- How to promote your video game with influencer marketing on TikTok?
- Published 07/11/2023
- 9 min Read
- Written by Julia Shandrokha
Table of contents
The gaming industry is fiercely competitive, and for game developers, gaining visibility is as crucial as the quality of their games. Influencer marketing has emerged as a vital tool in this struggle for attention. Working with prominent personalities within the gaming community is sure to amplify your video game’s presence in the industry.
TikTok has become a global hub for gamers to produce and consume content, with over half of its users watching gaming-related videos every day. The platform’s immersive, sound-on, full-screen video format is ideal for showcasing gameplay, providing walkthroughs, and celebrating game culture through cosplay and fan discussions. Gamers on TikTok are highly engaged and always seeking to explore and discuss their preferred games. Therefore, game publishers should actively participate in the platform’s vibrant community, and contribute to the fun and communal experience that characterizes TikTok’s gaming content.
Promoting video games on TikTok with influencer marketing can significantly amplify a game’s popularity, and help it make a memorable mark in the industry. In this article, the Famesters experts showcase the effectiveness of influencer marketing strategies in elevating game developers’ profiles. We’re going to present you with strategic ways to use TikTok effectively to enhance the visibility and engagement of your new video game.
WHY IS IT WORTH PROMOTING VIDEO GAMES ON TIKTOK?
TikTok boasts a substantial gaming community, with the top 100 gaming-related hashtags in the US averaging over 30 billion views per month. Furthermore, a study by TikTok’s research partner, Material, found that 82% of TikTok users engage in gaming activities at least weekly.
The Material study revealed that when users interacted with games on TikTok:
- 41% proceeded to download the game;
- 26% made a purchase to play the game.
The statistics indicate that the average gaming audience member on TikTok follows 12 business accounts. Additionally, 61% of TikTok users tend to view brands in a more positive light if they engage with or initiate trends on the platform. Moreover, followers are significantly more engaged, with a 191% higher likelihood of liking or commenting on content compared to non-followers.
Two years ago, on November 2, TikTok held its first global gaming event, featuring key speaker Assaf Sagy, to position the platform as a top destination for gaming industry growth. The event highlighted TikTok’s effectiveness in promoting game discovery and its unique, inclusive entertainment value. The summit also featured success stories from renowned game publishers like EA, 2K, Homa, Playtika, and VNGGames, that have effectively launched games on the platform. Moreover, the event spotlighted TikTok creators Kennedy (@cozy.games), Khleo Thomas (@khleothomas), and Stephen Ddungu (@stephen_ddungu), underscoring their influence on game discovery and their role in enabling brands to connect with an eager audience looking for new gaming experiences.
Sami Thessman, VP of Global Marketing Creative, 2K Games, said the following: “TikTok is the platform where the audience is and the scale is massive and global. And I think it has been impacting in a way that we have been re-thinking also how we can create content at the speed of culture. And then, that leads for us, to actually do better games, but also much, much more insightful marketing.”
PLANNING YOUR STRATEGY FOR SUCCESSFUL VIDEO GAME PROMOTING ON TIKTOK
When planning a content strategy for gaming on TikTok, it’s crucial to acknowledge the rapid pace at which content trends and narratives develop on the platform. Both users and brands continuously contribute to this evolution by introducing fresh trends and storylines daily. To enhance your organic strategy on TikTok, consider incorporating various creative ideas and tactics tailored to this dynamic environment.
For an impactful gaming brand strategy on TikTok, you should make a well-established brand character, create organic content, stick to a posting calendar, as well as brainstorm TikTok possibilities consistently, building a strong community around your brand. To level up your brand, it’s also essential to collaborate with the relevant TikTok content creators. Let’s delve into these points step by step.
Establish your brand’s character
- Define your TikTok identity: reflect on the aspects of your game that resonate with the culture on TikTok, and use those to shape a consistent brand personality.
- Create a persona: choose a character, a mascot, or an avatar that personifies your brand on the platform, making it distinctive and memorable.
- Consistency is key: using a specific set of characteristics, ensure that your brand’s voice, tone, and visual identity remain consistent across all TikTok content to guide your content creation.
