- A strong marketing strategy for your game can help with initial and long-term success
- Social media is a powerful marketing tool which not only generates a buzz around your game but also builds a loyal following
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How you market your game can play a significant role in getting players on board and ultimately driving revenue. While ads and other paid marketing strategies are useful, organic marketing also has a lot of power.
These marketing strategies can range from strengthening your social media presence to collaborating with influencers to spread awareness of your game and present the image you wish your audience to see.
In this article, Fundamentally Games publishing content manager Stephanie Field takes an extensive look at organic marketing, detailing its advantages and the approaches you can take, from understanding your target audience to utilising storefronts and getting influencers involved.
In the competitive world of game development, standing out from the crowd without breaking the bank can be a big challenge. Organic marketing refers to techniques used to attract and build an audience through unpaid or indirectly paid efforts using methods such as ASO and community management.
Organic marketing refers to strategies used to attract and engage an audience without relying solely on paid advertising.
Whether you create mobile, PC, or console games, social media can be an effective way to generate buzz for your game and build up and maintain a base of loyal players. It is an indispensable skill in your game marketing toolbox.
But before diving into the specifics, it’s important to understand the foundations of marketing your game.
What is organic marketing?
Organic marketing refers to strategies used to attract and engage an audience without relying solely on paid advertising.
Organic marketing aims to grow a brand’s reach by building connections by utilising tools such as content creation, social media engagement, search engine optimisation (SEO) and app store optimisation (ASO).
Know your game
When it comes to developing a strong marketing strategy for your game, the first step is fully understanding the product you are selling.
Take a step back and think about your game. What are the key selling points? What are the core mechanics of your game? Can you summarise your game into a short elevator pitch? Why should people care about your game? Think about what players will love about your game and what will appeal to them. This is important as you often need to make a first impression quickly in the fast-paced world of social media.
Another key point is to look at your game holistically – marketing (including organic) is not an afterthought and should be tied into the design of your game from the very beginning.
Know your audience
A huge part of advertising your game revolves around who your audience are. This involves more than just demographics or preferred game genre; this requires a deeper understanding of their interests, desires and behaviours.
Once you have a clear picture of your audience, you can think about how to reach them.
To know how to best reach your audience, you need to understand the player’s journey from discovery to sale. Think about the players – who they are, where they are, and what sort of games they usually play. For example, if you are making a cosy game, your players will be found in very different niches than FPS players.
Once you have a clear picture of your audience, you can think about how to reach them. Do they discover games through social media, influencers, or through reading game reviews? Which are their preferred platforms? Often, you will find a mix that varies depending on genre and player profile.
The next step is to consider what they want to see. If they discover your game, what aspects of it are most important to them? How do you relate the key selling points of your game to them? Often, you only have a few seconds to grab your player’s interest, so referring back to the key selling points of your game is important here.
Define a tone of voice & brand identity
Before you start marketing your game, you should decide on your tone of voice. This is critical in creating a consistent, recognisable identity that resonates with your audience.
Before you start marketing your game, you should decide on your tone of voice.
This is important as it must be consistent across all places your game appears – socials, storefronts, or even your website. It should also tie in with your game’s genre and tone.
Start by asking yourself a few questions. Is your game funny, exciting or relaxing? This should help you build a baseline. You ideally want to keep this feeling ‘personal’ and not robotic/corporate. This removes a ‘barrier to entry’ by making people feel less detached from the product.
Players judge a book by its cover, so you need strong visuals to support your game’s identity. Optimally, you should have at least two or three pieces of key art you can use to market your game.
Think of one as a primary and use this one as your main header images and key art. This should also be your primary artwork visible next to your logo across all places your game is marketed (including social media).
Build a community where they are
Using social media for your game is more than just a marketing strategy; it’s a way to connect with your community and build meaningful engagement.
By using these channels effectively, you will increase your visibility and cultivate a fanbase that actively participates in and contributes to the ongoing success of your game.
Firstly, you need to consider post types. You will not gain followers by directly and repeatedly asking players to download your game; instead, consider how to provide value to your players.
Look at the social media accounts of games (or developers) you follow and think about why you follow them. What does their posting schedule look like? Do they show content that makes you excited to play their game or see more of it? What is their tone of voice? Considering these aspects will allow you to start building a picture of how your social media plan should work.
Using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter/X, Discord and Reddit require tailored strategies due to the nature and user expectations of each platform.
Establishing a baseline pattern of posting is a great place to start. Consistency is essential for building a following.
Authenticity is crucial for building a genuine connection with your audience. To utilise each platform effectively, you need to understand its unique qualities and cultures.
Using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter/X, Discord and Reddit require tailored strategies due to the nature and user expectations of each platform. You need to create valuable and relevant content that fits with your audience’s interests and expectations – the key is striking a balance between promoting your game and providing content that feels organic and genuine. Players value content that adds value to their experience and enriches their understanding and enjoyment of the game.
You also need to consider your game’s positioning and how you want your players to act. This will change depending on where you are in the development process.
