The worldwide market of online gaming is anticipated to grow rapidly with its value predicted to reach $92.9 billion by 2023. You have all reasons to have a healthy desire to strive in this niche whether you promote your own online platform, or buying traffic for an affiliate offer. However, online gaming advertising can be pretty challenging.
We share recommendations on how to promote gaming efficiently and advertise your services in 2022. Though some of them may seem trivial to a digital-native advertiser, many hints are closely related to Adsterra traffic and will definitely help you double your campaigns’ ROI.
What is online gaming all about?
The first thing to point out — online gaming is not always about iGaming activities (prohibited in several countries.) It is an extensive industry with many angles, brimming to the top with solutions of different formats and purposes. Thus, lottery games, sporting fixtures, carnival games, and many other activities can also be deemed online gaming. Even coin-tossing can be recognized as gaming or iGaming discipline.
The mechanics are simple — you wager something of value on a certain outcome that is ultimately unpredictable. The essential gaming process is based on complete transparency of the whole thing — you either win or you don’t. So this should grant the total honesty of the activity and all participants involved.
However, formidable cash turnovers of the iGaming market attract eager sights of scammers. And taking this kind of activity online, there also appear new exclusively online threats and risks (online scammers and cybercriminals have a whole community of their own).
That’s how individual regulations that you must know about to promote an iGaming business appear.
To Contents ↑What is online gaming traffic?
Gaming traffic comes from people who are interested in winning money and have fun. In affiliate marketing, the general term that combines such traffic is iGaming.
The main sources of iGaming traffic are:
- Publishers websites via ad networks;
- Popunder ads;
- Native advertising;
- Push traffic;
- Contextual ads;
- Search traffic (in countries where iGaming ads are allowed);
- Social networks (Tik-Tok, Facebook, and others);
- Advertising in mobile applications (In-app);
- Google UAC;
If you want to reach as many websites and sources related to iGaming as possible, we recommend you Adsterra. We offer you more than 28K+ publishers and extra-fine targeting settings.
To Contents ↑The nuances of legal regulations
For certain reasons, iGaming is not a universally accepted and welcomed discipline. Not anymore, at least. And although Facebook and Google Ads frown upon iGaming topics by inspecting and blocking the related content in various ways, limited space for promotion is still allowed.
Promoting iGaming services on Facebook
Here’s what Facebook’s advertising policy says about iGaming advertising:
“Ads that promote online gaming, where anything of monetary value (including cash or digital/virtual currencies, e.g. bitcoin) is required to play, and anything of monetary value forms part of the prize, are only allowed with our prior written permission. This includes games where purchases are required to continue game play and/or provide advantage in winning prizes, in cases where the prize is of monetary value. Authorized advertisers must follow all applicable laws, including targeting their ads in accordance with legal requirements. At a minimum, ads may not be targeted to people under 18 years of age.”
There are also exceptions related to the iGaming sphere that aren’t covered by the policy, which include:
- promotion of physical establishments (brick-and-mortar gaming houses);
- promotion of social lotteries;
- government-supported lotteries;
- handicappers
- fully free-to-play games
As you can see, you can figure out how to advertise on Facebook without the risk of violating any policies or regulations.
To Contents ↑Promoting iGaming services via Google Ads
Google has a bit more in-depth iGaming promotion policy. Thus, you have to be certified by Google to promote an online platform or product. You can apply for certification and get a license. And you have to have that license even if you want to promote a website that only has a reference link to the iGaming resource of some sort.
You have to get the proper certification to advertise social lotteries and non-casino gaming activities as well. There are also restrictions by country, which are numerous and better learned in detail according to your particular location.
Advertising of brick-and-mortar establishments is, again, allowed by default.
We must note that, despite the mentioned restrictions and a certain amount of effort required to promote on Google, this advertising channel is almost the top most popular even among iGaming resources.
To Contents ↑Common restrictions by region
Apart from platform-exclusive restrictions, there are also government regulations, differing from country to country. In every other region of the world, these instances may differ dramatically, so you should take time researching particular locations.