Brainstorm TikTok possibilities for organic content creation
Achieving success on TikTok hinges on a deep comprehension of the platform’s community.
Think creatively when promoting your video game on TikTok
Explore unique perspectives to showcase your brand, blending game features with TikTok’s native content formats. You can use in-game elements or company assets to generate fresh TikTok topics. Promoting your video game elements such as gameplay, characters, weapons, and maps, you provide viewers with an authentic peek into the game and maintain the interest of your fan base.
Engage with trends
Brands should actively participate by exploring and experimenting with various trends that may originate from distinctive sounds, captions, or in-app effects. Embracing these trends can help discover what resonates best with their audience.
Utilize TikTok’s Trend Intelligence tools in the Creative Center to incorporate trending elements, such as hashtags, sounds, and video effects into your content to enhance your storytelling. Here we’ve already shared with you an idea of creating a secondary, blank TikTok account for a broader view of content and trends beyond your niche. Monitoring the Discover page helps you understand trending topics and hashtags, which can be leveraged to increase the visibility of your game-related content.
Keeping an eye on the gaming section and participating in relevant challenges can increase your chances of being featured, and networking with other participants may lead to future collaborations.
Involve subcultures
To broaden their reach on TikTok, game developers should integrate their content with the diverse subcultures present on the platform. Gaming intersects with various other interests such as baking, dancing, fashion, beauty, and entertainment. By aligning their content with these subcultures, gaming brands can engage their core audience more deeply and simultaneously appeal to new demographics, unlocking the potential to cultivate a broader fan base.
TikTok beauty influencer shares her Roblox-inspired makeup look
Share behind-the-scenes content
TikTok is an ideal venue for sharing exclusive content that isn’t available on other platforms, like behind-the-scenes looks, office tours, and insights into the game development process. This creates a unique value for your TikTok followers, driving engagement and strengthening fan connections.
Posting calendar
For a successful TikTok marketing strategy, it’s essential to establish a content calendar. On TikTok, verified Business Accounts typically post an average of 2.8 times per week. However, the top 100 Business Accounts with the highest engagement rates tend to post more frequently, averaging about 4.2 posts per week.
This calendar acts as a strategic plan for posting and ensures consistent engagement with your audience. Content can be categorized based on how frequently it should be shared:
- Low frequency: use this for announcing major updates and events. Since these are significant, they don’t happen often but are vital for keeping your community informed and excited.
- Medium frequency: regular posts that promote in-game elements and provide a glimpse behind the scenes should occur with moderate regularity. These keep fans engaged by offering insights into the game and its development.
- High frequency: to maintain a constant presence and engagement, frequently participate in gaming community trends and tap into various subcultures. This high-frequency content helps you stay relevant and connected to your audience’s broader interests.
Interact with your followers to build a strong community around your brand
To capitalize on TikTok’s interactive nature, it’s important for gaming brands to:
- Understand and engage with the audience’s interests to foster a sense of community.
- Be active in the comments section to create meaningful connections with fans.
- Respond to viewers’ queries and content requests to build trust and show that their input is valued.
- Consider content strategies that incorporate user comments for more engagement.
- Use video replies to comments when possible to take interaction further.
- Incorporate clear calls-to-action in video captions to prompt user engagement, such as opinions, choices, or prompts for Duets or Stitches.
Brands with the highest engagement rates often participate in their comment sections, showing the importance of interaction for successful TikTok marketing.
LEVEL-UP: COOPERATE WITH INFLUENCERS TO PROMOTE YOUR VIDEO GAMES ON TIKTOK
Collaborating with prominent TikTok creators, particularly those interested in gaming, can be extremely beneficial, as they often have a follower base that aligns with your target audience. Drawing inspiration from influencers and creating challenges or content focused on specific topics within your niche can lead to organic growth and boost interest in your game.
