In the previous article ("Marketing 101: Understanding the basics of marketing your game") I discussed what marketing is and why it's important to you.

Now on to the part where you start achieving more measurable results: Connecting.

If you have done the prior steps – defining your audience and yourself - you now intuitively know what to do better. It is imperative to be genuine. Consumers are becoming increasingly keen at sniffing out a rat disguised as the "hot new item." With my previous company we even got to the point where we stopped making promises.

I do not suggest this.

Instead, use a healthy dose of discernment and make only the promises you want to and know you will deliver. In other words…


Focus is now key. You should market to your strengths and let everything else slide. It's better to get 80% of a small niche blog on board with your game than to have less than .0000000001% of everyone else loving it.

Recent marketing trends are a big advantage to indies because we already make games that target niche markets. People used to want to connect with the peak of the bell curve of audiences but that's no longer working (which should make it undesirable). We find incredibly mediocre products because they have a little something for everyone and a lot of nothing beyond that. People would rather have something focused in their one interest that does it well rather than something that does everything poorly. So, target niche blogs, one group at one conference or one Facebook group but, by all means, remain focused.

2D Boy's Ron Carmel (co-creator of indie hit World of Goo) said at the 2010 Game Developers Conference that the smaller, focused sources equal big sales bumps. He told a packed audience that being on the cover of Time magazine may boosts your ego but it doesn't necessarily sell many units.


First you need your "elevator pitch." I'm sure you've already heard this term but, in a world of 140-character tweets, we are forced to cram more value into less space.

For those who haven't heard the term, it's basically just what you say about your game or product to quickly sell someone your idea in the time it takes elevator to traverse a few floors.

Referring again to previous steps you will want to include your benefits to your customer, who you are and what makes your game uniquely better than all the others.

Leave out anything that isn't absolutely important. Part of what you say is also what you do not say.

Now that you know your pitch, rehearse it to the point that, when you actually have 30 seconds of face time with someone (maybe even in an actual elevator), you can confidently sell them on your game.


Next you will want to put the elevator pitch in digital form. Create a "Tag Line" (a catchier, easier version of the elevator pitch) that makes it easier for people to retweet the word or phrase.

From mainstream games there's the unforgettable "Gotta catch 'em all" of the Pokémon franchise. It refers to what you are doing in the game (catching Pokémon) and implies you'll miss something unless you collect – and evolve - every in-game character.

Then get some people to start spreading it. Make a YouTube trailer. Make a playable web demo.

But don't be annoying. Elevator pitches and tag lines are your message and you will want to spread them but do it only in places where people will care about it. You can actually harm yourself by annoying customers. This is a new trend in marketing that people weren't aware of in the past.

Take, for instance, Evony (2009). Have you ever played the game? Have you ever wanted to? Well, if you are like me then there's a big "No" to both. In case you missed the web banners, they basically have scantily clad women beckoning people to play. Sex sells, right? Wrong. Sex sells sex.

It ticks people off when the game that promises one thing ends up being like Farmville. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that type of game, just don't lead us to believe it has fashion models in skimpy clothing when it doesn't. This is a quick route to making cranky gamers who write bad reviews which hinder sales.

That rage-quit reaction brings us to getting your game reviewed. Consider this: Have you bought a new computer or HDTV lately? Did you look up reviews for it? Yeah? Your customers most likely look up (and write) reviews, too. It only takes moments for customers to exchange information about their experience with you and, now, the rest of the world, so do what you can to make sure it's always good.


First, if other people ask about you or your work, they are certainly interested. Put yourself out there in a non-threatening way. People don't always want to be confronted with a product offering that might ask for money. Free game demos, blogs with related (but not infomercial-style) content and physical presence at local and global industry events are all good ways to spark interest in you. They will come to you after you get their attention. This time around they will be much more willing to buy in to what you have to sell.

Second, ask people – and publications – whether or not they are interested in your game. Pull out your elevator pitch and approach web sites like indiePub and Kotaku and ask if their viewers might like to hear about you. If they respond that their readers don't care, don't take it as a rejection, take it as a refinement of your search. Ask them why they do not feel your story is a good fit. Once you know why you may realize sites like RockPaperShotgun.com are a better venue, for instance.

Also, ask for suggestions when you get turned down. Once you find a good online community, continue to be genuine and honest. The internet has a way of calling out lack of authenticity almost faster than you can dream it up. Avoid promising or advertising something you don't have. Focus on your strengths.


Release a demo. The easier it is for people to get to your game, enjoy it and (at some point) pay you for it, the better you will do.

Sony's PSN+ baffles me how they only give paying subscribers a demo. Do you know why retail apparel stores have all the colors, styles and sizes on display as well as changing rooms? If the customer sees herself or himself using the product and enjoys it, s/he might as well have already bought it. The only thing left is to clear the way to the register for them to check out. If the customer already played and enjoyed part of your game, they are far more likely to want to buy the whole thing.


So this is a good bit of work, maybe you ought to hire a dedicated person for marketing? Not so fast, young Padawan. You can, by all means, hire someone if needed and you are able. Previous business wisdom suggests all tech-start-up companies should employ marketing to development staff at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. After all, that's what made Apple successful and continues to make them successful. They have a lot of ace marketers. But that's a huge cost and one that could be avoided if you are smart.

New marketing techniques suggest that companies should do away with marketing departments. What? Didn't I just say that you need them to outnumber other staff? Well, ironically, that's still the case. While new-school marketing has no dedicated departments for that work, it tasks everyone in the company with marketing. This is actually a much better way to do it. Everyone should already have vested interest in their product, so why not let them say what's so good about it?


Marketing is important, even for completely free games because you will want people to enjoy your game. The only difference is that money never changes hands. Either way, it’s colossal importance to you, whether you know it now or not.

Remember to know your audience and what’s in it for them. Know yourself, your game, your company and what you stand for. Start making meaningful, honest, open, easy connections with people in person, online or where ever you can meet people.

Be your marketing and remember that it can be simple, easy and fun. You will get the best results when you enjoy what you do.


Alan Youngblood is an indie game developer from Raleigh, NC (USA). He encourages you to post anything you have to say in the Comments section below. Off-topic or additional questions and comments can be directed to him on twitter: @apyoungblood. Your comments shape future articles so say what resonates with you and what you would like to read.

READ: Marketing 101: Understanding the basics of marketing your game