It is fair to say that online gaming is a massive industry and one that is showing no signs of slowing down. With the rise of ‘eSports’ and many online platforms, such as Steam, developers can now easily create games and distribute them globally. This poses a significant challenge to companies that want to break into the industry, especially as success often depends on the size of your marketing budget and the level of engagement that you can achieve with your audience. Here are some helpful tips on how you can market your online game and make the most of your limited resources.
Focus On The Right Platforms
While it is always beneficial to have a presence across as many platforms as possible, it is important to focus on specific platforms that can drive the most effective traffic to your game. After all, not all gamers will have the same interest in your product or service, and you can use this fact to your advantage. For example, if you are developing a role-playing game, you might want to tailor your digital marketing to attract enthusiasts of that genre to your product. Or if your game is a first-person shooter, you might want to focus your efforts on driving traffic to your website from Facebook gamers. Tailor your approach according to the best platforms for reaching your audience and consider using platforms like Twitch to grow your community and connect with potential customers.
Create The Perfect Pitch
There is more than one way to grab a gamer’s attention, sometimes all it takes is one perfect pitch. When developing an online pitch, consider what will make your game stand out from the crowd. If you have a funny or interesting story to tell, or you can provide unique insights into the industry, you will find that engaging with potential customers is a whole lot easier. Ensure that your pitch is concise but thorough enough to hold a person’s attention. In addition to this, create a persona around your product or service that will make it easier for people to understand your motives. For example, if you want to promote a diet that will help people to lose weight, you might want to consider using a celebrity persona to do so. And remember, a successful pitch doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to be effective.
Start Small
When you are just starting out, it is important to work your way up to the big leagues. Although your product may be perfectly designed, the chances are that you won’t be able to afford the big-name marketers’ budgets. Instead, you will have to rely on more affordable techniques, such as search engine optimization and social media marketing, to gain exposure. When it comes to marketing your product online, the key is to find the best balance between spending money and gaining results. While a big ad campaign may seem like the obvious way to go, you may find that, in the long run, taking a more gradual approach will prove more effective. Consider using platforms like Reddit to gain valuable insights into what consumers want and need, rather than simply blasting out a sales pitch.
As you build your audience, you will learn what content engages them and what doesn’t. Additionally, you can use this information to create more engaging content that will draw in more viewers. If you want to learn more, check out our article on the anatomy of a successful YouTube channel.
Build A Reputation
When choosing a platform to market your product, you must consider not only the size of your audience but also the type of content that you will be presenting on that platform. Having a brand new website with no real social media presence is probably the best way to go if you want to market your product on Steam, but if you want to reach Xbox gamers, you may want to consider investing in social media sites, such as Xbox Live and Twitter, to gain instant credibility.
Be Proactive
If you want to succeed in game marketing, you must be proactive in your approach. Instead of waiting for someone to come to you with a potential customer, you must be the one to approach them. While it is tempting to sit back and wait for the right person to come along, this will rarely happen and that is why you must continuously be reaching out to people and establishing connections. Never, ever underestimate the power of a well-written, personalized e-mail, even if it is just a form e-mail requesting an opportunity to discuss your product or service. Additionally, you can use tools like ConvertKit to easily send out a series of personalized e-mails to potential customers, drawing them into a nurturing relationship with your brand.
Measure The Effectiveness Of Your Campaign
Even when you have invested heavily in a particular campaign and seen significant results, it does not mean that it will work the same way for everyone. One of the most essential elements of a successful marketing campaign is measurement. After all, you cannot expect to see immediate results if you have not measured the effectiveness of your campaign. Consider using tools like Google Analytics to track the results of your campaign, taking into account the various goals that you set out when launching the initiative. Using tools like Google Analytics will also enable you to optimize future campaigns based on previous results.
Avoid Free Blogging Platforms
The best way to succeed as an online game marketer is to keep your costs down. It is not economical to maintain a blog for free when you could be paying for website hosting or even paying for an ad-free platform, such as Stealth Campaigns. Blogging is a great way to get your product or service out there but, unless you have a significant following, it is generally not the best way to make money online. Consider paid traffic instead.
Make Use Of Video Content
Video content is now widely available on the Internet and the competition is fierce, especially on platforms like YouTube. To stand out from the crowd, you will need to put in the work to create high-quality video content. While this might seem like a daunting task, creating videos for online marketing is a lot easier than you think. There are several free and low-cost platforms, such as YouTube, that you can use to easily create and share video content. Additionally, the quality of video content on the Internet has improved dramatically in the last few years and this makes it much easier for consumers to bypass expensive commercials and get direct to the point where they want to be. Video content is now an essential part of any marketing campaign and, even if you don’t have the budget for a traditional PR campaign, there are still ways to get the word out there that your product is great.
Use Search Engine Optimization
Like most other industries, search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of marketing a product online. To determine the effectiveness of your SEO strategy, consider using platforms like Google Analytics to track your campaigns’ keyword performance as well as the number of organic and paid referrals that lead to conversion.
Use Social Media
The best way to succeed as an online gamer is to build a massive audience on social media sites. With over a billion monthly active users, LinkedIn is the largest professional social network, followed by Facebook and then Twitter. If you want to market your product or service on social media, consider using platforms like these to grow your audience. When used effectively, social media can be a powerful tool for marketing a product or service. Consider using platforms like Pinterest and Instagram to grow your audience, establish yourself as an authoritative source and engage with potential customers on a more personal level.
As you can see, marketing an online game is a lot easier than you think. With a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work, you can make the transition from hobbyist to professional. And once you do, who knows ? You might become the go-to person for game industry advice, or launch your own game studio and become famous for creating games that people actually want to play.