So you have created a mobile game and now you’re thinking about the ways to promote it. Sounds simple enough, right?
Well, mobile game marketing can be a tricky thing, especially if you have a small budget. It’s tough to compete with big publishers who have millions of dollars as well as teams of people who do their marketing.
However, there’s a solution: social media marketing.
It’s a relatively cheap, but effective way to market your game.
In this guide, I’m going to go over the basics of how to promote your game on social media. You’ll learn things like how to define your target audience and how to find influencers.
1. Define Your Target Audience
The first step to successful social media marketing is knowing your audience. Ask yourself who are the people you want to target?
The easiest way to do that is to look at what type of users play your mobile game or would play your game.
Here are a couple of questions that will help you.
- What is the gender of your target audience?
- Where are they from?
- How old they are?
- What is their income level?
- What are their interests and habits?
- In what way does your game pertain to their interests and habits?
- Why would they want to play your game?
Use that information to define your target audience. It will allow you to create a better social media marketing strategy for your mobile game.
Furthermore, you should think about specific gamer motivations and interests. That will help you further narrow down your target audience. For example, let’s say you have a match-3 casual game with decoration and narrative meta layers, like Homescapes.
The first group you would want to target are casual gamers. (To read more about different mobile gamers, click here). However, this is a very broad group, we can narrow it down even further. For this type of game, you can also target gamers who are into classic match-3 puzzles, gamers who prefer home & decore games, and finally, gamers who enjoy games with great storytelling.
All three are very different groups. However, by creating different content for each, you’ll be able to attract all of them.
2. Know the Difference Between Social Media Platforms
Now that you know who your target audience is, you have a better idea about the social media platforms they use. For example, if your target audience is female and male gen Z gamers from the US, you won’t find them on Facebook. You’ll find them on TikTok or Snapchat.
That helps you narrow down the social media platforms you want to focus on.
The next step is to get familiar with each social media platform and understand what differentiates them. This step will help you create better content for each platform. (More on that later).
Here’s the basic information about top social media platforms and what makes them different.
With more than 2.8 billion users, Facebook is a giant in the social media world. Granted, Facebook’s organic reach is low for business profiles, but it’s still a viable option for promoting your game if your target audience uses it. Almost 90% of marketers use it.
Instagram has over 1 billion engaged users from all over the world. This social media platform is all about aesthetics. So if you choose to promote your game on Instagram, you need to create stunning visuals. Also, use hashtags strategically to improve the visibility of your posts.
This platform is also a great place for finding influencers to collaborate with. According to Mediakix, 89% of marketers use Instagram to find relevant influencers. (I will talk more about mobile game influencer marketing later in the post, so keep on reading.)
There are over 300 million Twitter users and 37% of its users are between the ages of 18 and 29, while 25% are between 30 and 49. Twitter is a great opportunity to start conversations and provide value to your audience. As with Instagram, make sure to use the right hashtags in order to increase the reach of your posts.
YouTube
YouTube is an important platform for mobile game publishers because it’s all about video. Plus, it is used by all types of audiences from all over the world. YouTube is the perfect place to post gameplay videos, trailers, as well as podcasts and behind the scenes footage.
TikTok
If you’re targeting a younger teen audience, TikTok is the place to be. Plus, the content shared on TikTok is quirky and fun which makes it perfect for mobile games.
Even though this platform is still young, it has seen rapid growth in popularity. Who knows, TikTok might just become the next Instagram or Facebook. So if it makes sense to promote your mobile game there, get on it as soon as possible.
3. Create Attention-Grabbing Content for Social Media
If you want to promote your game on social media, you need to create killer visual and written content. Something that will make people want to play your mobile game right now.
When it comes to visual content, you’ll need a cool game trailer, different gameplay videos, screenshots, icons, and other graphics. Whatever you think will grab the attention of your target audience.
Video posts are big on social media – 67% of users say video social media posts are the most transparent. According to Animoto, 93% of marketers report they got a customer through video posts on social media. So you might want to focus on video content. Not only does it produces great results, but it’s perfect for showcasing mobile games.
And I don’t just mean gameplay videos and trailers.
You can post behind the scenes footage, live videos, podcasts – don’t be afraid to show how the game was made and who are people who created it.
