Videogame Marketers: 3 Tips on How to Choose the Right Influencer

Videogame marketers are always searching for the best way to promote their games and influencers can be very effective at reaching their target audience. As a Northwestern student specializing in Communication Studies and Integrated Marketing Communications, I have found two articles on influencers that will interest you.

Why non-gaming influencers may be the best fit for your game by James Batchelor from gamesindustry.biz gives advice on choosing the right influencer based off your target demographic. It is a challenge to get the popular game influencers who may or may not want to try your game. Rather than fighting for their favor, Batchelor suggests being open to other influencers who can just as effectively appeal to your target market. Allowing influencers to be more deeply involved in the marketing process can help produce more creative and unique ideas. Furthermore, start looking to different platforms, not just YouTube. Depending on your type of game and marketing strategy, working with different types of influencers on different channels may be a better fit.

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Do not underestimate the power of active communities as micro influencers. Daniel Rosales article on LinkedIn, Guilds as Video Games Micro-Influencers talks about using guilds as a different way to reach your target market. Rosales mentions that while guilds are relatively small, there are also a few multi-game guilds with active communities. Reaching out to a professional guild, Dragons: Guild Master of The Syndicate, Rosales talks more in-depth about this possibility. Overall, Rosales stresses that guilds are an engaged, passionate community that should be further investigated as an effective micro influencer opportunity.

After reviewing these articles and from my studies from Northwestern University, I have developed with a few key tips to improve your focus on influencers:

• Be More Open- Start focusing on the demographics of your viewers. Trying using specialized channels and other influencers related to your target market's interests

• Use Other Platforms- Don't just use YouTube, take advantage of different social media platforms based on the type of game you have and the audience you want to reach.
• Think About Micro- Give guilds a chance as a micro influencer, they have potential to make a significant impact.

As marketers, it is important to look for new ways to connect with audiences. Be sure to take these tips into consideration the next time you are in search of influencers for your next game!

                                                                                                                           Oceana Hamilton is a senior undergraduate student-athlete majoring in Communication Studies and pursing an Integrated Marketing Communications certificate at Northwestern University. Graduating June 2018, she aspires to work in marketing after pursing her professional basketball career.

A passionate gamer, you can reach her on LinkedIn or Twitter

Beauty Brands: 3 Action Items to Stand Out on Social Media

As a beauty executive, be sure to keep up with the ever-changing trends on social media so you can stand out and impress high value markets. As a Northwestern student specializing in communication studies, I have found two articles about the beauty industry and social media that will interest you.

In her article for Refinery29, How SocialMedia Changed the Beauty Industry, Mi-Anne Chan illustrates how social platforms have made the beauty industry more inclusive and have engaged consumers in conversations. Social media has also introduced consumers to new techniques and types of products which has made what was once considered professional makeup accessible to consumers. This has allowed new products to enter the market and given consumers the power to create more complex looks that can be shared on social media. Additionally, brick-and-mortar stores have started to carry smaller brands that have large followings on social media, allowing more access to their products. To consumers, social media is more genuine than advertising. Brands have started including social media posts as part of their daily marketing and also engage with influencers promoting their products. High value beauty consumers engage with the beauty community online, and brands engage with influencers to reach these audiences. 

Kim Kardashian and Jaclyn Hill on @JaclynHill's Instagram

In her article for The Cut, Is InstagramMakeup Making Us All Beauty Clones?, Kathleen Hou shares professional makeup artists’ opinions on Instagram makeup trends. Many of these artists believe that social media is hurting the beauty industry by promoting unrealistic beauty standards. Hou discusses how social media pressures people to look camera-ready at all moments so that they can post about their lives. Hou also notes that makeup influencers wear different styles of makeup on different social media platforms, so makeup on Instagram is not representative of all makeup trends. She also illustrates the difference between creating looks for the camera and creating looks for real life. While camera-ready makeup looks more dramatic and pigmented than day-to-day makeup looks, both of these styles can be trending. Camera-ready looks are more engaging and spreadable on social media, but beauty consumers look for inspiration in all types of styles. 

Based on my review of these articles and my work and studies at Northwestern, I have created three action items that you should use the next time you’re creating a social media marketing campaign.

• Engage with Influencers- Interacting with influencers through collaboration, sponsorship, or commenting can bring your brand to millions of dedicated fans.
• Create Interesting Looks- When posting a look using your products, make it unique from the current trends and give your audience something to think about
• Be Dramatic While you should stand out from the crowd, stick with the trend of creating dramatic content meant for social media, not real life.

Social media has grown the beauty industry, and brands must use it effectively to continue fostering this growth.

Allyson Snyder is a communication studies student at Northwestern University in the Integrated Marketing Communications program. She will be graduating in June 2019 and specializes in market research, brand strategy, customer insights, and planning. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.