Marketing Mobile Games: The Secrets of Successful Campaigns

Mobile game marketing can take various forms, with the same common goal: increasing the number of downloads and revenue from players. And we are at the best time to focus on mobile marketing.

Although tough for everyone, the pandemic caused people to spend more time on the internet than usual, with a greater need for online entertainment. This resulted in previously established industries like streaming and gaming gaining even more popularity. With downloads and spending on the rise in the mobile gaming industry, it sounds like being a marketer over there should be easy. But, on the contrary, it led to fierce competition. 

With competition ramping up, it is more important now than ever to have strong and creative mobile game marketing strategies to find and keep users in your ecosystem. And so, mobile game developers and marketers must focus more on in-app user experience, user acquisition, and engagement and retention in their marketing efforts. 

This is only a brief summary of what you should expect about mobile game marketing, as we will dive into the things you should focus on to have a successful mobile game marketing strategy and see those download numbers increase constantly. 

State of the Mobile Game Industry

The pacing of the mobile game industry has changed throughout the years, but generally, it has been going on an upward trajectory in terms of market saturation and revenue. Some clear examples of popular mobile games that revolutionized the industry landscape are Genshin Impact, Candy Crash, Pokémon Go, and Clash of Clans. 

The mobile gaming genre was bolstered by the pandemic in the last couple of years, and people turned to virtual worlds as they couldn’t seek entertainment (among other things). With the situation returning to normalcy, that boost dissipated by approximately 10% in the first half of 2022. Yet, there are now a lot of new people that got exposed to the mobile gaming market.

Market Research

Building a successful game business requires knowing the field of the mobile marketing industry inside out. You must find untapped markets and make great products to fill those niches.

With mobile games specifically, it would be worthwhile looking into different genres, what certain countries are more into, and what audience archetype fits better to find the demographic that may benefit more from mobile gaming options. Finding that niche is getting more important nowadays, as the market is becoming more and more saturated.

Identifying the Target Audience

One of the first principles for marketers to build a successful campaign is identifying the ideal target audience for their product or service. This won’t be any different for mobile game marketers. 

But developers and marketers shouldn’t consider targeting their product to all mobile game players. They need to be more specific than that. The target audience will depend heavily on the game genre, certain game features, and the markets where the game will be available.

You need to narrow down the target audience according to their location, gender, age, etc. This would be just the starting point, as the next step is to figure out the kind of players you want to attract according to their interests and motivations. That’s what we will be looking into next.

Motivations

You will get a lot out of this by just writing down the main characteristics of your game (if it is a puzzle game, a survival, an Idle RPG, etc.). This will tell you a lot about the type of players you should target. 

You can even go further with it, like thinking about who would be the ideal persona that likes this kind of game. A puzzle game player would like to think about solving problems, do cognitive exercises, and pass their time in a relaxing environment. With that information in mind, you can target payers with these specific interests. 

Player Archetypes

According to GameRefinery, gamers can be identified into several player archetypes. This list will help you narrow down your target audience, as well as understand them better based on the aforementioned player motivations:

	Expressionist	They love to express their identity and themselves through gameplay. It can refer to designing, decorating, storytelling or role-playing. They want to experience a wide range of emotions by diving into narratives and stories, taking the place of a hero or villain.
	King of the Hill	They prefer games with a high level of competition with other players. They want to see themselves at the top of leaderboards, so PvP-action games are the best and the only way to get satisfaction out of gaming. They enjoy having a sense of power competing against anyone and outmaneuvering them.
	Networker	They see gaming as a social activity best enjoyed when working with other players. Co-op playing and community building will catch these players’ attention. They aren’t afraid of competition but prefer doing that with friends or other random people.
	Skill Master	They look at hard difficulty and steep learning curves as appealing challenges and will pick up those games to become better and better. They are passionate about improving every aspect of their gameplay and gain satisfaction when others notice their high level of skill.
	Strategist	They are drawn to games requiring a strategic mindset, careful planning, and rigorous optimization around various areas. They enjoy executing tactical maneuvers and complex strategic planning and optimizing all available resources.
	Thinker	They enjoy occasional cognitive challenges to take their mind off other things. Successfully solving puzzles gives them a high sense of accomplishment and draws them to the gaming world again and again.
	Thrill Seeker	They associate with optimal gaming experiences, preferring that adrenaline rush rather than spending time on slow-paced gameplay that requires lots of strategic planning and thinking.
	Treasure Hunter	They want to explore new worlds and areas and have a wide range of characters, items, and other things to collect. They feel a high degree of satisfaction when they find new things and grow their collection of valuables.

