There have been many different experiments done over time to figure out what the strongest type of content is! What can be posted on social media to evoke the best response/engagement?
In this short post I’ll break down my top five types of content, removed from and regardless of their impending effort to create. Today, your social media presence, and Internet marketing go hand in hand. While there is a constant flux in what’s “Hot Right Now”, tried and true forms of content have kept their ground.
This is not a definitive list. Don’t hold firm on these forms of content. It is simply a Top 5 List containing flavors that have proven their strength. Adapt to your products/voice/message as needed.
5. Game Art
Sharing posts that include game art or interesting concepts from the design and art team are tantalizing for players and gives them something cool and unique to share out to their friends/followers. There are a couple of options in this vein, one includes “advertisement and put-together” art that works for fans as something they can take and use as their profile picture, FB banner, phone wallpaper etc.
The second works as an inside look at some of the game art and concepts that the design/art teams are working on. Lots of devs steer away from this, but I believe that the peek inside the walls is a critical tool in building the admiration for the product and a bit of a boost in connection with the studio.
4. Gifs / Clips
As most mobile devices have easy tools for game and clip recording, sharing gifs and vids are an easy thing for even our player-base to get involved with. Never miss a chance to forward, share, or retweet.
It’s fairly easy to take actual game content and record it for gif/vid. Alternatively, it’s always a great idea to get original creatives from graphic designers that showcase the best in visuals from your game.
Moving images are the cream of the crop for stopping someone in their tracks while scrolling through their social media channels. Every feed is a very loud and busy atmosphere. Visuals are king, and motion visuals are the crown.
— Dauntless (@PlayDauntless) March 20, 2017
3. Fan Content
Nothing sparks a good feeling like your favorite game or brand sharing something you’ve made out of pure fandom. Lots of awesome stuff comes from fans, and it’s extremely important for brands to maintain a finger on the pulse of fan creations.
Never hold back from collecting fan art in a facebook image gallery, or having “Fan Art Friday” which are a big hit with followers. Consider spurring on your fans by putting out a call for content. In some cases, it may even greatly benefit to tag and promote said fan on social media directly, depending on their social media presence.
2. Updates/Features
One of the most obvious reasons to follow the social channels tied to your favorite games, or products is because you want to get the news straight from the horse’s mouth.
Obviously there’s a sacred–yet confusingly vague–line drawn regarding just how much you communicate with your players, but if any of the development/design processes affects your player base in a front-facing or noticeable manner, then it will go a long way in securing trust and adoration from your players if you’re open and communicative about them.
Consider posting images with build breakdowns in them. Taking the information normally reserved for your updated App Store description, and adding in a bit of number 5 and 4 from this list. Make is pretty and clean, but foremost, informative.
1. Questions/Polls/Contests
If there’s one thing people like more than anything else on the Internet, it’s the sound of their own voice. Opps! Too real? I mean, their opinions being heard! Be it simple response evoking questions, polls to determine a path in design/art, or even just contests (giving away in-game items) to celebrate that its Tuesday, engagement-prying call and response approaches gather great interaction.
In all of my experience working with communities of different sizes and flavors, polls of Q&As outperform everything else you could possibly make. There’s an outstanding number of options that you can put together for the content of this type.
- Hand over the reigns of your channel to a specific dev-team member and have them ask questions pertaining to their job / the game.
- Create cannon competition (eg. Which of these strains do you think would taste the best? A. OG Kush B. Orange Popsicle C. Hindu D. Pineapple Kush)
- Encouraging other reactions (eg. Like for Mandy, Share for Uncle, Comment for Ted)
- Post trending issue polls to vet options and gather player preference prior to decision making. (eg. We’re about to expand your inventory, but we only want to do one. Should we expand your: A. Buds or B. Materials?!)
- Making players feel like they have an impact on the game’s future, even in the smallest of ways grows brand recognition and loyalty like no other communication out there. (What color should we make Janice’s shirt?!)
Engaging with your audience is the best part about running a community. Passionate fans make getting up for work just that much easier, and there’s a never ending journey to take with your content. In a day-and-age of complete connectivity via the Internet, building and maintaining a healthy, and positive community is key to the success of your game. I hope you’ve found something useful in this short top 5, and I assure you we will be bringing you more lists like this in the future, straight from the experts!
Did we miss anything? Tell us in the comments below about your experience with engaging community content! We’d love to hear from you.
