Why smaller streamers might be the right choice for your next influencer campaign

Originally published on Coldpx.com

When it comes to finding the right streaming partner for your video game launch, it can be a full-time job in itself. With over 7 million active streamers on Twitch alone, it can be hard to find exactly the right person or team up or partner with.

While it can be easy to just search for the biggest streamers you can afford, after all they come with the potential of a bigger audience seeing your product. We argue there may be a better way depending on your game and budget. Instead, invest your time and money into nano or micro streamers.

In this article, we’re going to explain what we mean by nano and micro streamers, what you should look for in a streaming partner and the benefits of micro versus macro in your influencer marketing campaigns.

What are nano and micro streamers?

While there is no one definition of a micro streamer out there, think of them as live content creators with a smaller or niche audience, nano streamers with a following between 1,000 - 10,000 and micro streamers with a following between 10,000 - 100,000.

While they will not have the potential reach as influencers like Ninja, Shroud or Pokimane, they do come with added benefits such as a more loyal audience and a specialization in specific types of games or genres, as well as a better chance at creating engagement with a greater emotional connection between the viewers and the influencer.

Their smaller audience size means potentially less spend on your marketing budget overall, which may fit in well if you are working on an indie budget.

Look for the perfect product fit

With the number of streamers out there, it can be daunting to find the right one for you. Not every streamer is built the same, nor do they have the same types of audiences.

If you have a smaller indie game that you want out there, we recommend making a list of like games that you can compare yourself to and narrow down your search. Is it a third-person survival game? Perhaps look at Rust streamers. Do you have a slower-paced strategy game that might be on the complex end? Look for Civilization or Crusader Kings streamers that won’t be intimated by intricate systems. Are you working on a narrative-driven game? Look for streamers who tend to focus on the adventure genre or are willing to let a story breathe instead of rushing through it.

Through smaller streamers, you also have the opportunity to explore and establish your game in niche genres and build a community.

Credibility and loyalty over everything

When it comes to steaming influencers, numbers rarely tell the whole story.

While it’s easy to judge streamers on view counts and subscribers, what’s probably more important than that (and harder to calculate) is the quality of their relationship with their viewers. In essence, by partnering with streamers that can effectively build these relationships and commit to their audience, you have a better chance to turn their viewers into paying customers.

A recent study from the University of Kentucky backs this up. Researchers found that streamer loyalty positively influences brand attitude for the products that the streamer is marketing. This goes for the smallest streamers as well. Despite having much lower view counts, nano streamers tend to show a higher level of loyalty than viewers of micro or macro streamers.

So why streamer marketing?

It’s no secret that influencer marketing has been one of the fastest-growing aspects of the video game industry over the last decade. With less emphasis on traditional new outlets, more and more people have turned to social media platforms like Twitter and Twitch to find out about new and upcoming games. As a result, the latter becomes a valuable platform to not only content creators but also marketers.

According to Twitch, 70% of their viewers are between the ages of 16 and 34, and the average Twitch user spends over 95 minutes every day watching live content. Those kinds of demographics and statistics mean that streaming platforms like Twitch have an incredible potential for ROI with the right campaign and partner backing you.

Are you looking to streamer marketing for your next campaign or game launch? Say hi to us at Cold Pixel, and we can help get you where you need to be. Reach out to us to learn more!

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