Page 6 - Mississippi/Louisiana Gaming News - Summer, 2021

Reframing customer experiences for lasting engagement
By Julia Carcamo
As marketers, the notion of engagement is ever present. The customer experience pundits will concur that if your team members AND guests are not engaged, you risk competitors chipping away at your market share.
but rather a reinvestment of effort. Customer relationship management
is nothing without customer experience; in turn, customer experience cannot exist without some level of customer engagement. Moreover, as customers have these positive moments, they
create near-personalized experiences for a large swath of customers. I have often wondered if we’ve missed opportunities with direct mail to create a long-term connection that can overrule the number on the coupon or the restrictions we impose on offers and rewards.
We often try
every trick in the
book to engage
customers.
We measure
engagements by
the number of likes
our social posts
get. We measure
engagement with
the results of
guest satisfaction
surveys. How many 10s or stars can we get from guests?
Engagement has to be more than a thumbs up or star.
It has to be about what happens AFTER we get that confirmation of a job well done.
I’ve worked in the casino industry long enough to remember acquisition as
the number one goal we had. Today’s markets are mature, and there are few new members to be found (although post-COVID closure visitations across the country seem to have been the spark for operators to attract a younger demographic).
There is no argument that retention and potentially carving out a larger share of wallet have taken over at the top of our list of goals. Both must be done in a budget-efficient manner to bring more of their spending to the bottom line.
Identifying avenues to connect with customers between visits can help us achieve those goals and grow sustainably.
Customer visits will not be wholly dependent on a reinvestment amount
are more likely to become loyal and possibly brand advocates.
From loyalty come profits.
“Small changes... signal ‘We know you.’ Personalization appeals to the most basic human element in all of us — the desire to be seen...”
Social media and your efforts need to evolve from billboards of announcements to a conversation tool. Today’s consumer expects to have
a connection
with their favorite brands. Some may say the relationship may
Julia Carcamo
Some may
mistakenly
lump customer
engagement and
experience notions
into one proverbial
bucket, thinking them
the same. They are
not. Customer engagement is instead the result of a great experience.
We are all familiar with the notion of push and pull marketing. Some might call it outbound/inbound. In effect, we push messages out to target audiences hoping they will retain, recall and react.
Pull marketing is about creating an attraction. Inbound sales specialists even use the term “magnet.” Engagement marketing falls into that pull sweet spot. We pull people in with our stories and conversations or by meeting the needs and interests of those guests we desire the most. These interactions start to form a bond that is deeper than free play.
So, how can you start creating a magnetic attraction?
Our favorite tool, direct mail, can
be an engine for connection. Small changes, like personalization, signal “We know you.” Personalization appeals to the most basic human element
in all of us — the desire to be seen. Furthermore, we have access to large amounts of data points we can use to
be what makes the brand a favorite. Casino customers love to know they
have access to or knowledge of the inside scoop. Events like slot pulls that offer key customers the first chance to hit the jackpot on a new machine are simple and easy ways to add additional opportunities for engagement.
How can our brands maintain a cycle of continuous engagement so that customers become guests and become ambassadors who may do our marketing for us?
For many of us, direct mail is the tool of choice to create continuous engagement. Today, I want to challenge you to use all of the tools at your disposal to create a cycle of continuous engagement with all of your guests.
Julia Carcamo is president of J Carcamo & Associates and co-founder of Casino Marketing Boot Camp. Get more insights at jcarcamoassociates. com. Contact her at julia@ jcarcamoassociates.com.
6MISSISSIPPI GAMING NEWS SUMMER 2021