It was not that long ago that gamers were seen as nerds, outcasts, and geeks who struggled to fit in. But those old stereotypes have quickly died and now everyone is a gamer. Audiences have expanded into every demographic, in every corner of the world.
This has created a lot of opportunities for game developers and gaming brands. But it has also presented challenges. As audiences have expanded, to stay relevant, gaming brands have to be able to market to these new audiences.
One of the challenges this presents is marketing to an audience that you are not familiar with. Gaming influencers have therefore become a vital part of many marketing strategies that are looking to expand into global markets.
There are currently 2.5 billion gamers around the world who span all demographics.
In this article, we’ll discuss how you can use local gaming influencers to help you enter into new international markets and build connections with the audiences there.
Influencer marketing has been a popular marketing tactic for a long time now. Brands from all industries are using the reputation of social media celebrities to boost their products and their reputation. The right partnership with a relevant influencer can launch your product into the stratosphere.
Gaming influencer marketing works in a similar way to influencer marketing with other products. One of the big advantages of gaming influencers is that they are often present on social platforms that are not typically the ‘top priority’ for many influencer marketing campaigns. Platforms such as Twitch, YouTuber and Discord, give influencers and your marketing team a great deal of creativity and insight when planning your campaigns.
Twitch offers a huge range of creative options. You can use direct, in-the-moment audience interaction, build community engagement, launch virtual events, hold a tournament, host a panel, and much more.
Global campaigns can be time-consuming and costly. Gaming influencers can help ensures that your time and resources are well spent by giving you the best possible entrance into a new international market. However, it is critical that you know exactly what local region you want to enter and which gaming influencers are popular there so that you can optimise your strategy.
Local gaming influencers have years of experience interacting with their audiences. They know what their local audience is interested in and whether or not your game and marketing plan will resonate with them.
Emerging into a new market with a local gaming influencer can help establish your gaming brand as authentic, genuine and trusted. From here you can start to build other marketing channels.
A local gaming influencer helps you to establish trust in a new foreign market, which will be a critical component of your success. Engaging with an influencer’s following helps you to quickly build awareness around your video game at the early stages which you then can continue to grow as you scale up your operations in that region.
Another key component of a gaming influencer's value in international markets is language.
A gaming influencer helps your brand communicate with new audiences in their native language. You can avoid problems with the content being lost in translation and prevent unfortunate mishaps from not understanding the local culture.
You need to ensure that your gaming influencer is briefed accordingly and that they know to avoid creating content that might be culturally offensive or be perceived as unnatural.
Breaking into global markets can be tough for gaming brands. Gaming culture is often immersed in memes, and types of content that might not translate well to an international market you are not familiar with. By working with gaming influencers in the local region, you can quickly establish trust by piggybacking off their reputation. You can also get advice and feedback on your campaigns to make sure they are well received and don't offend or appear unnatural.
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