Continuity Gift Best Practices

Continuity marketing is used to reward and encourage desired behaviors, some might even argue that the entire gaming industry is built on this philosophy. So how does a continuity gifting promotion add value to this already, billion-dollar industry?

For all the glitz, glamour, high hopes, and big money allure that a casino offers, unfortunately, many gamblers go home feeling slightly defeated. Large prize promotions like big money drawings and luxury car giveaways, draw in a good crowd, but out of the thousands that are drawn in, 99.9% leave empty-handed. And leaving empty-handed can leave a long, lingering bad taste in one’s mouth.

Continuity gifting promotions are not only designed to draw in those same large numbers, but they also allow each guest to go home with what they came for… a WIN! Taking home a valuable and well-selected promotional gift has monumental value.

This tangible gift will serve to fondly remind your players of your appreciation for them and your desire to make them happy. Their feeling of being rewarded and appreciated will continue to strengthen their customer loyalty to you.  And the higher the perception of the value of that gift, the more appreciated the guest feels.

So why do continuity programs work for casinos? Because they are the best, singular promotion that everybody wins on. For the casinos, they drive “weekly” incremental trips, they generate “weekly” recurring revenue, and they increase your customer loyalty base.

For the guests, they get rewarded for their loyalty with a desired, tangible gift to take home, and they leave the casino with a sense of achievement and appreciation.  Here are some top considerations to help make your gift program more successful:

Plan Ahead – advance planning gives the advantage of creating the perfect gifting campaign crafted specifically for your property. Eliminate the need to pick through a selection of other casino’s returns, manufacturer closeouts, or unimaginative products.

Desirable Gifts – knowing player demographics, interests, likes – and more importantly dislikes, are strong cues to which gift options will be most attractive to draw your target audience. While creativity is key in designing a strong gift campaign, just picking the latest trendy item will leave you standing alone at your own promotion if it does not speak to the interests of your audience.

Appealing Advertising – getting custom made postcards to stand out in the mailbox with designs of attractive brands and products. Increase customer desire for your gifts, by elevating the perceived value through the use of television-quality videos in marketing communication plans and creating an aspirational experience with attractive retail quality product banners at events.

Only the Best – setting the standard of giving only the highest quality gifts to your customers is a direct reflection of your appreciation for their loyalty and value. As a reward for months of play, dedication, and waiting in line the most humiliating experience would be to present your best customers with a substandard gift as a token of your appreciation.

Engage your VIP – achieving exclusivity comes with perks! Engage VIP with high perceived value (low cost) benefits within the gifting program – offering pre-event or extended pickup times, exclusive VIP lines, multiple or bonus gifts, advance product samples, or even surveying their preference for the upcoming month’s product selection keep your best players engaged and loyal to your property.

Expand Availability – adding an alternate day to the promotional schedule, or even just expanding the pick-up times, when done strategically will drive incremental revenue and increase customer satisfaction. While gifting programs are designed to drive a specific result, no one day, nor one time, will ever work for all.

Dangle the Carrot – allowing players who almost qualified for the complimentary gift to play to qualify for a free gift. Aspiring customers to play up to be included in an event provides them with a glimpse of the benefits of the next level. Experiencing new feelings of additional rewards and appreciation builds loyalty, and customers will recognize and thank you for the benefits.

Regifting – If you provide a gift that is worthy of being re-gifted to your target’s friends or family, then that tells you all you need to know about how well that gift was received and appreciated. Ask yourself this when deciding on what gifts to give clients and prospects – would I give this gift to my friends and family? Would I be proud of this action? If not, if you would be embarrassed by the quality, if it isn’t something personal that your friends or family would thank you for and feel that you were thoughtful about selecting that gift, then don’t give it.

Pride – that might be the word. Once you’ve dedicated the time and energy to selecting the most thoughtful gift for your best customers you will have a sense of pride, personal enjoyment, and delight in the anticipation of seeing the smiles on their faces.

A clear test of accomplishment is the knowledge that if you were the person handing that gift you would feel pride in the thoughtfulness you are showing. If you are proud of this item and the way it reflects on your company, then you’ve probably selected the perfect gift and your customers will appreciate you for it.

At Gander Group our continuity gifting programs start with an explosion of anticipation and excitement for your guests. Whether you are doing a targeted, invite-only promotion or one that is casino-wide, we have the creative collateral to launch it with a bang.

From professionally shot product and brand videos to full-color banner ups and postcard mailers, your redemption ratio will climb through the roof. We understand the importance of perceived value and our highly recognizable brands, quality, thoughtful, and first-rate gift selections make us the leader in offering the very highest of perceived value options.

Our four-week continuity programs will not only drive incremental trips, but they will also do it with regularity. Generating recurring revenue on a weekly basis while increasing your customer loyalty base, is our focus and your end results.

Author Bio: Monica Scott is SVP of Loyalty Marketing at Gander Group. With over 25 years of financial analysis and casino marketing experience, Monica serves as a strategic resource to design best-in-class continuity gift programs which support the core values and individual strategic plans of Gander Group’s casino partners.