As social media and streaming continue to dominate the marketing and pop culture landscape, it’s more important than ever to be aware of the evolution and emergence of new media channels. Let’s talk about Twitch advertising.
Whether it’s on phones, tablets, or home computers, people all over the world are consuming media and content in ever-changing ways. With that in mind, one of the main forms of engaging content currently undergoing an unprecedented and meteoric rise in popularity and viewership rates is video game streaming.
Now I know what you’re thinking… why would someone watch someone else play a video game instead of playing it themselves?
And here's a more detailed breakdown of overall Twitch Metrics.
Let’s dive in and discuss how Twitch advertising can boost your promotion efforts, and explore best practices for beginning your adventure into marketing in the live-streaming industry.
Content Marketing Workflow: An Agile Approach For Consistent Results
Many of you have seen either your kids or your friend’s kids doing ridiculous dances or shouting names like Ninja and Dr. Lupo over the past year. All these things can be attributed to the pop culture explosion of the hyper-popular game Fortnite.
Already a thriving platform, the completely unexpected phenomenon that Fortnite developed into over the past year brought a massive surge of awareness and interest toward online gaming and streaming.
Never before did Twitch have channels averaging nearly 80,000 concurrent viewers watching a single streamer, to the point where Ninja (the #1 streamer on Twitch) has been featured in commercials for Samsung, starred on The Ellen Show, and become the first ever video game player to be featured on the cover of ESPN.
According to Mediakix.com, the core demographic of Twitch viewers is 81.5% male, with an average age of 18-34.
Though heavily male-dominated in terms of percentage, an 18.5% femaleviewership chunk still equates to an average concurrent female viewer rate of 187,950.
This primarily Millennial demographic is young, tech-savvy, passionate, and most importantly, committed to their streamer.
Don’t be surprised if the next poster you see on your kid’s wall isn’t a 6’5” 250lb NFL player. Instead, it may feature some seemingly average guy or girl sitting before a glowing monitor. However, average is most certainly the wrong word to describe these new-media stars, because to their hordes of loyal viewers, they are anything but.
A key factor in understanding how to utilize Twitch advertising and engage with streamers is developing a general understanding and respect for the process of becoming a popular Twitch streamer.
Similar to how college sports are split into divisions in order of competitiveness and quality (D3/D2/D1), we can view Twitch’s three-tiered system for classifying channels. For marketer’s sake, we are only interested in the top-tier of channels, known as Partnered channels.
Our Process for Taking One of the Largest Music Libraries Available to New Heights
As you can see, the path to becoming a Partnered channel on Twitch is no easy task. Meeting the above requirements only allows a streamer to apply for Partner status and is no guarantee of acceptance, which is the ultimate goal for aspiring Twitch streamers. Thus, those dedicated enough to reach the goal of becoming a partnered channel typically develop a very dedicated and loyal fan base along the way.
With over 3.3 million unique broadcasters on Twitch, it is extremely challenging for streamers to distinguish their channel and build a following, not dissimilar to the process marketers take to promote and differentiate their client’s product/service.
Those who make it to the top and garner high levels of concurrent views and subscribers understand how to build and maintain a brand, as well as the promotion and marketing tactics necessary to do so.
Remember Deadheads and Beliebers? Well, I raise you the Champion’s Club and The Tatman Army.
Similar to diehard fan groups of music artists, the hyper-loyal subscriber groups of prominent Twitch streamers like Dr. Disrespect (The Champion’s Club) and Tim The Tatman’s Tatman Army represent the evolution of the devoted fan base.
These fan groups are just two of hundreds of examples of streamers who have tirelessly developed a massively dedicated group of fans who pay upwards of $5 per month in order to ‘subscribe’ to their favorite streamer’s channel and become a part of their community.
Worth noting, both of the aforementioned channels boast well over 10,000 subscribers, bringing in well over $50,000 in revenue every month on a recurring basis.
The vast majority of Twitch’s most popular streamers got to where they are either by being one of the best players at their respective game, by being extremely entertaining, or ideally a combination of both. Thus, their followers view them as not only a source of entertainment, but also expert advice and recommendations.
Viewers will often seek to know every piece of equipment the streamer is using, down to even their mouse pad in hopes of emulating their gaming dominance.
However, don’t think that Twitch advertising is limited to gaming accessories, considering brands as well-known as Red Bull, Gillette, and Adidas are all currently involved in ongoing partnerships with Twitch streamers.
Snackable Content – Using Video to Support Engagement
Similar to partnering with social media influencers, pairing your brand with the correct Twitch streamer is crucial to the success and foundation of your Twitch advertising campaign.
Finding the perfect brand representative is always a challenging task, but these steps can help guide your team in the right direction.
The massive audience pool of Twitch is highly engaged while using the platform, and more importantly, largely untapped.
As video gaming, live-streaming, and competitive eSports continue to grow rapidly in popularity, companies and agencies that can penetrate this market early will be positioning themselves for even greater success in the near future.
On top of that, Twitch is rife with charismatic and unique streamers who have the potential to serve as excellent influencers and brand representatives.
What are you waiting for? Tap B and move your joystick in Twitch’s direction. There’s a whole new world of branding to be explored.