Playing games on social media has become an important way for players, fans and other observers to stay connected in a socially distanced world. Gamers today are eager to create a social media presence which allows them to communicate with their fans. The more followers that they collect, the more productive their outlet becomes for targeted promotions and boosting brand awareness of welcome bonus casinos and more.
Regardless of whether you are a casual player at an online casino or part of the competitive gaming world, you can find the social media platform that meets your needs and expectations. To reach the right people, you need to research your targeted audience so that you select the platform where your potential customers will be waiting.
Check out some comparisons and contrasts between the most popular platforms for gaming.
Facebook is still the most popular social media website in the world. The site has 2.6 billion users who log into their accounts at least once monthly, though most users are more active. Facebook features fan pages, official game pages, official brand pages, advertisements, video image and text content and gaming communities, all of which work in tandem to engage audiences and support one another. Facebook’s user experience provides an ideal strategy for raking up your conversions.
Recently, Facebook gained a powerful partner when Microsoft closed Mixer and partnered with Facebook. Mixer had a significant gaming community and that demographic was encouraged to move to Facebook which gave Facebook streamers a ready-made audience to boost exposure and sales. Facebook Games is an emerging platform but it’s built on the existing Facebook platform. That allows Facebook Gaming to interact and utilize the existing Facebook tools and features with which FB users are already familiar and already feel comfortable using.
Online Casino
The online casino - like our very own Grande Vegas - is an immensely popular gaming platform because it features hundreds of casino games. Players compete themselves while trying to increase their score from one game to the next and win prizes. Online gamers can choose from a large selection of table games, slot machines or online specialty games and play them at any time and from any location.
The online casino is probably the most interactive gaming platform since all participants play themselves. It’s not a platform that encourages fans or followers -- everyone participates, though each player can select whether s/he wants to place a high bet, a low bet or no bet at all.
Online casino players who want to play in a social atmosphere can choose a progressive jackpot game which allows them to compete in a competitive atmosphere against other players from around the world. These games – selected slots and selected poker games – bring all participating players into competition where they vie for the progressive jackpot prize as they play their regular game. Everyone makes a small jackpot deposit and the winner takes the entire pot.
Next to Facebook, Twitter is the oldest social media platform on the Internet. Tweeting is popular among gamers and viewers alike – in 2019 there were 1.2 billion tweets about video games and by March the tweets about gaming had grown 71%.
Gamers and viewers use Twitter to share updates and information and to interact with gamers from around the world. Much of the success in Twitter regarding gaming involves networking. It’s not meant to be a streaming service but rather a more professional way to stay in touch with a fan base and announce news. Most top gamers and gaming legends have a presence on Twitter which gives gamers the chance to interact with those that they watch and admire.
Finally, audiences on Twitter are more likely to share recommendations than through other social media platforms.
Steam
Steam combines all the latest and greatest games including access to upcoming games. Streamers can use the platform to release regular updates, features and patches and developers can promote game guides, live streams and walkthroughs. Many influencers “hang out” on Steam which makes it a good place for you to hang out as well.
Steam allows you to use up to 15 tags so you can get featured in more places. Stream also offers the option for users to create a trailer.
YouTube
YouTube is making a big splash in the gaming world and has become a highly influential channel for game marketing. Because YouTube is owned by Google, YouTube gamers appear on the most highly-ranked Google search results when ranking for keywords.
In addition to the ability to draw organic traffic your way, YouTube can help you grow through other methods. YouTube hosts tutorials which can increase your visibility and get you noticed as an expert in your field – to becomean “influencer.” Almost all streamers have YouTube channels, even if they are also on other platforms.
Marketing experts suggest that, if you want to grow your audience on YouTube, you should release trailers to increase exposure and then share those videos on your game pages and on your website. Suggestions include producing “behind-the-scenes” videos so viewers see how you and your team work together, tutorials and walk-throughs. All these elements will help you cement your name as an expert gamer.
Some YouTubers like to work with other influencers which further expands their reach and allows them to further promote their gaming efforts. Working with influencers works best when marketing games to high-potential leads.
YouTube ads are one of the most powerful investments for promoting yourself and your content.
Discord
Discord’s biggest selling point is that it was made by gamers for gamers. It specializes in allowing gamers to communicate between themselves and with the audience so live interaction is maximized. Discord is mainly used by players who are focused on their interactions with their audiences. That allows everyone to exchange ideas and tips on a regular basis. Discord provides most features for free.
Discord is most effective for selling games – anyone can create a storefront on their server and sell directly to fans. The profit margin, 9/10, is much better than that of other platforms. Through Discord, fans and influencers get early access to your content and this helps you to increase your reach even further.
Additional Discord benefits include the ability to go viral using Rich Presence, the strong analytics that features top-of-funnel attribution tracking and the focus on creating communities.
Twitch
When deciding whether to invest in Twitch, it’s worthwhile to remember that Twitch accounts for almost three-fourths of all hours that users spend watching live streaming content. Fifteen million daily users watch the 2.2 – 3.2 million monthly broadcasts with most of those users being under the age of 25.
Twitch interfaces well with influencer marketing as well as with interacting with audiences via the live chat tool. Users can take advantage of the platform to advertise their gaming content via images and videos which appear on Twitch pages and play before the videos (similar to the way that the video/image ads appear on YouTube before and in the middle of the content).
Many gamers have channels on multiple platforms but it’s almost impossible to operate on all platforms. Research your audience, read your comments and reviews and then find the platform that works best for your personal needs and expectations.
