Marketing tips?

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by AlexProbst, Feb 28, 2014.

  1. AlexProbst

    AlexProbst Member

    So like most people making a game, we lack money for a big or normal marketing campaign.

    Our game will be released in April and I have a handful of ideas on how to market it (free) but I wanted to ask everyone for ideas or to share experiences so we can learn new things, avoid mistakes, etc..

    Any ideas on how to get your game out there a bit above the rest??

    really appreciate any words! thanks!
     
  2. suppoman

    suppoman Active Member

    Oct 24, 2013
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    #2 suppoman, Feb 28, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2014
    Your best marketing is some form of friend import function via phonebook. My app was downloaded in the thousands purely because of this, with absolutely no marketing. If your game has a social element, I would leverage that import function.

    Secondly, twitter. Tweet your demographic, put your App Store link in front of teens and do it daily. There are hundreds of millions of users, tweet them all, and do it daily. If you have an import function running in conjunction, then for every user you get, they might invite 3-5 people. A great way to grow.

    But the ultimate marketing is the quality of your app. If it looks great and people enjoy playing it then you've got a better than slim chance. If you can create something truly special, the likes of the big blogs will get you more users than you can handle. And of course from that will be a snowball effect, you'll get the attention of Apple, and if you get featured too, then you could be the next flappy birds.

    Obviously a lot of luck rides on this, your press release would have to have an angle that makes bloggers want to write about you.

    There you go, some free marketing advice! :)
     
  3. liteking

    liteking Well-Known Member

    Aug 1, 2013
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    Indie Game Developer
    You have some useful advices there, suppoman. Many thanks.
    I'm also learning to market my first game "Awesome Cutetulu", which has been submitted to Apple and hopefully available soon
     
  4. simpleinteractive

    simpleinteractive Well-Known Member

    Nov 6, 2013
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    @suppoman. I read your advice with interest! Can you expand a bit on "friend import function". What does this mean exactly? (excuse my ignorance)
     
  5. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    From a gamers point of view if i get bombarded with tweets/facebook messages about a game i'll simply avoid that dev and wont download any of their games.

    If a games decent it shouldnt need tons of spam marketing on twitter/facebook
     
  6. @suppoman thanks for your advice.
    i'm just marketing our team's first app and it's a productivity app
    so there's no reason people would like the sociable feature installed..
    but anyway, who knows, maybe that will work in my app too
    it's always good to learn and try something than doing nothing:)
     
  7. suppoman

    suppoman Active Member

    Oct 24, 2013
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    @Simpleinteractive There should be an 'Invite friend' screen, where you select a friend and it will generate an SMS which has the link to your app on the app store. Similar to my app https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puffchat-send-vanishing-texts/id780972803?mt=8

    @psj3809 You may or may not be in the majority but it's horses for courses. Most of the general public use twitter on mobile so when they open the link the app will be on there screen ready to download. Lets face it, every iphone user likes downloading an app that interests them. Its better than waiting around hoping they will find it cos if its not in the featured apps on the app store, you'll have a hard time. I would know. I'd like to think I have learnt my lesson.

    By the way, tweeting people is what Instagram did to get 20,000 downloads on their first day.
     
  8. Destined

    Destined Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2013
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    At least you then know the game exists. The main problem indie devs have is getting people to know it exists.
     
  9. Ironcode

    Ironcode Active Member

    Oct 23, 2013
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    This looks like a good idea, But I have only a few followers, so out of the millions of users on twitter, how do know whom to tweet to?
     
  10. suppoman

    suppoman Active Member

    Oct 24, 2013
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    Type in keywords in the search box and it brings up users most suited to you.
    For instance, for my app, I wanted to target snapchat users as they are my target demographic, and then just tweet them individually. I also send out tweets saying 'If you like Snapchat, check this app out' and generally both approaches get me over 100 downloads a day.

    If they don't like it, they won't open it, but if you send 100 tweets and get 70 downloads, it's better than doing none and getting 10 or so.

    Plus, make sure you don't stop...momentum is key to keep pushing your app up the charts. Don't lost it or you'll find it difficult to break into the top 100 again.
     
