Speaking at the White Nights conference in Prague, Zorka.Mobi chief business development officer Dmitry Liapin outlined a series of key campaign management tips to keep in mind when conducting influencer marketing on YouTube.
When putting together a campaign, Liapin said games publishers should ensure they know the type of players they are trying to attract and study the unique aspects of local markets around the world.
He also advised not to “waste money on top names”, but rather invest more into “second names” - slightly smaller channels but ones with substantial viewerships. The sentiment is similar to that echoed by Matchmade CEO Jiri Kupiainen in a previous talk.
Plan of attack
When it comes to the video brief, interestingly Liapin recommended limiting creativity - in contrast to what some other marketers may advise - and making sure the promotion is only lasts between 30 to 60 seconds.
He added that the promotion should have a clear, coherent and direct motivation for the viewer to download the app, as well as reflect the influencer’s own opinion of the product and offer in-app bonuses for new users.
As part of good campaign management, Liapin said publishers should keep time zones in mind when dealing with influencers, as correspondence may only be available at certain hours.
He remarked that Zorka often runs a 24 hours operation to ensure it can keep up with campaigns around the world, as being able to respond promptly and be constantly available can help ensure a campaign’s success.
Publishers also need to be ready to deal with technical issues influencers may face when linking to a game, and advised to always check the correct tracking link is in place in the video description. Without this, understanding the return on investment on a video may be difficult to judge.
Lastly, publishers should always have clear positive and negative forecasts set out to judge whether a campaign has been successful or not and why.
Ultimately in some cases if results aren’t up to scratch it could be that the wrong influencer was chosen for that particular campaign - a consequence of what is always a risky business, said Liapin.
