Social media and igaming in 2021: remaining relevant

Social media has rapidly become one of the most popular tools for acquiring new customers, particularly within the innovative and forward-thinking realm of igaming. Crucial to effective acquisition efforts is the engagement of potential customers by strategically pushing content through appropriate channels, which social media marketers can achieve by examining current trends.

Content for traditional platforms

• Video content: According to Wyzowl’s 2020 State of Video Marketing Survey, 92% of marketers using video said it is an important part of their marketing strategy. Combined with the billions of active users worldwide across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, video content is not only one of the most consumed media, but also the most effective when convincing an individual to adopt a product. With millennials and older Gen Z demographics especially drawn to video and omnipresent on social media, it is a vital medium for igaming brands looking to foster a growing audience.
• #Hashtagging strategies: Hashtags are a quintessential part of any modern content strategy, with each social media platform having its own set of rules and limitations that must be considered to leverage them successfully. For example, a piece from US digital marketing agency Kapok Marketing, How to Use Hashtags on Different Social Media Platforms, explains that hashtags are least effective on Facebook and “will not increase your engagement and they are not used as frequently as other platforms”.

For Instagram, Kapok recommends including a minimum of 11 relevant hashtags to effectively increase a brand’s presence. Guidelines for Twitter encourage a minimalist approach, as tweets with the most engagement only include one or two hashtags, with one of those being company branded. Coca-Cola executed one of the most effective and memorable branded hashtag strategies with its #ShareACoke campaign, which helped redefine its social media image. Though the messaging was simple, the marketing got immense levels of visibility, becoming a viral hashtag campaign that is still promoted by the brand.

Notable niche platforms

In addition to pushing a brand to the masses via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, it is also important to look to the less conventional platforms.

• Twitch: 2020 statistics compiled by Dexerto showed that Twitch saw an average of 26.5 million daily users with an average of two million viewers at a time, a massive audience from which a brand can garner impressions. Further bolstering Twitch’s popularity in the igaming space has been the growing prominence of esports and 24-hour broadcasting, the latter key to driving all-time highs in consumption. Poker enthusiasts love the nature of Twitch, which gives them a place to watch other people play games they enjoy, interact with other viewers or live stream their own gameplay.
• Telegram: According to Business of Apps’ Telegram Revenue and Usage Statistics, Telegram reported 1.5 million new users daily in 2020 and is expecting to reach one billion by 2022. Enhanced security features can facilitate the launch of Telegram-based casinos, which present an engaging and innovative alternative to standard gambling platforms. Designed to reach an entirely new niche of players, Telegram casinos are highly popular in emerging markets like Africa and Latin America and are growing in prominence due to the social, easy-to-use, and secure nature of the platform.

By identifying relevant social channels and leveraging corresponding tools to maximise engagement, igaming brands can effectively push content to a given target audience. Brands that can master the art of developing the right content for the right channel will be those most likely to experience long-term success.

Erica Anderson’s role focuses on developing the marketing strategy for the Income Access brand. Holding a decade’s gaming industry experience, she also oversees the company’s in-house affiliate management team and its suite of digital marketing services, including social media management and marketing.