Social Media Marketing Trends for Casinos in 2023

Stay informed and up to date with the emerging (and continuing) social media marketing trends for 2023. We have done the research so you don’t have to. Here is what to expect and be prepared for based on what marketing experts are predicting for the coming year.

When it comes to social media engagement, short videos (60 seconds or less) work. One thing is important across all social media platforms, your videos must be authentic. For daily, weekly, or monthly social media engagements, there is no need for scripts, actors, or heavy editing. Just be authentic, keep it real and have fun. The fun you and your employees have when creating short videos will transcend to your customers.

At this time, most industry experts agree that some of these platforms’ audiences do not align with the primary demographic of casino gamers. That being said, it does not mean that they cannot have an impact on a casino’s marketing efforts. Think of all the TikTok videos shared on other social media platforms like Facebook.

Short & authentic videos can empower and engage employees to highlight why they love to work at your casino and why it’s a great choice for customers to visit. Incentivize employees by creating a contest for video submissions, and ensure videos are reviewed and posted by the company’s management to ensure the messages conveyed in the videos to customers are consistent with the company’s brand. Include customers who may want to be in a video. Customers could be incentivized by rewarding them with free play or prizes if, for example, the video receives X number of views or shares (this will also incentivize customers to share your videos with their social media networks increasing the casino’s exposure). Videos can be informative, humorous, testimonials, or local influencers. Whether or not your video goes viral (and who knows, maybe it will) being a fun casino for employees to work at creates a fun casino for customers to visit.

Takeaway video ideas:

1. “Someone will win this tonight, why not you” – Showcase the evening’s promotion and what the prize will be. Feature a recognizable employee and maybe a couple of guests (be sure to have them sign a media release form).
2. “Your casino’s name, we know how to have fun” – Stay current on the latest video trends, if there is a popular song and dance video circulating, encourage your employees to give it a try and reward them for having fun and participating.
3. “Tonight, we’ll do the cooking for you” – Feature your Chef creating the evening’s special or signature dish.
4. Identify influencers, budget-friendly micro-influencers, or local influencers who can promote your casino to their followers.

Leverage social media to improve your casino’s customer service. This is such an important opportunity it is worth repeating: Use social media as a customer service tool.  Social media platforms give casinos the ability to speak directly with their customers and it gives the casinos’ customers a place to voice their opinion and share their experiences. When customers have a bad experience and share it for all to read, this is an opportunity for your casino to respond and hopefully turn a negative experience into a positive one (or at least give yourself another opportunity with the customer). More importantly, by simply responding your message is loud and clear, we hear what you’re saying, we care and we want to try and make it right. If you take a few minutes to read reviews on some of the more popular review websites you will find that very few casinos actively respond to customers’ reviews and the ones who do are easy to remember. Set yourself above your competition by simply taking a little time to reply to posts, reviews, and comments. Disclaimer: be aware of trolls, there is no need to engage them in a public argument that goes on and on. You will never win or rectify the issue.

Assuming your casino is already doing this, keep doing it in 2023. Venture beyond paid Facebook ads and consider other social media platforms, for example, LinkedIn or Youtube.

Do you remember when social media was less media and more networking? When the focus of having a business Facebook page was about engaging your customers in a conversation? Arguably, today there are fewer conversations and more traditional advertisements. Take a look at your paid ad campaign content, do they look like your previous magazine or newspaper print ads? Have you just switched from print to Facebook? It may be time to refocus your efforts on having conversations and actively engaging your customers in conversation again.

As we all move through 2023 and beyond, one thing remains constant and that is change. What is popular today may be old news tomorrow so stay flexible and change with the times. At Catalyst, we are here to help your casino accomplish just that.