Since CrakRevenue entered the game last June—we know, we know, another Gaming pun—we’ve added new offers, new geos, and found new and better ways of promotion.
And to tell you the truth, we learned a lot.
Now that we’ve seen great results, we want to share some winning strategies so that you, too, can take home a piece of that $100 billion dollar pie.
But first, let’s start with some facts :
Device
37% Mobile, 63% Desktop
Gender
48% of women play games, 50% of men play games
Age
35 years old on average
Time spent
155 million Americans play at least 3 hours a week
Knowing your users is critical. Because in Gaming, like in most verticals (especially mainstream), knowing your user is key to conversions.
Here are 3 winning strategies to consider.
1- Focus on demographics, not sources of traffic
Gamers are not only hiding on Reddit and Kotaku to talk about video games. And they are definitely not only living in their mothers’ basements (although some of them certainly are). Around half of the population is playing games on their desktops, consoles, tablets and phones.
Your gaming traffic could be a teenage boy playing Call of Duty like it's his full-time job. Or it could be a mother of three that opens Candy Crush while waiting for her kids after school. There are a lot of different types of gamers, and all of them are attracted to different games.
Fascinatingly, many gamers are not so much passionate about Gaming as they are about wanting to know everything about this world. So you might not ever see these individuals perusing a Gaming article. But you may find them reading The New York Times, browsing Facebook or checking out some gardening blog.
Promoting Gaming is more about creating personas. Once you get a general idea of your user, you begin to find out what else they like. Some of the most-played games draw traffic from sites like The New York Times—not Gaming forums.
So if we recap:
- Know your user
- Consider what else your user might like
- Diversify your sources of traffic
Following this idea...
2- Expand your idea of what a “Gamer” is
Almost half the Gamers out there are female, and they purchase games 41% of the time.
Forgetting this demographic slashes your profit in half. And you won’t only find them with little games on their iPhone from the app store. A lot of women are hardcore gamers. So don’t underestimate this demographic.
Same with older people who tend to play a lot of games on their tablets.
In fact, the best strategy will be decided by the game itself. Is it a strategy game that takes a lot of time in front of the screen or could you play it while waiting for your bus?
The type of game you’re promoting has profound effects with regard to outcome and demographic. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box!
And most important, put yourself in your user’s shoes. In short, the best way to know how to sell a game is to play it. Most games are free to play so knock yourself out and enjoy yourself a little bit. Get to know the games you’re promoting. Familiarize yourself with the in-game ads or in-game purchase mechanics.
Plus, if you happen to love a game, you will know what’s attractive about it. You are your own persona.
3- Get familiar with new ways of promoting
If you’re familiar with adult offers, you are probably very cautious of Facebook. But when you promote mainstream Gaming offers, Facebook, Google and Bing are some of your best friends.
One of the best places to sell a game is using one’s Facebook feed.
And since you’re now selling more by demographic than by one’s traffic source, it changes the rules of Media Buying. You can no longer focus as much on one source; you need to try a lot more diverse sources before you can pinpoint what works and why.
A/B testing remains a solid strategy.
You can’t focus as much on one source, you will need to try a lot more of different sources before you can pinpoint what works and why. A/B Testing is your best strategy.
