Humour is an underrated tool when it comes to content and content marketing for casino affiliates.
Traditionally, affiliates have focused on content explicitly linked to conversion and acquisition – roulette systems, blackjack guides and slots descriptions. More left-field and creative pieces may look at the history of casino games, and the prevalence of gambling in popular culture.
Whereas there’s nothing wrong with this content – relevance is fundamental to SEO – there’s a banality about it that should encourage affiliates to broaden their horizons.
Gambling-specific content can be dry, limited in appeal and paraphrased from the same authority sites. And with a move to more impulsive, tablet-based gambling, convoluted guides and tutorials are losing traction.
Moreover, affiliates working on limited budgets struggle to find technical writers adept in explaining the complex mathematics behind different forms of gambling. Among the most misrepresented of topics in the gambling world is the sportsbook practice of arbitrage betting.
Bringing comedy into the mix
The case for producing humorous content is a compelling. Ever since the inception of The Urban Dictionary back in 1999, banter has been the backbone of viral content. Several websites have followed suit – the Lad Bible’s rib-tickling brand of playful misogyny has seen it accrue over 1.6 million fans on Facebook, whereas Buzzfeed’s snapshot of the viral web relies solely on material with entertainment value.
The formula for humorous content is simple – accompany news of celebrity gossip, fashion faux-pas, sporting gaffes etc. with quirky images and memes – and disseminate on your website and relevant social media channels accordingly.
But where does humour fit in to the gambling world?
Comic content should be part of a more holistic user engagement strategy. First of all, understand that gambling is a form of entertainment, giving you the creative license to thrill. Secondly, take note of your target demographic – a Gambling Commission study reveals that internet gamblers are more likely to be young adult, single males. This isn’t a cue for an onslaught of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll content to satisfy carnal urges, but it’s something to bear in mind.
Tapping into amusing, contemporary media stories that have a link to gambling – however tenuous – is a must for creating viral, share-worthy content.
Adding a blog section to a gambling information portal is an excuse to offer more irreverent industry insight, and a chance to develop brand personality through a chattier, more informal style. It’s a platform for quirkier content, be it news of novelty bets such as a student betting on his relationship, or a tongue-in-cheek 28 reasons roulette is better than your wife.
We’re steering clear of the more traditional, journalistic approach adopted by the likes of CalvinAyre. Hard news creation is time sensitive, resource intensive and the corporate focus means it has less resonance with the casual gambler. Rustling up a cheeky photoshop and sharing on Twitter is an easy-win for a small affiliate business.
Industry leaders have long been incorporating humour into the fold through advertising and marketing initiatives. Jackpot Joy clotted Eastenders legend Barbara Windsor out in a burlesque outfit to promote their bingo operations, whereas Intercasino’s television ad campaign featured midgets pulling church bells transforming into cherry slots.
Meanwhile Irish bookmaker Paddypower – the self-proclaimed “mischief maker” with its impudent take on sporting news and events – has amassed a Twitter following of nearly 200,000. Its outlandish blog taps into hot topics such as the royal baby, linking material with relevant betting markets to generate social media trends and chatter. Paddypower’s social success will see it launch a real-money sports betting app for Facebook.
With your creative juices flowing, don’t lose sight of the business reasoning behind funny, engaging content.
Analysis of the 2013 updates reveals how Google affords great credence to social signals. Well-ranked URLs have a plethora of likes, shares, plus ones and tweets. From Google’s perspective, social signals are a reliable indication of good-quality content, especially since the search engine is sitting directly at the source of the social chart in the form of its own Google+ network.
About David Merry
David Merry spent the first part of his professional career in the link building strategy team at London based search marketing company Greenlight Search.
He now heads the online marketing team at CastleCasino.com and focuses the majority of his time on SEO and their affiliate program. You can learn more about Castle Casino’s affiliate program at CastleAffiliates.com.
As well as this David is the founder of gambling media company, RightCasinoMedia.com.