Through influencer marketing with gaming content creators and esports professionals, Generation Z and millennials are easier to reach than ever before. You can forget blackmagic or NSA-style surveillance, gaming influencers are the perfect vehicle to access the so-called unreachables. Platforms such as YouTube and Twitch house an army of 16-34 year-olds, most of whom are on the platform to do one thing – watch their favourite influencer create content.
A 2019 study by the Entertainment Software Association revealed just how influential gaming creators can be. According to their report, a whopping 59% of gamers found YouTube videos and their favourite streamers useful when deciding on a purchase. This is great news for marketers, especially with the current streaming boom. Amidst lockdown restrictions, viewership on YouTube and Twitch has rocketed. According to the latest statistics on Twitch Tracker, the average number of concurrent viewers and streams has doubled since April 2019. Now, brands can expect to find more than 2,000,000 concurrent
users on the platform, and viewers can pick from more than 100,000 channels. YouTube has also received substantial increases in viewership since we have all had to stay inside more, so much so that they have chosen to reduce their video quality to ensure that global infrastructure can handle the uptake in demand. With or without the slightly-inflated numbers due to lockdown, the future viewership of online gaming is promising indeed.
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As well as quantity, influencer marketing offers quality. Many gaming influencers have a perfect record of integrating sponsored content and products authentically into their live-streams and videos. Furthermore, data-led analytics allow for a campaign’s progress to be tracked in real-time to examine how influencers are performing, and what steps stakeholders can take to maximise their effectiveness.
With so much choice between influencers and such a massive audience, it isn’t always clear which route is best to take. Matthew Woods, CEO of AFK Creators, explains, “Working with content creators is not simply about gaining impressions, but forging a meaningful partnership between your brand, an individual and their audience. With the right influencers and execution, you can receive a powerful endorsement from not just one person, but the entire passionate community of said ‘influencer’.”
Influencer marketing agencies like AFK Creators can provide a turn-key service from a campaign’s inception to its execution. With a network of YouTubers and live-streamers exclusively signed to their agency, AFK Creators can connect brands of all sizes with more than 750 influencers that broadcast a variety of games all over the world. Using a suite of analytical tools, agencies are able to break down the data and hand-pick influencers based on a number of factors including their type of audience.
With a young, highly-engaged audience, a sea of influential content creators, and a number of experienced agencies to manage them, gaming influencer marketing is undoubtedly one of the best ways to reach your target audience in 2020 and beyond.
