With the first ever iGaming Education Forum set to deliver comprehensive, current and relevant content tailored for any individual who strives to hold a successful position within iGaming, it’s no wonder there will be a dedicated focus on one of the most contemporary and wide-reaching new tools for the gaming industry, social media.
Managing Director of Malta based digital marketing agency Growth Gurus, Joshua O’Cock, explains his own unique, inspiring approach to social media marketing and how he aims to remind the industry that “there is nobody alive more Youer than You” during the iGaming Academy Social Media Marketing training course on the third day of the forum during SiGMA 2016 (16/17/18 November).
Why is Social Media Marketing important to the iGaming sector?
Social Media is one of the most important channels for brands to communicate with their customers, and also their potential customers. Social media opens opportunities to build relationships and communicate online with a truly global audience.
I will be discussing the power of social media in today’s digital world and how it can be utilised to drive true business results that matter. We will be looking beyond the vanity figures and into real and measurable and data-driven strategies for business growth. Digital marketing trends are shifting and evolving daily. What was considered “cutting edge” 3 months ago is now considered jargon. We’ll explore identifying a target audience, best practices, community building, content marketing, and more.
How do you feel that the industry can be more responsive to change surrounding this topic?
Social media is a tricky one in the iGaming industry with different legislation and regulations disallowing you from directly promoting or “selling” services related to gambling. The wonderful thing is, though, that social media is not about “selling” – it’s about having conversations, being human, and engaging your audience with content that they want to see. This is something that the industry needs to grasp and be responsive towards.
As Director of Growth Guru’s, what insights will you bring to this topic at the iGaming Education Forum?
On a day-to-day basis I specialise in ensuring that Growth Gurus’ clients are ahead of the curve in terms of their social media strategies. The iGaming industry requires a whole new set of rules in terms of what can and can’t be said and how different platforms can be used, the entire industry is aware of this and has resulted in some incredibly creative campaigns to bring in new clientele through social media. The iGaming Education Forum is an ideal platform because it caters to an audience of innovators and creatives, people that think differently, people I love to be around. I love people, I truly do! I enjoy interacting and understanding people and that’s what I do on a day to day basis as director of Growth Gurus, just on a much larger scale. Social Media Marketing allows you to convey your message to the right people at the right time in the right place, it’s about engaging your community, building it and nurturing it. I’m certain that I will learn as much as I will teach from the community I’m going to engage with, it’s what being Social is all about.
What is the most rewarding aspect of providing learning at this level?
I love receiving feedback and hearing that strategies and practices that have been taught in this training program have been implemented and huge positive results and impact have been measured! At Growth Gurus, we love sharing our knowledge and offer opportunities to everyone, the way we stay on our toes is by constantly teaching, whether it’s to corporate groups or to our apprentices who we offer free lectures too every week by our top Gurus and international trainers. Our consultancy work also constantly teaches us, as we get to learn how more and more industries work and how the digital world is affecting them one by one.
Learning how to measure and report the impact of your social media efforts is a big part of this part of the training program. I also feel very rewarded when I follow social media activity of those who have been through the training and notice increased engagement on their accounts.
What lessons have you learned from being part of the iGaming Academy?
As a trainer, you need to continually be on top of the game of what is going on in your field. I have always been good with people and understanding their needs – but working with iGaming Academy has helped me be able to be sensitive to different experience levels within a room and how to address both advanced and beginners at the same time.
What do you hope to achieve, with regards to this topic, following the forum in November?
My wishes are simple, I want to see innovation and creativity lead to new social campaigns, I want to be able to consult those who need it and help companies grow through true community growth. I want people to remember my lecture and come back and ask us for more. We’re happy to consult companies and brands of all shapes and sizes, it’s about understanding the true aims and goals of the person behind the firm, I want to help that person achieve their life goals.
Can you let us in on a tip for people wanting to learn about Social Media Marketing at the iGaming Education Forum?
‘Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.’ This applies to people as it applies to brands. Never pretend to be something you are not, always understand who you are and listen to those around you to become who you need to be. Social media is all about being human, it’s in the name, “social.” How you behave on social media will define how the world sees you, be true to yourself.
The iGaming Education Forum, which offers the opportunity for delegates to benefit from 80-years of gaming experience in just three days, still has spaces available for both single day and full three day packages. The schedule across the forum will focus on three of the major areas of contemporary interest to the industry including Compliance, which will touch on regulatory aspects including AML, Anti-Fraud and Payments as well as Responsible Gaming. The event will also training content delivered by gaming experts on a number of product specific topics, such as Sportsbook, Casino or Lottery Management and eSports. The Acquisition and Retention workshop, will address Customer Relationship Management, Social Media Marketing and Affiliate Management. All participants in the iGaming Education Forum will also have free entrance to the expo as SiGMA delegates.
For more information and to register for the iGaming Education Forum, visit maltaigamingforum.com. Note that spaces are limited and on a first come first serve basis.
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