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Advances in development tools and access to platforms with fewer barriers to entry led to an explosion in the number of mobile games on the market. There are more than 700,000 games available in the Apple App and Google Play stores. An effective mobile game marketing campaign is critical to get noticed among this sea of competitors.
Key Takeaways:
When you think of marketing, the first thing that may come to mind is advertisements. However, advertising is just one component of a successful marketing campaign.
Businesses of all types use paid advertisements to promote their products. For mobile games, the primary channels for paid ads are in-game ads, ads on app stores, and social media ads. Some larger companies also advertise on television or streaming platforms, but these types of ads are generally more expensive.
Advertisements can increase your game’s visibility and may be the first place players learn that your game exists. Paying for ads in other similar mobile games can be an effective way to target customers who are likely to want to play your game.
Players actively looking for a game to play may browse or search the app store for an interesting title. Including app store optimization in your mobile game marketing campaign can help you get noticed by these potential customers.
App store optimization involves identifying and using the keywords that players search for and algorithms use to rank your game. Other factors that impact your app store rankings include reviews, ratings, and app revenue.
The popularity of social media platforms, such as Twitch, Discord, and TikTok, has made working with influencers a powerful way to increase brand awareness. Partnering with the right influencers can get your game seen by thousands or even millions of potential customers. Additionally, because influencers usually have a specific type of audience, you can target your influencer campaigns to the type of customer you want to attract.
Social media marketing involves purchasing paid ads that display on the feeds of social media users or video-sharing platforms, sharing your own and user-generated content, and engaging with social media users. Social media marketing is cost-effective because most platforms don’t charge a fee for use and it allows you to reach potential customers who are not actively seeking out a game to play.
Effective social media campaigns can turn your current customers into advocates for your game by enticing them to share your content with their followers. Engaging with users on social media can help you build a loyal fanbase.
Word-of-mouth advertising is a valuable component of any mobile game marketing campaign. Building player communities on social media, game forums, and other platforms allows you to engage with customers and potential customers. An active fanbase encourages new players to give your game a try and helps build buzz.
Content marketing through blog posts, videos, and infographics drives traffic to other marketing channels, such as your social media sites and website. Creating content also gives you something to share on your social media channels and in community forums. Additionally, valuable content can increase your brand awareness and get players interested in your games.
Understanding the various components of a mobile game marketing campaign is a good starting point, but you also need to know how to effectively make use of them. These best practices will help.
To stand out among all the competing games, you need to focus on a specific audience. Identify niches that current games are not serving and target the audience for those niches.
Randomly throwing marketing strategies against the wall isn’t usually very effective. Before you launch your first campaign, create a plan. Start by setting goals. Create a budget and determine how you will measure success. Consider your target audience and what makes your game unique when creating your plan.
Negative reviews can tank your mobile game marketing campaign by lowering your rankings on the app store and discouraging potential players from trying your game. Test your game to ensure it is bug-free before release.
Use a soft launch to roll your game out to a small number of players so that if there are still bugs, you can find and fix them before launching to a wider audience. Update your app regularly to ensure it continues to work well on new devices and operating systems. Solicit and respond to customer feedback.
A website serves as a central location where all of your marketing campaigns can direct customers to learn more about your game. Additionally, an optimized website can attract potential customers searching for games online. Include a promo video, gameplay trailer, screenshots, reviews, and a call to action on your site.
The more visually pleasing your app store pages and website are, the more downloads your game will get. Utilize high-quality screenshots that capture your game’s best features.
Create video content, such as gameplay trailers and previews, for your app store pages, website, and social media posts. Use A/B tests to determine which visuals get the best results.
The team at Sonamine provides asset creation, testing, and data analysis services to improve your mobile game marketing campaign. Additionally, we offer engagement campaigns, live ops, and other services that help you build a loyal fanbase of players who will promote your game for you. Contact us today to get started.
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For a limited time until December 2024, Sonamine is offering a 60 day money back guarantee to OneSignal customers. Come experience the ease and simplicity of the First Time Spender Nudge package and watch your conversions soar.