  11. Ironcode

    Ironcode Active Member

    Oct 23, 2013
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    Thanks for the suggestion. This looks like a good idea. We will try it!
     
  12. AlexProbst

    AlexProbst Member

    Thanks to all

    Ok, great feedback guys... I'm also planning on doing the big email to everyone I can... thing is, I got to write a pretty cool press release! .. any ideas??
     
  13. jamescam

    jamescam Well-Known Member

    Mar 4, 2014
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    Im not a Twitter expert but I'm very interested in utilizing Twitter when I release my game. I've heard things like the above can get you banned, is that correct? How does one avoid getting banned but still actively find new folks to tweet to? Thanks for the help.
     
  14. Astarea

    Astarea New Member

    Mar 6, 2014
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    Be very clear on what your game is, why it is awesome and, if its similar to other games, why its different (without mentioning other game names).

    Depending on who you're sending it to, you might want to be brief and to the point.
     
  15. AlexProbst

    AlexProbst Member

    Yep, sounds good... I was going to mention games that are like ours, but better not
    thanks!
     
  16. NeoProfessor

    NeoProfessor Member

    Mar 3, 2014
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    Indei Game Developer
    Pennsylvania, USA
    Marketing List

    I just published an Ebook "The Big List of Game Publishers". It has over 50 pages of sites and publishers. Huge amount of sites that you can post for free, then run ads through your lower level games. It has a huge range of Sponsorship, monetization platforms and marketing distribution sources. Take a look at the site and my blog to get a better understanding.

    This is a resource that I'm growing daily, comes with constant updates and I really try to cover the range from low level games to higher level games looking for funding.

    Ask any questions.
    www.neoprofessor.com
    and my blog is
    www.nakedgametalk.com
    Just released it. really looking for feedback.
     
  17. BlindAlbino

    BlindAlbino Well-Known Member

    Dec 19, 2012
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    I am Co-Founder and Art Director for Blind Albino,
    La Habra Hights, California
    NeoProfessor,
    I'm considering looking into your resource ebook, but it's a tough sell at $50. At least for me it is, as there's a world of "resource" resources out there that make money and offer very little edge. I don't say this to question your product or your integrity by any means. I only say this because you're asking for feedback, but first you're asking for money, right? Maybe you could help your efforts by posting reviews by some high-caliber game industry celebs or something, to help raise the confidence of new users? (And if I've missed something from your website I apologize - I'm still getting used to how tiny my new iPad mini is...)

