It’s been just over two decades since Bill Gates ominously declared, “Content is King”. Though many may have disagreed at the time, Mr. Gates’ seemingly clairvoyant statement has proven to be absolutely true. Thus with content being the ruling method of marketing a brand, it’s crucial to have a strong content strategy. And although many of the top game developers have solid content strategies, some have a missing link.
‘What’s the missing link?’ you might ask? Influencer Marketing!
An endorsement from a respected expert not only perfects a content strategy but also leads to increased financial gain, brand trust, and authenticity. And while the extent of necessary influencer marketing is different per brand, to omit it entirely is a huge loss not only for your game but also the millions of gamers who might not have learned of your game if it weren’t for their favorite influencer.
Whether you’re new to Influencer Marketing or are a seasoned veteran, the act of turning the influencer’s proverbial “thumbs up” into awareness and eventually sales is an art form that few brands have mastered solely on their own. At GameInfluencer, Influencer Marketing is our “bread and butter” — we spend our days partnering with developers to create and deploy the most effective influencer campaigns for their game and overall strategy. Our process of integrating influencers into a content strategy is methodical and uniquely tailored per campaign. Read on for insight into how we advise this integration take place.
Strategize First
First and foremost, revert back to your general marketing strategy in order to create an Influencer Content Objective. Asking yourself the question ‘What do I want to achieve from an influencer partnership?’ will help you clearly define your objective(s). In the end, the objective is different for every brand and game, though to give you a head start, some general objectives are:
- Build awareness
- Increase community size
- Establish a strong community
- Educate players on different game features
Once you’ve created a solid Influencer Content Objective, you’re ready to translate this goal into Content Categories.
Translate Objective into Content Categories
The process of translating your objective into content categories should be done with great intention. Don’t just try to fill a content quota; instead, consider which types of content best fit the objective and would also be engaging for your audience.
For example, in a campaign recently completed with the publisher PONOS, the objective was to increase user interaction, also known as community engagement, for their game “The Battle Cats”. Some content categories that could achieve this objective are: tournaments, influencer face-offs or a contest and there are countless more.
In the case of The Battle Cats, GameInfluencer created a contest where entrants were to design their own creative Battle Cat and then submit their drawing for the chance for it to be implemented into the game.
With an innovative content concept and by partnering with the right influencers, PONOS received over 3,000 submissions and had an impressive increase in user retention.
If community engagement isn’t your objective, consider other types of content like product reviews, Let’s Play, or Shout Outs. After you’ve delineated what type of content categories suit your objective, it’s time to select the appropriate influencers.
Pair Content Categories with Influencers
Without help or the proper know-how, searching for and finding the right influencer can be an exhaustive process. Nevertheless, analyzing core channel metrics such as audience, watch time, view and engagement metrics are necessary for optimal pairing and campaign success.
After identifying the “perfect match”, craft a content brief and consult the influencer in order to create a concept that best fits their channel. Once the concept is solidified between parties, it’s best to let the influencer work his or her magic. After all, they’re thought leaders for a reason.
Case in point, in a campaign run for the game Tiny Armies where the objective was to drive installs of active and highly engaged core gamers in Germany, the content produced by the four identified influencers led increased installs and user retention that was 14% higher than average.
Deploy and Measure
After developing your influencer content objective, translating said objective into content types and finding the right influencers to partner with, it is time to deploy your campaign and subsequently track and measure its’ success.
During and especially post-campaign, we recommend closely examining each facet in order to understand which elements have performed the strongest and which could have done better. Doing so sets the foundation for future campaigns that can be scaled based on the success of the current one.
Influencer Marketing: The New Content King
With the ever-changing market conditions, consumer expectations and growing amount of media channels, it’s increasingly important to produce remarkable content. Since the degree of content noteworthiness is dependant upon your approach, we recommend approaching your customers via Influencer Marketing as it proves, more often than not, to be more effective than other methods.
