Okkkk I get this question a lot: how'd you become a CM, how do I get there, etc.
I don't have a marketing degree, so this is my personal experience!
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1. There is no silver bullet resume 🏆
Every studio requires something different, whether indie or AAA.
Look at job posts, see common skills that are required, learn accordingly, but also think about what unique skill you can bring to the table! (Video editing? Streamer? Etc.)
2. Gain experience 📈
Experience > education most of the time. Luckily with CM-ing, it's possible! Mod a forum, volunteer for events, etc.
I got my "experience" from several non-game related marketing jobs as a starving university student.
2.5. Certifications (optional) 📜
There are free certificates to learn basics/the lingo! HubSpot, HootSuite, etc. You also appear proactive! 💪
Note I didn't do them to get into games, but to get into marketing generally. I wanted to buff my lack of a marketing degree w/ certs.
3. Be proactive and persistent 🏃♀️
You're prob gonna get a lot of rejections. I sent like... 40? 50? applications and only heard back from a few. That's ok! No shame. ❤️
Continue trying, adjust your resume, get feedback, and keep learning. Part of it is also just timing!
4. Be professional 💼
From experience and hearing from other friends, don't forget to be professional!!
Games are fun and lax, which is cool, but it's still a professional job. Spellcheck, grammar, timeliness and courtesy are vital.
5. Mentor? 👩⚖️
I didn't have a mentor pre-job, so I can't say much.
What I CAN say is if you want advice, here are two tips:
✅ Know what you want and just ask - don't waste their time
✅ Be thankful and show it!! E.g. pay for their coffee
Don't forget I'm very privileged AND biased in my own ways. Education, my location, etc. And it's not like I hired myself at Kitfox, so maybe the team hired me for reasons I don't know about!
No one has the exact same path, but hope this helped. :)
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A new white paper on ✨mobile gaming, TikTok, and strategies for success.✨ Conducted by TikTok (and the National Research Group), so read with a grain of salt.
But even if you're not making a mobile game, it has some good insight!! 👇
The mobile gaming landscape has changed! The formula for success now consists of 3 things:
1⃣ Cultural relevance: pay attention to trends & where gamers are
2⃣ Connections: prioritize long term player trust, loyalty, and feedback
3⃣ Community: create group identity and belonging
📳 MOBILE GAMING 📳
📱 Global gaming spend in mobile is more than the PC, console, and handheld markets combined
📱 Mobile gaming growth is coming from Asia and Latin America
📱 South Korea, Brazil, Turkey, and Mexico have had the biggest increase in spend over past 2 years
"Hi I'm a solo dev/small team and we don't have a budget to hire anyone, I have no time to do marketing, and/or I hate marketing. How can I build a community?"
My answer: 👁️👄👁️ You can't.
Or at least, not really? Let's talk about it.
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1) You need to invest *some* sort of resource
You can't just do nothing and expect things to happen.
Imagine saying you don't have a budget to hire for art or make it, but you still expect a gorgeous game. Marketing is an investment and deserves thoughtful space in your plans.
2) No money? Use time
Normally spend 8 hours/day programming? Cool! Shave an hour off programming to invest into marketing. It doesn't need to be intense.
*Someone* needs to prioritize posting content, strategizing visibility, and creating connections.
so overtime i've had to try and explain to game communities why devs cannot "just" implement things, or why something takes months and not a week.
here is my non-exhaustive list:
1.
- making sure it works on all devices
- ^ mobile devices in particular are a nightmare with all their different versions, updates, and operating systems
- if being ported to different devices, needing to rework the art/UX
- legal blockers (contract revisions, approvals, etc.)
2.
- abiding by appropriate media and platform policies
- potentially breaking servers for millions of people
- making sure it's actually fun
- if doing stuff with external partners, fitting their timelines, events, specific requirements or additions to your game
OK quick tips for press/influencers on reaching out for keys when a game is days away from launch.
I already have little patience to deal with vague inquiries, and when we're nearing game launch?? hooOOoo boy
🧵👇
1) My inbox is a wreck.
Games generally get the most hype and requests the closer to launch. Every single day I'm getting at least 10 emails for keys (depends hype of the game.)
I have NO time, so I need you to help me make it as easy as possible to justify giving you a key.
2) Tips on ur outreach email:
- A way to verify your email
- Links
- Sentence about relevancy/why this game is interesting to ur audience/how does this benefit me if I give you a free game?
- STATS. Page views! Concurrent viewers! Community size! Etc!
Based on touting your game's benefits and why it's fun.
Example:
- Pupperazzi: "Take photos of cute dogs and upgrade your camera"
- Mondo Museum: "Put your creativity on display to curate the world's best museum!"
So many cool game marketing peeps have a newsletter and now I want one 😤 Except all it'd be is
1) article links I bookmarked for later, forgot about, and oops never looked at again 2) the 67 GDC talks I've been "meaning" to watch 3) screaming
Anyways here are my recommendations for Fricken Good Game Marketing Newsletters™:
🗻 @AdventureMtn - How To Market a Game
- King of email marketing
- Sooo many interesting, researched, and unique topics
- Taught me the phrase "spaceship ass"
📽️ @Derek_Lieu - Game Trailer Editing
- Learn how to make damn good trailers
- Very good breakdown of how to "look" at trailers and what makes them so appealing
- There's always a cat pic