Post Mortem: One month of indie game marketing – Online branding (part three)

From my indie dev blog

Online branding

Branding means you are building awareness for your game. With a good brand (either for a game title or a developer) come loyal gamers. You cannot control your reviews, articles, ratings or the huge volume of games already available in the app stores. However you have total control on your image or brand, so you better make it awesome!

Here are some simple yet essential elements to promote your game and start branding. It’s all basic (if not simply obvious) stuff. I like to list things; so be it. You’ll need to setup most of these and maintain them to effectively build your brand.

Landing page

You need an interesting page about your game that needs to sell your game to potential players; it can contain a good arrangement of screenshots, features lists and catch phrases. Most importantly, it will contain a clear call to action: download buttons for all your platforms. This will be where you want to bring your potential players by any means necessary.

Press kit page

A different type of page about your game, this one contains all the information related to your game and its development. It is destined for journalists and anyone who will need facts about your game;

Check out http://dopresskit.com/ , a fantastic resource made by an Indie dev for Indie devs! Even if you do not use it, (it’s free) the examples are great references.

Social sites for your game

Use them all for updates and communications with your audience. This is your soapbox; use it to share your passion. Post articles, screenshots, design art, reviews, post mortems, tips and tricks, developer diaries… Engage with your followers. Make sure you are consistent.  The community is hungry for insights from all its indie dev members, so share your thoughts!