Before proceeding, we welcome you to our blog, where we discuss Influencer marketing in the gaming industry. A brand operating in a competitive niche, you, no doubt, have to deal with multiple challenges - from identifying target audiences for your game and competing with rival distributors and publishers to establishing the "IT" factor for your product, acquiring valuable data and emerging as an industry thought leader. Indeed, before arriving here, you would have tried different combinations of marketing channels - but fell short of achieving the necessary results. Don't worry; if gaming influencer marketing is on your mind, you have made the right choice.
We want to thank our friends at the top influencer marketing company for their census, which revealed a growing trend of brands willing to work with gaming Influencers to promote their products and services.
Gaming Influencers are popular social media entities with various traits that draw people around them to form large communities. They are experts in their field, and everyone wants to see them play. They make relatable content gamers love to binge on - whether for entertainment or to excel in their skills. Add to that out-of-world charm and personality, and you have individuals who can positively influence their audiences' perception of your business. As a result, more exposure for your product, a loyal customer base and consistent growth in sales.
Reason To Consider Working With Gaming Influencers
Wider market exposure
The growing number of video gamers is on the trajectory to reach 3.1 Billion in 2027 (Source: Statista), making the gaming industry one of the biggest in the world. These are people who, with some persuasion, can turn into your loyal customers. However, with so many competing for their attention, you need an expert with the necessary influence.
Let's say you are a video producer who needs to create a buzz for his new product. Having a game influencer like Ninja or Sssniperwolf play your game during their live streams can bring massive exposure as hundreds of thousands of gamers tune in weekly. They can also share their experience and great positive word-of-mouth from your product.
Changes in customer behavior
Gaming Influencers are trendsetters - meaning when they do something, their audience follows. You can use this trait to persuade your target audience to act in specific ways.
Let us Build on the previous example. After the tremendous success of your video game, you decided to launch an app version of your game and want your target audience to shift attention from online buying to app downloads. By having gaming Influencers lead with the download, you can get most of your acquired audience to follow in their footsteps.
More opportunities for interaction
Indeed, communicating with a target audience is something you prioritize greatly. That said, by appearing as a guest during your gaming influencers' livestream sessions or gaming exhibitions and events, you can interact with your customers, gain feedback, and form personal connections. Moreover, by frequently communicating with your audience, you assure them that you value their opinion and are trying to give them positive experiences through your services.
Strategies for Gaming Influencer Marketing
Collaborative Strategy
Working together is the essence of a successful influencer marketing campaign, and collaborative strategy enforces this to full effect by involving gaming Influencers before and after the game's launch.
Gaming Influencers are given beta game copies for testing and providing insights on improvement. The game's final release is promoted to an audience through interactive content like let's plays, playthroughs, and gameplay showcases where gaming Influencers stream the game live, post sneak peeks and provide reviews and opinions to help the audience understand the game better.
Community Building Strategy
Community-building strategies can take many forms - from organizing contests and giveaways with winners getting relevant prices, inviting gaming influencers to livestream brand-sponsored gaming events, collaborating with other industry influencers with close affinity to gaming niches, or posting behind-the-scenes brand moments for building humanized connections.
Long-term strategy
Gaming influencer marketing thrives on longevity, delivering more results with time. Long-term strategies focus on identifying and working with influential Influencers over multiple campaigns to instil a sense of trust and authenticity in the minds of your target audience. When gaming Influencers stick around, so do their followers.
Subject matter experts feeling confident enough to associate with your brand for a long time is a vital indication to your customers that they think your products and services are worth considering.
Gaming Influencer Marketing: Examples
Ninja X Fortnite
Richard Tyler Blevins, aka Ninja, is a YouTube and Twitch streamer famous for playing Fortnite. Everything he does - from streaming weekly Fortnite gameplays and providing honest commentary to inviting celebrities and artists to play with him and featuring on popular media outlets has created massive exposure for the game to a larger market.
Ninja X Fortnite is a classic example of a long-term partnership where a gaming influencer continues introducing new characters, features, and upgrades to an established fanbase.
Epic Games also organizes tournaments featuring several gaming influencers who compete in front of a massive crowd, thus generating viewership and engagement.
H20Delirious X Far Cry 5
After releasing the first-person shooter game Far Cry 5, Ubisoft recruited a top gaming influencer, H20Delirious, to promote on his channel.
The YouTuber created a series of content where he plays the game and provides unbiased humorous commentary about in-game specifications, characters, vehicles and weapons. His viral videos created massive buzz and excitement - exposing the game to a broader market.
Ninja X RedBull
Energy drink producer Red Bull teamed up with Ninja to create limited edition Red Bull cans with the streamer's face on them. The goal is to promote Red Bull's foray into the world of gaming event organizers.
During the campaign, the customers were asked to visit RedBull's official page and upload their pre-recorded Fortnite game plays. The company would select players with exceptional skills for a chance to play with Ninja himself and receive the influencer's merchandise.
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