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I am an indie game developer looking for advice on social media marketing.

by Chance Dixon
3 replies
Hello everyone!
I am an indie game developer looking to start selling/posting games commercially. I have very little experience doing so, and basically at level 0 as far as my marketing skills go. I have no social media traction whatsoever, nor any marketing connections to speak of.
I am currently working on a free-to-play mobile game which I plan on publishing to Google Play and the App Store. I plan on turning a profit through ad revenue, playing an ad between games after some time passes. So far the game is still in fairly early development, as I have a little more to go before meeting my requirements for a completed product.
However, I understand that marketing is an essential part of any indie game's life cycle, as it doesn't matter if the game is just amazing; if no one knows about it, it ultimately won't matter much.
I have created a few social media accounts recently to do this. Though as I said, I have little traction and little knowledge on how to go about getting more eyes on my game. I'll have them linked below if anyone is interested in having a look.
The question I want to ask is this: can anyone suggest a sort of roadmap/strategy for social media marketing, or link me to a resource that can help me with my problem?
This past weekend I posted screenshots for Screenshot Saturday, which is popular among indie developers, although I do understand that by doing so I'm generally just marketing to an audience of other indie game developers.
[links removed by moderator]
#advice #developer #game #indie #marketing #media #social
  • Profile picture of the author grumpycat
    Sounds to me that you really need a media buyer (a person who create and run your ads on various platform) to work with you on your goals (increase awareness, boost website traffic, game download, and players) and execution. They can help determine the most cost-effective way to reach potential customers, negotiate media deals, and maximize the return on investment of the advertising budget. A media buyer can also identify opportunities to target the right customers through the right channels, ensure that the media placements are delivered as promised, and measure the success of the media buys. You can definitely learn the skillset and eventually do the advertising yourself, but I recommend you outsource the job and focus on your products instead.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tlight
    A potential Facebook ad strategy for your indie game could involve the following steps:

    1. Define your target audience: Identify the demographics, interests, and behaviors of the users who are most likely to be interested in your game.

    2. Develop a unique value proposition: Communicate what sets your game apart from others in the market and why users should download it.

    3. Create compelling ad creatives: Use eye-catching images and videos that showcase your game in action, along with a clear call-to-action.

    4. Optimize your ad targeting: Use Facebook's targeting options to ensure your ads are reaching the right audience.

    5. Test and refine: Use A/B testing to try out different ad creatives and targeting options and to see what works best. Make adjustments as needed.

    6. Use Facebook's analytics and insights to track your ad performance and measure the ROI of your ad spend.

    7. Use retargeting ads to reach users who have already shown an interest in your game.

    8. Utilize influencer marketing by partnering with popular mobile gaming influencers to promote your game to a wider audience.

    9. Use social proofing by leveraging user-generated content such as reviews, ratings, and screenshots to increase trust and credibility.

    10. Engage with your audience through comments, messages, and social listening to build a community around your game.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ondre
    You can also try creating more media with your game: post images on different platforms, and make youtube videos. Maybe, reveal some secrets or explain some game mechanics (actually, it depends on the game, but still...)
    You're right regarding the audience - sharing it with other devs is cool, but it won't help much with the real players. I would also try contacting some game reviewers or websites that write about games.
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