Are you looking to launch your game, build up your wishlists, or maintain a player base? In early development stages, for example, you should consider growing interest in your game with the aim of converting to wishlists longer term. At this stage, sharing the development of your game and engaging with players is very important.
You also need to remember that your audience will not just grow on its own – you must constantly stay on top of trends and seek new avenues for growth. This is a long game of trial and error and doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You need to monitor trends on each platform you intend to use, and tie in content with your other platforms.
Building a community isn’t just down to you – you also need to look at how to build advocates within your game’s community. Identify players who are passionate about your game and regularly engage with content. By recognising their contributions and encouraging their involvement in the community, these players can help you grow your community by spreading positive word-of-mouth, creating new content, and engaging with other players, which can help amplify your game’s reach.
By understanding each stage of your journey and tailoring your marketing efforts, you can effectively engage with your audience and guide them towards becoming loyal players of your game.
Build influencer relations
When it comes to discovering new games, a large proportion of players discover them through influencers on platforms such as TikTok, Twitch, or YouTube.
While paying influencers can yield quick results, building lasting relationships with content creators is an effective long-term strategy.
While paying influencers can yield quick results, building lasting relationships with content creators is an effective long-term strategy.
Influencers who feel a real connection to your game are more likely to create enthusiastic content. Building these relations is a two-way street – take some time to understand what matters to them and ensure your game is a good fit (using the player profiles you previously defined is useful here). Foster open communication and provide them with content such as early access and additional keys to give away to players to show that you value them and their audience.
When creating influencer content, particularly on a small budget, it is important to remember that sometimes content draughts can happen. This doesn’t necessarily mean the influencer isn’t interested in your game; it can just mean they have a packed schedule. Patience is key!
Another positive aspect of building influencer relations is being able to reshare content on your social media channels. This not only amplifies their reach but also provides real-world proof of your game’s appeal. It also allows you to diversify your content and build a more engaging social media presence while opening the door for communication with the streamer and their community.
When reaching out to influencers, the less complicated it is for an influencer to get all the necessary information (without excessive back and forth), the more likely they are to take on your game.
Utilise game platforms/storefronts
Another important factor is utilising your chosen store platforms. These platforms serve as a channel for selling your game and as a tool for building and engaging your community. Depending on which platform you choose, this can look different.
Consider your ASO. This involves improving the appeal of your title through visuals, keywords, and description to increase the likelihood of not just your game being found but also of conversions to sales.
Some simple but important first steps include making sure your game is tagged correctly, that your game description is effective, and that you use a variety of high-quality screenshots of your game and feature any trailers you may have.
Regularly updating your store listing (and any attached news channels) with new features, in-game events, and planned updates plays a crucial part in maintaining your storefront and making your game feel ‘alive’.
Also, it’s important to use the tools available to you on your chosen platform.
On Steam, for example, this can include using the community tabs to post regular content that keeps your content fresh, as well as utilising tools to increase visibility and engagement. How you use these tools specifically is highly personal to your game, but the core principles often stay the same. For example, Steam’s community hubs allow players to share content and connect with each other, as well as offer a direct line of communication from developers to players.
Make sure to respond to player feedback frequently and quickly, particularly negative feedback or reviews.
Make sure to respond to player feedback frequently and quickly, particularly negative feedback or reviews. Platforms like Steam, Google Play, and the App Store often prioritise games that demonstrate active developer engagement, especially in response to critical feedback, as algorithms favour games with active and responsive development teams.
Ultimately, this can attract more potential players and improve the overall perception and success of your game, as players feel heard and the feeling of the game being ‘dead’ is removed, which in turn builds trust with players.
Taking part in platform events and sales is also important. Make sure you pick relevant sales where your fanbase (and potential new users) are looking for games they may be interested in. Players who are browsing sales are in a ‘buying mood’, so they may be more likely to view and convert. This also helps to bring your game to a section of players who are interested in games with similar themes but may not have seen yours yet.
Conclusion
As you take your first steps into marketing your game, remember that success is a marathon, not a sprint.
Time, persistence, continual testing, and iteration are essential components of your strategy and are key to staying ahead of the game.
As you take your first steps into marketing your game, remember that success is a marathon, not a sprint.
Defining your tone of voice and brand identity can ensure consistent communication and help you establish a baseline. Understanding your audience allows you to tailor your strategies to your market, and understanding your game enables you to highlight its features and strengths.
Effectively utilising game storefronts, cultivating influencer relations, and building a buzzing community are crucial parts of successful game marketing. Building strong relationships can extend your reach, create genuine endorsements and provide you with shareable content.
By integrating a mix of these practices into your strategy, you can create a strong plan that not only attracts but sustains a loyal and engaged community for your game.
Most importantly, recognise that your strategy is highly personal – shaped by your game’s unique qualities and your target audience. Persistence, patience, and perseverance are key to navigating the complex landscape of organic marketing and achieving long-term success for your game.
Edited by Paige Cook
