Social Media Tracker: How are social media giveaways being used by operators to drive engagement in 2020?

For casino operators in the UK, social media content needs to be carefully curated. It needs to both align with the UKGC’s guidelines and be engaging enough that players will take note of it. Simply posting updates of the same games and weekly promos just doesn’t get players itching to click through to the site. So, how are casino operators driving engagement in 2020? The answer – social media giveaways.

This month, we are going to look at how these giveaways work and how effective they are. Read on to hear about some of the brands doing this effectively.

What is a giveaway?

Did you know that contests on social media have a conversion rate of almost 34%? This is higher than any other content type and indicates why these are so commonly used on social media channels by brands. Giveaways come in many forms with the prize usually depending on the brand. In the online casino industry, you can expect a mixture of prizes with most focusing on free spins or VIP points more recently.

A giveaway usually involves an operator creating a post that offers a prize and some terms. Social media giveaways usually ask for engagement of some kind so would require a player to share, like or comment on the post to enter. Around 62.13% of participants in competitions will share the promotion in order to get their friends to get involved too. Then, when the competition is over, the prize is given to a lucky player.

Do they really drive engagement?

Some operators aren’t so keen on running regular competitions as they don’t always result in conversions. Of course, if engagement is your goal, you’ll see just how effective these can be. When you consider the fact that social media channels such as Facebook don’t allow casino operators to make use of the advertising features, giveaways can be the next best thing.

According to research, content on social media can result in an average of 34% of new customers. This is often due to players who have already signed up sharing the content with their friends. This increases brand awareness and can result in much-needed conversions. Interestingly, Instagram accounts who host giveaways can grow their followers 70% faster than others who don’t. However, Instagram is one of the lesser used channels for casino operators.

There are many top casino operators who are using competitions to increase engagement. We’ll look at a few case studies below.

Case study one: NetBet

NetBet is one of the most well-known casino brands in the UK. On Facebook, they have over 36,000 likes and have an engaged audience. Their Twitter following is slightly lower with just 8,479 followers; however, they are clearly trying to increase this with engaging content.

In terms of giveaways, NetBet is really pushing these at the moment and they are working very well for the brand. A quick look at their Facebook page shows that they have been posting free spins giveaways every other day and they have been driving engagement levels as a result.

The competitions posted by NetBet are simple and easy to get involved in. They create branded images that are themed around some of their most popular games. They ask players to guess the answer to a question, follow a maze and various other activities to win. The prize? Simply 25 free spins which cost them next to nothing to give away.

A recent post by NetBet asked players to ‘guess the number of umbrellas in an image’. This post received 258 likes and multiple shares. Another, while only receiving 23 comments of people entering the competition, gained 647 likes which is a lot in comparison to other posts by this casino brand. While likes don’t always result in conversions, they contribute to the overall reach of the post.

It is clear that NetBet has seen the potential of this kind of giveaway and this is the reason why they are pushing these so much at the moment.

Case study two: Jackpotjoy

Jackpotjoy is another extremely well-known casino brand in the UK and they have an even stronger following on social media than NetBet. The current like count on the Jackpotjoy fan page is 124,867 people. The Jackpotjoy fans are loyal and often engage in posts created by this casino brand.

The giveaways created by Jackpotjoy offer a much larger range of prizes. You’ll find that they give away everything from 500 Joy Points to a £50 Sainsbury’s voucher. This is a slightly different approach, but it works for boosting engagement. While free spins can be a great prize for getting players back onto the casino site, more people – including non-registered players – will be more likely to engage with generic prizes.

A recent competition to win a Sainsbury’s voucher received 79 likes but 276 comments. Another, which offered 500 Joy Points to five lucky players, received 285 comments, all from players entering to win that prize. Jackpotjoy mixed and matched their prizes and giveaways to drive engagement each week.

What works best?

At the end of the day, casino operators want to drive conversions and get more players registered on-site. Social media giveaways can massively help with this, but it all depends on the kind of competition that is being run. By offering prizes that aren’t aimed at existing players such as vouchers for high street stores, casino brands can drive engagement and increase the reach of their prizes. It is clear that Jackpotjoy is taking this approach.

On the other hand, NetBet is offering smaller prizes but more regularly and these are effective in both driving engagement and traffic to the site. There is evidence to support both approaches and so the casino brand should decide on their main goal – conversions or engagement!

Hopefully, other casino brands will recognise the power of social media giveaways soon enough.