What gaming marketers do?

What are they and what functions do they have?

In this article, I talk about the types of professions and explain what the key competencies of each direction are. So if you do all this for one monthly salary, then — well done!

A simplified diagram of the key game marketing concepts.

Ultimately, marketing is about external communication, but in this case, “internal” and “external” mean the development and activities within the company in what is converted outside for the audience.

I would start with marketing because it’s easier for me to name all the promotions that happen to the product with this word.

What is included in gaming MARKETING in general terms:

• Development of a product strategy: building a marketing strategy based on consumer insights (hidden needs), market analysis and insider knowledge (internal knowledge) of the industry;
• Analysis of competitors and industry trends;
• Content strategy (planning and coordination of the development of posts, all the necessary accompanying materials for broadcasting);
• Planning activation / events inside / outside the project;
• Creative supervision and evaluation of marketing materials for compliance with the brand/spirit/atmosphere of the game/tone of voice;
• Analytics of communication channels, all past, and current campaigns;
• Planning and distribution of the budget by channel;
• Adaptation of the global strategy to local markets;
• Management of neighboring marketing teams (creative, analytics, media);
• Analysis of past campaigns for compliance with KPI.

Now, we can switch to a more detailed view.

This specialization is not very favored in the CIS region (though for obvious reasons of frequent long-term projects).

BRAND / COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

It is needed for product and IP, expanding the audience and covering the various platforms (cinema, merchandise, etc.).

• Development and maintenance of a common strategic and visual direction of IP (important for a cross-media approach, the development of merchandise and the development of partnerships);
• Conducting or relevant research on consumer use to confirm/make small changes over time in the core brand values ​​of the product;
• Establishment/management of project budgets;
• Regular reporting and presentations for stakeholders;
• Coordination and production of marketing materials and visual directions in collaboration with external or internal contractors;
• Analytics: measurement and reporting on campaign performance before and during launch. Post-launch in-game analysis of the main metrics (purchase, retention, monetization).

Next, let’s move on to the marketing section, which deals specifically with media placements.

PERFORMANCE MARKETING

These are the ones who spend a lot of money and are paid for it (also a lot). What is included in the work of these people:

• Budget distribution by traffic acquisition channels (Facebook, Unity Ads, Google, Apple Search Ads, Snapchat, etc.)
• Tracking conversions and rates by channel;
• Planning and monitoring of A / B tests (for creatives, copies, etc.);
• Optional: production of creatives (banners, videos, icons, and design in the store).

(if it seems to you that the list and tasks are not enough, try it)

PRODUCT MARKETING

Close interaction with development focused on a specific product:

• Management of the creation of brand identity: name, cover/packaging and building communication around the plot and characters of the game;
• Conducting marketing research, creating benchmarks, surveys and studying players;
• Recommendations for improving UX / UI, engagement and retention based on audience feedback;
• Coordinating approval of the game with other partners/brands/copyright owners;
• Coordination of how it all works with local teams: PR, performance, producers (monetization);
• Creatives: video, web, screenshots, descriptions in the store and visual, special creatives for PR and other assets that can be used in promotion;
• Optimization in the store and increasing visibility in it;
• Analysis of feedback, the behavior of players and the market and the transfer of recommendations to production and top management;
• Marketing calendar management based on scheduled updates, events in the game.

Let’s move on to everyone’s favorite — PR

How many tweets and posts on Facebook are devoted to what PR managers should do, how they should work, and what are they as individuals. But the only important thing is that the essence of the profession is to be the speaker of the company.

• Work with the press (global/regional);
• Work with influencers (building long-term warm family / friendly relations);
• Assistance to journalists in the selection of suitable speakers from the company;
• Creation of news stories to draw attention to the studio/project;
• Building and maintaining a network of contacts, including regional media platforms and content creators;
• Translation and adaptation of the studio’s global communication (press releases, social networks, etc.);
• Daily communication with other members of the PR and community management team so that the work is synchronized, follows the rails of the global strategy (to put it simply: one hand knows what the other is doing).

Well, since we are here about PR, we must say about

COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT

People with the most stable mental health in the world, who directly communicate with the audience, receive constructive feedback from it, and also represent the company at all possible platforms where people can answer each other and be called for it.

• Implementation/participation/creation of a content plan or even a whole strategy for working with sites;
• Communication with players on social networks and on their own platforms (engaging in dialogue, informing, showing empathy and listening skills);
• Tracking the performance of posts and activities in the community;
• Study of the audience, search for the most active players/associations of players for advocacy;
• Support for tactical activations;
• Optional: production of creatives (images for posts, gifs, page design, etc.).

It is important to say that there are always some overlapping competencies, for the most part, it depends on a specific company. In some places, it is required that a marketer can write posts, and in the others — to make their way into new business development. Nevertheless, understanding how the sphere works are necessary in order to look for a specific specialist for your own needs.

All in all, the expectations of both the employer and the applicant should match as much as possible.

Originally posted on my website in Russian http://ggmarketing.io/who-is-marketing-manager