If you got to this article, we hope that you have already read our Board Game Marketing Fundamental and 10 steps to increase awareness of your board game. This article will be about advertising
Marketing your board game is crucial for success, and advertisements can be a great way to reach a larger audience. However, it’s important to choose the right platforms and create effective ads. Here are some steps to help with this process:
(Please note, each step here is a rabbit hole of information, and there is a lot to learn. As such, you may want to research each topic in more detail independently or hire a professional marketing firm.)
1.Choose at least two platforms to promote your game in (Facebook, Google, Amazon, Youtube etc.)
Choosing platforms to advertise your board game is important for targeting the right audience. It’s essential to understand your potential customers and where they are most active online. For example, if your audience is primarily on Facebook, advertising on Facebook will be more effective. If they constantly shop on Amazon or watch Youtube all day, reach them overthere.
2.Check what keywords your audience looks for on the chosen platforms
Choosing relevant keywords for your advertising campaign can make or break your campaign’s success. You can use keyword research tools like Google Adwords Keyword Planner, SEMRush, or Ahrefs to help you understand what keywords your audience is searching for on your chosen platform. This will help you create an effective advertising campaign that targets the right people.
Keywords do not only mean specific words, but also things people are searching for. Understand what they are searching for and show them relevant content. For example, if people are searching for Fun Card Games, show them in the advertisement that your game is fun.
If you are not sure what they are searching for, we always recommend you start with asking yourself, what you would have searched for if you were in their shoes.
3.Evaluate which keywords are the cheapest and have high conversion (words you can rank easily for)
After identifying your target keywords, evaluate which ones have low competition and high conversion rates. This is crucial for optimizing your ad spending and ensuring you get the most out of your investment. You can use tools like Google Analytics and other SEO tools to identify the best keywords for your campaign.
4.Choose 5 keywords to focus on
Once you’ve identified the best keywords, choose five of the most effective ones to focus on for your advertising campaign. Focusing on a few specific keywords helps to ensure that your ads are more targeted and will attract the right audience. It will also help you stay organize as you try new and different word combination
5.Create the ads content
create at least (best practice is 10 of each) 3 short video ads (Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube), 3 written ads (heading and meta description) for google and Amazon, and 3 banner ads (if you will use this channel). Each ad should represent a different view of the game e.g. actual game play, display, what players get
The purpose of this is to test which ad style works best for your audience and optimize your campaign.
6.Run the ads for a good 10 days
It’s important to run your ads for at least 10 days to collect enough data to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. You can monitor the ad performance through platforms like Facebook Ads Manager or Google Ads to see the results.
Some marketing professionals average that it takes around 5,000 USD for the algorithms of the platforms to understand who your audience is and where to target them.
7. Do an A/B Trial with your ads
Performing an A/B test is essential to identify which ad type is most effective. Split your ad groups in half and run two different ad variations. After the 10-day run, compare the results to see which performed better.
8.After seeing the results, tweak the ads for better conversion
Review the results of your campaign, identify what worked and what didn’t, and adjust your ads accordingly. Tweak and optimize your ads based on the feedback you received from the A/B test.
9.Keep repeating until you get the best result
After analysing and tweaking the ads, repeat the process until you have achieved your desired result. Advertising is an ongoing process, and you need to keep experimenting until you find the best combination for your board game.
10.Keep Track of your ad’s performance
It is important to monitor your ad campaigns to ensure that they are performing well and generating a good return on investment (ROI). Some metrics to track include cost per click (CPC), cost per acquisition (CPA), conversion rate, and ROI. Generally speaking, you want to keep checking how much money you had to spend in order to generate X amount of money.
Closing Note
Acquiring an audience takes persistence. Make a habit of finding and maintaining good contact with your audience and soon you’ll have built a community interested in your game
Once again, remember the core foundation of your marketing efforts, and that is your audience and what they love. No one will know them better than you.
