Indie Business and Marketing Tactics

Community Growth Tactics

Common Methods:

• Social Media Posts. (Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
• Demos
• Devlogs
• Developer Streams
• Attend Conventions or Local Events
• Email Newsletter list
• Cross-promotion with other developers

Reddit Social Media Tips:

• Elicit an emotional response with your post, it increases the likelihood individuals will upvote, comment, share.
• For reddit, recommended to wait until your post has hit Front Page before editing the post and requesting a Call to Action from users.
• Call to Actions include wishlisting your game on Steam or asking for support on Kickstarter.
• Post in non-gaming subreddits if they relate to the theme of your game.
• Just try, the death of an Indie is obscurity.

TikTok Social Media Tips:

• Make small videos showing off features in your games.
• Engage with the comments section.
• Do A/B testing to find the music that pairs best with your game footage.
• Do Not browse TikTok on the account you are using to advertise/share your game.

Twitter Social Media Tips:

• Through Twitter, you can promote your game and promote other people's games. People will promote your work in return.
• Use #hashtags that target a specific game community or game genre. There is a lot of competition among general gaming and indie dev #hashtags.
• Be consistent, be a leader, promote others voices, and be mindful.
• Social Media is a tool. Be positive and constructive.

Funding Tactics

• Apply for grants from your local government or private entities.
• Kickstarter Campaign
• Startup investment / incubation
• Publishing deals
• Fundraising through Friends / Family / Colleagues
  • Being able to talk and network with others is critical to building a community of fundraisers.
  • Only follow-up if they ask about your project and are willing to support it.

Marketing Tactics

• Know your target audience.
• Market directly to your target audience to build a strong community.
• Expand Marketing to as many platforms as possible that make sense based on the type of game you are selling and the type of demographic you are targeting.
• Other media outlets will help spread the word about your game if you already have traction.
• Enhance the experience through digital goodies, merchandise, or events.

Networking Tactics

• Network with people at events. You never know who you will chat with. They may be able to help you out in the future.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Contact professionals via LinkedIn or email. Get coaching.
• Build relationships and help others. People will often help you in return.

Business Tactics

• Sell games that are more likely to sell.
  • Sell a unique idea that improves upon or builds on existing IPs or genres.
  • Sell a unique idea that fills a niche demand and hasn’t been developed in a while.
• Publish small games and publish consistently. (Safe)
  • Publish quality games every 4 months to every year.
  • More likely to complete projects of smaller scope with shorter production timelines.
  • Allows developers on the project to build up their portfolio.
• Make your dream game. (Risky)
  • Betting it all on one quality game over 3 - 9 years of development is risky.
  • But, it can be very rewarding if your game is well-made, fills a niche demand, and is marketed well.
• Work as a contractor for other companies.
  • Get contracts to make games or assets for other companies.
  • Do Licensing deals. Shows that your business is capable of handling IPs from other companies and can build successful products.
• Release, Update, Engage
  • After a game is released, you have to follow-up with game updates and community engagement post-launch.
  • Consistent updates help with maintaining the community’s interest and attracting new members.
  • Consistently engage the community with posts, comments, forums, chat rooms.
  • Collect feedback and take it into consideration when developing future updates.
• It takes 5 - 10 years for a business to become a Household name.
  • Consistency is key to long-term business success.
• Conduct User Experience Research
  • Let others playtest the game as soon as possible.
  • You need external advice from people who aren’t as invested in the game to validate that its fun.
  • If a game is fun, then people keep playing it and they invite their friends to play.
  • The Green Card: You can make a business around a game that keeps people’s attention.

Market Expansion Tactics

Release on Multiple Platforms.

• Develop / Port to Console (Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo)
• Develop / Port to Mobile (iOS, Android)
• Develop / Port to VR (Oculus, Steam VR, Mobile)
• Release on more than one PC platform. (Steam, Epic, Xbox, GOG)
• Release a browser based game on multiple web platforms. (itch.io, Gamejolt, Armor Games, Kongregate, Newgrounds, Addicting Games)

Localize and Publish to Other Markets.

• China (Chinese)
• USA (English / Spanish)
• Japan (Japanese)
• South Korea (Korean)
• Germany (German)
• UK (English)
• France (French)
• Canada (English / French)
• Spain (Spanish)
• Italy (Italian)
• Brazil (Portuguese)
• Russia (Russian)

Sources:

Elyot Grnat - Creator of Prismata
Jean Leggett - CEO of One More Story Games
Philomena Schwa - Founder of Stray Fawn
Tanya X. Shorts - Director of Kitfox Games
Jonas Tyroller - Independent Game Designer
Raymond Cripps - Independent Game Developer
Crystal - Skyreach Studios