A game’s success depends heavily on how well you market it. Just because there are already people out there that know your product doesn’t mean anyone will want to invest in it, nor does it guarantee that people who have invested in the past will keep investing.
As gamers ourselves, we understand this! That is why we have compiled some tips here for all of you. From finding the right video marketing channels, to making sure your videos are relevant and interesting, these tips will help you get the most out of your gaming video marketing strategy.
Good luck marketers! We hope you enjoy reading our content as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.
Create a website or a Facebook page
After you have your game ready, it is time to market it! The first way to do this is by creating either an online store or a Facebook page for your video game.
A site or a wall of people that can spread word about your games are very important tools in marketing a videogame!
Having a storefront allows others to buy and read reviews of your product while promoting yourself as the creator. You get exposure and credit for having a successful product!
For Amazon, buying from them brings them revenue so most big companies use their service to sell products.
On social media sites like Facebook, people can interact with yours content and you receive advertising income depending on how many clicks you get on your posts.
There are several ways to start marketing your game before actually putting up sale banners on stores and websites, such as creating blogs, starting conversations, and using influencer marketing strategies.
Start a Twitter account
Starting your video game marketing campaign is always starting with something else! You can start off by creating a twitter account for your business or company. This will be used to spread your gaming related messages as well as interact with other gamers and marketeers.
It’s also a great way to source new information and tips for running your own business – just look at all of the valuable info that people have posted online over the years!
By adding some basic profile pictures, listing yourself on linkedin and facebook, and setting up an email address, you are set to go!
You now have a place to store all of your very expensively paid software programs and files, and contact you will need for future ventures in the games industry. Add yourself onto various gamer forums to connect with like-minded individuals and get inspiration and feedback for your business.
And don’t forget to follow others so you know when they upload new content, run giveaways etc… it’s a good way to gain exposure while helping out their community.
Start a YouTube account
Starting your video game marketing career from the beginning is making a YouTube channel! You can pick any username you want, but make sure it’s easy to remember and represents your product or company well. Your channel should represent your business, so be careful with what you include in there.
You will need to provide at least one sample video as well as some kind of cover photo and profile picture. These three settings are very important because they tell people about you and establish your identity as an artist and entrepreneur.
Your first video can be anything – start filming yourself playing a popular videogame or creating a parody song and movie set to music! If you have a smartphone you could even do it totally remotely and then edit the footage later.
Many professional content creators begin by recording themselves doing something she/he knows how to do really well and editing the videos down to only their voice before developing more elaborate styles and features. This is a great way to get familiar with the software used to produce YouTube videos while also improving your own speaking style.
Buy advertising space
The next step in marketing a video game is buying advertising space for your game. This can be done through various online advertisements as well as through companies that have media or digital ads they are willing to lease out.
Most big gaming websites offer sponsored content or giveaway competitions which means they’ll pay you to promote their product! In return, they get exposure for their brand and what an incredible way to make money from home.
They may even cover the cost of shipping for the item being promoted so there is no risk involved. It is totally up to you whether you choose to accept such a sponsorship but it is always good to do some research first to see if anyone has complaints before agreeing to work with a company.
There is also nothing wrong with offering your own products as a prize either for a competition or for an individual sale. You just need to know how much profit you will earn off them and if this is enough to justify the price.
Distribute your video game
Now that you have finished recording your gameplay, it’s time to start distributing your content! The first way to do this is to create a YouTube channel for your gamer profile. You can use this account to upload your videos and then them to grow their follower base or increase traffic to your website/game.
Another way to distribute your gaming footage is to make use of streaming sites like Twitch.tv and OBS (Open Broadcaster Software). These sites let users watch your stream and interact with you while you play, which can be done for money or for entertainment.
Offer a free trial
An easy way to market a game is by offering an early access trial or a fully-functional free version. This can be done via either a mobile app, computer software, or a web application that allows users to play without paying.
By doing this, you are able to generate some buzz for your product before investing in marketing tools and resources to promote it.
By having people try out your product or service, word of mouth will create momentum and interest. People will talk about how good the product is and get more interested as they see there is a cost involved.
For software products, there are sometimes ways to download a limited amount of the software for free, which is similar to what many companies do with their most popular apps like Google Apps or Netflix.
For games, there may be one day one modes or levels that are accessible for free so people can try out the game’s features.
Tell your friends
A strong marketing strategy for any game is telling your friends about it! When people talk about games, they usually do so online or through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Games are very interactive, so when someone mentions a video game you can easily comment or tweet on it, but beyond that you should really be sharing what content you’re working on and what products related to the game you have available.
Running out of things to say will hurt your business in the long run, so make sure you’ve got enough to share!
Also, don’t be shy – if you had success with their similar game then tell them how! You can benefit from theirs by doing the same thing or offering yours as a gift or sale.
Encourage reviews
One of the most powerful ways to promote a game is by letting others know about it! You can do this by encouraging other people to talk about the game, or even giving your own opinion on the game.
People love to talk about what they enjoy, so why not use that to spread the word about yours? Plus, you can always praise a product, even if it’s not from someone else.
By creating an online community around your game, you’ll be promoting it for no cost at all! All you need to do is make sure you take part in different forums and chat rooms related to games, then leave thoughtful comments and contribute where appropriate.
