In this episode of the HMBT podcast, I sit down with strategy and marketing consultant Henk Wolff for a no-fluff, high-value conversation that bridges the worlds of iGaming and email marketing. We dive into Henk’s background in turning around struggling online casinos and scaling growth using smart retention and acquisition strategies. He brings a sharp, operator-first mindset that’s not just valuable for gaming companies, it’s relevant for any business trying to build loyal customers and optimize marketing channels.
We covered a lot, from retention tactics and lifecycle marketing to some of the wild creative strategies Henk uses interesting strategies to revive dead email lists (yes, a fake password reset email that actually works). It was refreshing to swap email marketing strategies with someone who’s seen the front lines of an industry where attention spans are short and margins are thin. We even joked our way into a new business idea: the Henk & Hank toothpaste, powered by bluetooth chips and behavioral data.
Whether you’re in gaming, retail, SaaS, or running your own ecommerce site, you’ll walk away from this episode with fresh perspective on how to think differently about retention, lifecycle campaigns, and segmentation.
✅ Key Takeaways:
🧲 Retention is everything. In high-churn industries like iGaming, Hank looks at 30-day cohort data to spot leaks in customer retention. Smart segmentation and onboarding automation make or break performance.
📩 Creative reactivation campaigns work. Hank’s “Did you forget your password?” email trick sounds simple but drives real logins and engagement. Especially useful for aging or dormant lists.
🧠 Segmentation isn’t optional. You can’t send the same email to a VIP player and a casual user. Tailor content based on behavior, balance, and lifecycle stage. Lazy email blasts are a waste.
🔁 Marketers forget the middle of the funnel. Everyone obsesses over top-of-funnel growth, but neglecting the middle leads to leaks and lost revenue. Onboarding and lifecycle content need more love.
🤖 Use AI and voice like a tool, not a toy. We talked about the rise of voice interaction and local LLMs for research, productivity, and daily insights. Ignore these tools at your own risk.
Connect with Henk on Linkedin.
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