As a whole, you can learn about the common restrictions in the US from the First Amendment Law. In the UK, there are advertising and marketing rules and regulations outlined by the special Commission. As for Asian countries and regions, the data for particular areas must be researched as things vary a lot from place to place.
To Contents ↑Where to acquire iGaming traffic from?
The times dictate the conditions for any business out there. And in 2022, certain promotional channels would definitely bring more effect to your iGaming marketing plan. Let’s take a look.
Search Engine Optimization and traffic boosting
The efficiency of your SEO determines your iGaming resource’s position in the online search. The higher it is, the more organic traffic you can get and the more popular you become as a whole. People have a natural tendency to trust high-ranked websites and commonly pick from the top three search results.
With new search engine algorithms appearing each quarter, you have all chances to break through by adopting SEO tactics of traffic boosting.
Among the most common tips are:
- Use meta tags on the website, in ad campaigns, and in the blog (they will help direct more specific searches towards your platform).
- Optimize your content by using relevant, highly-sought-after keywords. You can use various SEO tools to research the top searched words and phrases or you can simply hire an iGaming SEO specialist that will do in-depth research (which is the best way to go).
- Keep in mind that you need traffic that converts, not just massive traffic. So make sure your content is trustworthy. It should add value to the topics people are searching for, as well as be comprehensive, and conversion-oriented.
Social media marketing
In terms of modern marketing approaches, social media marketing (SMM) is one of the essential “pillars” supporting the up-to-date, efficient promotion and advertising of a product, service, offer — you name it. One can say that life on today’s social media is more active and thriving than life outside.
That’s why advertising on social networks and through various communication channels is so impactful. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are the major social spaces experts will generally advise you. However, we would like to draw your attention to the most ambitious and secured platform that boasts of having well-off subscribers of under 45. That’s Telegram messaging app.
As of BusinessOfApps, Telegram surpassed 500 million monthly active users by 2022. The hyped app can proud of a sudden influx of 25 million new users joined within 72 hours. These new users came from: 38% Asia, 27% Europe, 21% Latin America and 8% from MENA.
To Contents ↑Personalized vs user-generated content
Along with SEO optimization, personalized content should also help bring in a great boost in traffic accumulation. Knowing your target audience — its major pain points, common demands, and behavior tendencies — is half of business success in any niche. And there is no better way to demonstrate your knowledge of target users than to properly personalize content according to their specifics.
Which website sections grab the most attention? Which areas get the most clicks? What topics direct user feedback? These are the points that can help you understand the main interests and motivations of users that visit your iGaming website. As with any through optimization, we’d recommend letting a specialized professional handle content personalization as well.
UGC or user-generated content might be your next winning strategy. Prompt your audience to create new reviews, sharing viral videos about their winnings, write and publish testimonials. You can even let them spill the beans (aka share life hacks on how to cheat algorithms and win).
To Contents ↑Affiliate programs (for direct advertisers)
Teaming up with affiliate marketers and joining forces with other resources for mutual promotional benefit is the ultimately efficient iGaming marketing strategy.
The usual way of doing affiliate marketing is when a third-party online resource agrees to post a review of your platform or website for a certain commission. Joining an affiliate program you need to be prepared to provide your affiliates with exhaustive information: from slogans to branding elements.
To embrace large numbers of users you will need to attract top affiliates whose demands for commissions can impress 😉 If you’re just starting out with a promotion, it might not be the first choice. Add this channel when you have already embraced all your target GEOs and tested the audience. But what if you are on the stage of traffic reconnaissance? What if your goal is to drive multiple new visitors? Then, the starting point is an ad network. And now, we are moving to outlining the advantages of ad networks.
