16 Insanely Effective Esports Marketing Strategies

For arcane traffic like esports, some marketers might scoff at dipping their toes into this industry. But if you’re still hesitant, let numbers persuade you. Statista states this industry will amount to US$7.12 million in 2023. So, are you now thinking about steering your marketing ship in the esports direction? We have 16 insanely effective esports marketing strategies for you!

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How do I market my esports?

Whether you’re part of an esports team or running an esports agency, esports marketing will help you find more audiences and sponsors. There are many ways to market esports. Some top examples are identifying the proper channels, such as social media, forums, or esports groups. You may also collaborate with esports influencers to expand your reach. 

Moreover, if you want to invite more esports fanatics, you can organize an esports event or sponsor one. Finally, investing in content marketing will do wonders for your esports team or business as long as you promote valuable content. 

What does esports marketing mean for your brand?

Esports has grown into a global money-making business that is expanding its market and audience. Esports revenues topped one billion in 2019 for the first time, according to a Newzoo article. Statista projects there will be over 318 million esports enthusiasts by 2025. These numbers prove that esports is progressing into an industry that competes with film or music.

That said, esports marketing is crucial for your esports brand because you have an extensive market. This doesn’t limit your target audience to one geographical location alone. Esports is adapted worldwide, which means your esports brand can leverage marketing to garner more sales. 

Who is the target market for esports teams?

Esports is an industry with the potential to generate revenues for brands, even in the food and beverage industries. For instance, Coca-Cola is the Overwatch competition’s official sponsor. This, again, proves that many different industries find massive potential in finding prospects through esports.

Moreover, esports is also a booming industry in the United Kingdom, with over 36 million gamers. Twitch also has over 30 million viewers daily, with seven million unique streamers monthly. Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America also have a promising esports market in revenue and audience.  

1. Find the right audience

To assume that gamers belong in one category is absurd. It’s like saying all athletes do one sport. Like conventional sports, esports is divided into various gaming genres, such as:

• PvP (Player vs. Player)
• FPS (First-Person Shooter)
• RTS (Real-Time Strategy)
• MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena)
• MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games)

As with any other marketing strategy, finding the right esports audience lets you communicate with them the right way. As a result, esports teams can sort out the brands they can relate to, and both will have a higher chance of lasting partnerships.

Aside from that, you can also look at demographics to know your audience better. While the esports industry is a male-dominated one, over 20 to 30% of fans are female. Plus, most of their viewers are from the 18 to 35 demographic.

2. Go to the right channels

After you’ve figured out your esports target market, you can find where they are lurking. That way, if you’re planning to sponsor an esports team in the future, you can scour for the best of the best in the gaming space.

More often than not, you will find your audience in minor and major video game streaming sites. Here are some of them:

• Twitch
• YouTube Gaming
• Hitbox
• Beam
• Azubu
• Bigo Live
• Afreeca
• Gosu Gamers

3. Find real esports influencers

Influencer marketing is definitely not dead. You can leverage influencer marketing by picking streamers with a huge following to market your brand.

Ninja, the biggest streamer on YouTube and Twitch with 19 million and 14 million subscribers, respectively, played a game of Fortnite with the famous rapper Drake. And you can get inspiration from this example.  

Needless to say, you shouldn’t miss other video game streamers trailing behind Ninja on Twitch:

• Shroud (6.5 million)
• Summit1g (4 million)
• Riot Games (4 million)
• Tsm_myth (5 million)

Influencer marketing can encourage highly-vocal esports teams to come to you for help in form of partnerships, sponsorships, ads, and more. It’s a win-win for both!

4. Start an esports team

Starting an esports team is another effective esports advertising technique. Underrated esports teams who are looking to get sponsorships will work FOR you and not WITH you. That means you get esports advertising whenever they stream or engage with their audience, and you call the shots!

You can find esports teams on sites like:

• Seek Team
• Skillinked
• Team Tavern

This way, you’ll save time on finding esports gamers, and you can spend time working on your esports marketing strategies.

5. Sponsor a team through agencies

While starting a team from scratch might be more cost-efficient, sponsoring a team through agencies will connect you to the most well-known esports teams worldwide. Though expensive, you know you’re getting the creme de la creme in the gaming space.

Some popular esports marketing agencies are:

• Upfluence
• Viral Nation
• Ader
• Flood Interactive
• Knowscope
• Game Influencer
• CheeseCake Digital
• Foreseen Media

6. Invest in video ads

Video ads work every time if they’re shown at the proper time and to the appropriate audience. For instance, Twitch streamers can run pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll video ads on their streams. However, Twitch streamers have to become Twitch partners to do this. So partner with a Twitch partner to take advantage of video ads.

Millions of esports viewers will weigh a Twitch streamer’s credibility through big brand partnerships. Esports teams and players will have more gaming recognition worldwide when viewers see that they’ve partnered with prominent brands.

7. Organize small tournaments

Small things start from humble beginnings. So never underestimate the power of small tournaments. These are perfect points of entry into more significant esports events. This is also ideal for smaller brands to leverage esports marketing and create buzz online.

You can partner with local businesses in nearby areas, such as pubs, hotel bars, or sports bars. This will also attract small and local esports teams in your area who can’t afford substantial entry fees.

