With every passing year, marketing becomes more and more about content and influencer relations. It’s not about companies putting their products and services out there anymore. Ads, promotions and PR stunts just don’t cut it in the modern digital marketplace.
In the current market, the focus is not on the brand or the product; it’s all about who uses it and what are they saying about it on social media. Since influencer marketing is one of the most trusted sources for almost any purchase made by teenagers, with over 70% of young adults and 49% of all consumers turning to their social media sources for advice, your brand can’t afford to ignore this trend.
One of the most popular influencers on the market is video game streamers and creators from YouTube, Twitch, and Mixer. Since they have very vibrant communities and broad, global reach they can be excellent Brand Ambassadors and marketing partners.
No matter which particular influencer you settle on, you need to have a firm idea of what type of content will work for you and have the most substantial impact on your brand. There are multiple options to choose from, and if you haven’t worked with influencers before or you are not familiar with the content they produce, it can be a bit daunting to decide.
That’s why we’ve prepared a breakdown of the most popular types of content that you can use in your next video game influencer marketing campaign with some real-life examples to give you a good idea on how they work:
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1. Reviews
If you happen to be a video game, tech or novelty item company you are in luck. Reviews are a unique, trendy type of content done by multiple influencers, and with some channels fully dedicated only to this type of content you can be sure to find someone that will give your product justice.
Pros: Most content creators are happy to do sponsored reviews and receive free products from all kinds of global brands. Since influencers are generally trusted to deliver their honest opinions about any item they present in their streams or videos, this type of content can be an excellent investment, especially during product launches.
Cons: You can’t buy good opinions. Some influencers are known from their rigorous reviews, and if your product has some hidden flaws or does not meet their expectations in full, they will definitely inform their community about it.
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2. Giveaways & Competitions
Giveaways and competitions are a great type of content that instantly stirs the community and creates direct attention for your brand. The rules are easy: the better the prize, the bigger the engagement. Because let’s be honest, who doesn’t like free stuff?
Pros: This is a very manageable, fast type of content with immediate results that don’t require much investment (especially if you are giving away your own products).
Cons: Some people enter giveaways just for the freebies – without developing any long-term interest in the product or a brand. Make sure that when you organize a giveaway, you create some mechanism to prevent people from entering without benefiting you in any way. For example one entry for reposting your social media content, liking your page, posting with your hashtag, signing up for your mailing list, and so on.
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3. Social Media Takeover
This is one of the most unusual, but at the same time, the most exciting type of marketing campaigns out there. During a social media takeover, you give influencer access to your social media channels to create synergy between their community and your brand and expand the reach of both. Twitch is doing it; start-up brands are doing it; you can do it too!
Pros: Takeover is, in a way, not a very intense type of content, since all you have to do is present the influencer of the general idea of what you are hoping for, relax and wait for results…
Cons: …but a lot can go wrong. Influencers may post content that is not 100% aligned with your brand, and you never quite know how your clients will react to a takeover. So think twice before engaging in one and make sure you engage with a content creator that is the right fit for you.
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4. Sponsored Streams & Videos
Sponsoring a one-off piece of content is great if you never dabbled in influencer marketing and want to test the waters before you fully invest in it. All you need to do is find an influencer you like and give them all the details you would like mentioned in their stream or video.
They will handle the rest for you and carry out with their content as usual, which means that their community will get the content that they love, and you will get the exposure, engagement and recognition as the brand supporting a popular content creator. It’s a win-win situation.
Pros: It’s a great starter content. Even if you are not experienced in influencer marketing, you can easily manage it.
Cons: The results for your brand will depend on the content creator that you choose, so check and double-check that their brand and community align with your goals.
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5. Unboxing
Similar to the reviews, unboxing videos took YouTube by storm. They are fun, entertaining and make you want to buy whatever the influencer is getting.
There are many approaches out there. Some channels are even putting a twist on the whole concept, by producing silent unboxing videos, focusing solely on the box contents and product details.
If your product happens to come in a stunning box with accessories, extra goodies, and parts – definitely give it a try.
Pros: You already have the product; the packaging is fantastic; the brand is on point – all you have to do now is showcase it.
Cons: There are not many cons to this type of content unless something is missing from the box (for the whole internet to witness).
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6. Sponsored product/brand mention
Sometimes, especially if you are launching a new product or trying to figure out what your audience wants, it may be worth checking out an endorsement/product mention during a stream or a video.
Chats and comment sections are incredibly active across Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube. When a content creator asks a brand-related question or mentions a product feature, you can get some interesting feedback that would never get to you otherwise. So if you are interested in some alternative market research, this may be a venue to explore.
Pros: You never know what kind of feedback you will get, and it may lead to some new, exciting marketing, product and sales ideas.
Cons: You never know what kind of feedback you will get, and it may not be useful to you at all.
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7. Banners, ads, and logos
Those elements are not really considered content itself, but they are a passive way of inserting your brand into an influencer’s channel. If you are looking for more exposure and want to get your logo or banner out there, it can work great for you. Especially that any change to the content creator’s profile or social media will prompt questions from their community and create some buzz for you.
Pros: It’s a passive campaign, so it doesn’t require much supervision – meaning that it’s easy to organize, straightforward and not expensive to run.
Cons: Since there’s no content being created, it can go without much notice from the community. This is a big risk, especially when the influencer doesn’t put much emphasis on why your logo or banner suddenly appeared on their channel.
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8. Brand ambassadors
If you are looking for something more substantial and long-term, consider partnering up with a Brand Ambassador. In exchange for your products and support a Brand Ambassador will become a strong voice for your company in their community.
Building a lasting relationship like that is not easy. First of all, you need to find a content creator that is already interested in what you are offering and is willing to promote you of their own volition. This will ensure that you get the best results, as the influencer’s audience will have previous positive exposure to your brand, making the whole process a lot easier.
But don’t worry, all kinds of content creators can support your campaigns long term if you build a lasting connection and guide them through everything your brand is all about.
Pros: Brand ambassadors are popular and generally well-received. If you win over the influencer’s community, it will benefit you and bring you some real exposure.
Cons: It can take a bit of time to get this campaign type up and running as you typically spend more time negotiating the conditions for a long-term collaboration compared to one-off campaigns.
We at Adshot can help you with all kinds of influencer campaigns. From small test videos to tweets, streams and sponsored content – whatever it is that you have in mind, we got you covered.
If you are looking to expand your marketing strategy we can make sure to give you the best start possible. Book a free 30-minute consultation with one of our experts and find out what we can do for you.