Social media is an integral part of any brand’s marketing strategy. From tech to beauty, it’s used across industries to enhance visibility, build communities and advertise products and services. For iGaming brands, however, social media needs to deliver results beyond just clicks and shares. The end goal is conversions, or first-time depositors (FTDs).
Coming up with a social media post that generates engagement and interactions is tough. Turning those who click like or comment into actual depositing customers is even tougher. Affiliates and iGaming brands alike can build large followings, but many struggle at the final hurdle of turning followers into FTDs.
In this guide, we’ll outline key steps you can take a build a social funnel and nurture your social followers to turn them into FTDs. Let’s dive in and learn more.
What is a Social Funnel?
When we talk about building a social funnel, what do we actually mean? Put simply, a social funnel is used to map user journeys from the moment they become aware of your brand to when they make their first deposit.
By building and monitoring a social funnel, you’ll be able to more accurately track what content is actually converting, and you can adjust your strategy from there to drive improved results.
A social funnel can also help give more structure to your content. This positions your brand as consistent, professional and reputable and can help you build a more authoritative and recognisable voice in the space.
Step 1 – Awareness: Attracting the Right Audience
The first step when building a social funnel should always be related to your audience. Drill down into demographic data and market analysis to identify who exactly it is you’re trying to reach. For example, if you’re a bingo brand targeting female players, your content is going to be very different from a brand targeting men for sports betting.
Speaking more broadly, content should also be entertaining, informative and shareable. It needs to be enjoyable for users to read or watch, and it should provide them with something of value, be that an offer or information about a new product.
Some content examples include match previews and betting insights for sportsbooks, slot reviews and new release previews and responsible gambling awareness messaging.
Building visibility is essential, but it’s key that you do so in a targeted way. It’s all well and good getting 1,000 likes or shares on a post, but if none of those users are actually interested in gaming, you’re never going to push them through to become FTDs.
Explore different platforms and formats. Don’t just stick to Facebook, for example. Build a presence on Instagram and TikTok too, and diversify content with written posts, images and videos.
Step 2 – Engagement: Building Trust & Community
Capturing an audience is only the first step. The next is to ensure they stick around. To do so, you need to focus on building trust and nurturing a community. You can’t just be another faceless affiliate out to promote; you need to become a trusted voice that players turn to for guidance, advice and entertainment.
Engagement is key here. The more people interact with your content, the more it encourages other people to do the same. Think about scrolling past a post with hundreds of likes and comments, you’re far more likely to stop and see what all the fuss is about. Compare this to a post with zero engagement; that immediately tells viewers it’s not worth their time.
Create content that motivates people to engage. Ask questions, run polls and post short-form guides that encourage readers to visit your platform to find out more. The higher your engagement metrics are, the more trustworthy and reputable you seem.
Step 3 – Decision: Guiding Players Toward Action
The next stage in the process of building a social funnel is about guiding users towards action. You’ve already got them on your socials and interacting with your content. How do you get them to take that next step and visit your platform or affiliate link?
Once you’ve built a community that trusts your brand, you can start working to create a mindset shift. You need your followers to think beyond ‘I like this brand’s content’, they need to think ‘I trust this brand to tell me where to play’.
You can do this by tweaking content to focus more on products, services, bonuses and offers. Be more intentional with your CTAs as well, and make it clear what you want your followers to do. You’ve already earned their trust; now you can push them towards action.
Step 4 – Conversion: Turning Followers into FTDs
We’re now at the final stage of the process: turning your social media followers into FTDs. This is the most important step, and arguably the most difficult. Ideally, your funnel should be structured in such a way that followers naturally convert into FTDs after following the links you share, but there are a few strategies you can use to give them that final push.
Focus on your CTAs and ensure they’re as clear and impactful as possible. Work your copy and messaging too; you should be presenting a seamless journey for your followers, from social post to landing page to deposit.
Running exclusive social promotions (regulations allowing) can also be an effective way of encouraging your followers to make that final leap. These can help set you apart from the competition and give your followers something too good to pass up.
Bonus tip: Use a tracking pixel on your site or landing page to identify users who have clicked through but not made a deposit. You can then use social ad platforms to retarget these users with follow-up ads and reminders.
Optimising the Funnel: Testing & Tracking
After successfully turning followers into FTDs, next you should be reviewing your entire funnel to identify areas for improvement.
Monitor key metrics, including engagement, CTRs and conversion rates. This will give you invaluable insights as to where your funnel is strong and where it’s weak, and you’ll be able to make adjustments to boost results.
Test out different types of formats, messaging and CTAs and track performance. This will allow you to hone your strategy and deliver content that speaks to your audience in the most effective way.
Compliance & Trust: The Golden Rules for Social Funnels
As an iGaming brand or affiliate, compliance should be at the forefront of everything you. Regulations differ from region to region, so you should always check exactly what’s required or prohibited in your location, but there are a few golden rules that should be followed regardless.
First, always include age disclaimers (18+) on any content. You should also provide clear T&Cs and responsible gambling messaging, with links to support services.
Never overpromise. This means never say that a win is guaranteed or that something is a risk-free way to make money.
Pay attention to licenses too. Ensure you’re never promoting a service or a product that doesn’t hold a license for the location you’re operating in.
Trust is the key to turning followers into FTDs. If your brand is seen as untrustworthy or unsafe, this trust will collapse, and so will your conversion rates.
Recap
Social media success in iGaming isn’t just about likes and shares. It’s about building a structured journey that moves players from awareness to engagement, through decision-making, and finally to conversion. By treating your social presence as a funnel, you create clarity, consistency, and trust, three things that separate high-performing affiliates from the rest.
The most effective funnels are those that:
- Attract the right audience with content that entertains and informs.
- Build genuine trust and community through consistent engagement.
- Guide players confidently toward action with clear, compliant CTAs.
- Deliver seamless conversion journeys that turn interest into FTDs.
Layer in ongoing testing, tracking, and compliance, and you’ll have a social funnel that delivers results.
At Digital Footprints, we specialise in helping iGaming brands and affiliates create content strategies that convert. If you’re ready to start turning followers into FTDs, let’s build your funnel together.
