The benefits of a mobile-first marketing approach

According to the latest predictions from H2 Gambling Capital, mobile is set to outgrow desktop over the next four years, yet it is important to note that desktop still carries some weight in the process of transitioning towards mobile. Furthermore, gross gaming revenue (GGR) from mobile gambling is predicted to double over the next five years versus a 40% growth across egaming in general.

Right now, we see bigger brands making an effort to close the cross-platform gap and convert their customers to mobile as a ‘first platform’. This is a time-consuming and often daunting task – as most companies have tailored their tech stacks for desktop. This leads me to the first and most important step in creating a successful strategy for mobile marketing: the tech stack. Without a proper MarTech and AdTech stack, your marketing expenses will shoot through the roof and most likely be inefficient.

The stack will likely remind you what you will have in place for digital, but with the addition of mobile-specific tools. To mention a few, these will include SDK-integrations for marketing automation, attribution and analytics. Attribution is the next step on the path towards having mobile thoroughly integrated into your marketing stack; without proper attribution you risk a siloed approach to your customer communications.

At Mobilt, we have seen and been involved in various setups across some of the bigger players in the industry, but whereas the intentions and budgets are always good, integrating and transforming the mentality towards a mobile approach is one we understand takes a long time. The advantages of new companies entering this stage is simply that they are a lot more agile and able to structure themselves with a mobile-first mindset, which will, in turn, save them time, money and effort in transitioning from often dated platforms tailored towards desktop. With – or without – above in mind, it doesn’t of course exclude the endless opportunities mobile offers for promoting your brand.

Sky is the limit

Mobile product and user behaviour are quickly advancing towards progressive web apps, a supported framework for all platforms and browsers which allows for similar functionality as native such as push notifications yet without the dependency of users entering the apps stores to download. I am not one to suggest that native should be written off as part of the approach to the mobile marketing mix, but companies have historically thrown a lot of money at inefficient CPI campaigns, leading only to quantity over quality customers in acquisition. This creates a rather vicious circle as they attempt to maintain the organic position in the app stores by booting number of installs.

Being mobile-first does not mean mobile-only, though. This is a common mistake made when talking about mobile as a product. Mobile-first simply refers to working from mobile to desktop, a good example being Sky Bet. Many companies aren’t in a position to do what Sky Bet has done, but where your product may still be a classic web/mobile version or responsive website with a native solution attached, then this is not to say a mobile-first approach cannot be adapted to your marketing strategy.

Mapping out user journeys is a good way to get started. The amount of times I have received ill-prepared email templates from operators that are non-adaptable to mobile devices is simply staggering. This reflects a channel where improvements are still very much needed as marketers themselves learn to adapt from desktop to mobile.

Mobilt CMO Michael Rasmussen

Michael Rasmussen is the CMO of Malta-based egaming start-up Mobilt. With over 13 years of experience in egaming, he is now driving marketing strategies for leading operators. Having previously worked at bet365, Unibet and Marathonbet, he has worldwide experience in delivering player acquisition and launches in new territories.