for the next episode of Footprints in the Market | Influencing iGaming.
