Tip of the iceberg: How operators are utilising celebrity tipsters

Online gambling marketers have long used celebrity tipsters and renowned experts to drive customer engagement and brand loyalty. This sort of content can be highly effective at tapping into new audiences while also engaging punters by adding legitimacy and helping them bet smarter and more successfully. While that may sound counter-intuitive, bookmakers require healthy players that continue to wager on their sites for months, and even years, on end to build a sustainable business.

This sort of content can be delivered via numerous channels, from radio broadcasts to blogs, podcasts to live videos, as well as social media. But successful tipster content is about more than just hiring a celebrity to front a brand or acquiring the services of an expert to publicly back three horses in the Grand National. They must be interesting and informative, but above all else, authentic. Get it right, and tipsters can lead to an increase in deposits, but get it wrong and punters will be turned off and simply wager somewhere else.

In a market where player promiscuity is high and churn a constant headache for operators and marketers, tipsters, also known as ambassadors, provide a point of difference and give a reason for players to engage with a certain brand. They offer a wow factor, a spot of colour in a world of player stats and figures. But more than that, they open the door to a pool of untapped customers primed to engage with a bookmaker’s products for the first time simply because their favourite celebrity or tipster is working with that brand.

Spread the word
“Well-known tipsters, or ambassadors, who are active on social media, can help introduce your brand to users who already admire the individual in question,” says Gavin Moore, head of traffic and brand at Better Collective. “It makes use of the ‘word of mouth’ effect, so building an affinity with them, their peers and wider network is much easier. This is one of the main reasons we brought in Chris Waddle during Euro 2016 as a brand ambassador for bettingexpert.com.”

Ex-England international Chris Waddle has been hired by BettingExpert to produce a range of tipster content

BettingExpert used Waddle to produce a range of tipster content during the Euros, making him particularly visible on its in-play betting tips app. This meant users could follow his tips live while matches were playing out, introducing the BettingExpert brand to a wider audience. “This worked with great success and users were able to follow Chris’s live tips while Euro 2016 matches were taking place,” says Moore. “We saw lots of engagement and new downloads, which was particularly pleasing.”

Live engagement is something marketers are currently experimenting with,particularly when it comes to using social media to communicate with their punters. Tipster content can be a great fit in this regard, especially when an ambassador has a strong social media presence. But there are other channels through which content can be distributed, with blogs a firm favourite. This is often because they are easy to create, cost-effective and, with links through to betting pages, easily tracked.

“Punters want to be able to access tipster content on the go, at their convenience, and in their timeframe” – Jesse May, Matchbook

Podcasts have also emerged as a solid communication platform, with the likes of Matchbook, William Hill and BoyleSports hosting regular broadcasts. In addition, Hills even has its own radio station where some of the racing industry’s top pundits discuss their favourite jockeys and horses. The rise of mobile, however, is changing the way punters engage with tipster content, and much like the way they bet, they want to be able to access information on the go via their smartphone and tablet devices.

On the move
This all means marketers are having to develop live tipster content that is easily digestible while still providing the right information for customers to make informed betting choices. Jesse May, head of marketing strategy at Matchbook, says quick delivery is key.

“Punters want to be able to access tipster content on the go, at their convenience, and in their time frame. As smart information becomes more available the closer it gets to a match, the most effective channels are those which can be produced and delivered quickly. Podcasts fit that bill but they are by no means the only channel that would work. Personally, I’d like to see a live streaming video channel that delivered betting news on a constant and instant basis. Lines move fast, and so do punters.”

While such content is still a way off, in the meantime, marketers are using social media to offer “live” expert content to their customers. But this method of delivery is not without its challenges and limitations. “Facebook’s algorithm tends to hamper your post’s reach, so Twitter is what works best for us and is the number one channel to work with influencers,” says Moore. “The fact it’s a live feed, and they show things in real time, means your message is always seen by you and your influencers’ followers.”

Expert content is clearly a great way to reach out to punters and build brand loyalty, but how do operators measure success, and it is possible to accurately track whether a particular podcast or blog post leads to an increase in wagers? The more pertinent question is what success is considered to be – an increase in user engagement or a rise in revenues? Ryan Murton, head of digital marketing at Oddschecker, says for the majority of marketers, success will always be measured on top-line metrics.

“This is why tipsters and ambassadors are sometimes hard to justify. No celebrity is going to accelerate your bottom-line growth; the only exception may be an above-the-line campaign that is nailed. It could be argued that Ladbrokes almost did this with Chris Kamara, but I don’t think it did all that well in the end when you look at the figures from the operator,” he adds.

Playing the long game
At Better Collective, however, they see tipster content more as a retention tool, and believe sportsbook marketers should take the same approach in order to maximise its potential. “If you create brand affiliation, the sign-ups and depositors will come over time. You must be willing to be patient. That is why you need to be well prepared, accept it takes time and plan to make a successful campaign. Don’t think, ‘Right, we’ve got ourselves a celebrity, job done.’ That’s really not how it works.”

Ladbrokes uses former Arsenal player Ray Parlour to share his views on football betting opportunities

That said, it is possible to track expert content to see if it actually encourages punters to place additional bets. One way is to ask for the source upon a deposit being made, but a much easier solution is to use tracking and promotional codes. For example, at the end of a tipster blog include a promotional code for a free bet when the customer next places a wager. On a more technical level, Google Analytics and Adobe Omniture recognise that a punter has engaged with a blog, podcast, etc, and then gone on to place a wager.

While marketers are interested in tracking how players engage with tipster content, players are interested in tracking whether the advice they are being given is gaining or losing them money. Betting Expert, for example, employs the services of Stephen Harris, who offers daily tips on horseracing. Over the past two years he has given more than 6,000 tips, with what Moore describes as a “solid profit margin”. But how do they market Harris’ expertise to players without being too forceful?

A considered approach
“We know our users are interested in racing, so we encourage them to join our racing newsletter list and they’re supplied with Stephen’s daily tips, along with any racing offers we think may be of interest,” says Moore. “That is how you deliver to depositors, by refusing to throw it in their faces, giving them what they want – and asked for. So when something truly interesting comes along, offer-wise, we’ll be sure to include it. But spamming offers and not handpicking them is a way to lose credibility.”

“Facebook’s algorithm tends to hamper your post’s reach, so Twitter is what works best for us and is the number one channel to work with influencers” – Gavin Moore, Better Collective

But the real challenge comes when the bets suggested by your expert don’t come in as planned. This is something Matchbook had to overcome for its REG Charity Bankroll, which was set up as part of its podcast. The fund was floated with £1,000, and the idea was that bets recommended by its roster of experts would be placed and the winnings added to the pot, which would go to the REG charity. But the fund immediately dropped to £750 due to “bad variance and some poor bankroll management”, as May puts it.

So how did they respond?

“We decided to embrace the initial loss. Losing is as much a part of being a smart bettor as winning is. We reduced our stakes, stuck to our bankroll philosophy, and continued to bet value with the help of our experts. Now that our
bankroll has swelled beyond its original size, the effort feels more rewarding. Betting smart isn’t easy, and it only comes with a reward in the long run,” he adds.

Transparency and authenticity really is the key when it comes to tipster content. As is using credible ambassadors that can add value and be used to produce interesting and engaging content. Tipsters are more than just about offering tips; they are a hugely effective way of interacting with players – both old and new – as well as standing out from the crowd in what is a fiercely competitive market. They present some interesting and unusual challenges for marketers, but get it right and the potential is huge.