Digital Media Strategies
What is Digital Media Strategies and How Does It Help Slots Sites?
Digital Media Strategies takes place at Kings Place, London, with special focus on the best slots sites and the world of casino marketing. Over three days of case studies, analysis, workshops, training, round table discussions and tailored networking and marketing opportunities, it focuses on the key strategic challenges behind developing a profitable and sustainable media business in a digital world. This is especially challenging in the industry of online casino and slot sites.
It brings together a global audience of over 400 CEOs and senior leaders from:
Now in its fourth year, Digital Media Strategies has become the key event for addressing the big-picture challenges facing the industry, focusing not on PR pitches, but instead on honest, in-depth case studies which go deeper than the surface trends.
Effective Digital Marketing Strategies
In today’s business environment, there’s no question that digital media must be a large part of a company’s marketing strategy. From small and medium-sized enterprises to the biggest global brands, we are all aware that our online presence is essential for exposure and growth. So, chances are that there is already a digital aspect to your marketing activities. However, in order to be truly effective, you need to have a well-defined digital marketing strategy, integrated into your overall goals for your business. It’s also important to remember that, since the online landscape evolves and changes quickly, a strategy must be constantly monitored and frequently audited to stay up to date with current trends. This is a short guide on how to conceptualise, create and implement a real and successful digital marketing strategy.Why is a Digital Marketing Strategy Important?
The internet represents the single largest and most diverse audience of potential customers, and tapping into that in a targeted and efficient way can potentially earn a better return on investment (ROI) than any other marketing stream. This is true for practically any kind of business, no matter the focus. It is not enough to merely have an online presence, or conduct a digital campaign here and there. A strategy gives businesses an in-depth understanding of their online market, helps to identify the most appropriate platforms to reach their target customers and provides a roadmap for where they want to go.Steps to Creating a Digital Marketing Strategy
Creating a strategy can be daunting, so here’s a five-point guide to getting started.Set clear and measurable goals
Before you start, it’s vital to identify exactly what you hope to achieve. As with all marketing, use SMART KPIs to track and measure performance – that is, all your goals must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. Examples of goals might include:- Increasing your following on social media (by X percent over 3 weeks)
- Engaging new customers (X number of new email subscribers within 2 months)
- Increasing sales (by X percent over 12 months)
Identify your customers
This doesn’t mean individuals, but rather groups of people. Break your target audience down into three or four categories, and then create an archetypal character for each. You can give each of them a name, think about the things that they like to do and the online spaces that they use, and how your business can help them achieve their goals or overcome challenges. Rank your groups from most to least important. As you create your digital marketing strategy, you can then focus on each archetype and identify which platforms and media are most likely to reach and engage them.Have a coherent brand
Your brand needs to be recognisable, but it’s about much more than logos and slogans. It’s the personality of your business, and it needs to come across in all aspects of your online marketing – a little like crafting an online dating profile. Using the customer profiles that you created, ask yourself the following questions:- What is your value to the customer?
- What are your USPs? How can choosing you over your competitors benefit your audience?
- What do you stand for? What do you promise to always or never do?
Analyse the competition
Identify a few of your key competitors, both direct and indirect, and do some research. This can involve reading reviews online, signing up for their newsletters, following them on social media or buying their products. You can also take note of where they rank on search engines, and where they place advertising. In this way, you can build a picture of what is and isn’t working for others. Then think about how you can apply these lessons to your own digital marketing strategy, taking care not to directly copy what others are doing.Decide how to measure progress
This links back to the first step, which is setting your goals. As you implement your digital marketing strategy, focus on specified metrics to track your progress and make adjustments as you go. Your KPIs will depend very much on your individual business, but some examples could be:- How many page views a new blog post receives
- Engagement (likes, comments, shares) on a social media post
- Click-through rate from a blog post to a product page
- New leads generated from an email campaign
- Comparison of engagement with content containing video vs no video
- Increase in sales directly linked to a social media post
Stage 1: Attracting new visitors
Why? Expanding your reach, building awareness of who you are and what you offer, guiding new visitors to your various online presences – e.g. websites, social media accounts, video content. Who? The buyer is someone who has either not heard of your company, or has never engaged – but you have something that they can benefit from. How? Key techniques include SEO, paid search advertising and display advertising, and sponsored posts on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.Important tips to remember:
- The majority of online searches are via Google, so follow their SEO guide for the best results. Don’t try to cheat the system by stuffing your web content with keywords; keep it natural, honest and most importantly up to date.