8. Create bigger tournaments

Whether you partner with another gaming platform or create a massive tournament from scratch yourself, bigger tournaments mean one thing: BIG TURNOUTS.

One example was when PepsiCo’s subsidiary, Brisk, 7-Eleven, and Twitch did an off-season esports tournament for the game Rocket League.

In addition, big tournaments also create a highly competitive atmosphere for famous esports teams, increasing chances of recognition.

9. Look into event partnerships

Whether it’s an esports tournament, convention, or business summit, partnering with esports-related events will make for brand awareness on a bigger scale. Your brand can be at the forefront of these events. Partnerships will likely develop long-term relationships with leading esports teams, video game streamers, organizers, or other like-minded brands.

10. Blog marketing

The influx of gaming aficionados is snowballing by the day. Content marketing, primarily blogging, can gain more followers for your brand, provided that you offer valuable blogs to the right audience. You can even try guest posting in some known esports marketing blogs to widen your reach.

Gaming enthusiasts who think your content is share-worthy will undoubtedly like, comment, or share your blogs within their community as well.

Another alternative for blog marketing is email marketing. This esports promotional activity offers many benefits, such as personalization, retargeting, upselling, and more.

11. Merch giveaways to gamers

Your brand doesn’t have to be in line with the esports industry to achieve marketing success. But one rule of thumb is to position your brand effectively, so people will start to take notice.

For example, if you’re an apparel company, you can produce limited edition esports t-shirts and market them through social media contests. User-generated contests are conversation starters that will likely expand your base.

You can either pick random esports players or highly followed video game streamers for your free merchandise. That way, you know you’re not missing out on the underdogs in the gaming arena. This tactic will be favorable for you in the long run if you’re ready to create or sponsor an esports team.

In fact, esports teams can even approach your company to sponsor shirts or caps for an upcoming esports competition.

If you’re stuck on giveaway ideas, choose the most unique promotional items to stand out. Buy in bulk and label the items with a custom design that highlights your brand. Try sending a merch giveaway design to Penji risk-free for 30 days and see how easy working with professionals is!

12. Use data and learn about gaming communities

Before you start any esports marketing strategy, aggregated data should guide you in connecting with your audience. If you’ve done a previous esports marketing campaign, learn how to improve your targeting efforts, for example, so you have a wider reach and range. 

Another way that data can become useful is it can help increase your budget. Stuart Lipson shared in Event Marketer that numbers can persuade executives to give you a budget or sponsorships.

Plus, authenticity is key in gaming communities. They can spot inauthentic sponsored content or fake promotion. If you want to learn more about your target audience, it’s best to have a genuine interest in their community. This way, you’ll learn how to market your brand by communicating the right messages and designs.

13. Consider experiential marketing.

When you host an event, experiential marketing can captivate your target audience and make them root for your team. You can level up your event by bringing experiences to life. In some cases, experiential marketing can even enhance customer retention or loyalty. 

One example comes from Call of Duty XP. They brought the game to life through paintball or virtual reality experiences.

14. Get on podcasts

There are podcasts dedicated to esports, and you can expect that your target audience will be listening to those. You can advertise an event or ask the host to give your brand a shoutout. Podcast advertising is a great method to find audiences you have yet to reach.

15. Stay active on social media

Most of your target audience would likely have a social media account. Aside from hosting contests or merch giveaways, social media is best when you want to announce upcoming events. You can also promote your team there.

Also, starting an esports social media marketing campaign allows you to understand what piques your audience’s interest. This way, you can use this data to modify future advertising strategies and make them more engaging.

16. User-generated content

User-generated content is not only the best for contests. If you want to increase awareness and engagement, you can repost content from your followers. Think of the most unique user-generated campaigns where you ask followers to post and share their experience during the esports event.

If you have a little marketing budget to spare, you may also spice things up by offering some freebies for the most creative or hilarious posts.

How to Request Esports Marketing Graphics from Penji

Whether you need designs for merch giveaways, tournament posters, or anything else in between, Penji can save you a ton of time and provide high-quality graphics while at it. 

Our clients turn to our services when they need a professional team to handle the design legwork as they focus on analytics and honing their marketing blueprint.

Plus, requesting designs from us is super quick and convenient! In three easy steps, you can have the best designs you need in as quick as 24 hours.   

1. Create

In the Penji dashboard, click “Create new project.” Choose the category of the design you need. Then type in the info – the title, description, and size. The task card also allows you to select your color palette and choose royalty-free images that you want to appear on the design. 

2. Revise

In 24 to 48 hours, the designer assigned to your project will send you a design draft. Just click on the file to view the graphic. If you want to request revisions, you can click the pointer on the part of the graphic and type in your comments. The designer will revise the graphic according to your input.

PRO TIP: Translating visuals into words can be such a big challenge! We recommend sending some design samples, so the designer will know which direction to go.

3. Download

Once you’re happy with the design, click the “Download” button, and it will automatically be saved to your computer.

Wrap Up

Esports marketing is the next big thing. As more big brands meddle with esports advertising, this industry is somehow telling entrepreneurs and marketers one thing — there is promising business growth in esports. Boost your esports brand with Penji’s unlimited graphic design services. Sign up today and get a 15 percent discount.