Gamers are a diverse group of people. Some are loyal to certain brands, like Xbox or Playstation, while others are game-specific players. Some are young college students, while others are moms over 40.
With such a diverse audience, content marketing for gaming brands is challenging. Brands should mine their data to define their audience and consider these common marketing themes, campaign ideas, and tips to support their content marketing cycle.
Common themes in gamer marketing
Within the gaming industry, there are marketing themes that brands capitalize on, such as:
Lean on visuals
Since games are highly visual, it makes sense that their marketing is, too. Use high-quality visuals, both static and video, to draw attention to your marketing efforts.
Level up your social
Gamers love social media, so brands should meet their audience there. Which platform is best? Research shows that 60% of gamers use YouTube, according to Statista, making it the preferred channel, but Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch are also popular.
Engage gamers with creative campaigns
Gamers aren’t interested in a TV commercial promoting a new game. You need more modern, innovative ways to engage gamers and make sales. How-to videos, live stream game play, and challenges that generate user-generated content, or UGC, can connect with gamers.
Tell stories
Games tell stories, so it’s unsurprising to hear that gamers respond to them. Weave storytelling into your marketing. Talk about the origin of a game, explain how it was made, or share a funny story behind one of the unique avatars.
Content ideas for gaming brands
What are gaming brands creating in terms of content? Do they lean on YouTube videos, or are they reaching gamers through newsletters, product reviews, or promo codes shared by fellow gamers? The answer is all of the above.
The type of content shared varies, as does the source. For gaming brands, there are two categories of creators: The brand itself and loyal gamers willing to support the brand through UGC.
Brand-generated content
When a gaming brand creates content, it’s often to introduce new products or educate gamers.
Introduce new products
To stay relevant, gaming brands have a steady cadence of game releases. When new games come out, your brand can share the release date and show gameplay clips to generate a buzz.
When Xbox wanted to introduce a new round of games to its Game Pass subscribers, the brand showcased each in a 30-second TikTok.
EA Sports FC creates a webpage that focuses on games that are “coming soon.” The site provides a thumbnail, release date, and a link to the game’s own website.
Educate gamers
What can you teach your customers about your products? Consider videos that show gamers your products in a useful—not a sales—way. For instance, show gamers how to set up your console, the benefits of upgrading to a new set of controllers, or how to troubleshoot login issues.
Educational content can be broken up by customer segments. You could offer tips to:
- New gamers
- Seasoned gamers
- Gamers that play a specific game
- Gamer subgroups, like college students
HyperX educated new gamers by creating a video, “3 Things You Need to Start Streaming.” The video is aimed at beginners and offers valuable suggestions while also highlighting HyperX products.
Playstation creates a newsletter for each game aimed at helping gamers learn to play. Here’s an example for the PS5 game Sea of Thieves.
User-generated content
User-generated content, or UGC, is produced by gamers themselves. A brand often provides direction, through a challenge or a giveaway, but it’s gamers who create and share their content on the brand’s social page. Here are two common ways to generate UGC.
Create a challenge
Challenges are a common way to ignite UGC. Your brand could challenge gamers to complete a certain mission, for example, or ask a gaming influencer to put together a co-op team to complete the mission together – all while live streaming it.
Challenge artistic gamers to submit renderings of new avatars, cars, or accessories used in the game. For example, this gamer reimagined a classic Nintendo game as part of a #gamerchallenge, which could be sponsored.
Send games out early
Select a handful of users to receive a free advance copy of your game and ask them to share their thoughts. Gamers can share reviews, stream gameplay, or even promote the game with a promo code given to them by your brand.
Here’s a sponsored game review:
Tips to create content for gaming brands
- Use the same language as gamers. Avoid stuffy corporate speak and talk to gamers as they are.
- For branded content, consider creating a gaming atmosphere to shoot video, like HyperX does. While there is a company logo in the back, the set looks like a gamer’s room.
- Use gamer-generated content as inspiration for your marketing campaigns.
- Encourage a community feel on your social media channels.
- Gamers are diverse. Know your audience and avoid stereotypes.
- UGC campaigns are beneficial, but they need structure. Make clear rules and submission deadlines, and engage with followers throughout the campaign.
- Don’t rely on one marketing channel. Different gamers respond to different tactics. You’ll likely use several channels to reach and engage your core audience.
Content marketing for gaming brands is an integral part of driving brand awareness and sales. Be sure to define your audience, remain authentic, engage with gamers, and focus on creating helpful, fun content over pushing sales.
