For companies looking to expand their reach, it’s often conducive to think about how you can increase your appeal outside of your target audience. This may mean, in some instances, extending your demographic on the basis of gender; in others, trying to connect with a less age-specific audience.
One industry that has done this well is the online casino sector. Originally viewed as a predominantly masculine pastime, gambling has evolved over the past few decades into a form of entertainment with a much more widespread appeal.
In order to achieve this, those responsible for marketing within the sector have had to learn how to broaden their attraction, and this they have done with aplomb. Utilizing many different tried-and-tested techniques, they have managed to score some very impressive statistics, including much-increased female participation and an enhanced appeal among individuals of all ages.
Here are just some of the tricks they’ve used.
Gender-neutral color schemes
While it may be a rather outdated concept, there is still a strong and pervading belief that color is in some way gendered. This is why products that are targeted toward males often use predominantly blue palettes and darker tones, while those aimed at women are more likely to utilise pink and peach hues and lighter shades overall.
For those businesses who want to appeal to a more mixed audience, the colors used in your branding are therefore important, and this is something casinos have taken on board. If you were asked to list the primary colors featured on their homepages, you would likely respond with choices including orange, pink, purple, and blue – an interesting mix of traditionally male and female hues. The subliminal message this conveys is simple yet effective: that this is an online space where both genders are welcome.
The same approach can easily be applied to your own marketing, to effectively double your audience.
Simple, non-specific fonts
We often fail to realize the deep subliminal messages that images convey, but fonts too can be interpreted in a certain way. Those that are flowing and elegant are often viewed as feminine; those that are bold and strong, masculine. Similarly, different types of writing and lettering can be used to appeal to different ages and social groups.
One way to enhance your appeal to all is thus to stick with simple fonts and white or black lettering, as exemplified by almost every casino you’ll find online. What this does is remove the targeted aspect of marketing, thus making your website and/or promotional materials feel more welcoming to a wider audience.
Mobile optimization
In order to appeal to a younger demographic, mobile optimization is also important. Studies suggest that we pick our phones up around 58 times per day, using them for everything from tracking calories to keeping in touch.
This trend is particularly prevalent among younger people, who use theirs for two particularly notable purposes: shopping and entertainment. In order to appeal to this audience, it’s therefore important to ensure that your onsite content is as mobile optimized as possible.
We’ll use this webpage from Paddy Power, showcasing roulette online anytime, as an example. Specifically designed to appeal to those who want to play at whim and no matter where they are, its layout cleverly adapts to the device being used, by narrowing its listings to two per column as opposed to three when viewed on a smartphone. The effect is thus to make the overall viewing experience easier and more navigable.
Neutral language
Perhaps most notably, the language you use within your promotional content says a lot about your company on the whole. There are very different tones utilized by professional copywriters and/or marketers in order to address various demographics, so in order to expand your reach, you need to try and achieve an enhanced neutrality.
While this can seem counterproductive given your earlier marketing efforts, casinos provide a wonderful example of how to do this well, and studying the language they use can offer some arguably invaluable lessons.
That being said, this can sometimes be a job that’s better handed over to the professionals, so it could be worth investing in the services of an experienced marketer to make sure this is handled well on your behalf.
Could these lessons be applied for the benefit of your own business?
