Gaming has reached heights never seen before, thanks to the advent of smart portable devices. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone, across all age groups, genders, and demographics, who’s never had a game installed on their tablet or smartphone. With this demand comes great opportunities for marketing.
Another area that is surging in popularity is influencer marketing. In this space, again, gaming seems to produce some of the most powerful influencers, and brands have started to take notes. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why gaming influencer marketing is all the rage right now.
The Explosion of the Mobile Gaming Industry
Revenue coming from mobile gaming reached a whopping 37 billion pounds globally in the year 2019 alone. As a matter of fact, it counted for about 60% of the total gaming revenue.
One of the areas that is seeing the highest growth is online gambling and online casinos. The ability to play innovative gladiator slots games with snazzy graphics and state of the art sound effects from wherever you are and have a chance to win real money was something that wasn’t imaginable even a decade ago.
This has given rise to popular influencers both online and offline generating huge audiences. One influencer, in particular, Brian Christopher, is famous for testing various physical slot machines online. He manages to generate over 2 million views a month on YouTube, with most of his audience consisting of millennials.
Online Gamers as Personalities
What makes gamers so powerful as influencers is the actual proximity they have with their audience. The average influencer might release a few videos or posts on Instagram, but few will spend hours on streaming marathons responding in real-time to viewers like gamers regularly do on platforms like Switch.
This proximity translates into real trust and loyalty, which also makes gaming influencers very persuasive, especially on platforms like social media. In a recent survey, 71% of the people surveyed stated that there was a greater chance of them making a purchase after seeing a mention on social media. But what makes gaming influencers so powerful is the sense of transparency they convey, which allows them to have much more of a pull than your traditional distant and polished celebrity.
Online gamers could’ve actually sparked the influencer movement to begin with. While he has been criticised and will largely be remembered for controversy, many people will forget that YouTube’s most famous, and possibly most influential, personality, PewDiePie, started as a gaming YouTuber. His first video was of him playing the popular sandbox game Minecraft. He went on to amass over 103 million subscribers and generate 70 million in revenue in 2019.
Gaming Influencer Marketing is Reaching all Platforms
Not only did gaming influencer marketing take over traditional platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, but gaming influencers are also capitalising on other platforms where other types of influencer may not have the same impact. Snapchat’s AR lens capabilities, for instance, make for an exciting and personalised experience that is tailor-made for gaming influencers.
New apps like Tik Tok also present tons of opportunities for gaming creators. You can grow your account with options like BUMPED. The platform is especially popular among Gen Z and allows influencers to market products in a playful and engaging way. As a matter of fact, part of the popularity of games such as Minecraft and Fortnite can be attributed to the platform alone.
Conclusion
Gaming influencers are here, and here to stay. And businesses have a chance to tap into their marketing potential to bring brands to new heights and in front of their target audience.