Our first talk was from Melissa Chaplin, head of client strategy at game if you are, “a marketing and PR agency that specialises in indie games” (Game If You Are, 2021).
(Game If You Are, 2021)
Before the talk started I felt engaged with the module as this was an opportunity for us to understand the industry from a professional viewpoint. It is reassuring for me to know that individuals working in the industry have given up their time to speak with us as aspiring designers as they genuinely want to see the next generation succeed and push the industry forward in a positive way.
This talk covered how to network effectively at events, keeping your social media professional, optimising opportunities and always striving to do what you love. This speaker highlighted the importance of making connections in the industry, particularly with games journalists for promotional opportunities.
This talk was reassuring to me personally as it discussed the unpredictable nature of work opportunities and on a personal level I could relate to the fact that the speaker didn’t have a clear direction in my current position.
She highlighted the importance of having an online presence, and with 3.5 billion active users daily (Mohsin, 2020), social media is one of our biggest assets;
· Twitter (330 million monthly active users, 145 million daily active users (Oberlo, 2020) – don’t post or promote anything unprofessional. Use your platform to build confidence in yourself and what you do – have a strong online presence. Use pinned tweets and relevant hashtags, e.g. #indiedevhour, #screenshotsaturday. Engage with relevant communities, support others
· Discord (300 million users as of June 2020 (See appendix 1) – build a community around your game and promotions. Interact with your players, gather feedback, develop loyalty/advocacy
· Reading game articles – taking advantage of industry-facing news e.g. Wireframe and Gamasutra
· CV/Portfolio building – emphasise transferrable skills, put the most relevant at the top of your CV depending on the job description.
· Networking – use events such as EGX, target niche journalists/websites and address them personally. Show an interest and knowledge about their work
· Know your work – your scope, your limits, your highlights.
(Networking event at EGX) (NME, 2020)
The second stage of the talk focussed on marketing methods starting with the marketing funnel. Melissa outlined 5 stages; awareness, consideration, purchase, loyalty and advocacy (the diagram below expands on this).
(Cooler Insights, 2016)
Key points:
· Do your research – look at your competition, not your inspiration. Who streams this type of game? Who promotes them?
· Make an action plan – highlight the most important points, outline goals, actions and key performance indicators (KPI’s)
· Start the PR – choose your best assets to target press and influencers. Let them play and review your game prior to public announcement
Reflection:
I found this talk inspirational. Melissa never intended to work in marketing and community management, let alone in the game design industry, and as someone who isn't considered a 'conventional gamer' it makes me feel more comfortable knowing that there are plenty of options for creatives like me. I have used Gibbs reflective cycle (see appendix 2) to consider my personal branding from the perspective of marketing. I regularly post artwork on both twitter and Instagram and this lecture has shown the importance of engaging with my audience and using these platforms effectively. My action plan is to be consistent with my engagement (posting on a weekly basis) and make sure I’m using promotions like hashtags as effectively as possible.
References
Game If You Are, 2021. We’re Game If You Are. (Online) Available at: https://gameifyouare.com/ (Accessed 9th January 2021).
Mohsin, M., 2020. 10 Social Media Statistics You Need To Know In 2021 (Online) Available at: https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/social-media-marketing-statistics (Accessed: 11th January 2021).
Lin, Y., 2020. 10 TWITTER STATISTICS EVERY MARKETER SHOULD KNOW IN 2020 [INFOGRAPHIC]. (Online) Available at: https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/twitter-statistics#:~:text=There%20are%20330%20million%20monthly,are%20between%2035%20and%2065. (Accessed: 11th January 2021).
Hollis, D., 2020. EGX 2020 has been cancelled, digital event to take it’s place. (Online) Available at: https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/egx-2020-has-been-cancelled-digital-event-to-take-its-place-2698630 (Accessed: 11th January 2021).
Cooler Insights, 2016. How to Optimise Your Digital Marketing Funnel. (Online) Available at: https://coolerinsights.com/2016/09/how-to-optimize-your-digital-marketing-funnel/ (Accessed 9th January 2021).
Appendix
Appendix 1 : Gough, C., 2020. Number of registered users of Discord worldwide from 2017 to 2020. (online) Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/746215/discord-user-number/#:~:text=Discord%20registered%20user%20numbers%20worldwide%202017%2D2019&text=This%20statistic%20presents%20information%20on,million%20to%20over%20300%20million. (Accessed: 11th January 2021).
Appendix 2: Rumson, R., 2018. Gibbs – Reflective Cycle Model (1988). (Online) Available at: https://www.eln.io/blog/gibbs-reflective-cycle-model-1988 (Accessed 11th January 2021).
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