Nowadays, social media advertising is a must if you’re looking to reach new and broad audiences. The harsh truth is: it is hard to grow mobile games on social media organically. Still, it’s not impossible.
Almost everyone uses social media nowadays. For example, take Facebook, which has more than 2.8 billion users!
Thus, if you’re looking to advertise your game, why not utilize those platforms and make the best of them?
Now, we know, mobile game marketing can be very tricky, and it can involve a lot of trial and error.
But don’t worry; we’re here to show you tips and tricks on how to grow your mobile game on social media!
Find Your Target Audience
The correct first question to ask yourself at the beginning of any marketing brainstorming session is, “What type of audience would be interested in playing my game?”
The easiest way to start your target audience research is to find out your competitors’ users.
If your game is similar to an existing popular game on the market, analyze its demographics data, as well as the behavior and preferences of its users.
But, the most important thing here is to – research, research, and research.
Also, the more you discover about your target audience, the better. Gather all the information you can get: their income, countries where they live, their job status, relationship status, etc.
Additionally, a helpful tip is to define who your target audience most definitely isn’t. This could be helpful if you still didn’t exactly narrow down your target demographic.
Try to be very specific – is your target audience just men or adult men aged 25 to 34?
Narrowing your target audience is crucial because, once you start posting on social media, you will find that it is almost impossible to create a post that both an 18-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman would like.
If you know who exactly you’re promoting your game to, you can save a lot of time by researching what kind of posts your target audience would like to see.
With the correct target audience, you will grow mobile games on social media in no time.
Choose the Right Social Media Platform
Now, after you’ve found your target audience, it is time to choose where you will promote your game. Your target audience closely correlates to social media, so have that in mind.
Of course, it is recommended you use as many social media platforms as possible.
However, it is wise, at least when starting out, to choose one that matches your primary target audience. Once you gain followers on one social media, it is easier to accumulate them on other ones.
Useful tools to help you out with this task are Google Analytics and BuzzSumo. While BuzzSumo has some premium features you can pay for, the free version can serve you as well.
With BuzzSumo, for example, you can type in a keyword and find out which social media shared the posts including that keyword the most. That way, you can see where you can find your target audience.
As we’ve mentioned before, Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms out there.
But, is it the right one for you? The biggest and widest audience choice doesn’t necessarily mean that you will find the most people from your target audience.
When it comes to Instagram and TikTok, those platforms can be good places for showing off your visual game content.
Also, don’t forget about YouTube, where you can upload the trailer for your game along with gameplay footage, fans’ reactions, behind-the-scenes footage, etc.
Of course, don’t neglect LinkedIn. Here’s an example: Playtika, a popular mobile game developer utilized LinkedIn very creatively by promoting a mammography check-up.
Additionally, you can notice that they had used a creative and an uncommon CTA here, “DON’T PLAY NOW!” which emphasized the importance of their post.
Focus on Your Visuals
You’ve probably heard many times how important pictures are and that one is worth a thousand words. The content on your social media should tell many words without a lot of text.
Nowadays, if you visit any company’s social media profiles, you will encounter a lot of attractive, high-quality visual content, including videos, photographs, and screenshots.
The visuals should represent your game well and cater to your target audience.
If your target audience is, e.g., younger adults aged 18 to 25, you should focus on brighter colors for your visuals while including as little text on your photos and videos as possible.
If you have, let’s say, some facts and statistics to share, turn them into attractive illustrations or mind maps.
Of course, keep in mind that the key to an attractive profile page is – consistency.
A good example of visual consistency is Coin Master’s Instagram page:
As you can see, the Coin Master Instagram page uses the grid photo system. The grid on Instagram gives users a birds-eye view of your page’s posting history.
Also, it can be the user’s first impression of your work. Remember, if someone is viewing your profile, they are thinking about following you.
A visually appealing profile might just convince them to press the follow button.
Plan Out Your Photos and Videos
One thing that you can notice is that these photos are drawings of game characters and not actual screenshots from the game. Of course, you can include drawings, and it would be even better if they were fan-made.
But, when it comes to photos, screenshots are still the best way to show what your game is really about. However, be careful with editing them.
It can be very easy to fall into the trap of over-editing, which ultimately turns out to be deceptive for your game’s potential players, so try to keep a nice balance.
Furthermore, you should post all sorts of videos:
- The behind-the-scenes making of the game
- Showing off your new updates
- Announcing tournaments and events
- Fans’ reactions
If you decide to post a video, Instagram and TikTok are your go-to social media networks.
If you have a big update or an important feature incoming, you can even come up with three short videos, teasing your audience and building suspense about your game.
Also, since you should always want and try to boost engagement on your social media profiles, a good idea would be to make a video thanking your fans with a compilation of positive comments you’ve received on app stores and social media.
Interact With Your Audience
Once you have your visuals figured out, you will hopefully receive some reactions, likes, or comments. Now, this is your time to shine.
