Influencer marketing becoming an integral part of the marketing mix for many brands and we reviewed it deeper before. The gaming industry is not an exception. However, because of the market and product specific there are some significant differences in the promotion of the video game in comparison with non-gaming brands approaches. Let’s review the main principles that define a successful influencer campaign for a game.
Defining Goals and KPIs
Similar to any marketing activity, to promote a video game, the first thing you need to do is understand your business's long-term goals and what steps you need to take to achieve them. Then, by breaking it down and taking a closer look, assess how each campaign or influencer's promotion will serve the overall strategy.
Here are the main stages of the game lifecycle and some goals and KPIs companies set at each stage.
1. Pre-production and concept development.
Marketing goals:
- Building a community of early testers to test messaging, collect feedback and get early players.
Possible KPI’s:
- Number of discord members or followers on social media (X, TikTok, Instagram)
- Engagement rate in the community
2. Production and playtesting
Marketing goals:
- Get an audience for playtests
- Grow a community that later will convert into customers
- Gain wishlists
KPI’s:
- Number of community members in social media and Discord, engagement rate
- Number of newsletter subscribers and open rate
- Number of wishlists on Steam
- Users signed up to participate in a playtest
3. Pre-launch stage
Marketing goals:
- Estimate potential sales and payback period
- Gain wishlists
KPI’s:
- Number of wishlists on Steam or in custom waitlist
- Search volume
- Impressions and/or views of the trailer and other promo materials
4. Launch of the game
Marketing goals:
- Sales
- Optimised ROI
KPI’s:
- Purchases
- Customer acquisition cost and ROI
- Store page traffic and conversion rate
- Reviews, organic content and number of media publications
These are just some of the ideas; each game marketer should customize goals and their measurements in a way that is relevant to a specific game.
It's important to remember that at each stage, you should have ambitious but realistic goals, taking into account your resources, available budget, and business model.
Each KPI should have a quantitative measure. By definition, a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable target that indicates how individuals or businesses are performing.
Selection of Channels and Formats
Now when you know your goals and KPIs you can choose channels. There are many ways for game developers to approach marketing: participation in online and offline events, paid ads, guerilla marketing, organic content and many more. But today our focus is specifically on the influencer marketing role.
Within influencer marketing, there are many formats and channels for collaboration. Before approaching think about your goals and KPIs again. You should move from your needs to solutions, not vice versa. Because many marketers trying to follow trends just because all other games doing this. While this only limits you and may bring low results.
Here are a few main channels and formats and recommendations on when to use them:
1. Short-form posts.
TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and posts on X (formerly Twitter) or Discord communities can capture the attention of many new potential players, but videos on those channels usually result in a quick spike of interest at the moment. That's why they are a good way to communicate updates and news about the game and build initial awareness.
2. Long-form long-lasting content.
It can be YouTube or publications in blogs. Usually, it’s reviews or Let's play videos. These will make a good fit for building a deeper understanding of the game and a final push towards conversion. However, results might be stretched over time. Consider it as mid-funnel.
3. Live-streaming.
Twitch, Kick, TikTok, or YouTube — all have their audience and pool of live streamers. This format allows for building better engagement and can serve all goals in different ways. Live streams also work for a limited time, usually peaking in performance during the stream with fewer views and conversions in the next few hours. However, you can always clip the best moments and turn those into long-lasting content, as EVE Online did for their promo.
Which one is the best? A combination of many at a time! Using multiple formats when you're collaborating with an influencer will allow you to extend reach, increase frequency, and build a better connection with the influencer's audience.
The Key to Success
Building a strategy that fits your game is the main key to success. Influencers can be a powerful tool but don’t expect to get results without spending the first time researching your audience, finding relevant influencers and authentic collaboration.
The Influencer Marketing Hub names this list of key elements to success with influencer marketing in gaming:
- Audience Relevance
- Consistency and quality of content
- Campaign Integration
- Long-Term Partnerships
- Performance Measurement
It can be tough to manage all at the time and to do it with tens of creators in parallel. Professional tools, marketing communities and professional agencies can help and speed up your progress. Contact TrapPlan today to build your influencer marketing strategy and win thousands of new players!
