Influencer Marketing has found its way into nearly every industry, and the latest addition to this phenomenon is the gaming industry. The involvement of young and popular gaming influencers and streamers proves to be a fast and reliable way to find your target audience.
But before we delve into the specifics of this, we need to know what influencer marketing is.
To break it down simply, an influencer is someone who is famous in a distinct niche and actively engages with their content and who’s able to ‘influence’ the purchasing powers of others solely because of their knowledge of their target audience. Different brands pay them to create and promote promotional content for their products.
Under gaming influencer marketing, the opportunity for advertising with the help of streaming is enormous:
The key to this high success rate is to balance the relationship between streamers and their audience. Streaming online connects the streamers to their live audience and viewers in real time. This leads to an engaged and somewhat loyal community around their respective channels.
Now brands enter this streaming world often as collaborators, and the audience perceives them as supporters of their community. This marketing tactic yields incredible results for game developers: the streamers surge the CTR values with the help of their viewers.
With social media influencer marketing paving the way, the following is a simple breakdown of how you can use influencers to promote your latest release:
Before the developer works on their game, they have already set aside the image of the type of players who will engage in this game in their mind. They have already come up with the target audience’s criteria checklist:
And so, finding your target audience can directly lead you to the right streamer to promote your game. But there are still different factors that one should consider before selecting the right streamer:
I. Genre
This is the most significant factor that decides the future of any game. Your streamer's personality and content preference are the only criteria that will help build your target audience. Do the research. Look into the content that the streamer has indulged in, their gaming profile, and lists of games they have played, and keep these factors in mind when choosing the right streamer for your game.
For example, contacting influencers who only play MMOs or card games is pointless if you want to launch a new FPS.
II. Viewership
There are different key performance indicators regarding the viewership of any streamer:
III. Audience Type
The convergence of your target audience and the streamer’s style would be the perfect combination for any influencer marketing agenda. The streamer’s VOD content provides insight if they are the perfect fit for your brand values. Moreover, any game that the streamers play is a reflection of their fanbase.
Example: Games like Fortnite and Call of Duty are popular among male teenagers. Just like this, remember the audience type your preferred streamer engages with.
What you need to do is when you release a game, you need to be clear about the industry of the game. Then you need to know the target audience for that particular industry. The next step is to choose an influencer who is active in that particular industry and plays similar types of games. Contacting an Influencer marketing agency can help you in this process.
Once the collaboration plans are set into motion, the next step is deciding the right game platform. Currently, gaming influencer marketing is not limited to social media handles like Instagram, Twitter, etc. Studies show that Twitch and Youtube are the leading platforms for gamers worldwide.
Initially, the two platforms appear identical. But this is so because they are competing for the same target audience. However, both platforms come with their series of pros and cons.
Youtube
Twitch
The only way to ace the gaming influencer market is by making it obvious. Don't leave any particulars of the collaboration to base assumption. Discuss and follow back to all points immediately.
This is so because, unlike usual bloggers, streamers work in real-time and lack the opportunity of a 'reshoot'. Also, streamers are very sensitive to the content they broadcast and will reject anything that will harm the reputation and goodwill of their channel.
Thus, it's a better alternative to customize a partnership offer based on the influencer's channel specifics and the developer's potential advertising integrations.
Moreover, while working with streamers, overlays are key marketing and advertisement formats that can be incorporated into the collaboration.
Examples of overlays include: when a streamer switches the background of their channel to cater to the brand image, banners at their Twitch profiles, mentions on Instagram and Twitter bios, or product placement in their gaming setup/console.
Influencers are no longer limited to clothing or beauty and wellness brands. The market has grown exponentially, and so has the competition. Influencer kits are a go-to option to stand out while making some noise about the product.
Video Gaming Influencer Kits greatly help spread the word about the product while building anticipation among the audience. Collaborations that come with such kits help the influencer in creating content that focuses on your product and also gives them to provide you with valuable feedback. You can read more about this awesome marketing strategy here Video Gaming Influencer Kits.
Everything has been planned. The marketing layout is ready, and you’ve found the perfect influencer for your game, but what’s next? Tracking!
Monitoring your results is as important as developing a marketing campaign. If everything is going according to the plan, then the only outcome possible is that you yield the results that you want.
What is the goal behind the campaign? Did we want more discussions? More likes? More subscribers? More mentions?
Whatever it is, if it's not being tracked, then how can we determine if the influencer campaign was a success or not?
Moreover, tracking your campaign and its success rate is one thing, but doing so correctly is a totally different plate. Using only the correct metrics and tools for daily assessment is the right way around it. After all, running after the wrong details at different stages of your campaign won't lead it to success.
This is where Gaming Influencer Marketing Agencies enter. They not only provide their guidance but devise new ways for you to make the most out of your influencer marketing strategy.
The cutthroat level of competition in the gaming industry makes this the most viable option.
The task of planning, creating, and enacting an influencer marketing strategy isn’t an easy task. A powerful marketing strategy requires time, resources, and an advanced team to pull off the whole operation.
Developers take the necessary precautions to ensure the desired outcomes to find the right influencers, screen them, explain the campaign (and ensure there are no loopholes), and keep an eye on them at every step. Obviously, this is a ton of work, and it can rob an organization of its essential goal, i.e., to provide excellent products for the market.
Thus, entrusting your campaign to experts in influencer marketing agencies is the best option. These influencer marketing agencies devote their time and efforts to the campaign to guarantee the desired outcomes, metrics, management, and support.
Influencer marketing has finally found a great spot in the gaming industry. This section of any product's marketing campaign is the most effective way of connecting with most of the targeted audience. It targets them right where they are (without the need to move an inch from the comfort of their home), easily overcomes the shortcomings of traditional marketing tactics, and is most definitely cost-effective.
Everything takes time. It may feel like a lot of work (which it most certainly is), but the promise of incredible results is 100% guaranteed. Putting effort into the correct aspect and focusing on certain areas helps generate the desired outcome.
Moreover, these influencers are experts in their respective fields, so their audience trusts them in their opinions and feedback. This concept of influencer marketing can be harnessed for any product to gain a community that stays with it.
