Marketing Secrets from the Gaming Industry
The gaming industry is set to go down in history as a thoroughly modern 21st-century success story. Having boomed exponentially over the last two decades, the development and rollout of advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality, as well as the emergence of the highly lucrative mobile gaming market, have propelled video gaming into a billion-dollar, global monolith. In fact, according to Tech Jury, the gaming industry will be worth as much as $180 billion by the end of this year.
Having swiftly moved from being a niche market into a globally popular business ecosystem, gaming verticals are over-saturated marketplaces that pose unique challenges to marketers. Maximising visibility in such an uber-competitive industry has been a tough nut to crack for gaming brands, but there are some who’ve discovered a winning formula.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the marketing secrets utilised across the industry, which you can implement into your business whether you’re launching a new brand, relaunching an existing one, or are hoping to increase customer interaction.
It all starts with Rich User Data
Automation is a fundamental element of today’s marketing landscape. While most platforms will automatically capture and collect data, it’s important to look at the type of information your platforms are collecting to ensure that you can then create actionable and effective strategies.
Rich user data is most valuable when it’s relevant to your business and your marketing goals. It’s always better to capture more data than less but ensure the platform you use collects the full customer journey.
Take into account things like the following to ensure you get the whole picture:
- Lifecycle stage
- Localisation
- Demographic
- Behavioural attributes
Be more Social
In the video gaming markets, social media marketing has become one of the most prominent tactics used by brands to capture the attention of potential customers. Implementing social media into your marketing strategy is a foolproof way to increase customer connection and interaction, and generate a buzz about your brand and any upcoming product or service launches you have.
It may take time to master, but an effective social media strategy can be limitless, especially if you integrate free platforms like YouTube. The video content giant is now the second largest search engine after Google, so it offers a vast playing field of opportunities to engage with new customers and promote your business. You can also take advantage of the platform’s advertising service to promote your finished content to your target demographic.
Foster Brand Loyalty
The iGaming market is a fast-growing one that appeals to millions of players across the world, irrespective of their demographic or previous gaming experience. Like video gaming, iGaming is a highly saturated market, so fostering brand loyalty amongst the user base is a must for any brand that wants to succeed.
One of the ways in which iGaming operators achieve this is to award bonuses and promotions to players in certain situations, such as a reward for a completed Challenge. This type of promotional strategy can also be extended to more personalised rewards, such as anniversary or birthday bonuses. Personalised promotions show each and every customer that they’re valuable to your business, significantly increasing their loyalty and retention in the process.
Extend your Influence
Being such an ultra-modern industry, it’s perhaps no surprise that gaming has fully embraced and harnessed the power of influencer marketing. When it comes to reaching millennial audiences and getting products in front of the right people, influencer marketing is fast becoming king.
Due to the huge potential reach that gaming influencers can have, this type of strategy does require substantial resources on the part of the gaming brand. However, not all influencer marketing needs to be on a promotion for cash basis.
Look at your existing customer base or professional network; are there any prominent individuals with a large audience that would be willing to work with you? Think outside the box in terms of what you’d be able to offer them. It could be exclusive access for a limited period to a new service, or a substantial discount on their favourite products or new releases.
