Thanks to gaming celebrities like PewDiePie, and a couple of billion dollars the mobile game industry has reached recently in revenue, gaming has become one of the most lucrative gigs these days. Who would assume that something considered only a fun pastime would actually provide a nice living and be considered a profession.
As the competition is growing, the stakes are getting higher. The modern-day gamer has to work twice as hard to break through the noise and achieve success in 2020.
Enter Instagram as the perfect visually-oriented platform gamers can find tons of opportunity to promote on. Add the ridiculous popularity of Instagram amongst the perfect demographic – younger folks, and you’ve got the ideal scenario to promote your brand.
If you’re looking for ways to promote your gaming channels through Instagram, we’ve got just the guide for you. For additional info and some advanced hacks, you can read more about instagram growth hacks.
Know your lane
Breaking into the gaming Instagram world is similar to any other niche on the platform in the sense that it requires picking a niche and sticking to it.
There’s nothing wrong with being the jack of all trades; however, it can be overwhelming trying to incorporate it all at once and succeed. It’s best to pick something you’re great at and add a little personal touch, or a twist, if you will.
For example, you can stream or screen record a specific game and narrate your personal, fun stories as you play. Or, give advice to your target audience on the topics they are most interested in.
Be on-brand
Define your brand colours, logo, fonts, and all the other visual elements and sync it across all platforms. Let your Twitch and YouTube audience easily recognise and follow you on Instagram.
Aside from nailing those recognisability points, you’re also building credibility as a brand by investing in your branding. This also allows for great merch opportunities as you grow your audience.
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Don’t forget the hashtags
Hashtags are the number one most powerful tool to grow your following on Instagram. And we’re not talking just any following, but a specific, targeted following that would want to engage with your content.
To achieve this, naturally, you would have to include your niche hashtags, the ones your targeted audience uses. The winning formula goes something like this: use 10% of the super popular ones, 80% of niche-specific, and the remaining 10% should be your branded or super-specific hashtags.
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Use your Bio wisely
More specifically, the link in your Bio. The only clickable link on Instagram gets the most attention, so it’s crucial to be smart about it.
It’s an ideal opportunity to connect your Twitch or YouTube channels if the majority of your content is there. However, you can change it for the purpose of specific promotion on your website or if you want to direct your audience to buy your new merch.
Test and analyse
Finally, behind any successful Instagram strategy, there are several that didn’t work. So, don’t be shy about trying different things and track their success.
Experiment with different content, collaborate with influencers and different gaming brands and see what your audience responds to.
The Instagram Insights provide a solid overview of all the data you need to track, such as reach, interactions, and followers. Of course, you have to switch to a business account to be able to access this feature.
Over time, as you learn about your audience, you’ll be able to define the right posting schedule and content formats that work best. Until then, be prepared for some trial and error.