GPWA Times - Issue 21 - May 2012

Tips for monetizing your online gaming community By Jeremy Enke ......................................................... F or many years, the term “online community” was assumed to mean a traditional online forum. With the growth of social media and new platforms, however, online communities are becoming more prevalent on a variety of platforms. And while the growth of online com- munities continues to increase, so do the challenges in monetizing them. Many new affiliates and Internet marketers as- sume that online communities should be more lucrative than static content sites or traditional portals. With user-generated content and conversations taking place in flourishing communities, it’s easy to see why this assumption is often made. Unfortunately this is simply not the case. Unlike traditional gambling portals, which are primarily driven by search engine traffic and visitors looking for specific informa- tion, communities are driven by return visitors and individuals coming to your site to be “social.” With that said, it is far more challenging to monetize these types of social visitors with traditional banners, text links or other “calls to action,” as these visi- tors genuinely want to stay on your site. So how do you go about monetizing an online gambling community? You first need to understand the dy- namics of your members. Why did they choose your community? What areas of your site do they use the most? Where do they perceive the greatest amount of value in being a member of your com- munity? Once you have a more compre- hensive understanding of these analytics, you can then formulate a monetization plan that will yield far better results than traditional banners and text links. In fact, if you rely on banners and text links to provide a consistent source of revenue in a community, you’re set- ting yourself up for disappointment. Think about it – when was the last time you clicked on an advertisement from Facebook or your favorite forum and then made a purchase? So let’s look at some more effective ways of monetizing the members of your community. Exclusive promotions Online communities and forums have continued to grow because people in general enjoy being social and meeting others online with similar interests. For casino and poker affiliates, hosting ex- clusive events such as slots tournaments, poker freerolls, contests or sports-related pools is a great way to build loyalty and reward your members. Likewise, hosting exclusive promotions for your community will greatly increase your overall conversion rates. Not only are you creating a sense of urgency by having a deadline for sign-up on your promotions, you can also dictate where these players need to sign up and through what link to take part in the promotion. Hosting exclusive promotions or private events can truly be one of the best ways to monetize an online community. Be creative! Build up your mailing list One of the greatest benefits of owning an online community is that you have the ability to build a database of users, giv- ing yourself a direct line of contact with them via e-mail. If there is an important message you need to get out to the mem- bers of your community, you can reach almost every single one with one click of the send button. Obviously you need to be cognitive of only e-mailing members who have opted-in. However, if you have a reputable commu- nity and provide valuable content in your newsletters or e-mail, you will find that your conversion rates are greater from e-mail than from on-site advertisements. The key to successfully leveraging your database via e-mail marketing is to only Tips for monetizing your online gaming community