When publishing a game, to get great results, you need a Marketing Strategy. You need to plan, control your performance, and work on the opportunities identified once your plan is set. Investing in Marketing in Latin America can help your global strategy and work for the betterment of your global results.

Game Developers and Studios work hard to craft amazing experiences around their IPs, knowing that it is only half the job. The other half is marketing them properly. If the right content, no matter how great it is, is poorly promoted, it will hardly meet its audience. Whenever this happens, stakeholders aren’t pleased, and the overall continuity of the business behind it all fails. 

Communicating through the right channels, creating healthy expectations, gaining visibility in an overcrowded market, driving conversions, retaining engagement, building a community, and, if lucky, obtaining ambassadors who advocate for your content. The road to success is to build on those achievements. And they work slightly differently in every market, due to cultural reasons.

The Route to Market

So, how is it done? Whether you are set to solve this within your company or with external help, Marketing Strategy services typically involve working with a team of marketing professionals to develop a plan of action to promote a product. Most Publishers have talented teams of marketers and trusted vendor collaborators to help them design the path to walk. Here’s an overview of the workflow they follow and the expected outcomes:

1. Assessment:

   The marketing team will assess your product, target audience, competition, and overall marketing goals. What for? To determine the best approach for your marketing strategy. This includes the context and the important cultural milestones of specific markets that may impact your product reception and engagement.

2. Research:
   The team will research your target audience and the market to determine trends, preferences, and behaviors. They may also research your competition to understand their marketing strategies and tactics.

3. Strategy Development:

   Based on the assessment and research, the team will develop a marketing strategy that outlines the key objectives, target audience, messaging, and tactics to be used to achieve your marketing goals. This development is built considering your launch roadmap.

4. Execution:

   The team and its external collaborators will execute the marketing plan by implementing the selected tactics, such as social media advertising, media management, email marketing, influencer outreach, and other promotional activities.

5. Evaluation:

   This is a critical step that is not always sequential. The team will evaluate the marketing plan’s effectiveness through data analysis and reporting, and this evaluation might drive small adjustments and optimizations or give place to new strategies. This step helps to refine the marketing strategy and optimize future marketing efforts.

The expected outcomes of marketing strategy services are increased brand awareness, engagement, conversions, and a stronger market competitive position. And all of this is true for your marketing strategy for any product. But what does it change when your product is specifically a Video Game?

First, your marketing team should understand the gaming industry trends, demographics, and target audience. Developing messaging and tactics that resonate with your potential gaming audience is crucial. Using data to inform your marketing strategy, including metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversion rates, has become a must in every industry, and Video Games are no different. And finally, apart from staying up-to-date on industry trends and technology to ensure your marketing strategy is innovative and effective, you need to partner with the right gaming influencers & media to help promote your product to their followers/your target audience.

Gaming audiences grow fast in Latin American countries

Marketing in Latin America

Latin America has become an increasingly interesting Market for Developers and Publishers, but not only for the reasons you suspect.

These countries have passionate audiences that are very lively on social media when discussing and interacting about the IPs they love. The basic question, “Is it worth it?”, immediately gets a positive reaction. Return on Investment to those who localize their content and market it properly in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and the 20+ countries that speak Spanish in the Americas is there for those who engage in it, but there’s much more to it.

Creating a community in Latin America helps your global strategy and increases your visibility and brand positioning in North America, Spain, and Portugal. More than 600 million people can be reached by translating into only two languages, and Marketing is usually cheaper in this region than in others. Interactions boost your game’s exposure and positioning in gaming stores and social media, not only in this region but the whole world. 

Latin America can be part of your strategy, just as it is for key industry players who have been doing business in the region for some time.

Localize your Marketing Campaign

If you are about to develop a marketing strategy for games in Latin America for the first time, it’s important to consider the region’s unique characteristics and trends. Here are some specifics to keep in mind:

• Localize Your Content:

  Brazil and Mexico rank lower in the English Proficiency Ranking compared to China or Japan. Therefore, relying solely on an English version of your game for success in these countries may not be ideal. This is why it’s crucial to translate your game and marketing materials into Spanish and Portuguese. Simply put, to effectively reach a wider audience in Latin America. Additionally, considering the cultural nuances and preferences of the local audience is essential when localizing your content for this region.

• Understand the Local Gaming Market:

  Research the gaming market in Latin America to understand trends, player behaviors, and preferences. This will help you to tailor your marketing strategy to the local market. An interesting fact about this region’s uniqueness may be that Brazil and Mexico’s revenue grew over 20% in 2022, the same period in which the Global Market dropped 5%. Also interesting is that while Shooters were the largest losers of 2022 worldwide, they were the most lucrative genre in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. Overall revenue growth of shooter games revenue in those countries reached 24%. 

• Use Social Media:

  Audiences in Latin America have a strong presence in Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  These can be effective channels for promoting your game, apart from YouTube and Twitch. Adapt your digital assets to drive conversions from mobile devices!!

• Consider Influencer Marketing:

  Influencer marketing is a popular and effective marketing tactic in Latin America. Partnering with local gaming influencers can help increase your game’s visibility and credibility in the region and some European countries. Yes! Audiences on the internet only know of language and little of political divisions. 

• Offer Payment Options:

  Payment options such as local credit cards, prepaid cards, and cash payments are important in Latin America. Many people do not have access to international credit cards, and gamers are reluctant to pay in foreign currencies. 

• Participate in Local Events:

  Participate in local gaming events and conferences to connect with potential customers, showcase your game, and build relationships with local gaming communities. 

• Consider Mobile Gaming:

  Mobile gaming is huge in Latin America and only growing in popularity. During 2022 it grew by over 10% in most markets.

Keep these things in mind, secure a great localization for your game, and partner with local vendors to increase the results in your KPIs. Achieve your objectives by strategizing properly. Succeed at building a passionate community of gamers who advocate your IP thanks to investing in Marketing in Latin America.