    All the best my man!
    Matt
     
  18. NeoProfessor

    NeoProfessor Member

    Mar 3, 2014
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    Indei Game Developer
    Pennsylvania, USA
    #18 NeoProfessor, Mar 11, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2014
    Thanks for the frank response and I apologize. Perhaps I should have been more clear when I used the word “feedback”. In fact, your response to this post, is the type of feedback I'm looking for.
    I'm really trying to take a soft approach in marketing this list. I have deep concerns about this list being spammed. But, I'm also trying to refine the marketing process of the Ebook, and this was my first post about it and I want to be very clear about things here. That being said, I want to give you some background on this whole process and how it happened.
    I started developing this list FOR MYSELF, primarily looking for HTML5 publishers offering non-exclusive / exclusive sponsorships, and other ways to make money, plain and simple. Developing a list is major part of my marketing strategies and it's also part how I learn to understand the sites, portals, and markets much better. I put a lot of time into marketing research and everything I do, I do with marketing in mind. I spend a lot time reading forums and I see people trying to get access to and understand the market so they can sell games and make money. Me too, and so I just released my first 6 games for non-exclusive licensing a little over 2 weeks ago. You can see all my games here at www.neoprofessor.com. I used a sampling of this list and received some responses. And the truth is my first responses seemed that they were not that good, but that was do to mechanical issues. I did receive a referral plan offer. I then received interest and request for pricing from another but it’s moving slowly. One higher level company sent me a polite email outlining a number of technical benchmarks that must be met before they will even consider you. And it’s not a simple criterion. I blog about it at www.nakedgametalk.com, documenting my marketing experiences as they happen. However, I did better in a second round of solicitations, improving on my games. Just 2 samplings of the list worked to bring responses.
    I don’t want to make outrageous claims but the list is extensive, it goes beyond HTML5, Flash, and includes other models and I'm pretty excited about it. I’m very confident that even developers who have accrued good lists of their own will be surprised. However you have to do your homework. The list is alphabetical and has TAGS like “/Sponsorship” and the links that fast track you to contact info. But you have to investigate and contact them because offers vary. This is NOT a “how to,” it’s a “where to”. In addition, I include dozens of potential leads that meet the criteria of providing sponsorship of have some potential revenue value.
    I could be wrong, but I believe even the dev hobbyist who have games that might not be licensable, still are fun and can earn revenue with sites that offer free posting of games, revenue share, run your own banner and cross promotion. So I’ve included those resources as well. I see a lot clever hobbyists doing it.
    I’m trying to make the most comprehensive resources I can and I will be looking for feedback relating to the format of the list which I hope to improve. Keep in mind this is work in progress constantly updated and since I posted this on my site, in just the last few days, I’ve received for requests by publishers for inclusion. Also there seems like there’s a new start up every day. Demand seems to be greater than supply because games are consumable, but you have to have a game that makes the grade and you have to navigate the different experiences you’re going to encounter.
    I can not endorse or speak ill of listing for legal reasons, however, I think I am to have to create a private forum where devs can share their experience, good or bad and there’s already plenty of that on some of the forums. Of course, I avoid adding listings that have bad reputations.
    I’ve written a “Prelude” that offers some prep and caution in approach and I am currently updating that as we speak. There is just so much I could say here and really want to be straight forward and comprehensive in my explanation but I can’t emphasize it enough, it’s what you make of it and your games. The sources are valid.
    That’s why I have a blog, to provide a format document the marketing process and hope you understand what I’m trying to do. Since I started to learn to leverage programming skills to make, I’ve been using my marketing skills to prepare this list.
    You can always email me with questions. Or ask here. I could go on all night, but I wanted to write a thorough response because I think your post probably exemplifies what others think and I really appreciate it. Plus I love talking about games and marketing. 
    I hope this helps. I’m in the process of moving to another state over the next few days, so responses may delayed slightly.

    You can follow me on twitter @nakedgametalk.com. I'm pretty active and it's a lot about Indie Game Marketing.

    You also check out my passion project, pseudo 3D game made in 2D, FINAL CONTACT.

    I will write more....

    Thanks and Good Luck
     
  19. lizsidebolt

    lizsidebolt Member

    Mar 11, 2014
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    Columbus, OH
    Tips on writing a solid press release

    My experience in journalism has helped me better understand what editors are looking for when they read a press release that could potentially turn into a story/review. Editors receive hundreds of emails a day, so here are some tips I have learned as a social media manager on engaging a potential publication for your company/app:

    -Always fill in the subject line of an email: PRESS RELEASE ________ (fill in the blank with your app's name and expected release date)

    -Be direct in your wording- editors do not have time to sift through flowery language to find out what the story is behind your press release.

    -Why does this particular editor/writer want to use your app? Use bullet points to differentiate your app from others that they may have encountered before.

    -Include your companies credentials. How many apps have you developed? This will show the potential publication that you are an established company that deserves recognition.

    -Embed/include links to app trailers, screenshots, and the app store page. Editors need to visually see your app and understand how it works before taking the time to actually download it.

    -If your app is paid, always include a link so the editor can access a free version. You do not want to have to wait for the editor to respond and ask for a free version, time is of the essence for newly released applications.

    -Be polite and formal. Professionalism is important when pitching to a potential publication that could greatly increase your companies revenue.

    These are a few tips I have found to be successful in assisting my team in obtaining positive reviews from the multitude of app review sites that ultimately help with your SEO.

    Does anyone have any other tips that have proved beneficial come press release time?
     
  20. Ironcode

    Ironcode Active Member

    Oct 23, 2013
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    Thanks for the great tips, lizsidebolt.

    No discussion in this topic is complete without a mention of the pixelprospector's BIG List of Indie Marketing.

    Enjoy :D
     

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