To Contents ↑Where to find quality traffic for online iGaming campaigns: Advertising networks
Advertising networks help companies and affiliates fuel their campaigns with quality leads in short terms. When you’re in search of the new GEOs and audiences, ad networks are your primary choice. They offer colossal reach (billions of impressions on Adsterra, for instance), flexible targeting, lower costs per 1,000 impressions, and various ad formats. The least ones can be your secret weapon in making the pile promoting iGaming products.
4 Types of iGaming traffic sources
1. Popunders
Full-page ads efficiently attract attention by appearing in a new tab or window of the browser. Traditionally, popunders drive the largest volumes of traffic. When it comes to reaching as many users as possible, pop ads are your best friends. The only drawback is that they’re quite demanding to design. Your Popunder desktop or mobile page should be as convincing and inspiring as your landing page if not more.
2. Social Bar
Interactive ads with social signals allow for better immersion of users and creation of a sense of urgency (which motivates users prone to impulsive purchases to become true customers, for instance).
3. Push Ads
Successors of the fading web push ads, these formats are winning with multiple predesigned templates that match any OS, and also, with huge traffic volumes (about 1.5B weekly, as of Adsterra stats).
4. Native Ads
Such ads are “sewn into” the core content of the page, thus outsmarting AdBlock. Native Banners meet users who are interested in iGaming or similar activities.
Even when you have come up with the ad format and targeting, you still may stumble on some peculiarities and tricks that almost exclusively take place in iGaming advertising. But fear not! Now we will break down some of them.
Tricky moments about iGaming advertising
- Smooth ad integration paired with eye-catching visuals. Smooth ad integrations have become a major trend in today’s online environment. You must have seen initially unnoticeable transitions to ad segments in your favorite YouTube videos. This is what efficient ad integration is all about.Bear in mind that the majority of your subscribers are digital natives, early adopters of social networks and messaging apps. Connect with them in the most native way, and it’s not banner advertising (though it still works). If your message looks like a push notification or a private chat, you boost the chances to get clicks and conversions.
- Powerful creatives — people tend to trust the recommendations and advice of other people the most. Getting a popular influencer to advertise your product is a great way to gain trust among the target audience. And it’s best to get multiple creatives for a more powerful impact.
- Convincing copy even when it comes to push ads headings and CTA buttons. Use success stories and positive reviews, and appeal to users’ emotions and impulsive nature.
- Different messages for different impact tiers. It only means you can’t offer the same value to users with different social patterns.
- With Tier 1 — adrenaline buzz, the excitement of novelty, promises of becoming the best and getting the most;
- For Tier 3 — the real and direct chance to get rich and prosperous, to finally get rewarded for hard work;
- Great design and consistency — make sure the interface of your solution is inviting and intuitive. All your advertising army — ad creatives, pre-landers, landers — should be consistent. If your banner ads are designed in pop-art style while your landing page creates the royal atmosphere, your users will be confused.
- Misleading prohibited. Never mislead and don’t commit if you can’t execute — deliver on your promise, and you’ll be able to get more blast from your efforts naturally over time.
How to improve conversion rates in iGaming offers?
Here is the set of actions that Adsterra optimization experts recommend to apply when you’re just stepping into the new traffic realm. Check with them while setting up your first iGaming advertising campaign. These tips will pave the shortest path to conversions while saving you some hundreds of dollars.
1. Before You Start Testing Traffic
- If you are promoting a non-proprietary product (if you’re an affiliate, not a direct advertiser), make sure you store all necessary materials: landing pages, images, slogans, descriptions, logotypes. Ask the advertiser to provide you with quality illustrations. Look through the website ticking key benefits.
- Check with the final conversion flow of your campaign as it is the heart of the advertising strategy. Choose the CPM pricing model for campaigns with a longer conversion flow: deposit, double deposit, CC submit, etc.
Go for the CPA pricing model when your offer supposes a shorter conversion flow: SOI, DOI, trial, install, sign-in with no deposit, etc. - Get ready for the long-run tests as complex conversions (e.g., deposits) don’t come fast. So, be careful not to spend all your funds in the first couple of days.
