There is an ancient idea stating that the common demographic profile of the online gambling industry is that of a middle aged, middle to middle-upper class male. Whereas there is definitely certain truth in that statement, it would be absolutely detrimental for your business as an affiliate to take that claim as an ultimate truth. The online gambling industry has diversified its audience in the past years and affiliates should do thorough research to identify which demographics they wish to target with their marketing campaigns and promotions.
Demographic Profiling
A demographic profile includes the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. As an affiliate you should be wide aware of who your public is. Online gambling websites often have a mildly diverse population, the days in which the middle aged man dominated the casino tables are way behind us. Currently, there are plenty different audiences to target and below you can find a small guide on how to approach several of those publics.
In case you missed it, check out how to think like an online casino gambler!
1. Middle-Aged Males: Ok, so let’s face it: the middle aged male is still one of the most dominant demographic profiles in our industry. The middle aged man playing at online casinos is usually married or has been in the past, attended college, enjoys financial stability, has a passion for sports and gambling (among other male-oriented activities such as cars, action movies, etc.), and often has a shy personality outside of the casino tables. The key to targeting this audience is to understand their hobbies and to link them to the promotions and marketing campaigns you run on your site. It is also helpful to promote casinos that stay up to date with game releases, as those games will probably be related to the latest action movies and sports.
2. Young Males and Females: In more recent decades, online gambling’s popularity has grown among a younger audience. Even though the most relevant profile in this sector is the young male, who is single, probably attending college, making minimum wage (and if you are in the US, this public has just discovered the joys of legal drinking), online gambling is appealing to more and more women every day as well. The young female who gambles is usually single, probably attending college, and she is often financially independent (though not wealthy). In order to successfully approach this audience, affiliates must focus on the fact that these people have financial limitations due to their age and will highly appreciate any slack you can cut them. The key is to promote low to middle limit games and to focus on providing beginner to medium strategy tips on your site.
3. Females: There is a key factor to attracting women who gamble, regardless of their age group, marital status, and income level: power. If your website empowers women and respects them, you are highly likely to attract gambling females. Most female-only gambling websites focus on the idea of empowering and supporting women. This is due to the fact that most women involved in online gambling are often very independent and career-driven, so if you show them enough respect they should fall on your site like bees chasing for honey.
4. Older Males: The online gambling industry also has a big percentage of older males in its demographics. This type of public gambles as a hobby, enjoys financial stability and is looking for adventure and good quality gaming. If you wish to attract this audience to your site, you should focus on promoting a luxurious, high quality form of gambling. These players will enjoy promotions with good prizes that are not necessarily monetary, and they will also appreciate it if you provide serious information in the form of news and discussion panels regarding political affairs and social matters.
5. Doing Your Own Research
Now that you are more aware of the type of audience that affiliates deal with at their sites, it is time for you to check on your stats and see what type of profile is the most common at your own site. Look at your players’ age, gender, and interests and try to define the profile of the average player at your site. If you do not ask for this information upon sign up, run a poll to see what your players answer so that you get a clearer idea of who you should be targeting and how to do it efficiently.
What are your site’s demographics? How do you approach them and their interests? Please feel free to share your ideas and/or ask questions in the comments section below and at our forums.