Online gaming has become one of the most popular hobbies for individuals worldwide. Although building a solid career as a professional gamer isn’t easy, playing video games for a living has become a reality for many people. Talent is essential to succeed in this endeavor, so gamers have to know how to market themselves to their audience.
Players have to establish a solid brand in the competitive online gaming community. They have to invest time and financial resources to attract viewers to their platforms. Thus, gamers have to select an appropriate branding design for their gaming channels so their viewers can eventually become their loyal fans.
In this article, you’ll learn how gamers use five branding opportunities to promote their channels.
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Assuming that players belong in a single category is not the best way to attract your target audience. Hence, you must identify a specific gaming genre to determine your ideal viewers. The most common genres include player versus player, real-time strategy, and multiplayer online battle arena.Â
Like other marketing strategies, finding the right electronic sports (eSports) audience allows you to communicate your brand message to them. Understanding the eSports community can help you design an on-target marketing plan so you can produce content that will appeal to them. Therefore, consider keeping an eye on your competitors to determine how to reach your audience effectively.
2. Enable Live Streaming
If you’re an online gamer who wants to diversify your revenue, enabling live streaming is an excellent idea. This strategy allows you to show off your competitive skills, helping attract more people to your channel. A high-quality twitch logo made by professionals is definitely the way to go, along with creating custom emotes just for your channel.
If you have sufficient funds, you may consider outsourcing someone who makes a compilation of your tournament highlights and competition victories. You also have to show potential viewers what makes your channel unique so they can’t find your vibe anywhere else. Then, use free Twitch logo designs and select one that can make you stand out from the crowd of other gamers.
3. Produce Elite Content
Content marketing will help you build your brand in the gaming industry. For instance, you may blog about relevant gaming information on your website to earn loyal fans. Additionally, you may partner with other influencers and ask them to create exclusive content that they will share on their channels.
Another way to produce engaging content is by collaborating with other professional gamers. You may talk to other pros about playing together on screen so both your fans can engage with each other. This strategy can help increase your subscriptions and viewers by allowing a well-known streamer to raid your channel.
In producing elite content, you need to invest in the right tools to design a professional setup with a video producer. This provides excellent audio and video quality for live streams and pre-recorded videos. More so, you have to spend time researching the best streaming microphone to ensure that you can communicate with your audience.
4. Host Team Events
If you’re a newbie in the eSports niche, you must consider starting from a small scale to widen your audience reach. You may visit nearby gaming arcades and pubs to look for companies that co-sponsor events. Then, you must promote the event on your social media platforms and encourage your partner company to do the same.
If you already have a team, you may host a mini-tournament by splitting and pitching them against each other. Alternatively, you may have bi-weekly podcasts where you invite your team members to share sporting advice with viewers. Moreover, you must enable your team members to post questions for better networking opportunities with each other.
5. Evaluate Your Branding Strategy
The whole practice of eSports branding is irrelevant if it won’t give you desirable results. Thus, you have to assess your branding campaigns periodically by comparing your goals to the outcome. However, you must set realistic and achievable expectations, especially if you’re associated with smaller streamers and influencers.
If you’re expecting a higher return on investment (ROI), you must invest in video ads that are played pre, mid, and post-roll. Although the Twitch Affiliate Program may cost a bundle, you can still expect assured returns on your branding campaigns. With a higher ROI, you should regularly track these campaigns and realign your strategies when necessary.
Key Takeaway
As an online gamer, you have to use branding opportunities to ensure that you’re establishing a sound community. So, you must consider these five strategies to ensure the effectiveness of your branding campaigns. As a result, you can build a loyal community of subscribers who will always wait for your next live streaming event.