Hiring marketing people discussion

Crocopede

Hi.

I have some questions regarding finding and using marketers.
Where do you find a marketer for games or crowd funding campaigns?
How much do they charge?

Is it worth getting one?
I have been googling and hopefully get some answers but i was hoping some of you have experience with marketers and could give some insight.
Thx

Actually come to think of it i dont even know what you call someone who markets stuff

Crocopede

So far i have emailed 18 different marketing companies that say they specialize in indie marketing and that it wont break the bank.
Hopefully i will get some price estimates soon.

Will post some feedback once i hear stuff

Crocopede

ok so they started getting back.
Seems the average campaign would cost an average of 25k a month.

Boysano

make check this article and resource out if you want to go it on your own...

Article guide - An Indie Game Developer's Marketing Checklist

http://dopresskit.com/

Crocopede

Tried that route previously. I mailed just over 40 people with press kits. Only Lazygamer was kind enough to write an article.
The rest of the people contacted gave no response.

So im taking it my marketing skills are a bit crap, which is why i think hiring someone to do it is a better option.
But then there is the risk of return on investment not being worth it and i deplete my personal funds and i sit with nothing

dammit

What exactly are you emailing to the different people? What are you trying to get attention for?

Crocopede

I mailed them press kits. A collection of screenshots, videos, summary and overview of the game.

Right now i want to market a crowdfunding campaign. But if i can the game itself to drive traffic to steam.

dammit

Put yourself in the shoes of the press person you're emailing. How enticing do you think getting a press kit is? How does that make you stand out against a ton of other games aiming for attention?

Try sending a personalised email. Yes, personalised to each of the 40 people. Without any bullshitting "I love your blog" that you've never read and haven't noticed has never been updated ever. Treat the press like real people, and they might give you a little more time of day. If you treat them like a machine that should just churn out whatever press kits you send them, then you are in for a bad time.

Also, consider what hook you have. What makes your game special? Why should they write about you? And tell them that - give them a story!

dammit

This is also an invaluable article to read though:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/198381/How_to_talk_to_the_video_game_press_in_2013.php

Crocopede

Thanks for that. Been reading all those.
I also tried something i am not sure is the norm... perhaps not. Will see if that pays off.

dammit

What did you try?

Crocopede

I mailed my favorite adult actress who is also a gamer. Asked her to tweet or mention my game somewhere.
I can't imagine better marketing than that.

However. So far no response. Wheres the lol emoticon?

dislekcia

Crocopede said:

I mailed my favorite adult actress who is also a gamer. Asked her to tweet or mention my game somewhere.
I can't imagine better marketing than that.

... That's relatively concerning, seeing as I can imagine several better visibility sources and I'm not even really trying. It's not as though either of your games you've posted here has any specific synergy with the market that follows an adult actress on twitter. (I have to wonder why you would even do this, it seems really unaware given what's been happening in the indie games scene recently)

Which game in particular are you trying to raise awareness for? What is the purpose of that awareness? At what point are people disengaging with your message?

Crocopede

You make a good point. I never thought if her followers would be interested in my game.

Xoi San. More experience to pull it off at round two. And if not to fail in doing so quickly

Also, april o niel has been at plenty game expos n shows. Im sure some of her followers are not only doing so for her other profession.
Mostly i am not getting any engagement.
Marketing for me is a horrific ordeal.

Perhaps its directly linked to my social phobia.

Communication to me is a deathtrap.
To give you some background.

I quit a job because they asked me to deal with people. After i explained why i quit they apologized and placed me away from humans. Entering crowds are a living hell. Answering phones is like playing rush n roulette.

I find human interaction extremely difficult to swallow.
Apart from typing it all scares me to death. Hence i have not joined a meetup.

Tomorrow i will try more fitting places like rps and sites alike.
Either way ... She did not respond. So im assumimg that was a wild shot that just never reached.

Tuism

If you mailed a celebrity to specifically ask her to tweet about your game... Well, let's look at it this way: Why would she? Is it specifically inspired by her? Does it have something that she loves particularly? Is it connected to her work? Her life? Was it solicited... As in, did ask for people to post her some games to talk about? Does she usually talk about or review games?

At the end of the day, these are celebrities who are inundated daily with requests. If they even filled 1% of those simple requests they'd be flooded by billions more. It's not reasonable to think that just because you made something, and are a genuine person (who isn't), that someone, anyone should engage with you. It's a long, long shot at best.

Don't be offended if there's no response.

Also, April O Neil? I googled, and besides the obvious Ninja Turtle character, I only fonud... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_O'Neil_(actress)

Her?

dammit

Crocopede said:

Perhaps its directly linked to my social phobia.

Communication to me is a deathtrap.
To give you some background.

I quit a job because they asked me to deal with people. After i explained why i quit they apologized and placed me away from humans. Entering crowds are a living hell. Answering phones is like playing rush n roulette.

I find human interaction extremely difficult to swallow.
Apart from typing it all scares me to death. Hence i have not joined a meetup.

I think you perhaps need to get another team member to help you out here then. Understanding your own weakness here (and the possibility that spelling errors might also be casting you in a poor light in written communication) is a good thing! But finding someone to help you is going to be difficult.

Marketing takes time and those in indie game development are often already doing if for themselves and wouldn't have the time for someone else. The other side of it is agencies (small or large) which you probably don't have the money to invest in.

Do you have any friends with these kinds of skills who might be able to split profit with you or work out some other way of payment?

Crocopede

I have asked my girl to do the marketing.

dammit

Crocopede said:

Also April ONiel is a fake geek.

Please refrain from making comments like that on this forum. It's inflamatory and unnecessary.

Crocopede

Removed.
Confused.
Most likely directly related to the entire feminist outcry received from here.
Which is something i would much rather stay away from.