It’s time for episode 4 of Footprints in the Market | Influencing iGaming Season 3! This week, Digital Footprints Managing Director Sharon McFarlane sat down for a chat with Mr Gamble CMO Paul Puolakka about compliance in creative marketing, SEO vs PPC, user-generated content and more. Listen in below.
Compliance in iGaming Marketing
Marketers in the iGaming space have more to think about when compared to other, less tightly regulated industries. You can think of the most creative, impactful campaign, but if it doesn’t adhere to compliance requirements it’s not going to go very far. Even worse, you could face serious regulatory action, fines or reputational damage.
Paul Puolakka spoke about the process of creative marketing in iGaming: “Number one – don’t target minors. It also depends on what market you’re targeting. In regulated markets like the UK, they’re really strict about promoting stuff. There’s also the responsible gambling aspect. You need to have the helplines and numbers on there.”
Compliance is something all iGaming marketers need to think carefully about. It doesn’t matter whether you’re coming from the operator or affiliate side, compliance should be one of your top considerations before conceptualising or launching any campaign.
The Importance of UX
Brands have a tendency to think about content above all else. However, if your content isn’t presented in an attractive, accessible way, and if your platform is buggy or difficult to use, it’s never going to have the kind of impact it should. UX design is critical; not only does it make your site easier for users to navigate, but it also has a positive effect in terms of SEO and ranking performance.
Paul said: “I always think to myself ‘Would I use this?’. We actually had more filters on the site before, but then we figured out that they weren’t useful. So we’ve tried to narrow it down to the things that people actually need. If you have too many options, it slows things down and the experience isn’t that good because you get confused.
“We’re testing it all the time and trying to improve it. Especially for mobile, because it’s very important to have fast, slick site. First impressions used to take three seconds, but it’s way less nowadays. So you really need to make an impact in terms of how it looks and feels.”
Global Expansion Challenges and Strategies
As more regulated markets launch around the world, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be involved in iGaming. However, expanding into new global markets can come with unique challenges, and brands need to think carefully before they make a move.
Paul said: “The US, for example, a couple of years ago everyone was going there. It was kind of like a gold rush. And even big companies got burnt there. Now, the approach for us in the US is to focus on sweepstakes. Because the states have so many different regulations, it takes forever to get the paperwork done.
“When we enter new markets like Latam, we’re trying to figure out what resonates with the players, and that we have the correct payment methods and stuff like that. Because if we deliver the wrong casino that isn’t localised or doesn’t have the right payment methods, it hurts our brand.”
Paul and Sharon also discussed
Building a Twitch Community (jump to 05.30)
Balancing SEO vs PPC Strategies (jump to 08.25)
The Power of User-Generated Content (jump to 11.23)
We’d like to extend a huge thanks to Paul Puolakka for joining us on Footprints in the Market | Influencing iGaming. Keep your eyes peeled for episode 5!
