The return of the NFL season brings fresh opportunities for operators and Optimove’s Director of Sales, Jeff Laniado, has revealed one underutilised industry strategy that could promote a strong return on investment. 

His comments focused on how player retention is key and that even if customers are being enticed by other offers, especially at the start of a new season, it is important for operators to tailor content to each individual to build player loyalty. 

Even a small percentage increase in customer engagement can mean millions of dollars in additional revenue during the NFL season, so developing the right player retention strategy is crucial. 

Laniado said on the latest iGaming Daily Podcast episode: “Building out that loyalty really comes back to the roots of all of these different aspects that we’re talking about. 

“We’re never gonna retain every player after the Super Bowl, we’re never gonna reactivate every player in week one. 

“But if we can get those rates just to move in 5% or 10% in the right direction, especially for these larger operators, that’s a meaningful seven, eight-figure difference.”

Engaging ‘middle-tier’ customers

Laniado raised the idea of engaging middle-tier customers, who he believes are an under-strategised section of the market, and suggested the new NFL season could be the perfect opportunity to re-activate them with the right messaging. 

He reiterated that analysing individual player behaviours –  both from a betting and depositing perspective – is key to ensuring operators apply the right level of marketing. 

The concept revolves around sportsbooks encouraging players to move in specific directions and then they can maximise their profits through certain behaviours.

“There are some players that we know are going to be NFL only – no matter what. When we go to re-engage those players, it’s really important to understand what type of player they are. 

“When we go to try to reactivate those players, we are making sure that we are engaging with them based on what we know, and putting the right content and messaging in front of them is really key.”