The gaming industry has come a long way over the last few decades. The rise of marketing efforts combined with accessible technology and devices has become a global phenomenon and valued the industry value of more than $150 billion.
Projections show that by 2023, there will be over three billion gamers worldwide, and the industry's rapid, exponential growth seems to show no signs of slowing down. The global video game market is more crowded than ever before, and indie games have to compete with well-funded titles.
In such a competitive, exciting industry, brands have to implement bold strategies to put their products in front of prospective customers. One of the most successful solutions is influencer marketing, according to analysis by leading influencer marketing agency, HypeFactory.
The rise of Influencers and Gaming
Similar to gaming, the influencer industry has shown rapid growth in recent years, with the market effectively doubling in size back since 2016 and being expected to hit $15 billion in 2022.
This is because consumers are relying more on their favourite online personalities and social media stars for product and lifestyle recommendations. This has proven to be particularly effective in the gaming industry. As a result, brands can enjoy impressive results through influencer partnerships, building awareness, and demand for their products and services.
When we think of influence marketing, Instagram is the first platform that typically springs to mind, and the statistics back this up, with close to 90% of all influence marketing campaigns including Instagram as part of their marketing initiatives.
Multi-platform usage
Instagram is undoubtedly the most used platform for influencer engagement overall, however, when it comes to gaming influencers, other platforms have proven to be more effective. With some of YouTube's most-subscribed accounts being video game players, it's clear to see that the potential reach for an influencer campaign of this kind can be enormous.
Gaming influencers can use "Let's plays" and gameplay videos to show-off games. This is ideal for engaging a target audience as it is more tangible than a still image.
Streaming and e-sports championships, such as Fortnite, attract millions of gamers and viewers to platforms such as Twitch. By marketing through gaming influencers, brands can have a huge amount of interaction with audiences and are guaranteed a great return as there is a great level of viewer trust with streamers.
Using the right techniques
There's a lot that goes into building an efficient gaming influencer campaign, and HypeFactory would know, becoming the go-to influencer marketing agency for many leading brands. So how do developers, publishers, and other gaming professionals make effective use of influencer marketing to generate hype and attention for their app or game?
It all begins with finding the right format for each promo and choosing a platform that appeals to the intended audience, before selecting a form of promotion that best suits the game in question. This could be a simple minute-long gameplay clip as part of a larger YouTube video, or a live Let's Play stream.
Forecasts, predictions, and data analysis can assist with the development of an influencer campaign, and influence marketing agencies are able to assist with this, making use of a range of technologies and systems to plan out the best course of action for each campaign.
Focusing on ROI
For game developers, the struggle to get a new title noticed is a very real part of their marketing campaign. The secret is to perform digital campaigns in a way that provides the best ROI and that will stand a better chance of getting the attention of end users.
TV spots and magazine coverage can still help to sell games, but it's clear to see that influence marketing is becoming an increasingly dominant force in this field and should form an integral part of any serious marketing efforts.