Nowadays, digital marketing strategy plays a vital role in the gaming industry, and companies spend millions marketing their games. At times it’s even more than developing them! By the end of 2018, the gaming industry (mobile, console, & PC) spent around $4.91 billion on digital advertising. This is obviously a massive investment. But it also indicates how difficult it has become reaching and, more importantly, convincing gamers to buy a product.
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How to Make The Perfect Game Marketing Plan?
A huge chunk of game titles fail because developers treat gaming marketing as an afterthought and a minor part of their development process. The commercial marketplace is vast and noisy. The gaming industry is more boisterous than most, where thousands of developers and publishers compete for players’ attention.
Want your marketing efforts to bear fruition? Come up with a plan. But what exactly is a game marketing plan? This is a report outlining your marketing strategy for the next week, month, year, or any chosen period for which you wish to set a campaign. It captures marketing objectives and teaches you how to reach them. Highlighting the tactics companies use to build a following for their brand. A game marketing plan is used to popularize games on different platforms.
3 Ways to Leverage Modern Marketing in the Gaming Industry
Even though it’s gone mainstream, many marketers still find it tough to connect with people. But it’s not as complex or arduous as you might imagine. Marketers need to leverage what they already know about the modern game market after Covid-19. By looking at three critical reasons for the growth of the gaming industry, we can see parallels with the growth of digital marketing as a whole. Once you understand this correlation, it’s much easier to tap into the industry’s potential.
The World is Mobile-Mad
Mobile gaming is one of the most sought-after industries in the world right now. They contribute half of the entire global revenue from the gaming sector. The industry revenue is higher than the GDP of Costa Rica. Gamers in America aged 18-35 play mobile games for 48 minutes every day. This is a massive, readily-engaged market for companies to target. They pair up with a gaming influencer relevant to the right brand and products, quickly building brand awareness and boosting leads.
Example of Mobile Gaming
The perfect example of this is the game Brawl Stars. The creators teamed up with a plethora of influencers, helping to promote the game pre-launch. Aiding them in acquiring 5 million registrations after announcing the release date. The game has also been covered by many other influencers, becoming the most-played game on YouTube.
Women Gamers Assemble
Gone are times when the typical gamer would be an acne-ridden boy in a basement; it’s now just as likely to be an older woman. Today, almost half of the gamers are women and girls. In fact, the most avid mobile gamers are middle-aged women. Talk about a paradigm shift. For brands looking to start marketing in the gaming industry, this is a great opportunity. The massive numbers of Gen Xers and Millennials online offer companies partnerships with people who actually have disposable income.
Rose and Rosie
A popular example is The YouTube duo, Rose and Rosie. They have a following of over 1 million on their page Rose Ellen Dix. It touches on lifestyle topics like relationship advice and LGBT issues. They have managed to leverage this following to promote their other page, Let’s Play Games. This is the duo stream game walkthroughs on a live stream for their loyal subscribers. Brands that align themselves with women’s interests may find partnerships that come with a more diverse audience.
Brand Integrity is Everything
A significant event comes to mind when discussing brand integrity in gaming. Social Point Games, an infamous game developer, wanted to promote their game Monster Legends. They opted to partner with American YouTuber Markiplier. Fischbach, aka Markiplier, had a history of using his influence for good. His several Livestream campaigns raise thousands for needy causes including Save the Children. With over 30 million subscribers, he fits the description of an influencer.
This proved to be a match made in heaven, as the company and the influencer were a perfect match. Social point games were well aware of the value of social consciousness in the modern era. Understanding that almost all of their consumers will switch brands based on a connection with charitable efforts. Ultimately, when Fischbach announced he would donate $10,000 to the Miracle Foundation charity, many people were excited to check out his review of Monster Legends.
Inclusivity is The Answer
There’s a common thread here: and the success of gaming marketing lies in inclusivity. Marketers are subconsciously trained to go for a niche, but marketing in the gaming industry involves everyone. By focusing on crafting a more inclusive approach, welcoming brand identity, you will attract more attention. In turn fostering greater trust with people. Who better to help than gaming influencers aka the traditional champions of the misfits. Partner with the right influencer, and you can move your brand up a few levels, and unlock a ton of bonuses along the way.
We hope that this comprehensive guide on the impact of gaming marketing was enough to clear any doubts in your mind. Feel free to reach out in case of any feedback or query!
