Gaming influencer marketing got very big very fast. Everyone is doing it or at least talking about it and there’s an excellent reason for that. People watched over 60 billion hours of gaming-related content in 2018 between YouTube, Twitch and emerging streaming sites alone.
It seems that influencer marketing it’s not a fad that will go away anytime soon, but it is the way for marketing to evolve into something completely new and exciting.
It all started just a few years ago, but it was a wild ride. With their rise, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter produced a big amount of social media influencers — people that created massive communities around them to share their lifestyles and opinions with. They are not quite celebrities yet, but that is what makes them so powerful in the marketing context. They are genuine, trusted, well informed, opinionated and their communities are dying to see what they will talk about next.
Do you know what are the core benefits of reaching out to influencers to promote your products? Can you list the 5 most important things about influencers that will save you time and money? And, most importantly, do you know how working with YouTube influencers specifically can benefit your brand?
Here’s a bite-size list of 30 great reasons why you should start preparing your influencer campaign today:
1. Gaming influencers are among the most social ones. They build their community around a common interest that is interactive, engaging and easy to watch at the same time. It’s a creative content jackpot.
2. Gaming communities are close-knit. They often meet not only in the YouTube channel itself but also on forums, Discord and in online games. That’s a lot of opportunities for interaction!
3. Since most gamers use Adblock, influencers are one of the very few ways to reach them directly.
4. Working with gaming influencers is very cost-effective. Their rates are affordable, they are open to price negotiations and if you happen to be in the Tech sector they may even be happy to endorse your brand in exchange for hardware or software.
5. Recommendations from a YouTube gaming influencer go further. Since they are using the product themselves and showcasing it on video their community can clearly see all the features. Nothing beats live feedback on the item you are considering buying.
6. YouTubers can recommend and promote products directly and indirectly. Since their channel is video-based there’s a lot of room for product placement, unboxing, reviews…you name it, they can do it.
7. Influencers are great for building brand awareness. Think about all that content that they create — it will be out there, searched for and viewed on YouTube for weeks if not months to come. That way it can be discovered, recommended and go trending even long after its original upload.
8. Youtubers are also amazing for building an emotional connection between their fans and your brand. If they love it, everyone will love it!
10. Gamers are primarily looking for content that is entertaining. Since ads are not really considered entertainment any more gaming influencers allow you to adjust your marketing strategy to incorporate something that will instantly click with your customers.
11. Gaming is not only a hobby anymore — it’s a lifestyle choice but it also defines people’s free time, career and ambitions. This allows the influencer content to really hit home and market your product in a more meaningful way.
12. Since a growing part of the gaming community are now gamers since birth gaming influencers will have even more reach and impact as time goes by. If you invest in the market now you will have a network of influencers ready to go for your future campaigns.
13. Influencers create their own content. That means less brainstorming, editing, and hassle for you. All you need to do is give them a product and an idea of what kind of material you’re looking for. They will do the rest for you, so you can sit back and relax a little.
14. Influencer created content means that it is already perfectly targeted for their audience. Great for instant sharing, linking and conversions!
15. The average gamer is around 30 years old. They have money and they want to spend it. Entertainment is one of the things they are willing to buy and tell everyone about and YouTubers allow you to tap into it seamlessly.
16. Gaming influencers give out honest opinions and it’s great for your brand. Reviews that give out pros and cons convert better and are more believable. Win-win for the brand-influencer combo!
17. It’s an influencer’s job to create and promote content. They want it to be polished as much as you do (if not more). That’s why you are not going to be disappointed with the quality of their work — they are doing it for themselves too.
18. To stay relevant in a gaming niche influencers need to be creative and aware of their numbers. You can bounce campaign ideas off them, find out what kind of content gets them more shares — they know their metrics well, so you can consult them and use it to your advantage!
19. They communicate in a way their fans and their generation understands and identify with. No more marketing pitches that miss the target audience!
20. It’s very easy to make sure all the content you sponsor on YouTube is correctly marked as #ad or #sponsorship. You can request it to be disclosed in the video itself, title or description and gaming influencers usually understand and accept those requirements already.
21. Since gaming goes well with so many things, you can work with gaming influencers even if your product doesn’t fall in the Tech category. Food, gadgets, clothing, services — influencers can incorporate it all really easy.
22. The conversion rate of ‘real life’ influencers is much better than that of celebrities. They convert much better than social media stars because their fans view them as relatable and trustworthy.
23. The social interaction you get from working with gaming influencers is real. Since gaming sites like YouTube and Twitch remove bots and fake accounts regularly you know their communities are genuine.
24. Great content increases your popularity and search ranking. Gaming influencers can help you boost your whole marketing strategy by linking back and forth to your brand pages.
25. More than 80% of gamers buy items and services recommended by YouTubers they watch.
26. Gaming influencers can connect you with an audience that you could never reach on your own. They bring in people who don’t watch TV, block ads and are not interested in receiving any direct marketing.
27. Youtubers spent years building their channels and communities, so they really know what they are doing. By working with them you are tapping into the expert knowledge of their market.
28. Gaming influencers are natural networkers. Since they tend to mingle and contribute to a larger community of content creators, they can introduce you to other people they work with. Pairing up with one of them opens the door to other potential partnerships on YouTube.
29. It’s easy to target specific age and interest groups with the help of gaming influencers. Each gaming community is different, but amazingly the content type and the game the channel is focused on can help you a lot in finding that perfect target audience you’ve been looking for.
30. Gaming influencers are incredibly relaxed and easy to work with. If you ever worked with a difficult person you already know how important it is to find people who understand briefs, show initiative, do their best and are as interested in the success of the campaign as much you are.
There are marketplaces focused on gaming influencers out there, so reaching out and finding the right one for you is a matter of minutes!
Do you feel more confident about working with YouTubers now?
We can help you connect with the right gaming influencers within minutes. Book a meeting with us today and let us handle the hard parts for you.