Consider this: the global gaming industry market will change by 2030. This statistic from Grand View Research showcases how fierce the competition in this market is. Consequently, to stay in the limelight, you should put in a lot of effort.
If you already have a game and at some point tried to promote it, you understand what we are talking about. There are plenty of marketing strategies you may employ to get things done. But many of them can be pretty costly. We know one strategy, which will both be effective and will save you money.
And that is utilizing referral marketing! In this blog we will tell you how to elevate your game’s performance through referral marketing. Let’s sort things out.
Why Opt for Referral Marketing
Before discussing strategies on how you can promote your online game via referral, let’s see what makes word-of-mouth advertising so powerful. Overall, referral programs for small businesses striving to outshine in the market can turn out to be a pretty useful tool, and here is why:
- Elevate trustworthiness of your business: What is more reliable for you? Seeing an eye-catching ad, or getting a recommendation from real users who share their experience about the products? Probably the second option, right? The same stands true for your audience.
- Improve retention: You probably are not solely aiming to focus on new clients, rather you want to create a loyal customer base and improve the retention rate. Typically, through referral programs you offer some perks to your referees which elevate their satisfaction and reduce churn rate.
- Stronger community building: Typically, those who include referrals to their friends or relatives to join a game then play together. This both strengthens gamer engagement and strengthens the game’s community.
- Cost-effective: And the last but not least important point to opt for referral marketing is its budget friendliness.
Key Steps to Successfully Promote Your Online Game with Referral Marketing
Now let’s get into details and see what the key steps are that you need to take in order to succeed in your referral programs.
Step 1: Define Your Goals
Firstly, you need to understand the purpose of your word-of-mouth advertising. For example, you may aim to encourage multiplayer connectivity, increase new sign-ups, or elevate in-game spending.
This clarity will help you target the right referees, who in turn will promote your game to the relevant audience. Plus, knowing your audience allows you to craft a solid referral program that they’ll find truly engaging. Otherwise, how are you going to encourage people to refer your program to others?
But before all of this, make sure your platform is performing well and can handle the rising traffic of new players. For example, if your goal is to increase multiplayer connectivity, then you should utilize reliable servers and scalable hosting solutions.
Do you know what is the best thing about that? There is no need to invest in costly physical servers. You can achieve this quite budget-friendly by starting with free game server hosting. The key is, of course, to choose a reliable server.
Step 2: Offer an Interesting Incentive
We’ve touched upon the importance of knowing your referrer to identify what to offer them to encourage them to promote your brand. Now let’s talk about it in more detail. If you aren’t new to the game industry, you probably know what kinds of perks players enjoy the most, but let’s drop some ideas on what you can offer as perks.
For instance, it can be in-game currency or a one-month premium subscription. Alternatively, you may offer bonuses like access to new characters, unlocking new levels, etc., depending on the specifics of your game.
It will also be a wise move to offer some bonuses to your new players who have just entered the game by the recommendation of their friends. For example, you can give them a welcome bonus or some extra lives. This will definitely boost the efficiency of your referral program.
Step 3: Make it Easy
Your referral program should be simple to use for both the referrer and the referee player. If they find it hard to deal with, they will give up on it, no matter what kinds of perks you are offering. Specifically, you should ensure that your program is:
- Easy to find
- Straightforward to share
- Simple to track
Additionally, ensure the referred person will receive a comprehensive onboarding to sort things out.
Step 4: Utilize a Robust Referral Tracking Software
Once you’ve perfectly planned how you are going to engage referred and referrer players, and crafted a simple, shareable, and understandable referral program, it’s time to put it into action. In particular, you need a referral solution that will help you share and track the progress of your program.
The chances are high that you’d like to get things done in a budget-friendly way. Well, one good solution here is employing ActiveCampaign pricing, as it provides businesses with an affordable yet powerful referral management option.
So instead of paying a fixed price, you will be charged based on factors like your contact list size, the number of emails you need to send, or the number of new players acquired. That way, the cost stays aligned with the results you actually achieve.
Bottom Line
Referral marketing has proven to be a perfect tool for businesses of every size and niche to boost their performance, ensure a loyal customer base, and grow their audience. Today, we discussed how helpful it can be for the gaming industry.
So, if you are currently considering promoting your online game, then opting for referrals can assist you in many ways. You will notably elevate your game’s presence on the web and will definitely cut costs compared to other marketing activities.
We have also shortlisted some steps you need to take to successfully run referral programs. Now you know everything you need to propel your online game with referrals. Good luck.
