So, at the core we're all aspiring to become business men and women in some sense with our desire to do games and other game-related things.
there's no shame in admitting it, even though if you're an artist or coder, that does seem like alien territory. But having had to get this crash course in marketing and business that i have had to do (what with being a freelancer as a career as well as hoping to make my own games) this is something that i think might be worth considering for a topic.
So, how do you set yourself apart from the competition? (and you can deny it all you want, you ARE in competition with all the other game developers out there that are vying for customers' money.)
1. well, first up, never ever forget the power of social media and other viral marketing tactics. I'm not saying you should go ahead and hire a marketing company, just make sure that your games have a presence on all the major social networks such as twitter, facebook, google+, tumblr, etc... And never, ever neglect them. people will get bored or forget you're doing games if your updates are sporadic at best.
2. Assume your first few games will suck... like, we're talking "Jekyl and Hyde" suck... I'm not saying this to discourage you but if you're new to game development, you're probably under the impression you're going to make an awesome game... but, thing is, if you haven't got a lot of experience under your belt, there's no real way to know whether your game will succeed... as such, if you go in under the assumption that it's not going to be this "WoW killer" or other such lofty goal, you can then take the steps you're going to need to learn from your experience and any success you DO make will be the icing on the cake.
3. Pricing. Don't assume that if you price it lower than the competition you're going to get better sales... nowadays people are more concerned with the quality of the experience than they are about the price. price is more of a secondary factor... as in, when buying games, people will check ratings before checking price usually... so, pricing your game lower than the competition just to get that edge up against them is not going to work as you think it will... though, that isnt' to say you should overcharge, heavens no... price is a factor although it's not the first factor to consider. So, say someone has a game up on steam or wherever that is pretty much similar enough to your own game and it's priced at (pulling a number out of thin air here) $10. Consider buying it to see why they felt that that price was warranted and if you're about on par, it might be a good idea to offer it at that same price. reason being is that often times a customer's perception of the value of the work will be proportionate to the cost. there's a whole slew of psychological studies that actually do prove that when something is more expensive, it does actually taste better, smell better, feel more fulfilling... (though this study was more for things like wine, jewelry, fancy stuff.) and when the price is exceptionally low, it often has the result of making the potential buyer think that maybe you don't think very highly of your own work enough so if you don't think good on it, why should they? if you want to take advantage of lower prices, consider having sales. so, maybe a "intro/beta sale" or a "midsummer sale" or something like that. that sets in the customer's mind that the price is still what it is but this time-sensitive opportunity to "score a deal" can actually drive sales more than the price itself. (seriously, there are tons and tons of books on marketing strategies... and it's a very indepth subject to study since it relies in psychology, habits, economics, etc...)
4. Beta testers. This should be a given... because as much as you may think your game is awesome, an unbiased perspective can help point you to areas where you might want to improve but that's not why.. the reason why? if you have a team of beta testers and their experience is generally positive, you're essentially tapping into the "Word of mouth" advertising phenomenon... your beta testers will essentially become methods of advertising for you (assuming you're okay with them sharing their experiences... some people have overly restrictive NDAs* that prevent them from being able to capitalize on this phenomenon.) This is a double-edged sword, however, because if you end up making their gaming experience an overall negative one, well... i'm sure you've heard of this adage, a satisfied customer will tell 5 of their friends. a dissatisfied customer will tell 500 of their friends. (it's true.) so, a suggestion? try and do what you can to make sure their experience is a positive one. listen to them... understand where they're coming from and try to not let your ego get in the way of hearing them.
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I know it's an ugly thing to consider but unless you're doing this purely out of love of the craft, it's something we do have to consider..
if you have a couple marketing tips and strategies and are willing to elaborate, please share them. I'm sure that this (which is a bit off topic) is something we can all benefit from.
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*NDA = Non-Disclosure Agreement. It's essentially a contract between two people that they agree not to disclose information or resources connected with what it is that the NDA is for.