Promoting a video game on TikTok with influencer marketing is a potent strategy for brands and marketers, primarily because influencers wield the power to reach and engage with niche audiences in a way that feels personal and authentic. TikTok’s algorithm favors content that resonates with specific community interests, which means well-matched influencers can effectively amplify your game to a receptive audience. These influencers create trends and drive conversations, providing a relatable and trusted voice that can introduce a video game within the context of entertaining content.
Read more on the topic:
Promoting video games with influencer marketing not only increases visibility due to the influencer’s large and engaged following but also boosts credibility and taps into a ready-to-engage community of potential gamers. Moreover, the highly shareable and viral nature of TikTok content can lead to exponential visibility beyond the initial post, creating a ripple effect of awareness and interest that traditional marketing channels often fail to achieve.
Further in the article we’re going to share with you two case studies showcasing how TikTok content creators can contribute to promoting video games successfully.
SUCCESS STORIES
NBA 2K’s #GiftOfGame Branded Hashtag Challenge
In 2020, NBA 2K leveraged the heightened video game spending due to quarantine by positioning their game as the ideal holiday gift amidst a competitive release season. They aimed to boost their fan base, engagement, and sales.
To achieve this, NBA 2K utilized their 1.5 million TikTok followers to initiate their first paid campaign, the #GiftOfGame Branded Hashtag Challenge. They called for fans to share videos showing the moves they’d perform in the game, with the prize being a chance to become a playable character in the upcoming 2K21 Next Gen game, along with a PlayStation 5 and the game itself.
They promoted the challenge with the help of NBA star Anthony Davis and prominent TikTok creators. The campaign was a success, significantly exceeding TikTok’s benchmarks without additional media support, and resulted in over 57,000 new followers.
The excitement generated by the campaign, which blended famous NBA personalities and TikTok influencers, led to high engagement levels. The promise of potentially appearing in the game galvanized both existing and new fans.
GameQuest influencer marketing campaign on TikTok
GameQuest, an indie studio’s fantasy RPG, faced the challenge of standing out in a crowded market. The developers turned to influencer marketing, selecting gaming influencers who resonated with their target demographic and game genre. These influencers were given early access, leading to a surge of online content, such as gameplay videos and reviews, prior to the game’s release.
Encouraging user-generated content, the influencers sparked a movement of challenges, fan art, and highlights on social media, causing the game’s hashtag to trend. This strategy led to a significant rise in pre-orders and sales.
The triumph of GameQuest was not only in the sales but also in the strong community that has formed around the game, as players were actively sharing their experiences. This community engagement ensured the game’s initial popularity and provided a stable base for future growth.
THE BOTTOM LINE
TikTok is significantly impacting the gaming industry by serving as a novel platform for the discovery and sharing of games. Apart from gaming influencers themselves, the platform’s diverse content creators are also using their unique niches – such as film, travel, and food – to introduce games to wide audiences in creative ways. Film enthusiasts are transforming games into cinematic concepts, travelers are showcasing the games they play during their journeys, and food creators are turning popular gaming characters and icons into edible art. This trend exemplifies the diverse ways games are being interwoven with various aspects of entertainment on the platform.
This synergy of discovery, co-creation, and sharing on TikTok has not only brought gaming more into the mainstream but has also sparked the “TikTok Made Me Play It” trend, where the influence of TikTok creators directly leads to games being played by their followers.
“If gaming is entertainment, and entertainment is culture, culture right now for this generation is made on TikTok.”
Julia Victor, Head of Brand – The Sims, Electronic Arts
Source: TikTok Made Me Play It: supercharging game discovery
Here at Famesters, we know how to make your video game famous with influencer marketing on TikTok, leveraging the platform’s rich base of highly creative influencers and engaging video features for promoting your up-coming games to broader audiences. Success on the platform comes from a deep understanding of its mechanisms, producing compelling content, fostering a dedicated community, smartly using hashtags and trends, and diligent analysis of engagement metrics. By employing these tactics, video game brands can significantly increase their game’s exposure. The Famesters team of professionals specifically trained in the industry is happy to accompany you step by step on your journey into TikTok influencer marketing. Are you ready to harness this robust platform, and ride the wave of TikTok creators’ influence to make your video game a TikTok trend? Contact us via [email protected].
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