According to Sproutsocial’s data report, 77% of consumers would choose a brand over a competitor if they’ve had a positive experience with a brand on social media.
Moreover, 80% of customers expect some kind of interaction with companies on social media.
Interaction with your audience can be just a simple answer to their question.
Of course, it gives your brand a good reputation if you reply to both good and bad comments. That way, your audience can see that you can take criticism and that someone is listening to them.
Of course, there are many other ways to interact with the audience and show the human side of your brand. Feel free to use emojis in your comments and be kind to your followers.
For example, take a look at how Gardenscapes manages their comment section on Facebook:
As you can see, the user posted a screenshot from Gardenscapes and expressed how much she loved the art in the game.
Gardenscapes’ comment is an excellent example of paying attention to human elements – “Thank you for your contribution!” at the end, the informal greeting “Hi!”, and the overall tone of the comment.
Moreover, many popular influencers, companies, and celebrities like to give their followers a collective nickname.
For example, Angry Birds called their fans “lovely flockers”, which automatically makes their players feel like they belong to a group.
Track Newest Social Media Trends
Trends are changing fast on most social media platforms because everyone is trying to stay relevant and innovate new things. As I’ve shown before, one of the trends was the Instagram grid photos.
Along with it, when Instagram introduced Reels and IGTV, everyone started posting their short videos there. Naturally, YouTube joined in with their Shorts.
TikTok, for example, has new challenges and viral trends all the time. You can also hop on a holiday-related trend. Take a look at how Angry Birds Facebook profile prepared their users for Halloween:
This was a well-thought-out post because many people enjoy sweets, and they may consider preparing this Halloween treat because it looks appealing, even if they don’t play Angry Birds.
Paid Advertising
Now, we know that organic growth is definitely a slower way to grow your audience, but ultimately, the best strategy is the combination of organic + paid advertising.
There are many ways to start your paid advertising journey, but first, I recommend choosing to advertise on your best-performing social media platforms. The good thing is, every social media has its own approach to paid advertising.
For example, if you choose Facebook ads, Facebook will help you out – you just have to pay. If you want to learn more about it, check out our Automated Ads Tutorial. Their paid advertising can include targeted posts, banners, or ads.
Also, if you’re starting off on a tighter budget, check out our article on marketing your game on a low budget.
Influencer Advertising
While we’re talking about the ways to pay for advertising, you can also opt for influencers. Of course, you can always choose the biggest names in the industry, such as Pewdiepie, Markiplier, or Jacksepticeye.
But if you’re working with a smaller budget, you can choose smaller influencers who don’t even have to be gamers. For example, Coin Master used celebrities who aren’t gamers, such as Jennifer Lopez and the Kardashian family.
Yes, Coin Master probably spent a fortune on them, but it proved that any influencer, as long as you think of a good ad, can advertise your game and get you more users.
Examples of How to Grow Mobile Games on Social Media
We can talk and explain different ways to manage and promote your mobile game on social media. But the best examples come from those who have already succeeded. Here are some good examples of how to grow mobile games on social media:
Candy Crush Saga’s Influencer Advertising
Candy Crush Saga took a page out of Coin Master’s successful campaign and hired Khloe Kardashian and Doja Cat. Doja Cat is a singer, very popular amongst the younger population, so hiring her for this ad campaign catered to the young adult female audience.
In this video, Khloe and Doja Cat play Candy Crush Saga on their phones. They are talking, and both of them are coming up with ways to incorporate the motivational words said to players in Candy Crush (Tasty, Delicious, Sweet, Divine, Sugar Crush…) in their sentences.
However, the humoristic element of this is the deep male voice pronouncing those words. In the end, we find out that the goal of this ad was to invite players to join The All-Stars Tournament in Candy Crush Saga.
Interactive Posts on Project Makeover’s Instagram Page
Project Makeover, a popular casual game, shared a lot of interactive posts on their Facebook page. This example shows that you can get creative with your posts and not always focus on posting just the information strictly related to changes in your game’s content.
Also, whenever Project Makeover posts a game or a task like this, they randomly pick one person to win an in-game gift. These kinds of posts can significantly boost your engagement.
Call of Duty Mobile’s Twitter Posts
Now, sometimes you need to post an update to your game or introduce some new features. And yes, it can be unappealing to just post a link and write, “Here is an update 2.1.4.” But take a look at this Call of Duty Twitter post.
Of course, you still need to keep the focus on what your update contains. However, you can insert some emojis, use informal language, make your sentences short and simple, and of course, include a CTA. Also, if you’re posting on Twitter or LinkedIn, utilize the hashtags.
Final Thoughts on How to Grow Mobile Games on Social Media
Waiting for organic development on social media is a time-consuming and challenging task. But, if you follow all of our advice, you will become a social media master in no time.
What are some of your tips and tricks on growing mobile games on social media? Did we forget to mention something? Let us know!
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