SEO: Video content to attract sign-ups ahead of Euro 2016

With Roy Hodgson having named his provisional squad for Euro 2016, Blueclaw’s Alex Humphries takes a look at how operators and affiliates can make the most of video content ahead of this summer’s tournament.

With the Euros little over three weeks away, it’s vital that both operators and affiliates do their best to stand out from the crowd in order to attract bets and those all-important sign-ups.  One way in which to do this, which seems to have either been ignored or underused by many established affiliates and operators, is through video.  

According to recent research, it has been estimated that there will be 27 million views related to Euro 2016 in the UK alone, which provides a considerable potential audience for any affiliates who want to take advantage of it.

Of course, searching the term ‘football betting tips’ on YouTube brings tens of thousands of results, and so it’s likely to be a challenge to get in among the top results. Having said that, using your current social channels such as Twitter and Facebook, you can push your content out to other audiences to ensure it gets seen. 

With Premier League club channels and official highlights, there is a high proportion of football content on YouTube already, but original content is also popular. Football videos by UK users have been viewed over 6 billion times, which shows just how big the potential audience is. 

Granted, not every football fan who watches a video will place a bet, but a proportion of the audience will, or will want to, which makes them a perfect target for affiliates and operators. Many affiliates will be concerned that video is costly and time consuming to produce, but it doesn’t have to be. 

If you have a video camera readily available or have funds available to buy one then great, but many mobile phones now carry good enough recording capabilities to produce decent quality video. It needn’t take too long to produce either, with around 2-3 minutes of recording followed by a short time tidying it up in some editing software should you feel so inclined.

From an operator perspective, YouTube also provides advertising opportunities, with a whole host of brands having capitalised on the last major international tournament, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Four of the top 10 ads on the YouTube Ads leaderboard were football related in June 2014, including ads from both Adidas and Nike. 

Operators would be wise to take advantage of the excitement and expectation around Euro 2016 with their own advertisements.  You have to tread carefully around gambling ads though, with advertising for betting and gambling restricted on the platform. 

For example, you must be certified by Google in order to promote content related to this genre, and ensure that you adhere to the rules around the country or countries which you are targeting. Once the final whistle has been blown on the tournament, why not continue into next season?  Football fans love the beautiful game 24/7, 365 days a year, so give them the content they crave. 

Whether that’s as tips on pre-season games, Champions League qualifiers, or the opening rounds of the Football League and Premier League, there’s a real opportunity to carry this through.