From the outside looking in, a newbie online marketer might look around at the social media space and think that the action is all on YouTube and Instagram. Maybe with some TikTok sprinkled in. If you’re not on Twitch watching streamers a lot, you might wonder where the marketing aspect is. Social media platforms survive because of marketing, so where are the opportunities on Twitch?
Well, we’re here to break it down for you. The marketing opportunities aren’t so obvious as in other places. What you’ll immediately see on Twitch is fans making donations to the streamer, but the chances are there and you just have to know how to take them.
Where can you advertise?
Well, there are all the traditional means of advertising on Twitch that has nothing to do with the individual streamer. Banners and in-video ads are the most common and are useful if you want complete creative control over your content.
But, to avoid affiliate marketing is to miss out on a big opportunity. It could even be described as an open goal. The Twitch streamer knows its audience, and they know them well. These are loyal fans that are willing to sit through a lack of editing and jump cuts to wait for the meat of the stream. They are loyal almost to a fault.
And streamers know what they like. Twitch has made a reputation for itself as the fun place to be. No one wants to think about anything too serious, so advertisement subjects and content has to be kept light-hearted. Even if your brand or products don’t quite fit that, a streamer will know how to package it in a lighter way to get people interested.
Who should you partner with?
When it comes to who you should partner with, there are six elements you should pay attention to numbers, genre, demographic, language, activity, and viewer sentiment. The number aspect is simple. You want to make sure your affiliate partner has the audience on Twitch to justify the money you’re spending. Activity means making sure that this large enough audience is getting results. If you see a high follower number but not a lot of engagement, that could indicate that some bots are involved, for example. Along the same lines, you want to look at your affiliate partner’s viewer sentiment in order to gauge how the audience engages with the streamer, what they like about them, what they don’t like about them, etc.
The language issue is also simple. You just need to make sure that your affiliate partner’s audience is compatible with yours, down to what language they all speak.
Genre is the one that really takes more thought. Genres on Twitch are usually broader than they are on YouTube and come down to gaming, commentary, music and art. That doesn’t mean streamers are limited to those, but anything more niche is likely to come under that on the website. A food channel is going to appear under the creative category, for example. Think about what the demographic is that you’re aiming for and find streamers that appeal to that demographic.
Do it yourself?
If your content merits it, there is nothing to stop you from creating your own branded Twitch stream. Plenty of other brands have done it, from restaurants creating their own cooking shows to PC businesses building gaming PCs. Twitch has become the online generation’s comfort watching, so nothing is too mundane.
It’s a great way to get a lot of eyes on you. The power of FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, has an effect on Twitch streams that isn’t there in YouTube videos or other content. If your audience wants to know what’s happening, they have to go right to the source, now.
Something a little extra?
Streaming is also a great way to put on an event. Any event, large or small, has a place on Twitch. It shows a more human side of streamers, who are not well polished or scripted, and allows for small things to be turned into events.
You can host QnAs about your brand, with the questions popping up in real time. You can host giveaways and countdowns to sales, make launch events for new products and more.
If you’re interested in more affiliate marketing content, visit our blog for all the latest insights, or for a more personalised approach, book a free call with a member of our team.
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