The video game industry is big business, with most people knowing at least one major title or franchise by now. With games moving towards an entertainment-focused experience, gamers are spending more time watching videos and listening to music related to their favorite titles or genres.
This isn’t too surprising given that over half (51%) of all Americans own a smartphone, which almost everyone has access to. More than two thirds (68%) like listening to music while they play videogames, and nearly three quarters (72%) watch gameplay videos frequently.
Video games have become a form of media that people enjoy and use actively to consume content. This shift in attention gives rise to new marketing opportunities, especially for game developers and marketers looking to reach this audience.
Marketers can create YouTube channels, run interactive contests via gaming apps, or develop strategies to leverage popular gaming songs and modes. They can also start building relationships through social media platforms designed specifically for gamers.
While some of these ideas seem very casual and informal, creating engaging communities will help you gain followers and keep them longer. Following your competitors’ blogs and accounts will give you some tips and tricks to implement into your online presence.
Make a promotional video
A promotional video is a way to tell people about your game. It can be for YouTube, Facebook, or any other channel that allows you to create videos. This would be along the lines of “how to play my game” or “the story behind the game” etc.
For example, look at this very popular gaming video titled ‘The Best Ways To Curl Your Hair Like The Pro’s! (VIDEO)’. The creator of this video made a hair styling tip every person will see at least twice in their life. If they are looking to get into the hairstyling industry or just want to try it out, this tip will help them learn how to do it.
This type of video is perfect to make because anyone can produce a video. Even if you don’t have much money, there are free software programs like Adobe Premiere or Windows Movie Maker that allow you to edit and add special effects to yourself before posting.
Buy advertising on YouTube
While creating your game, you will need to consider how to market it. This includes investing in social media advertisements, buying ads on YouTube, and developing your website or online store if you have one.
Social media is an integral part of marketing any product, and gaming is no exception! Most gamers are already invested in their community networks, so why not take advantage of that influence by targeting other people’s audiences?
By investing in your gaming career through educational resources, engaging with others across the web, and paying attention to what others are doing to grow their audience, you will be putting in some hard work but also getting some great rewards.
And while YouTube is typically known as a place to find videos about making and playing games, it can also function as a tool to promote yours. By investing in these additional marketing strategies, you will give yourself more chances of success.
Create a Twitter account
A twitter profile is an important way to market your game as it allows you to spread word of mouth about your product. Yours can be your main username, or you can create a business-focused handle such as ‘Game Designer Blog’ or something along those lines.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure it is unique so that people can easily find you!
By having a presence on social media, this will help get exposure for your game and yourself as a designer. People use twitter to talk about things they are interested in, so by engaging with others around games, you get exposure for both yourself and the genre.
Some tips: Make your tweets interesting, include pictures and links to other sites and resources related to gaming, your game and the industry as a whole.
Make a Facebook page
A gaming business should have an official website, but that is only the beginning of marketing your video game company. You will also need a social media account for your company, as well as a medium such as YouTube or Twitch to broadcast your games and advertise yourself.
Companies with large followings are very successful because they know how to market themselves through their various accounts. By investing in these tools, you will get more engagement from your followers, which can translate into new customers.
There are many ways to promote your game, too. For example, you can do a live stream, hold a contest, tweet about it, use stickers and emotes, and so on. The possibilities are endless!
Running out of ideas? Use software to make creating content easier. There are plenty of free apps like Spritebox or Funboox that let you create images and videos quickly.
Distribute promotional materials
A very important part of marketing video games is distributing promotional material for the game. This could be an interactive poster, flyers, or even t-shirts with game logos!
As you’re creating content for your game, make sure to also look into ways to distribute these things.
Most companies have at least some form of social media account that they use to promote themselves and their products. Most gamers are already on at least one so this is a great way to reach out to them!
By adding a comment about the game or something related, linking to a website or article about it, or just including someone’s name in a tweet or posting, you can gain exposure for the company and the product.
Offer a prize for sharing videos
A great way to market your game is by offering prizes or rewards for people who upload gameplay videos of you creating games or your game launch events. This can be done via social media sites, YouTube channels, gaming websites, and even through word-of-mouth.
By giving away free items, you are attracting new viewers, which could lead to more exposure and sales in the future. Companies that offer such contests gain valuable marketing momentum as well as engagement from all of the contest followers and watchers.
It’s hard to forget an event with a win, so the chances of someone walking away without getting anything out of it are low.
Host events
Event hosting is an integral part of marketing any product or service. For software companies, event hosting can be one of their most powerful tools in marketing. A growing trend for game developers are to hold gaming tournaments at yourrslef tournemnets (TR’s).
By having people come together to compete against each other, it creates an environment where community building occurs.
These communities form around certain games, so by holding an event for that game, you create more engagement!
More engagement means more exposure which can lead to more purchases. If you are looking to launch your career as a video game marketer, knowing how to host a TR tournament is something you should look into.
There are many ways to do this, and the best way will depend on your budget, audience size, and style. No matter what type of event you are planning, making use of influencers is a great way to promote your event!
Influencer marketing is a very popular tactic used in advertising. By using individuals with large social media followings, your message will get much wider attention.
It is not uncommon to pay per click advertisements from influencers to cover the costs of attending your event.
Leverage social media
One of the most important ways to market any product is through social media. With the explosion of people using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, it is almost impossible to avoid this fact!
By creating an online presence that engages with others, your game will get more attention. People are spending less time watching TV shows and films and the internet offers lots of alternatives for entertainment so they are not necessarily sticking to the boring ones!
Travelling can be expensive, especially if you’re paying for flights, hotels, and transport to and from places so sharing tips and tricks via websites and video tutorials is a great way to gain some in-depth knowledge that other gamers may find useful. This could include how to use certain tools or software, how to make your own games, or even how to be successful as a gamer.
There are many free and paid apps and platforms out there that allow you to create an account, upload and edit your videos, and then share them across the web. Some of the best gaming channels pick their covers and intros very carefully and design their accounts around the theme or genre of game they want to promote.
These marketing strategies work because when someone else has done something good, you give credit to them and try to replicate what worked for them.
