With just a little of your time, you can make your game more successful, reach new players and increase your game revenue. Use these 6 creative steps to promote your game and connect with your fans.
Spread the Word About Your Game
It’s no secret that game marketing is one of the most important parts in game development. These short tips will explain you how to do the basic promotion for your game. For more advanced options and details, simply search the web - you will find plenty of useful information about game promotion.
Game promotion can be started even prior to its release. Here’s a short scheme what can be done before and after your game launch.
Pre-Release
Create a blog (you can use it as the main informational page for your game).
Use social networks (where you can repost blog posts). The most important ones: Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+.
Start posting content related to your game (sketches, ideas, short gameplay videos, etc.), repost from other TutoTOONS users and topics that might be interested for your target audience.
Post-Release
Promote content about your game through forums, YouTube channels, bloggers, Twitter users with the same target audience.
Ask TutoTOONS community for promotion.
Ask your friends to help share your posts.
Example: LightDrop Games
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LightDropGames
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LightDrop_en
G+: https://plus.google.com/+Lightdropgames/posts
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59F9Ub6JZ_2CCl_27Dsz2A
Now, let’s have a closer look at each of the pre- and post-release promotion steps.
Pre-Release
Here I am going to give you some basic advice on how to promote your game before it is released. This way you can reach new people who will be the first to download your game and spread the word about it.
1. Blog
Blog is the first thing that you need to start when you are going to promote your game on the internet. Use your blog as the base for your posts. Your social media posts should lead to your blog, and vice versa. If managed right, a good blog can bring you your first players and fans who will share information about your game.
The most popular platforms to start a blog:
WordPress
Blogger
Tumblr
2. Social Networks
Once you have a blog, it’s time to set up social media profiles. You will use them to connect with your players and fans, and direct them to your blog.
The most important networks to use are:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google+
Here is a very comprehensive article that covers social media profiles from A to Z, written by Evan LePage, a blog specialist for Hootsuite. I’ve selected some of LePage ideas and tips that will motivate you and help to promote your game. However, reading the whole article will give you an in-depth look at the most popular social media channels.
“Your Facebook profile is one of the largest social media profiles on the web. Since Facebook is also the biggest social network on the planet, with 1.3 billion users, it’s important that people are able to quickly find you and connect.”
“Take the time to fill out all sections with care, as customers and prospects will turn to them frequently. You also have the opportunity to write a lengthy “About” description of your game. Use this space to show visitors who you are, what you do and why they should care.”
Suggested image dimensions:
Profile picture: 180×180 px
Cover photo: 851×315 px
“Whether it’s a personal or branded account, Twitter profiles are exactly the same for everyone. This should be an advantage, since you don’t need to learn different processes if you’re building a profile for you or your business. That isn’t to say these profiles don’t require effort. Just like the network’s approach to social media as a whole, Twitter profiles are a test in brevity.”
Suggested image dimensions:
Profile photo: 400×400 px
Header image: 1500×500 px
“Many people are quick to brush off Google+, when in fact it has some of the most passionate social media users today. Add the fact that Google+ profiles have a role in Google search results of your name or brand, and you shouldn’t need any more reason to work hard on your Google+ presence.”
Suggested image dimensions:
Profile picture: 120×120 px (minimum)
Cover photo: 1080×608 px
3. Posts & Content
Let’s proceed to another important question - what should I post?
First, you should know your target audience. It’s very important because you want to post content that will be interesting for your game fans and followers.
If you made a game for kids like many other TutoTOONS creators, your target audience is parents. They are the ones who will download your game for their kids. Example of content that might be interesting for parents: interesting facts about games for kids, how games help kids (improve kids reaction, foster kids imagination and creativity, develop motor skills, etc.), and similar.
Second, do not forget to share and repost content of other TutoTOONS game creators and team members, as well as news from interesting contributors to game industry.
And third, prepare game-related content while working on your game. It can be sketches of characters or game levels, finished game scenes and graphics, sneak peek gameplay videos - all the nice and interesting things that you created.
Post-Release
Once you have your blog, social media accounts are ready and your game is about to be published, it’s time to focus on promoting your game.
1. Share Content with Your Target Audience
By now, you should already know who is your target audience and what they like. Best way to reach them is to share information in places they visit online.
For example, you can target online forums where moms and dads share parenting information with each other. Try to post and offer parents a new interesting game for their kids in which, e. g., kids can learn something new. But be nice and friendly, online communities don’t like spam in their chats!
Another way to promote your game is to contact people who influence your target audience, and share your content through them. Examples of places to share your game info:
Mom bloggers (http://www.topmommyblogs.com/pages/index.php)
Educational games on Twitter (https://twitter.com/educationalgame)
2. Promotion through TutoTOONS Community
We all have a common interest in creating quality games, promoting them and ultimately earning more revenue. If one TutoTOONS game becomes popular, it promotes other games, and so on. That’s why all community members are encouraged to help each other and share content of each other.
For this purpose, we have #games-marketing channel in TutoTOONS Slack where you can share your information and encourage others to re-share it. And, of course, do not hesitate to share information of other team members. ;)
3. Promotion through Your Personal Network
You most-likely have some personal social profiles already, so why don’t use it to promote your game? Sharing information with your personal network is the easiest way to get the first followers and reach people who might be interested in what you are doing.
Write a nice email about your game (introduce it, add links to App Store and Google Play, some screenshots, link to video, etc.) and send it to your friends, family and contacts once the game is released.
Quality game reviews and good ratings are very important for your game discovery and downloads. How to get reviewed? Simply ask your friends for help! Make sure they leave a positive comment about your game and help you get to the top.
Written By Iurii Znak
