Our lives as individuals, as families and as communities are intrinsically governed by dates, calendars and events. All our plans revolve around dates. This is the reality in all spheres of life and therefore it is no surprise that one cornerstone in igaming is creating and managing the content calendar.
The need to create a content calendar stems from the fact that we need to understand the behaviour of our current and potential clients as they go on with their lives and the activities in which they engage in igaming especially during certain times of the year. This is not just a matter of looking at demographics, at their ages and where they reside but also delving deeper into their interests and what actions they indulge in based on their interests. For example why are some events more important than others, what triggers some customers to plan ahead for some events and completely ignore others? Why have some events become more important than others and why do people dedicate more time for some events than others?
From the point of view of content marketing, answers to these questions help us to identify these events and prioritise them in importance in the content calendar. Whilst listing all the events that are related to our audience, the content calendar cannot fail to highlight that some events are more significant than others and thus merit a bigger effort or investment from the side of content creation in order to reap in the rewards.
Each event is like a mini-project with its strategy, content, campaigns, specific events, tasks and outcomes. Planning the calendar of the future cannot be done without looking at the past data. Ignoring the insights that past data can provide can be a dangerous habit. For example one needs to look at which social media platforms were the strongest during specific holidays and days of the year. This however cannot be done in a vacuum and it is always suggested to compare and match with industry-relevant statistics to avoid going off a tangent with flawed ideas.
In all this one has to keep in mind that planning means being prepared. One cannot prepare for the event just a couple of days before. Even the campaigns themselves need to be thought out and booked beforehand. Otherwise, one can easily find the team overwhelmed. To avoid this, one should organise brainstorming sessions with the content team early on as this ensures that there is enough time to generate meaningful campaigns that are strong in differentiating the unique value of service/offer that is being put forward! The creation of messages, slogans, concepts, artwork or any other material that is needed to capture the attention of the client needs time to be scheduled and executed. One very important aspect in content generation is testing that the ‘content’ actually works. Does the artwork capture the attention and trigger interest of the customer? Is the customer motivated in the right way to click forward and proceed with the desired action? Are we using the right keyword to lead the customer to the right action that is associated with the particular event or point in time?
The content calendar is an important tool for your content team. Keeping one central calendar for the whole team is essential to ensure that all the team members are on the same wavelength. At the same time, it is also essential to organise regular meetings and update the calendar with relevant points.
Ultimately the content calendar is essential if the firm believes in learning. As one event comes to an end and the results are investigated, there are always lessons to be learnt! One member of the team should be already writing down the points for next’s year events to ensure that next year is an improvement on this one!
At Accent Gaming Services, we will set you on the right track of content creation and the calendar will be a central point of the services provide. If you need ideas and you are after someone reliable to execute your content strategy, contact us today!
