Why the gambling industry needs SMS marketing

SMS Messages for gambling

The world is going mobile. The average person touches their mobile phone more than 2,600 times a day. We do everything from socialize to shop on our phones. And more and more people are using mobile devices to gamble. This mobile revolution makes SMS marketing the perfect tool for the gambling industry – it’s marketing with an open rate of 98 percent within three minutes of sending the communication. Here are a few reasons why SMS marketing makes sense to the gambling community.

It’s cheaper than traditional channels

TV or radio channels can end up costing millions of dollars to produce and air. And even then, marketers risk having their markets not even see or hear the spot. Traditional channels are extremely expensive options given the returns that marketers get. The advent of streaming, smart TVs, and music apps also means that less and fewer people are engaged with the traditional streams, in favor of far more personalized channels. Simply put, these channels are no longer effective means of communication for marketers.

SMS is personalized

Databases of contact numbers can be paired with other things that your market is interested in. For example, it’s no good sending a message to Joe Black about the next major soccer derby when all he ever bets on is horses. In fact, this kind of communication is likely to annoy him and affect the customer-brand relationship.

Instead, once details have been matched, bookies can tailor their SMS marketing message to their market’s betting history. Then, whenever a big race, game or tournament looms, only those who have an interest in the sport at hand, will be targeted. Sure, the number of messages sent out will be fewer. But it’s a matter of quality over quantity in this regard, and campaigns are far more likely to succeed.

SMS is immediate

We’ve mentioned the cost of traditional channels, but time is an issue too. Radio and TV advertising takes a long time to produce and reactive or responsive marketing is extremely difficult to do well. An SMS campaign, however, can be conceptualized and executed within a morning, which offers a lot more freedom and flexibility. Not only can smaller betting firms match their bigger competition punch-for-punch, but they can also react to new developments in the world of sport faster than traditional channels allow. And let’s face it, the professional sporting world is a roller-coaster with players moving teams, coaches getting axed and new ‘off-field’ dramas unfolding every day. So, for example, if a soccer manager gets axed in England’s Premier League, bookies can react quickly, prompting regular betting on who will be the replacement.

SMS can be used to encourage bets while playing

People pretty much have their phones on them wherever they go, making SMS the perfect platform for in-play betting services. “Will the QB make the pass?”, “Who will score first?”, “How many yards will player X gain?” These are the sort of mini bets that can encourage betters to interact more with betting sites and can be relayed through SMS.

Punters in the gambling industry also benefit

The benefits of SMS to the gambling industry don’t end with the bookie. Punters can also win. A successful campaign doesn’t have to be all about promotions or special offers. Marketers can use a far more content-led approach and still build allegiance. This would involve consistent SMS messages to interested fans about real-time developments or breaking news: a new signing, pitch conditions or the draw of a tournament. This might not have people rushing to the betting tables, but provides quality information that regular punters will come back for and endears businesses to consumers perhaps more than hard-hitting marketing ever could.

SMS marketing is a smart way for betting and gambling businesses to enhance their customer base and increase brand awareness. And it’s not only the gambling industry. Have a look at six other industries that SMS is disrupting.