The category “games” is the most popular on the app stores. However, how do that affect developers? First of all, its potential audience is huge, which offers your game plenty of possibilities to be known. Nonetheless, competition is also high, so this requires to implement precise marketing strategies.
Table of Contents
What are the main differences between mobile game marketing and app marketing?
1. When to start
It’s important to promote your project since the early stages of development in order to create community and expectation. For games, it’s important that the tutorial and first impression when opening the game is well done. It is vital to inform developers about that.
2. Where to aim
Retaining a user is 5 times cheaper than acquiring new, so it is a good idea to split efforts between acquisition and retention. Don’t neglect your existing users, as the most important metric of free to play games is the retention index.
3. Adjust segmentation
Probably, when you segment your audience for an app you use a wide range of age groups, such as 25-55. However, you need to adjust it a lot for games. Some of the segments can be residence, language, age group, gender, device, specific interests and buying behavior on games.
4. Creativity
Visual elements for games are very different. It’s necessary to include more fantasy, such as visual effects, dynamic and graphic elements or typography and any other spectacular element the game has.
5. Where to promote
Don’t forget to promote your game in specialized forums, review websites, publishers and display networks. That’s where you can find your audience. On the other hand, choosing adequate social media channels is also important. For example, don’t use LinkedIn as it is useful for business apps only.
6. What to analyze
On apps, metrics that are related to the monetization funnel are the ones to go to. On games, it’s way more complex than that. Besides retention, channel, conversion, DAU and MAU, etc., it’s also convenient to analyze users’ behavior and check levels, tutorial, kind of purchases, virality and other relevant aspects for the game. It’s vital to include an attribution tool: for ASO such as TheTool, and for behavior analytics.
To Sum Up
This market is extremely competitive and there are three ways to succeed:
- Be featured on the App Store or Google Play. Include IAP, focus on user experience and not on monetization, build an awesome visual experience and include technological novelties.
- Free to play to the top. Create a game that retains users during months and years, optimize LTV, retention, monetization and get a good marketing budget.
- Viral Game: It’s risky and there isn’t an exact way to achieve it. Aim to reach a huge audience and boost word of mouth.
What did you think about the post? Do you know more differences between app and game marketing? Leave your opinion in the comments!
Source: Aprofita
