GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 47 - July 2020

here are all kinds of terms and phrases being thrown around to describe the enormity of the global situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have seen just as much variety in the responses from businesses and brands in their marketing. We have worked directly with websites operating within various sectors — iGaming included — that have attempted different responses either through choice or driven by external factors beyond anyone’s control. The following insights and strategies have been taken from our extensive experience working in the iGaming sector and are crucial to consider as you adapt and adjust to an entirely new landscape. SHIFTING FOCUS WITHOUT COMPROMISING LONG TERM RESULTS IS KEY Ultimately, the most impactful actions you can take for the benefit of your affiliate site right now are being able to attract new audiences through the use of effective design and messag- ing and being able to move at speed when you communicate shifts in your proposition. This cannot be done at the expense of the long term and may only take a slight refining to your current approach, not a whole new one. The brands we have been working with have seen the best results when they have been able to continue planned work around SEO and other digital channels while also modifying their proposition and messaging to expand reach. Those that have not been able to pivot as quickly have prioritized and understand the value of the SEO work and have shifted their focus to enhancing future revenues by using this time to work on improving their rankings. ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITIES WHILE LAND-BASED GAMING LOCATIONS FACE CHALLENGES One thing we can all agree on is that user-behavior was fundamentally altered in March and April and elements of such will remain features of society for several years, if not permanently. As physical locations reopened it was clear that social distancing will be in place until effective preventative treatments, or a vaccine, is found for COVID-19. The need for social distancing is something that will impact physical casinos in particular, given the small square footage between multiple tables and a myriad of opportunities to come into contact with things other people have touched. The number of customers that can get through the door at any one time, and how quickly they can game, is going to have a huge impact on the profitability of physical locations upon reopening. Customers are also going to be less keen on having to queue outside while they wait for others to leave, so the next place they will look is online. For affiliates, the current landscape serves as an opportunity unlike any other we’ve seen before. The ability to provide cus- tomers who are used to going to betting shops and casinos but now cannot, with the ability to access betting platforms online, and being the first to do so, should be taken advantage of. The starting point of making the most of this situation is identi- fying the reasons people go to the shops and casinos in the first place — social, community, ability to watch multiple sports at once — all things that are fairly difficult to replicate with a cold website.What is it that physical locations have that websites do not? Can any of this be recreated on your site? Design, look, feel and messaging can go a long way to appealing to those individu- als. In some instances, you may not even need to change much on your site, you just need to put more thought into messaging. If you have a younger audience, you may find yourself needing to make adjustments to your site to cater for older audiences that typically use physical locations in larger numbers. Your Google Analytics Demographic data can be invaluable to help understand how your audience may be shifting at the moment. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines can really help you out when it comes to understanding what changes you should make to improve conversion for older users. NAVIGATING THE COVID-19 LANDSCAPE G P W A t i m e s . o r g 32