META: We’re looking at in-game events, virtual reality, and influencer marketing to get your name out there.
Games are one of the biggest industries in the world right now. Gamers are always doing one of two things: if they’re not playing games, they’re watching games. It should be noted that the biggest genre on YouTube and Twitch is gaming content, and the biggest content creators on the sites are mainly gamers. Pewdiepie is still the biggest sole YouTuber with over 111 million viewers. That’s a lot of eyes in one place.
That’s just the beginning. Tapping into the community could get millions of eyes on your products in many different ways, making for a very lucrative market. You can look into in-game events, virtual reality, and influencer marketing to get your name out there. Take a look at our guide below for more details.
Gaming events
Some of the biggest non-political events of the 2020 lockdowns have been held on, of all places, Fortnite.
Fortnite, the battle arena MMORPG featuring high-octane action and bright, cartoon-style avatars, was at one point, the hottest place to see the world’s biggest music acts. Sure, it had been done before, but Fortnite’s attempt with Travis Scott was the most high-profile and most successful, pulling over a million views in the moment, which is to say nothing of the various recordings of the event. Fortnite players usually use specific VPNs to keep their digital footprint safe.
As other games followed suit, suddenly Roblox and Minecraft, and with names like Royal Blood, Ariana Grande, Lil Nas X, and more getting thrown about in this new genre of in-game concerts.
Not only do these concerts give acts an audience they couldn’t physically match in real life, but they can offer a range of marketing opportunities in the same way that real concerts can. Brands can market in the same way they would on a virtual reality landscape, including billboards, mid-roll ads, and more.
There is nothing to stop you from hosting your own gaming events within these RPG games. Borrow ideas from real-life events and host singles nights, concerts, comedy shows, classes, and more on the Fortnite battlefield. You can turn any RPG game into the hottest place to be, with visitors from all around the globe flocking to your event.
Influencer marketing
Affiliate marketing is a major component of being a professional gamer. There are three main ways to get into gaming as a career: eSports, development, and content creation. The latter is very much tied up in affiliate marketing. Since YouTube and Twitch are notoriously bad for getting money from, creators on the platform have mainly turned to brand deals as part of being a gamer influencer.
It is a good deal and a sustainable one at that. Gamers can create their content and then give a sponsored shoutout about your brand in the content, getting you a large fanbase and many eyes on your business.
As much as people outside the industry might insist it isn’t a sport, eSports gamers sure look like sports stars. This is especially true when they’re decked out in their chosen kits that are littered with brand logos. As influencers in their own rights, eSports stars can make content on their own social media accounts that feature sponsored shoutouts from brands.
Virtual reality
Virtual reality has a lot of applications right now. It’s used as a training ground for pilots, engineers and surgeons. The tourist industry loves its ability to allow people to visit any place in the world, and Meta is looking forward to launching its virtual reality social media platform.
Virtual reality originally started with a desire to make games even more immersive. Players can walk through the real halls of the Resident Evil mansion or fly through the galaxies of No Man’s Sky.
Gaming on VR doesn’t offer many areas of marketing within the game, but the platform itself has a lot of marketing options.
Mobile gaming, for example, is already the most lucrative form of gaming, where ads are a big part of the experience. Marketers can see their business and products displayed in a banner at the bottom, or as a pre-roll ad. They can even offer a chance for the user to gain more coins or features for use within the game. Considering a lot of virtual reality headsets are ultimately strapping your phone to your face, this can be an area that marketing can pursue and get results in.
There is also the virtual world itself to market in. You don’t just turn on your gaming console and find your game waiting for you. You have to go through a platform and find your game to turn it on. The virtual world can be that platform.
Virtual reality offers its own set of possibilities for marketing, including those we haven’t even thought of yet, but it also allows marketers to apply the same techniques they have in traditional marketing. Since it will appear as a physical space, marketers can buy billboards, sponsor clothes, add audio advertisements. This is in addition to all the sponsored content that is already a part of the online space.
So, in conclusion, yes, the gaming space is ripe for picking when it comes to marketing. Where will you take your marketing campaign?