The global gaming community is massive, and judging by the amount of gaming-related content on the platform, many of these gamers can be found on TikTok. In fact, the top 100 gaming-related hashtags on TikTok receive more than 40 billion video views per month, according to internal company data. TikTok’s gaming community is also ready to spend. According to a recent survey, 65% of US TikTok users have made an in-app purchase within the last 3-6 months.
Amplification & media
So, what is the right approach for marketing mobile games on TikTok? As with most campaigns, it’s about finding the right balance to raise brand and app awareness, while keeping your audience engaged and converting. That requires a mix of organic, paid and earned media – or being Always Engaged.
> Organic: This is your opportunity to show up with authenticity and build trust with your audience. Use your organic content to learn how consumers engage with your brand. This is the perfect plan to test content formats and then scale what works.
> Paid: Use paid campaigns to amplify your top-performing content. Paid campaigns also give you the opportunity to directly test new audiences or target and optimize for specific business objectives.
> Earned: Generate engagements and discussion within the TikTok community. The more you post and amplify your best content, the more you maximize opportunities and potential for earned community influence.
The real magic is on TikTok’s For You Page
TikTok’s For You Page is full of hyper-relevant curated content that inspires, forms connections, unleashes creativity, and sparks joy within our community and beyond. The FYP is powered by our powerful content distribution system and shorter video formats which create continuous cycles of engagement. This means that brands are more memorable on TikTok than on other platforms.
The powerful combination of media formats mixed with unparalleled personalized relevance creates a more pleasurable experience and enables users to be more receptive to brand messaging and calls to action. According to a recent report from neuromarketing and neuroanalytics company Neuro-Insight, TikTok’s TopView ad breakthrough was found to be +40% higher than TV and +29% vs Digital Video. In-Feed Ads were also +23% vs TV, and +13% vs digital video.
But TikTok isn’t a replacement for other channels. Additional research from Whalar in partnership with Neuro-Insight shows that TikTok has a strong priming effect on other media, creating a halo effect for advertising on other platforms. Specifically, the study shows that:⁴
> TikTok compliments traditional media: Viewing an ad on TV after viewing a TikTok creator ad increases memory encoding of the TV ad by 13%.
TikTok amplifies social media: Watching an Instagram influencer’s content is 43% more memorable if you’re already primed to the content via TikTok.
TikTok primes digital video audiences: You’re 31% less likely to skip through a YouTube ad if you’ve first watched a creator ad on TikTok.
Mobile game marketing on TikTok
TikTok’s amplification products deliver against key objectives throughout all stages of the growth journey: pre-launch, launch, expansion, retain & monetize.
Pre-launch
The goal of the pre-launch stage is to find and learn from potential players. So imagine you’re launching a new game or update and want to optimize your services or content, or want to validate product market fit – this is the stage for that. This is the time to find out who is engaging with your organic and paid content and who is likely to convert.
Launch
The launch stage is when you’re trying to get more potential players to download & play! This includes building the player/install base for a new game or app, unlocking revenue for in-game purchases, and testing audiences for in-app purchase intent. The primary objectives of this stage are growing audience consideration, optimizing for user acquisition and conversion, optimizing bid strategy, and expanding your creative approach.
Check out how BoomHits built an impressive install base for their game “Shoe Race,” all while maintain low CPI costs.
Expansion
The expansion stage is about breaking through the clutter with important product moments, maximizing revenue potential, building long-term relationships and understanding your audiences’ behaviors. This is achieved by engaging with high-value audiences, driving credibility with creative, optimizing for new audiences, and maximizing reach. Brands that stand out in the expansion stage do more than build a base – they become a cultural phenomenon.
See how 2K engaged with high-value audiences and drove brand credibility with creative that spoke directly to their most engaged NBA2K audiences and leveraged the power of TikTok’s Branded Hashtag Challenge ad format.
Retain & monetize
Here is where you want to retain and reward your loyal playing base as you look towards optimizing your long-term revenue approach. This includes maximizing retention and lifetime value through seasonal events, item or patch releases, and promotional campaigns in order to garner engagements from core audiences and help maximize ongoing retargeting efforts.
Supercell was the first US gaming advertiser to run a global Branded Hashtag Challenge on TikTok and followed it up with a powerful campaign using Spark Ads to drive re-engagement and in-app purchases.
How to get started making TikTok videos
Getting started with creative on a new platform can feel overwhelming at first, but adopting a “crawl, walk, run” strategy can help you ease into the platform without sacrificing performance and opportunity.
1. Crawl: Repurposing Assets – Re-cut and edit existing creative for TikTok. Take advantage of TikToks’ Smart Video tool, Creative Marketing Partners, and the vast commercial music library.
2. Walk: Empowering Creators – Tap creators to create and share content. While exercising less brand control, brands can utilize music licensing, the creator marketplace, and the Creative Marketing Partners for execution.
3. Run: Making TikToks – Co-create with creators, communities, and partners. Expand with custom brand without losing authenticity.
TikTok 3×3: Tips and tricks for producing powerful ad creative
The TikTok 3×3 is a grid containing 9 of our most powerful tips and best practices for getting the most out of your creative.
So what are you waiting for?
Gaming audiences are already on TikTok and they’re waiting for more gaming brands to engage with them directly on their platform of choice. The question is: what are you waiting for? Start engaging as an active member of the community today by downloading TikTok and getting involved.
Setup your Brand-Verified and Ads Manager accounts to get started. Empower your agency, creators, and communities to start building content. Experiment, riff, and scale with the culture you find on TikTok. Leverage the power of music licensing and connect more emotionally with your audiences.
Watch the full TikTok x Mobile Gaming 101 presentation below!
