The gaming industry is huge and massively profitable. With technology constantly growing and improving, there are so many platforms for gaming and a wide audience across the globe. Within such a huge industry, how can you market your games and company to reach these audiences and hold your place in the ranks? Marketing strategies are important to every business so that these tips will help you out within the gaming industry:
1) Know Your Audience
This first tip is essential to any business, gaming, and non-gaming alike. The gaming industry has a wide audience but is primarily marketed at millennials. This is the age group that grew up as gaming first started to take off. They lived through generations of new gaming consoles and popular game franchise releases. This generation that now has their own homes and cars, but still holds an attachment to gaming, and the latest tech and gadgets. They have the funds necessary to invest in these products.
While the latest updates and improvements are exciting, there is also the element of nostalgia that captures their interest too. This is evidenced by Nintendo’s switch, which was modeled after their 1980s Nintendo system, but also sought to introduce new and innovative ideas and was hugely successful.
The love of nostalgia and collectible items is evidenced through sites like Nin-Nin Game, who sell Japanese imported goods such as retro games and collectible figurines, which are hugely popular. The combination of new and innovative ideas, nostalgic elements and retro themes make this industry so creatively diverse and full of opportunities.
Understanding your audience is important, as it will help you understand what they want and how to market your product or business as a good representation of this.
2) Utilizing Social Media Platforms
Social Media is an essential part of marketing, and the gaming industry has its own platforms like Twitch that can play an important role in your marketing campaign. Twitch is a streaming platform, where users can stream a video webcam as well as their screens when they are playing games, and their audiences can use chat to send messages.
Once a streamer generates a lot of views, they can become a verified Twitch Partner and generate an income from ad revenue. YouTube is known to be the home for creators to upload videos, but they also have a live streaming service too.
Many game development companies opt to partner with Twitch Streamers and YouTubers to share early access content and help promote their games to these audiences. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are, of course, essential platforms to use, too, all having their own strengths as social media outlets.
3) In-Game and Developed Techniques
Promotions
Just like stores utilize discounts and promo codes in-store and online, promotions are a great incentive to generate interest and free-access to paid-for elements. You can offer incentives like free-trials, refer-a-friend prizes and bonuses, and loyalty points for frequent gamers. These elements help to showcase your game and features within the game and give players rewards.
In-Game Events
This is a great way to generate interest by using real-life events and holidays and creating limited-time events that offer rewards and benefits. Limited-time events will draw in audiences, who then may stick around afterward.
Push Notifications
This is a feature that is used mainly on mobile devices, but friendly notifications and reminders can help promote and remind players of timed-events and to return to the game or app. As long as they are not too much like spam, they can be a great way to engage and communicate with mobile users. In conclusion, you need to combine creative thinking with the tools you have available, such as social media and in-game tools. Using your understanding of your audience and what your product represents and means to them, you have everything you need to build a successful marketing strategy.
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