Should You Consider Influencer Marketing for Your Mobile Game?

Influencer marketing is the new hot trend in the marketing world. In a nutshell, its about having influential people in your space promote your product through their media channels, be it social media or their own network.

Influencer marketing has always been around in one shape or another - put more bluntly, they are ambassadors.

But does this form of marketing work well with the promotion of your mobile game?

The answer... Heck yes.

The predominant influencers for game developers are Youtube and Twitch video creators.They are often seen as the premier source of information on mobile games.

Nowadays, players are able to choose from millions of apps in both the Apple App Store and Google Play- making it harder than ever for mobile game devs to stand out from the crowd. For devs, influencer marketing is the key to cutting through the clutter and connecting with highly engaged players.

Below are 3 reasons why you should consider influencer marketing.

1. Video has an engaged and growing mobile gamer audience

According to Google, 90 percent of gamers watch YouTube videos at least once a week for game tips, gameplay and game discover - with more than half of all views on mobile devices. If you compare this data with the user bases of other platforms, you will either find a less engaged audience or a smaller number of engaged users.

2. It is where gamers go shopping

The average mobile gamer plays only a few games and they aren’t proactively looking for new games to play. Advertising your mobile game without proper targeting is a huge nuisance to the viewer and the advertiser as the outcome is the same - zero installs.

But on YouTube, mobile gamers are engaged and are open to something new - provided it comes from one of their favorite video creators / influencers.

YouTube is a also great and useful resource for mobile gamers to look at games they’ve heard about or seen elsewhere. Video formats such as Let's Play, mod videos and reviews serve as long form advertisements to the viewer. And the best part is that it stays on the web for the world to see long after the game has been launched - just take a look at GTA V and how their mod videos that are still getting traction today.

3. A paid campaign will eventually lead to organic coverage

Most developers would think that because the video is sponsored that viewers would be less engaged, but the truth of the matter is that fans trust the recommendation because of the influencer.

Starting a YouTube channel is easy, but building a following to the millions is no easy feat. YouTubers that took the time and worked hard to build a large channel know full well that their reputation is on the line if they cover or accept any type of sponsorship that hurts their personal brand. Usually, YouTubers accept paid campaigns for games they personally like or that would be of value to their audience - which is why they often follow up with free coverage for the game after the paid coverage.

This often results in ongoing discovery, proving that YouTube is not just a pit stop in the customer acquisition journey. Roostr, a marketplace that connects gaming influencers with mobile game developers, found that 30 percent of views come after the end of a paid influencer campaign.

Having an influencer introduce the game will also cause other up and coming YouTubers to cover the game in a bid to get traffic to their channel. This in turn will spark a chain of content being created for that one particular game.

The effect of this is also felt on gamers. The more people see other people play a game enthusiastically on YouTube, the more likely they are to download the game (at least to try it out). This results in more users on the game and the higher likelihood of getting paid users on freemium games.

In conclusion, influencer marketing is a channel with real staying power. Done right, the effects of a campaign can last for months and years to come.

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This post was written by Ben Sim from iPrice group, a price comparison and meta-search engine based in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong.