Mobile gaming has taken the world by storm over the past few years. With so many people constantly on their phones, it is imperative to send the right communication, at the right time.
Tom Nguyen, Product Manager, nGrow.ai has some important insights of what works, and what doesn't!
The rise in the popularity of mobile gaming over the past year
Despite the current situation, mobile gaming has experienced some downtrends, with ad revenue and overall metrics declining across almost every game genre. However, we are seeing many new hits being released by the end of this year and expect a recovery very soon. In my opinion, mobile gaming, in general, has been growing rapidly. This year, things look a bit negative, but eventually, they will bounce back.
What are some of the content marketing strategies used in the gaming industry?
Recently, I've seen quite a lot of collaboration with TikTok influencers. At least in the APAC region, they are using gaming events to promote cosplayers, give away gaming products, etc.
How important is community building in the gaming industry? Are players influenced by one another while playing a game?
Definitely. In a more hardcore scene, the community is vital for retaining players. Community managers have to collect feedback constantly and communicate changes within the player base. The community is mostly driven by loyal fans—players who invest a lot of time and resources into their characters. These players often play the game at a higher level and provide significant input to improve the game. Additionally, players are influenced by pro-gamers and celebrities who also play the game. They feel a sense of belonging when the people they admire share their hobby.
What kind of games should use push notifications?
Push notifications are essential for almost every game genre, from hardcore strategy to hypercasual. As long as there is progression, people need reminders to continue playing games. I haven't encountered any games that don't benefit from push notifications, unless the game has a hard paywall to prevent players from entering. In that case, push notifications cannot help because the players cannot see anything to begin with.
When does it not make sense to use push notifications for a brand?
When the product does not offer anything particularly interesting or the quality of the app/game is not as good as expected. Enabling push notifications in such cases annoys users and eventually causes them to uninstall. However, the root cause is still the product quality and has nothing to do with push itself.
Do push notifications work better for companies with higher lifetime value?
Definitely. Higher lifetime value means that the app/game is mature and has a high-quality audience. These users are loyal and very unlikely to churn. Using push notifications for this type of audience can help publishers communicate better with users, not just using them as a reminder. One of the main problems with apps like these is that when the app is successful, they often lack the resources for customer support, such as answering tickets and providing guidance. With smart pushes, you can actually send useful information to the right audience and improve the customer experience aspect.
How does a subscription-based company leverage push notifications to their advantage?
Subscription-based apps generate revenue by demonstrating their usefulness to users during the very first sessions. If users fail to see all the benefits, they are likely to churn and move on to a different app. Because of that, push notifications help users discover features they are missing and offer discounts to reengage with users who are likely to churn, ultimately improving retention for this user segment.
Do freemium apps that use in-app monetization actually benefit from using nGrow?
Freemium apps work similarly to subscription apps, except that free users are limited to certain features or have to be monetized via ads. Again, push notifications help with re-engagement and provide suggestions for users who can benefit from a premium membership. The behavior for these apps is that users are likely to install them to solve an emergency need or just casually use them. They don't have an intention to pay for the first few sessions. To spark that interest, smart pushes come in handy and can be used as a marketing tool if targeting properly.