The final segment of La Fleur’s 2018 LotMKT Trends conference consisted of an interactive workshop. The topic was “Online Engagement.”
D.C. Lottery Executive Director Beth Bresnahan provided the welcome address detailing her path as Massachusetts Lottery’s first social media expert. In order to establish a digital presence, Bresnahan assumed a 24/7 role as the virtual voice of the lottery . . . even if it met waking up at 3 a.m. to answer a player’s question on Facebook. She believes that it is critical to establish a two-way communication channel between the lottery and players.
Merrill Fullerton, Marketing Manager, Instant Games, ALC presented “Lottomoji.” ALC posted a weekly question on Instagram every week for eight weeks using only emojis with #lottomoji + tag friend. There was a chance to win $5,000. Engagement grew 1,500%. Instagram following doubled.
Edie Frakes, VP, Marketing, Kentucky Lottery Corp. (KLC), focused on how a once-in-a-lifetime commercial opportunity became a successful Facebook promotion.
Called “Who The Elf?,” the social media contest urged the public to guess the identity of the “button-down man who made millions laugh” before he was an elf starring in the holiday scratcher ad campaign. KLC revealed the big surprise in the Courier Journal on Thanksgiving.
John Gorman, Chief Marketing Officer, Maryland Lottery spotlighted “Home Run Riches: You Decide.”
“The Maryland Lottery experimented with using social media to conduct an instant ticket concept test,” said Gorman. “Concerned that our annual Home Run Riches instant ticket art may be getting stale, we utilized Facebook to allow our followers to vote on potential new art concepts. This type of voting post allowed our Facebook fans to engage with us in a quick and easy way.”
Jodie Warren, VP, MDB Communications, presented “Fish Where the Fish Are.”
“We can insert DC Lottery into the ongoing social conversations around DC Food Trucks in a relevant and meaningful way by developing partnerships with popular food trucks based on reciprocal promotional opportunities that are mutually beneficial. We could utilize DC Lottery products to promote food truck purchases/discounts,” said Warren.
Kelley-Jaye Cleland, Director, Sales & Product Development, New Hampshire Lottery, discussed “The Great Christmas Light Fight.”
The idea would be for the New Hampshire Lottery to tie-in a holiday scratch ticket with a contest similar to the popular series, The Great Christmas Light Fight (ABC). “This TV show showcases the wildest and most spectacular Christmas displays in America. Could we do this on a more local level, here in New Hampshire? The scratch game would have a tie-in to a social media contest asking people to post their holiday lights. Submissions would be judged. Prizes would be awarded,” said Cleland.
Rachel Buhse, Social Media Specialist, Virginia Lottery, presented “The Facebook Algorithm.”
“The dreaded Facebook algorithm seems to make it harder and harder for businesses and organizations to engage with followers. So, what should you do? Well, if your biggest following happens to be on Facebook, we don’t suggest jumping ship and refocusing all your efforts on a completely different platform, but there are a few workarounds. From utilizing Facebook Live to creating events to adjusting how frequently you’re posting—all these things can have an impact,” she said.