Checking the Appropriate App Store

A multi-platform approach would be ideal for getting more users to your mobile game. However, given the differences between app stores, it isn’t a sensible or feasible option. You need to make a proper cost-benefit analysis of targeting a specific app store or taking a multi-platform approach, launching your mobile game on many app stores. 

Also, every app store is different, so you want to ensure you are eyeing what makes sense for your mobile game. For example, Steam is purely focused on PC gaming and will fit better by launching your PC videogame or gaming app there. Users at Apple’s app store spend more on apps, while Google Play Store games are more ad-driven and more dependent on implementing a strong mobile game ad.

However, this isn’t a golden rule, as both freemium and premium games will do well in any mobile app store.

Pre-Launch and App Store Optimization

Before launching your game, there is a quite important list of things to do for mobile marketers before the big day. They are necessary to ensure your game is seen in the right places and reaches its target audience.

Landing Page

It is a website that you can use to promote your game. In a single page, you can describe the main elements of your game and provide links to redirect users to your mobile gaming apps. You can also use it to ask for email addresses and let people subscribe to your newsletter and email list.

A landing page is a good place to gain subscribers, as people visiting your website are already interested and want to know more about your mobile game. These are the first people you should inform about the game launch.

For a landing page to be effective, there are some tips you could use, like:

• Craft a benefit-focused headline that is clear and concisely communicate the value of your offer.
• Illustrate it in a way that represents your target audience.
• Write a compelling copy that guides the visitor to the action you want them to take. Speak to them directly (using “you” and “your”) and make them feel engaged.
• Add a clear and standout call-to-action as it is the most important element of your landing page. Use a color that contrasts with the rest and use action verbs like “dowload now”, “get it now”, “buy it”, etc.
• Ask for as little as you need to create a low barrier of entry. Re-direct them to your app store page or for newsletter, just ask them for their email address.
• Try to remove any links that will draw your visitor’s attention from the call-to-action.
• It should be very responsive to accommodate every viewing experience, no matter from which device they are visiting.
• Your landing page should be optimized with target keywords to improve organic search. 

Setting Social Media

Nowadays, a marketing campaign requires interaction on social media, no matter what product or service you promote. It is very useful as it allows you to connect directly with potential users and attract other mobile gamers to check out your app. 

You can use as many social media platforms as you may consider worth it, but the best way to promote mobile games is to choose one that works the best and concentrate on it. You can start with the most popular channels, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc., and do some analysis to check which works best. 

Post some pre-launch information about your game and determine who is interested in your project. You can share some storyline previews or game graphics and check for pre-launch feedback on certain ideas. Add links to your landing page in your social media profiles, which will help funneling people to your game. 

Game Title and Logo

Most apps have a title of two or three words long. Ensure that your title is descriptive or creates an association with the game. It should reflect the style, theme, and story of the game. Some may choose to add keywords. 

Another option is showcasing the genre in the title, as many players might find it important to know it beforehand when searching for games. But don’t be as specific as adding words like “adventure”  or “RPG” to your title, rather something that is associated with the genre. You can check some of your competitors’ game titles.

Ensure your title is unique. If it is similar to other apps, Google might have problems finding it when searching for your game. But most importantly, check the terms and conditions of the app store where you will publish your game. An inappropriate word choice could lead to the store removing your game. 

Lastly, you should pay attention to localization. If you want to be popular worldwide, you should stick to English names or made-up names that are easy to pronounce. But suppose your focus is a specific non-English market. In that case, you can localize your title and other elements according to the language of those specific countries.

All of these recommendations were focused only on the title. Still, with have to talk about the logo or your game icon, as it is the first thing mobile gamers will see on app store pages. You can choose from many styles depicting certain game characters, objects, or mascots. All will depend on the game genre you are into. Do some research on what sort of icons your competitors are using. 

Keywords and Description

In the description, you don’t only need to lay out the main features of your game, updates, etc., but also include relevant keywords to improve your visibility.

Selecting the right keywords could determine the difference between being at the top of the list in the app store or getting far below the rest. You have to continuously measure and iterate the performance of your app store listings.

