Big Data & Your Casino Database
Casino Marketing
A player database is the heartbeat of any gaming operation. In addition to advertising, the database, when utilized appropriately, pumps revenue through different marketing chambers, allowing for optimal operational health and vitality.
Within gaming, there are those who follow “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and rely heavily, if not entirely, on the two main advertising vessels with which casino marketing was born and sustained: direct mail and email. Other marketing leaders have seen the value of exploring new avenues like including digital advertising into their plans. Venturing out into unfamiliar territory can feel uncomfortable at first; however, exercising new opportunities is the best way to evaluate — and see new results.
With your player database as the heartbeat of your organization’s success, it is wise to protect it, as it is valuable information. This is often where properties can limit themselves to traditional ways of marketing, because their ingrained desire to protect their data overshadows the ability to consider safe and beneficial opportunities. There are opportunities available for complementing this revered information, serving as a supplemental layer of data, and creating a stronger and healthier database.
One way to strengthen your marketing heartbeat and create opportunities for additional revenue flow is to pair your database with additional third-party data. Access to this data creates a multitude of new opportunities for marketing and targeting efforts. This added layer of potential can quickly become one of the most powerful tools in your advertising arsenal. By adding data from one of the largest consumer databases in the country, you can unlock invaluable identity markers such as:
- Phone Numbers
- Emails Addresses
- Hashed Emails
- Mobile Ad IDs (MAIDs)
Database Accuracy
Yes, gaming operations work to keep their databases clean and up-to-date as much as possible. But did you know consumer identity data decays at a rate of about 30% per year? People change their phone numbers, move, get a new email address, or even get married. Even though you might be updating returned mail or performing an NCOA append, there are other identifiers that you are missing.
Using third-party data can ensure you have the most accurate profiles of your guests through an abundance of on and offline data sources. These sources include public records, purchase behavior, automotive records, and lifestyle choices. With your database as the heartbeat of your organization’s marketing success, staying conscious of ways to further improve its overall health and hygiene is an especially critical component.
Omnichannel Marketing
Omnichannel marketing is nothing new in the digital advertising space. However, the definition itself tends to have a different interpretation based on who you ask. Many consider their digital campaigns to be omnichannel if they are placing relevant ads on multiple platforms, e.g., Facebook, Instagram, display ads, OTT, etc. However, true omnichannel marketing utilizes an individual digital footprint to reach your customers on every device they are using.
The average consumer has 4 connected devices and 2+ email addresses, which can make it difficult to reach them on every device. This is where first-party data and big data create an ideal marriage to help connect all the dots. Utilizing identifiers in your database such as physical/email addresses along with other markers like cell or landline data, you can find your guest’s individual online footprint. Not only can you identify their devices, but you can also understand their habits, lifestyles, and behaviors. To be efficient marketers, it is imperative to have a clear understanding of each guest’s online universe.
When you have all the guest’s touchpoints, you can begin targeting not just devices, but your guests. Having these connections between your database and third-party data can fill in the blanks and help to create a more well-rounded picture of your customer. By knowing their habits and behaviors, you are better able to target them with content that speaks to their preferences. Nothing will replace the interpersonal relationships made with a customer. However, taking steps to better understand your customer’s online footprint adds another layer to creating a connection with them. Once you drive them in, you allow your trained professionals to serve them and get to know them face to face.
Utilizing Big Data for Casinos
Beyond creating a more efficient digital strategy, big data can help with promotional strategies as well. While most, if not all casinos, have given away a vehicle at a point in their promotional past, the use of big data can allow you to further target the preferences of your guests and help to identify which type of vehicle your customers would most want to win. Big data can assist you with showing your customers that you care about what they enjoy and that you are willing to amend your marketing plans to accommodate them.
Additionally, casinos benefit from a monthly segmentation. These segments, paired with third-party data, can not only provide you with unique insight into your competition; they can create personalized communication that marketers are always chasing. Using your technological resources to provide a more personalized customer experience shows marketing finesse.
Recap
Businesses in general often become complacent with their databases, relying on what has worked in the past. This behavior, while safe, limits the power their first-party data has to influence important marketing decisions. Staying open to safe and effective new ways of connecting with your customers is key to seeing new results. Getting creative with your resources and using them to better engage your customers shows care and allows you to work toward creating and sustaining an optimal heartbeat for your marketing department.