Twitch is the number one platform for online Vegas casino gamers who want to livestream their gaming activities. Twitch, an Amazon subsidiary, is the biggest social media platform for players thanks to its offers of a wide range of opportunities that allow users to monetize their streams.
Much of the monetization comes through Twitch influencer marketing. Twitch has become a hub for live streaming influencer marketing campaigns and gamers are taking advantage of the opportunities offered to reach their audiences.
Twitch
Twitch was once the gaming division of the Justin.tv platform. Once it split off it quickly became the #1 streaming platform for gamers. Twitch also hosts non-gaming content.
Twitch is an Amazon subsidiary so Amazon can synergize Twitch with its Prime services. Thanks to that kind of mix of functionalities and services, streamers have been flocking to Twitch to livestream their content and then market their brands through influencing strategies. The influencers don’t necessarily stick to gaming to draw in viewers – some operate non-gaming marketing channels including channels for cooking, music and more.
The Twitch audience is a highly sought-after audience due to the number of hours that viewers tend to spend on the site. Content creators find Twitch to be a user-friendly platform where they can display their material and create a vibrant community by engaging with viewers in real time via Twitch chat. Content producers can ask viewers to support them via donations and subscriptions, with Twitch taking a small fee.
The Twitch social media platform creates a sense of connection and community among influencers and followers which makes it the perfect platform for today’s live-streaming gamers.
Paying Attention
Brands are increasingly paying attention to Twitch. The Sprout Social Index notes that approximately 40% of customers say that they prefer live streaming content over other types of marketing content while over 50% of brand managers view video marketing as the best marketing strategy.
Live-streaming gaming, obviously, lends itself perfectly to this type of marketing and YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are all competing as they move their fields of focus to video content. Twitch was the first to add the live chatting option that is perfect for influencer marketing and the Twitch audiences are responding. That has made the Twitch stream the best option for any brand looking to reach its market.
Another reason that Twitch marketing is a good choice for gamers is that the demographic of Twitch viewers and streamers is the 16-34 year old group – most Twitch viewers are under 25. Younger audiences are generally the more desired demographics among marketers and with a viewership that’s 73% under 34 years of age, that makes Twitch a marketer’s dream.
Finally, Twitch reports that the majority of Twitch viewers engage with the influencers by either buying brands recommended by the influencers or donating to the influencers. 64% of Twitch viewers buy from the brands recommended by Twitch influencers and 70% donate to their influencers. 62% of the followers interact with the influencers that they are following on a daily basis.
Other social media networks may be bigger but Twitch has young and loyal audiences which makes it the best platform for marketers who are creating brand awareness, especially those targeting young viewers.
Tools
If you’re going to start streaming and marketing your content on Twitch, you should be prepared to maximize the tools that Twitch gives you. They include:
- Chat – the chat tool is simple and powerful. It is an active social network where influencers and followers can chat, respond, react and engage to build a stronger community. There’s a slow mode that keeps the traffic from getting out of control and allows the moderator to be in touch with each person. The filtering and moderation setting keeps Twitch accounts working freely which makes it easier to control the chat room.
- Subscriptions – These are ways that account holders can interact in useful ways with their followers. Viewers can subscribe to a Twitch channel to show their support which keeps their streams ad-free and allows them to access emotes.
- Emotes – are graphics that are available to members of a community and followers can use to interact with each other in streaming chats
- Badges – Badges of honor are awarded to followers who have been with an influencer for a long time. The deeper your support, the higher your badges are upgraded.
- Donations and Twitch Bits – tools to help followers donate to an influencer that they are following. Donations can be made via PayPal and Twitch Bits are in-app currency that result in the donor receiving higher badges.
- Levels – there are three levels for Twitch streamers, Twitch Streamer, Twitch Partner and Twitch Affiliate. The more followers an influencer has, the faster s/he’ll get upgraded from a Streamer to a Partner to an Affiliate. Partners must stream more often and draw in more consistent followers.
Channels
Users are able to put up multiple channels so if you want to branch out from gaming, but still want your brand to be recognizable across multiple platforms, you can set up an esports channel or a tournament channel, channel to host virtual events, an interviews channel and a channel for tutorials among others.
As your brand becomes more recognizable you’ll be able to partner with other brands which then expands your own brand. You can also set up a channel for charity or fundraising and use the existing community to attract more viewers.
Some brands have begun to sponsor and donate their Twitch income to charity to give themselves legitimacy and improve their brand image.
Twitch marketing is proving itself to be a vibrant source of opportunities for gaming enthusiasts, sponsors, micro-influencers and others. Definitely worth giving it a try!
