Since the first ever video game competition on October 19, 1972, Esports has skyrocketed in popularity. According to Global Sport Matters, “North America has the second-largest Esports gaming market, with nearly 70% of Americans being gamers.” Also, “the [Esports] industry’s global market revenue was forecast to grow to as much as 1.87 billion U.S. dollars in 2025” (Statista).
The Esports industry has become a worldwide phenomenon. The growth potential in this industry is evident. With a forward-thinking and adaptable marketing plan, you can create powerful content and influence the gaming community.
Due to the prevalence and marketability of this industry, the opportunities for marketing are endless if you have a powerful Esports marketing strategy that is tailored to your audience. Let’s imagine the possibilities.
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Knowing the right audience.
The gaming industry has many different audiences within the overall Esports community and there are different audiences for different genres. Some of these genres include first-person shooter (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS), or multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games.
Similar to traditional sports, knowing which audience to target is crucial. This is because they are all different, with different personalities, wants and needs, demographics, and so on. As a marketing agency working in the Esports space, it is vital to understand who our audience is and what gaming genre they relate with most. This makes it easier to understand their needs and desires. Once the audience is better understood, it is easier to create content and messaging that speaks to them.
- Knowing the right channels
As a marketing agency, we have conducted research via social listening on Esports to gain as much information circulating on the Internet as possible. We have discovered that 88% of people have a positive sentiment toward gaming. This is key to understanding the continuous rise in popularity of Esports and gaming.
Potential impressions are 16.45 million, and engagement is nearly 17.5K. The most popular channels for Esports include:
- Discord
- Twitch
- YouTube
That being said, it is imperative to conduct research to determine which platforms should be used. We use this information to target the channels where our audience is most active. From there, we are able to decipher the best opportunities for ad placements and partnerships and learn which type of influencers are on which channels.
- Working with influencers.
Promoting game competitions with popular streamers and gamers is an effective way to get the word out about events and competitions. Partnering with famous influencers and teams creates more leverage for expanding your audience. As a marketing agency, we also find this to be a helpful tool for creating relatable content.
Promotion through influencers’ social media allows for a much larger audience to be reached. Twitch and other Esports channels have a large audience, and Esports followers are highly supportive, engaged, and loyal. With the increase in the popularity of video, streamers are popular on many platforms, e.g., Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Creating content marketing campaigns on these channels and partnering with popular streamers to get content will get you closer to reaching a larger audience.
- Events and the metaverse
The metaverse has created a shift from physical to virtual events with a movement towards fully online or hybrid events. “There has been talk of virtualizing players so that they could compete as if they were fighters in an arena, gladiatorial or otherwise.” This creates a space for even more sponsorships with fashion brands who can create jerseys for the Esport teams.
The implementation of NFTs may push the esports arena forward. “Fans collect memorable moments of sports events as NFTs on marketplaces.” The increase in NFTs will deepen exposure and gaming engagement with a larger audience across all different types of games.
As marketers, it is vital to look at podcasts, webinars, Esports award show, tournaments, social contests, and giveaways. These are all lucrative events that can help to gain a loyal audience. Implementing a consistent show to invite team members to share trade secrets and sporting advice with viewers allows you to connect with your community. Finally, participating in the Esports award show, hosting mini-tournaments, and pushing out consistent social contests and giveaways help to promote event marketing in Esports.
If you are ready to take your digital marketing to the next level, contact our CEO, Veronika, at veronika@jumpstart-now.com for more information. You can also schedule a free consultation here.
