When it comes to video game marketing and advertising, most developers struggle with how to get their games in front of as many eyeballs as possible. With marketing budgets at a premium, many smaller studios find it difficult to get their game in front of consumers. In this article, we’ll go through the various methods of video game marketing and advertising that are currently being used by developers, whether they be AAA studios or small indie developers.
What is Video Game Marketing?
Marketing is the process of getting your product, in this case, a video game, into the hands of consumers. For video games, this usually takes the form of advertisements, and most publishers utilize multiple channels to get the attention of potential buyers.
The goal of marketing is to get potential players to be aware of your product so that when the time comes for them to purchase a game, they decide to buy yours.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is a tried and tested way of growing your community and gaining exposure for your game. It makes sense to post regular updates and behind-the-scenes content to your social media accounts. Don’t spam your followers and friends with ads for your game, but try to create a genuine following and build a community around your studio.
For example, if your game features a leading character that interacts with your community on a regular basis, you can post updates from their perspective and drive more engagement with your posts.
Another example, Overwatch. They used social media to get attention and hype, and it paid off. It was considered a revolutionary game with fans to back it up.
Now with Overwatch 2, they are doing the same thing, use social media and build community. Now people are voicing their own Overwatch 2 tierlist.
Paid Advertising
Paid advertising is the process of paying to have your ads appear on other websites and social media pages. This can be anything from creating standard banner ads and paid product placements to purchase Google AdWords and Facebook ads.
These paid advertisements usually link to your game’s website or Steam store page, and they are a relatively cheap way of getting your game in front of a wider audience and driving more sales.