The online gaming industry is perhaps one of the most competitive markets in all of business, as companies duke it out to mop up the huge amounts of new gamers who flock to gaming platforms on a daily basis.
Indeed, with online gaming revenues now outstripping virtually all other forms of entertainment, the online gaming realm is now the ultimate battle ground for companies wanting to establish themselves as the dominant players in the overall entertainment sphere, by creating the best new games and brands to boot.
Of course, wherever there is competition there is innovation, and the in-house marketing teams at some of the planet’s biggest gaming companies are constantly beavering away in an attempt to find new ways to not only attract new clientele but to also hold on to the valued customers they already have on their books. Here we take a look at just some of the promo and marketing techniques that online gaming companies employ on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis.
These days gaming companies have to ensure they are attracting players who play across all sorts of formats, from mobile devices to traditional games consoles and PCs
Daily Promos Keep Customers Coming Back
Before we get onto all the ways in which companies go about obtaining new customers, we thought it best to first of all detail how companies maintain the strong player base they already have.
One of the best techniques here is to create a loyalty system that rewards consistent daily play, so that players are less likely to stray onto rival gaming platforms. Good examples of advanced versions of in-game loyalty programs are the in-game currencies developed for games like Call of Duty and Fortnite, whereby players can either purchase in-game currencies with regular fiat currencies or earn them by playing a lot.
Another slightly different way of encouraging people to play daily is to provide prizes that reset and become available again every 24-hours, so that every single day people can log on and know there will be something big to play for. Because by their very nature gamers are a competitive bunch, challenging them daily is certainly a sure-fire way to keep them coming back for more action on the spinning reels or in battle royale melee lobbies.
Many gaming promos and marketing campaigns are targeted specifically at mobile gamers, due to mobile gaming being a sector that continues to eat into more traditional gaming markets
Discounted Subscriptions Reel Them in and Then Lock Them in
Almost all online games now exist on cloud or streaming platforms such as the Xbox Game Pass or Nvidia’s GeForce Now. Such platforms are just the ticket for the sort of gamer who can never decide exactly which game it is they wish to play on a given day, because these platforms act as a giant library of games which can be dipped into whenever a player wishes.
Of course, this range and choice comes at a price, but because such technology is still having teething problems lots of companies are willing to offer huge discounts to those gamers happy to sign-up to long-term contracts that will commit them to the platform for the foreseeable future. These sorts of promotional deals have led to a surge in new customers jumping on the offers tabled, like the PlayStation Now 12-month subscription package. Another way of pushing such packages is to offer the first month for free or for just $1, before then hiking the cost the following month.
Reward People Who Watch Games as Well as Play Them
Affiliate marketing is nothing new with companies having long used partners who they feel will get more eyes on their products. What is new is that it is increasingly common for gaming companies to now use online influencers and live streaming personalities to push their respective titles. This is often done by Twitch streamers and the like being given promo codes and discount offers which can then be passed on to their followers and subscribers.