How to add IP targeting to your marketing mix
If you are not already utilizing IP Targeting to communicate to your player database segments, this Flash is for you! Though it’s been around for a couple of years, it seems that IP Targeting has received less attention compared to email marketing, geo-fencing, push notifications, etc.
It’s time to take a closer look at how effective IP Targeting can be for reaching your players. In many ways, it’s more effective than mass marketing, email marketing and yes, even direct mail. Here’s why:
- All you need is the player’s household address or email address to find their Internet Protocol address, which is a unique set of numbers assigned by one’s internet service provider
- You then serve up digital and pre-roll content to these players on the websites that they visit from their IP address on any of their mobile devices and desktop computers
- Communicate with one-on-one digital messaging, personalized content, and offers that suit their preferences
Think of IP Targeting like direct mail but via the internet, and at a fraction of the cost and waste. Clearly, traditional direct mail has been a revenue-driving force in the casino industry for decades. What’s funny though is that your direct mail response rate can be influenced by who in the household brings in the mail and whether or not they toss “promotional” mail.
Now, we’re not suggesting that you drop your direct mail program like a hot potato when it’s a solid source of casino traffic. With that said, our casino clients with robust, diversified direct marketing programs own a strategic and budgetary advantage over the competition. Are you capitalizing on multi-pronged digital communications tactics like IP Targeting, or perhaps you are pretty happy with email marketing?
Email marketing is one of the digital communications tactics that’s widely and effectively used by casino marketers. It’s extremely inexpensive, and you can send your message out with just a click, though your target does have to opt-in, open the email, read the email and hopefully click through your email to get to your website and onto the next step of engagement. Email is very effective when sending specific, tangible offers designed to drive traffic to off-peak or peak-the-peak days.
There are several advantages to IP Targeting versus email marketing. For one thing, it’s very easy for your email database to opt-out or unsubscribe to your emails. After all, you are invading their personal space (their Inbox), and if you don’t have something of real value, your casino’s emails can be relegated to the Junk mail folder. Casinos who email straightforward advertisements or redundant content on a frequent basis lose their audience pretty quickly. Conversely, with IP Targeting you can serve up content and offers within the websites and social outlets where your target is already interested in spending time. You are not asking them to do anything to get your message; it’s just there, borrowing the goodwill that the audience already has with their favorite websites.
So give IP Targeting a try. Just remember that with any communications plan, content is key. And measure your results, comparing and contrasting with direct mail redemption, email statistics and your digital advertising impressions and engagements. Develop a direct marketing mix that will harness wildly successful results from all available vehicles and for every objective.