- Prelanders are extremely important in leads’ prewarming, so don’t ignore them. Adplexity or similar platforms store a large number of prelanders; use their insights without reinventing the wheel.
2. Campaign Tests and Launch
- When exploring new ad networks or traffic sources, start with Popunder ads. First, they’re cost-effective. And second, they don’t demand creatives. Traffic volume for Popunders is about 2BN impressions weekly. Animated Social Bar ads are your next top choice.
- Start your test campaign with a minimum recommended bid. Don’t try to outrun the market by setting the highest bid possible.
- When on the start, set wider targets, avoiding over-optimization.
- Try NOT to create multi-geo campaigns; the rule of thumb is to submit a separate campaign for each GEO in your target.
- Even when you have whitelists or blacklists with traffic sources for your vertical, put them off and test the neat, unfiltered traffic.
- Add tracking tags (#PLACEMENT_ID) to the landing page URL; they will show which traffic sources are streaming more conversions.
3. Optimization and Traffic Boosting
- Sources that send massive traffic can eat your funds quite fast. Consider separating them into another campaign where you will easily control spendings. Decrease your bid if needed. When it comes to online gaming and sports fixtures advertising, you need to keep an eye on the major traffic sources within your industry. These are mostly streaming platforms that drive you loads of impressions during tournaments, championships, fights, etc
Consider splitting them off from your primary campaign and decrease the bid. How to detect these traffic sources if you’re a beginner? Adsterra managers will be happy to help you out! - Consider adding alternative traffic types. For instance, iGaming content is willingly consumed by non-mainstream websites’ users (dating, video streaming, anime).
- Make a list of promos, landers, visuals, and headings that your advertiser uses. That’ll save time on making your own creative and maintain consistency in messages.
- If you pick a GEO with fewer impressions that you expected, check all ad formats. Usually, you can find the “missing” traffic there.
- Stay in touch with Adsterra managers. They can advise you on the payouts amount and bidding tactics, as well as share the most successful offers rotating on the Network. You can always ask for:
- Your targeting check-up;
- Bidding strategy advice;
- Rates for whitelists;
- Tips for campaign optimization;
- Blacklist compilation;
- Split-testing (your prelanders and ours);
- Assistance with ad creatives.
Case study of advertising iGaming offers
Mainstream iGaming (Popunder ads)
- GEO: New Zealand
- Costs: $143.2
- Income: $553.5
- Profit: $410.3
- ROI: 286%
The offer comes from the Affiliate Valley network. For better results on Adsterra traffic our partner decided to take a chance with a DOI offer, which means the advertiser will pay for each confirmed subscription). He decided in favor of mobile-only traffic with OS specifications. Why so? By clicking on the case study heading you can see the advertising strategy in detail.
To Contents ↑Buying CPM traffic for a iGaming CPA offer
- Traffic: Social Bar CPM by Adsterra.com
- Offer: All traffic
- GEO: Thailand (TH)
- Spent: $1,230
- Earned: $5,235
- Profit: $4,005
- ROI: 325.6%
In this case our affiliate has chosen the CPA conversion type. He used Social Bar CPM by Adsterra. For device format and OS type where chosen all possible options. Restrictions on this offer included no incent, no fraud, no email, and had a minimum deposit of 500 Thai Baht. How he managed to earn $5,000 you can read in the article:
Final thoughts
Even though this vertical is a somewhat controversial topic, if you know the right way and set your mind to it, you can promote your iGaming product most efficiently online. The above information should help you find a way around efficient promotion of the online gaming business.
We hope we did a good job outlining how to promote an online gaming website in the modern digital market realities. But if you want to bother less while getting more — learn more about Adsterra — the ultimate iGaming promotion platform that allows waving your promotional cares goodbye.
Each new campaign will challenge you in a new fashion: creatives, targets, prelanders, bids, etc. Tips based on general research may not be sufficient. But worry not! Your Adsterra manager is here for you with the latest industry-specific trends.