App Promo Video and Screenshots

King of Thieves – Official Gameplay Trailer

It is one of the most important app store elements for mobile games. These video ads allow publishers to show off their game in the best way possible and demonstrate its best features, driving conversions.

Video format is very immersive for viewers and allows you to show a real taste of the gaming experience they will get. 

Images and screenshots are another important visual app store element, alongside the promo video and icon. The images should illustrate the main game features. They must be nicely designed, following your brand identity and showcasing the best aspects of the game.

Tips for Creating High-Quality Ads for Mobile Games

Ad creatives must be on point and sharp when creating the promo video for how important it is for your game’s app store page. Yet, if you still don’t know where to start on this topic, here are some tips that will help you:

• When making the script, always consider your game genre and the player’s motivations, what they want to see and what appeals to them. 
• Do some research on your competitor’s ads and see what is working and what doesn’t. Try it out if you find an interesting creative trend over different mobile game ads. 
• Always include gameplay footage to make it seem more authentic. However, edit it in a more appealing and exciting way instead of just raw gameplay footage, as viewers might consider it boring.
• Develop each creative around one game feature or player motivation. It allows you to target different groups of players based on their interests.
• Make them short and simple. The 30 seconds mark is a sweet spot for mobile game ads. 
• Start the intro with a bang. The first seconds should immediately grab people’s attention. Many ads start with an exciting gameplay scene that pumps up the adrenaline rush. Of course, keep in mind your game genre and what would be the player’s motivations. It is important that the atmosphere and the tone of the video make sense with the game.
• Be smart about the editing, as it can “make or break” the ad. Add music, captions, and sound effects when needed.
• Create variations of the ad to check what sticks.

Reviews and Feedback

Usually, there are two feasible ways to increase your exposure in the app store: a high number of downloads and a high user rating score. While the previous points are mainly focused on marketing, your rating score will be strictly attached to the mobile gaming experience your players had and how responsive you are to customer issues. 

Make sure you are reading and commenting on the reviews users leave on your app store page. Try fixing the problems they highlight, and don’t neglect disgruntled players.

Organic Marketing

Organic engagement is an ideal way to grow your game’s audience, and it will take the right tools and the right person to do the job correctly. But, to make sure you or that person is doing organic engagement right, there are some points you have to consider.

Social Media 

Each social media platform has its best practices, specializing in different things. On some, you have to post multiple times a day, while on others, with just one daily post, you will be fine (or even a few over the week). Some platforms handle it very well in video formats, while on others, infographics and images would make more sense.

Once you know where to focus and how to maneuver around, make sure you are constantly engaging with your audience. Ask for suggestions, reply to questions and comments, and make them feel they are part of what you are doing. Post fresh content following your content marketing strategy.

Communities

These are places where people congregate online around a single topic. These could be Discord servers, subreddits, Facebook groups, and many other different forums where you have to search out and be active in the groups your audience tends to take part in. 

But always be genuine and thoughtful in your engagement. Don’t simply join these groups and start promoting your game. Be a participant and mention your company and games when it makes sense.

Another way to grow your audience in an organic way is by doing AMAs, being a moderator, and hosting in-community events to promote yourself, your company, and your games.

User Generated Content

Encourage your audience to create content and share those on your social platforms. User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by your audience, from fanart to cosplays, mods, and more.

The best promotion is always word-of-mouth, and UGC often enthusiastically supports a product or service. It is key to having something that people will fall in love with and can connect with.

Influencer Marketing

Most marketers seem to agree that the use of mobile game influencers for marketing has proved to be very effective. However, there are two takeaways to keep into account if you decide to reach over to an influencer to promote your game.

The first one is that you don’t need to reach the one with the most followers. You want someone who engages with their audience in a genuine way. Some influencers that have a relatively low and niche audience would do more for you than a famous one with gigantic numbers. 

The other takeaway is that long-term relationships work better than simply one-off product placements. It might take time to build trust between you and the influencer, the influencer itself with their followers, and those followers with your company. Still, ultimately you will gain loyal users to your player base that will stick around for a long.

Closing Thoughts on Mobile Game Marketing

There are many things to consider on proper marketing of your mobile game and numerous ways to promote it and get new players, too. 

Try using different approaches and test various techniques to check what is sticking with the users and what isn’t. If you need additional help or you still aren’t sure how to properly start doing marketing for your mobile app, contact us at GamerSEO to get further help on the topic.