Also, make sure to post content regularly and schedule it in advance. That will help you keep track of everything.
Encourage User-Generated Content
Another great way to get the attention of users on social media is to post user-generated content. It’s basically a free testimonial and it shows other users your game is worth playing. So always encourage fans to post content related to your mobile game.
4. Use Paid Ads on Social Media
Since every major social media network also works as an ad platform, this is something you have to utilize when promoting your mobile game. Paid advertising will bring your game fast and scalable results, high visibility, and well-targeted users.
The ad network you end up choosing depends on your target audience, your budget, and the type of game. According to Appsflyer Performance Index, the leading mobile social ad networks are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Today, all of these ad networks come with a variety of options for advertising mobile games, including different targeting options and ad formats.
The most effective ad format for mobile games on social media is video ads. They traditionally have a better CTR thanks to their highly engaging visual content. This is especially useful for mobile games as players get a glimpse of the actual in-game experience. Generally, a well-made mobile game video ad is short (up to 30 seconds), includes gameplay, and shows off the best features of the game.
Here’s an example.
According to AppMagic, a leading mobile intelligence platform, this ad for Mobile Legends Bang Bang is the number 1 ad out of all other ads for RPG games.
Here’s what makes it so good.
Firstly, it’s short and sweet. Even though it’s only five seconds long, it tells you everything you need to know about this game – it’s exciting and full of adrenaline-fueled MOBA gameplay.
Secondly, it’s perfectly edited to grab attention. Notice that the music/sound effects are synchronized with the gameplay. Furthermore, the scenes are short and you don’t even get the chance to get bored with this ad.
Because of that, it’s perfect for promoting a game on social media.
5. Find Influencers to Promote Your Game on Social Media
Want to acquire more users? Team up with influencers!
Influencers can put your game on the map by exposing their massive audience to it. 89 percent of marketers report influencer marketing results in equal or better ROI than from other marketing channels.
Love them or hate them, influencers have a big impact on their followers. Well, let me rephrase that, good influencers do. Don’t be fooled by wannabe influencers who have no idea what they’re doing.
The first step to finding a good influencer is making sure their audience is comprised of users you want to target. There needs to be target audience alignment.
Since you’re trying to promote a mobile game, it makes sense to find gaming influencers. You’ll find many of them on YouTube, Twitch and Facebook Watch. Of course, it is important to pick the right gaming influencer. For example, Pewdiepie might be the biggest gaming YouTuber with the most subscribers, but he is not the person for you if you develop mobile indie games.
Do some research and find out which influencer enjoys playing games that are similar to your game. Numbers of subscribers, views, and followers are important, yes, but the right place to advertise can mean so much more. Naturally, you don’t want just any player to download your game, you want those that will enjoy your game and keep playing it. So, only the right influencer can conduct the right message for you.
Set clear goals and requirements, but also give influencers some creative freedom. A true influencer should be a great storyteller and know how to promote your game without sounding too pushy.
Keep in mind that influencers can cost a lot of money, especially if you’re looking at the most popular influencers. Some developers pay millions of dollars for a short endorsement. It’s something that smaller publishers or indie developers can only dream of. Lucky for you, there are many micro-influencers you can collaborate with. Some might even do it for free – ask!
6. Create a Community Around Your Game
My final advice is to be social – it’s called social media for a reason.
The key is to build a community around your game. You can do that by providing value to your audience, answering their questions, and acknowledging their opinions.
Utilize the social media potential to its maximum. For example, Reddit has massive gaming communities. On Reddit, it doesn’t matter whether your game has five million or five thousand players. There will always be somebody who wants to share their opinion, comment on updates, ask something, etc.
Furthermore, Facebook groups, fan pages, and Discord channels are great places to find and gather your fans in one place. While pages are public, groups and Discord channels can be private, which gives your fans a sense of exclusivity like they are in some secret club.
Building an engaged community will bring you a loyal fanbase that’s passionate about your game. Ultimately, that’s the dream of every developer.
Granted, this might not an easy thing to do – it takes a lot of time and patience. But it’s definitely worth it.
Final Thoughts on How to Promote Your Game on Social Media
Now we want to hear from you.
What are your thoughts on how to promote a mobile game on social media? Have you tried it? What kind of results did you get? Let us know in the comments below.
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