7 Tips to Give Traction to Your Indie Game

Marketing 101 (The things you need to know but no one ever tells you)

(Taken from a conversation between Creative Director Alex Byrom and a young start up)

1. Facebook Page

Alot of what you need to do is very minor things.

Are you proud of your game/ company? Change your cover picture to it and add in the description links to your website and where you can buy the game.

Fb profileFb profile2

Just been looking at your Facebook page. In the about section add your website. I know it’s in the website section but you only see that if you click on the about button, if it’s in the description people see it straight away

FB2Fb1FB3

2. Game DB

If you haven’t done so already make a game db account

http://www.moddb.com/games/go-to-hell-dave

Mod Db

and put all your details of the game up there. screenshots videos ect  and add backlinks in the description of your pictures.

3. Blog

If you haven’t already start a blog.

Blogs can be great for drawing in new people to your product. If someone keeps coming to you for video tuts or advice, they will have faith in you that you know what you are talking about.

This article I wrote may interest you:  10 tips on marketing and developing an Indie Game

4. Social Networks in particular Twitter

Make an account on ever social media you can. Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram. Google + You can link them so you only have to post on fb and it updates to the rest.

Google + Instagram

Get talking to the local press. Ring up your local newspapers. They love you start ups and it’s good to get experience ringing/ emailing people asking for a feature or an article based off the press pack you send.

5. How to contact the press in general

GET ON TWITTER. Game press are very lazy you need to have everything present in a nice an easy form for them and get it in front of them. Chat to them, They are human at the end of the day. Don’t be afraid to hunt them down, Look at news articles , Who it’s published by, give their name a google, It will usually then come up with their twitter account, if not look for the contact us button. Press are not going to go looking for you. You have to find them and hunt them down.

Twitter

Help other and they will help you / get free work if you can

Other things you can do, is just be active on social networks (but don’t spam) help people out and they will help you in return. It’s very much a community indie games. One thing I would recommend if money is an issue see if there are any grants in your country I.e university start up grants ect. Also pull in favours from friends. Got a friend who is great at audio ask him to make a track for you. Got a friend who is good at art ask him to do some concept work.

Fake it until you make it. Make your game seem much bigger than it actually is. If you don’t believe in it no one else will.

6. App Button

One thing people forget as well if you are creating an app. spend a decent amount of time working on your app button i.e the rounded square Icon, This is the first thing people will see of your game, if this isn’t interesting people won’t buy it.

I think That’s all I have for now, Hope some of it helps.

If anything with friends just say, yes we have no money to pay you but it will look great on your portfolio/ cv to be on a published game. You aren’t lying the first thing an employer will look at is your prortfoilo to see if you do have any practical experience, Purely just having a degree isn’t good enough anymore.

7. Email backlinks

Yeah just take your time and work through the stuff. I’m no expert and I’m learning all the time.

One last thing do you email people?

If you do I’ve set my email so it always has my back links like this

Email

I’d recommend you do the same

From the office of Falchion Games: Go To Hell Dave

Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=109393605&searchtext
Development blog: http://bit.ly/10HNunv
W: http://www.gotohelldave.co.uk/
T: @GoToHellDave