How to Boost Game Downloads with Influencers
Social media is constantly evolving, and so is how brands market to users. Flexion Mobile's influencer marketing agency, Audiencly, is staying ahead of the curve by metamorphosing many of its top influencers onto TikTok. The recently launched cost-per-install (CPI) service offers game developers a way to target users on TikTok and works similarly to automated ad buying.
TikTok is currently the fastest growing social media platform and, importantly for game developers, the best for reaching Gen Z (zoomers) — 10 to 25-year-olds, the biggest audience for many game categories. But as any good marketer knows, you can't just dump a bunch of ads on TikTok and expect users to flock to your product. That's where Audiencly comes in. The company works with 6000-7000 top influencers to create creative, funny, and relatable content that resonates with users and drives conversions.
By the end of this year, TikTok is projected to have 1.5 billion monthly users, with over half of them being zoomers. The average user session for TikTok is 10.85 minutes, and it's widely known as the most engaging social media platform. Because videos uploaded to TikTok are inherently viral, even accounts with only a modest number of followers have the potential to trigger millions of views for their videos.
This is why Audiencly has been focused on metamorphosing as many top influencers onto TikTok. In the past few months, there has been a significant increase in the number of downloads for games that use Audiencly CPI service. The recently launched cost-per-install (CPI) service offers game developers a way to target users on TikTok and works similarly to automated ad buying.
The CEO of Audiencly, Adrian Kotowski, states that "TikTok has the potential to reach a whole new generation of game players.” He says that because TikTok can outdo other platforms, it is important for developers to include influencers who are active on the app in their marketing mix. By giving our clients' carefully curated group of content creators the chance to post on TikTok, we're providing them with instant access to this channel. The same tried and trusted influencer personalities will be there, but with Liteup they'll reach out directly to Gen Zers. This is a huge opportunity for game developers to finally reach Gen Z users in a way that is authentic and engaging.
Technology that influences change
Liteup automatically connects developers with influencers with target audiences that precisely match their own. To date, Liteup has focused on micro-influencers, but there is no limit to the size of an influencer's audience. This means nano-influencers can sign up and Audiencly's more high-profile personalities.
The influencers are listed with their TikTok followers and the kind of material they create when they join up with Liteup, allowing developers to target the audiences they need to attract precisely. When a new user downloads a game, the app-based service keeps track of influencer followers and advertisers are only charged when someone follows an influencer. This allows developers to manage spending, success, and performance in the same way possible through other consumer acquisition methods.
Liteup is a new way of doing things that has the potential to change how Gen Zers interact with games and other products. It will be exciting to see what the future holds for this platform.
Audiencly is owned by Flexion Mobile, a company that makes Android games and gives them an additional audience and revenue on the alternative app stores. Flexion recently invested $500,000 in Liteup Media, taking a 20% stake in the company. This shows how important Flexion believes TikTok influencers are in-game user acquisition.
“We want to provide extra support for game developers,” says Jens Lauritzson, Flexion's CEO. “Advertising is no longer enough to boost a game's popularity, and user acquisition via influencer marketing is becoming increasingly appealing. Liteup's innovative service combined with Audiencly's expertise in influential people makes this partnership exciting because it precisely meets an unmet need.”
Liteup's value rises thanks to investment.
Liteup's tie-up with Audiencly and Flexion investment has some serious benefits, according to CEO Aaron Baker.
"Flexion's investment has let us pick up the pace of development a lot," he says. "In just a few months, we've gone from minimum viable product to an app creator will love using because it has great UI/UX design, analytics, and easy access to content."
"The partnership with Audiencly is also valuable as it provides a use case for our product that demonstrates its potential. We're building up a solid user base, and with more investment, we can continue to grow the app and the business quickly."
Market fragmentation is a big problem game developers face when using influencers for user acquisitions. However, by partnering with Liteup, Audiencly now has a broad spectrum of influencers across many social media platforms at its disposal.
“We’re starting to concentrate influencer marketing for games, allowing UA experts to interact with a variety of influencer types through a single point of contact,” Adrian Kotowski explains. “Developers demand a certain return on investment from performance marketing, and we can provide it.”
The bottom line is that Gen Zers are increasingly spending their time on social media platforms like TikTok, and developers need to reach them where they are.
What are your thoughts on Gen Z and social media? Let us know in the comments below!