Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Budget = $0? That tells you something: the buzz-creating strategy is not worth much.

You may want to go back to your original marketing plan (and strategy) and re-think what you're trying to accomplish. Then budget to reflect the new objective.

If you don't have enough money to deliver the [revised] objective, then you have two choices: (1) find more money, or (2) re-think the objective again.

There's no free lunch, as the old saying goes.

Creating buzz for a game from a new game developer for a game that's 8 months away (for free) isn't a realistic goal.

To create buzz, you need rabid/vocal fans that LOVE your game. So, in your alpha phase, find/recruit them. Based on your gameplay, you probably have a good idea of who might really love it. Find those people. Court them to help you test, give input, and share their experiences. Hint: choose these testers/fans based on the size of their FB (and other social media) friend/fanbase.

Develop a social-media tie-in to your game so people's game status can automatically be posted to share the viral message.

Make the in-game accomplishments worth bragging about (think badges/medals/status awards) so that sharing the status is a badge of honor - whether this be for single-player or player-vs.-player mode.

I like the direction Jay has suggested you take.

Along with a FB presence, I would add creating content for youtube to your social development list. You could develop a series (playlists) of videos that replicate actual game play so the folks can see what it's like to play journeypets. Of course, the more entertaining, and funny you make these videos, the more chance they will have to get some real traction and comments from your merging friend/fan base.

hope this helps,

Steve

Dear Michael,

Zero budget? Eight months of lead-in until your launch? Hmm ... oh, Michael! What FUN!

Here, I see no problem at all. None. In fact, here, I see an adventure. Imagine the following scene, if you will.

Your choice of European-style, open-topped sports car with a full tank of gas (of course).

The winding Big Sur Highway, calling to you: Michael, come hither!

A picnic hamper chock full of goodies to las the whole day through.

A glorious summer's morning.

And someone WONDERFUL jingling the keys and saying "Hey there handsome! Wanna take a ride?"

I see the lack of budget and the timeline as a challenge, though a good one.

You might find some of the following thoughts of value:

To create buzz for this game your site needs video, and it needs its own YouTube channel.

Secure these things NOW, before someone else does.

In those videos you need to show the game in action, you need to show people what the game does, how to play it, how to score, how to get to the next level, and what the payoffs are.

When you create video and place those videos on a Facebook site you plant the seeds of viral growth. You offer something cool, you offer something fun, and then, people's innate curiosity and sense of "hey, this is cool, let's show Bubba" helps to drive the viral growth of the game.

Tie Facebook and YouTube to your site. So that they all drive traffic to the other platform. Likewise with Twiter and Flickr. Your website also needs sounds. Fans need to be able to download those sounds as ringtones for their Android phone. And this game MUST be made available for the iPhone. And for the iPad. Add these platforms and you instantly triple your market share.

Every icon at the top of your main page needs to make a different sound when someone clicks on it or when they mouse over it. And those sounds need to be connected with, and need to be a part of the game.

Your videos need only be short (ideally under two minutes) but each video needs to introduce the characters, the environment, the rules, the styles of play, the way the game is scored, and specific elements about the game that the players will find interesting.

And if your game includes music, include the score in the videos as well. Aim to make and release one video per week.

Tell people what to do and show them how to pass the game on.

With a Facebook presence—a place where people can go to like the game, to see other content from the game, and somewhere where they can hear about new releases—you create a community. This is the place in which people can meet, connect, and bond.

Bonding creates likeability and trust.

You also need to give the game away. Yup. Free.

Here's why:

Giving the game away free for early adaptors creates INSTANT rapport and it does more than you'll ever imagine to create curiosity on the parts of other people when they see other people playing the game. The non players will want to join in. This creates harnesses the ripple effect of the desire to acquire.

To effect sales, your free version of the game must only offer limited functionality. By this I mean, if there are ten levels of play, your free version must only permit players to get to level three. When they arrive at level three there must be a link they can activate that unlocks more levels, perhaps another five levels ... for a fee.

The fee need not be an arm and a leg. It could just be 0.99 cents. When people get to the NEXT level that's fee protected, your next fee could be $1.99. But all told, your TOTAL price asked for all levels shouldn't be more than $4.99. The more you offer prices per unlocked section,, even if there are five levels and level one is free, and levels 2,3,4,and 5 all cost 0.99 cents, you'll still make money.

When Apple announced iTunes songs would be 0.99 cents each, many industry people thought Apple's head honchos were insane. No one thinks that now.

Another thing you can do is to invade the game forums. Set up profiles as real people, then casually answer questions , add comments, and become an accepted presence. Then over the course of 20 to 50 posts per forum, add in casual "Hey, Have you heard about THIS game? style comments. Then use those links to drive traffic to your social media page NOT to your website and download page. You need people to see the community FIRST, then, social proof and compliance with accepted group normality will lure them to your download and sales page.

Speaking of which. On your site you need to offer numerous VERSIONS of the game:

1. The free, basic version.
2. The next version with a few levels unlocked (for an entry level price).
3. The full version of the game for full price.

Lay out the three versions side by side and be CLEAR about what each version offers. Then point to the middle level as offering best up front value.

And create a presence on the iTunes store. This game MUST be made available for iPhones and iPads.

The OTHER thing you MUST do is send fully unlocked versions of this game to the editors of every major game site as a free sample and ask them to review it for you. This then creates MASSIVE social proof, instant authority based buzz, and it creates links and all important SEO visibility back to your social media and site presence.

I hope this helps. Enjoy the drive :)

Gary Bloomer
Princeton, NJ, USA

Interesting comments.

Buzz can be created for no money, but it is hard. Not having a finished (or presumably near finished) product makes this even harder.

I second (or third) Jay's comments about needing rabid fans for buzz. So being selective about your beta customers could be helpful.

Gary's comments about grabbing the names/sites on the various social media and distribution channels is also important (but doesn't automatically get you buzz - just makes it easier when the buzz process starts).

A thought on the buzz side would be to find a way to play on this being a pet game. Maybe find a way to work with the humane society or zoo or something (though this may take some funds). Or find a way to sneak in pet names/styles that are risque/catchy in names so that hopefully you will get some press (like name an animal based on Paris Hilton's chihuahua's name or after Dolly the cloned sheep).