- Perform a SEO audit on your website, adding keywords page by page. Focus on titles and headings, as well as image labels and URLs.
- Pay-per-click adverts also depend on search terms, so make yours as relevant as possible, and not too general – for example, instead of ‘photographer’, try ‘wedding photographer South London’.
- Social media advertising must be eye-catching and engaging without being intrusive; this aspect of engagement must be well-judged.
Stage 2: Converting visitors into customers
Why? Simply having visitors doesn't automatically translate into sales. Who? The buyer is deciding whether or not to use your services. How? This crucial stage is all about optimising user experience.Important tips to remember:
- Keep the structure and content of your site simple and easy to use. It needs to load quickly, have a logical design and have clear calls to action (CTAs) like newsletter signup and buy buttons.
- The site should be as accessible via mobile as it is for PC users.
- Keep your site regularly updated so that all content is relevant – and make sure it is well-written.
- Analyse user behaviour via analytics – how long visitors spend on the site, how many and which pages they visit, how many leads are converted to sales.
Stage 3: Engaging and retaining customers
Why? Building a loyal client base is essential to keeping your business alive and gaining a positive reputation. Who? The buyer is a satisfied customer. They will make repeat purchases and advocate for your business (‘word of mouth’). How? Key techniques include email marketing, social media engagement, promotions.Important tips to remember:
- Optimise your online spaces to collect customer email information.
- Keep email campaigns relevant, beneficial and not too frequent.
- Subscribers need value – e.g. exclusive content, personalised promotions and seasonal offers.
- Engage with customers in online spaces – e.g. by responding to both positive and negative feedback.
- Try to gain the approval of an online influencer who fits one of your customer profiles, and they can help to promote you.
Advisory Board
B2B
Advisors
Duncan Painter
CEO, Ascential
Isobel Peck
CCO, Informa Knowledge & Networking
Kit Gould
CEO, IDG UK
Anders Eriksson
CEO, Bonnier Business Press
DIGITAL PUREPLAY
Advisors
Seth Rogin
Chief Revenue Officer, Mashable
Marty Moe
President, Vox Media
Simon Davies
Executive Director EMEA, Quartz
Kate Burns,
GM Europe, BuzzFeed
Geoff Inns
SVP International, Ziff Davis
Julian Childs
MD UK & EMEA, Business Insider
Steffen Konrath
CEO, Liquid Newsroom
NEWS
Advisors
David Pemsel
CEO, Guardian Media Group
Katie Vanneck-Smith
Global MD & CCO, Dow Jones
Stig Orskov
CEO, JP/Politikens Hus
Simon Fox
CEO, Trinity Mirror
Veit Dengler
CEO, NZZ
Romanus Otte
General Manager Digital, Die Welt
Michael Zimbalist
SVP Ad Products & Research & Development, The New York Times
CONSUMER MAGAZINES
Advisors
Anna Jones
CEO, Hearst Magazines UK
James Tye
CEO, Dennis Publishing
Arne Wolter
Deputy Chief Digital Officer, Gruner + Jahr
Alessandro Belloni
CEO, DeAgostini
Zillah Byng-Maddick
CEO, Future Publishing
Matt Elek
MD EMEA, VICE Media
Neil Robinson
Digital Director, Time Inc UK
AGENCY
Advisors
Stefan Bardega
Chief Digital Officer, ZenithOptimedia
How does it work?
7th March:
There are two main conference tracks:
8th - 9th March:
All attendees will be brought together for the plenary conference sessions and exhibition.
- How to transform the structure, culture and focus of an established media business
- How to capitalise on the changes of the ad business model, including viewability, ad blocking, native, programmatic and digital video
- How to build and monetise new audiences
- How to improve your video operation
- How to keep pace with and effectively monetise changing consumer behaviour
- How the relationship between marketers, publishers and agencies is changing
- How new commercial partnerships are shaping the media landscape
- Innovative business models and new revenue streams - paywalls, freemium, agency services, ecommerce, live events and other new ventures
- Mastering media product development
- What other industries can teach media
10th March:
A choice between the following:
Sponsors
Who attends DMS?
You should attend if…
- You are a senior executive at any media business with a focus on digital development
- You want to meet likeminded people addressing the same challenges
- You would like to learn from both the success and mistakes of others, and hear case studies from both the leading players and lesser-known or international entities
- You are developing any business case for digital change
- And much, much more…