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Let’s admit it. Paid ads are typically not the first strategy we think of when looking to market indie games. That’s because most people (wrongfully) assume that they simply aren’t worth it. Why spend all that money when a return on investment (ROI) isn’t even guaranteed?
The truth is that paid advertising can be really effective in increasing your indie game visibility – as long as you do it right. Let’s explore some key strategies and benefits.
Hyper target your paid ads
Before you run paid ads, you need to conduct some market research and learn who your target audience is and which social media platforms they frequent. When you run your ads, you need to target this group specifically because you already know that they’re interested in games like yours. This way, you’ll get a better ROI for your budget.
Run paid ads during key points in your game development journey
Is your trailer launch date coming up? Or, maybe you’re releasing a demo version, or taking part in a Steam Next Fest. It’s a great idea to run a paid ads campaign before any such large event comes up. This will get the word out about your game, giving your Steam wishlists a boost just before your big event. The event will further help you carry this velocity, attracting even more players.
Paid ads are very useful when you don’t have a demo yet
Indie game demos are one of the best ways of letting potential players know what to expect from your games, making it a very effective marketing strategy. But, what do you do when you don’t have a demo yet? You can hardly pause your marketing efforts.
Enter: paid ads. With some compelling copy and visuals, you can target potential players with paid ads and use them to get a consistent stream of Steam wishlists in the background while you focus on developing your game!
Carry out A/B testing to make sure your paid ads are compelling
A/B testing is part of the process when it comes to finding out the best combinations of design and ad copy. You’ll essentially be testing out different variations of the same ad to see which one performs better. By running with the winning version, you’ll have a better impact on the audience, increasing your click-through rate, user engagement, and conversions with the ads.
So, is running paid ads for indie games worth it? Yes, it is! But it requires careful planning, market research, psychographic analysis of your target audience, optimal budget allocation, and rigorous A/B testing to see actual results!