Influencer marketing is becoming a must-have UA (user acquisition) strategy for many gaming apps. By tapping into those who hold the attention of your target users, gaming apps can get exposure to a channel of future users that may have not been used before. A social influencer who is a gaming expert will help your app get a trusted, niche recommendation that results in enthusiastic users.
This article was first published on adaction.com.
However, many mobile game apps are hesitant to pay out large sums of money with no guarantee for returns. Fortunately, there’s a new model for influencer marketing that’s performance-based. That means that you only pay the influencer when players download your app from their posts.
This framework offers many opportunities to acquire users for your app, and easily plan a budget and ROAS goal for your influencer campaigns.
Influencer stats: The industry is growing!
To add context around why this type of marketing can be valuable to you, let’s look at some data from a recent benchmarking report.
The industry expects to reach $16.4 billion in 2022. This is a number that has been steadily climbing for the last five years. Apps using influencers for wider brand recognition are also growing, with 75% of brands creating budgets around influencer campaigns. Of those, 68% plan to increase spending in 2022.
CPI campaigns in performance-based influencer marketing
Influencer marketing, like AdAction’s Stacks service, uses a performance-based CPI (cost per install) model. When you run a campaign with an influencer, that influencer will use a unique link that takes users to either the Apple Store or Google Play. If that user downloads your app, you then pay that agreed CPI bid.
Another reason a performance-based model works well is that you’re highly likely to gain more engaged users. This audience has already “opted in” to that influencer, and are more likely to excitedly try out your app since it comes with a reputable endorsement.
When should you create an influencer campaign?
Pre-launch
Hype up your game’s launch by getting pre-registrations through an influencer. A great buzz before the game is live can be very valuable. When creating content, the influencer will need inside access to the game to talk about the mechanics and excitement of it.
At launch
On the day your game goes live, your influencer can introduce the game more fully than in a pre-launch promotion. For example, your ad could include shots of the person playing the game.
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Download NowNew features or versions
If your game is deploying new features or versions, your influencer can talk about these and how they’ll make the game even more fun.
Seasonal or holiday events
Depending on the type of game, it may lend itself to more playing time during specific times of the year. If so, an influencer can help you capitalize on this trend.
Best practices for using influencers to promote your app
Choose influencers who match your key demographic.
To make an impression on the audiences you want to attract, make sure the influencer’s content is similar to your niche or their audience matches your key demographics!
Working with a celebrity or general social media star is too broad and may not connect with your ideal users. Micro-influencers have larger than average followings but aren’t celebrities and are often perfect for these campaigns.
Leverage a platform that matches vetted influencers with apps.
With this approach, you don’t have to do outreach or research. An influencer marketing platform offers value for both apps and influencers to make the collaboration more successful. The platform, like the Stacks app with AdAction, helps along the approval and campaign setup process.
Determine which social media sites have the largest pool of gamers in your category to determine the potential reach.
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube are the leading platforms to promote gaming apps through influencer marketing. Depending on the type of gaming app you’re promoting, you’ll want to tap into which platform(s) have the largest pool of your core demographic.
Collaborate with influencers on content creation.
You know your app, but influencers know their audience and what content resonates with them. Allowing the influencer some creative freedom helps with authenticity. You don’t want this to come off as an ad so much as an organic conversation. You should still have final review or approval, but don’t box influencers in with a long list of parameters.
A success story: Gaming + Influencers
A client of AdAction, a well-known gaming app development company*, launched an influencer marketing campaign to hit install and retention goals. Once matched with a high-quality influencer whose audience aligned with their core demographic, the campaign was then scaled to success, resulting in over one million new users.
* Client name kept anonymous for privacy.
Play the influencer marketing card to increase your gaming app downloads
By using a performance-based model for influencer campaigns, you’re able to effectively plan your budget, ROAS goals, and scale month to month based on the results you’re seeing.
Pay for only the right use and partner with AdAction today. Our Stacks solution creates a streamlined approach to influencer marketing. It helps develop relationships between apps and influencers with the best interests of both considered.
Find out how it works today and get started with influencing that’s scalable, affordable, and trackable!
