Twitch.TV is a social platform that has quickly been popularized by the gaming community to become the number one live-streaming platform in the world. Every day, millions of viewers gather to follow video game broadcasts, sports competitions, news shows, talk shows, musical performances, etc… Ready to dive into the Twitch universe?
Discover or rediscover Twitch.TV
You don’t know Twitch yet? However, as you are reading this article, there are no less than one million people connected on the platform. There are two types of users. On the one hand, the streamers who share content during live broadcasts. They are easily recognizable, most often directly embedded in the game screen.
On the other hand, the viewers benefit from a multitude of lives available on many themes. All of them can take advantage of one of the added values of Twitch: the live chat! It allows viewers to interact with each other, but also directly with the streamer.
The streamers offer the content of their broadcasts for free. Nevertheless, they can count on a monthly subscription system ranging from $5 to $25. This subscription offers additional benefits to viewers who decide to subscribe (subscriber badge, special emoticons, replays, etc…). There is also a donation system (no limit on the amount) that provides additional support to the streamer.
The central place of the community
On Twitch, user participation and community involvement are more important than elsewhere. Indeed, the user is placed at the heart of the Twitch ecosystem. Whether it’s to financially support a streamer, to allow him to live from his activity, or to make donations during charity events, we notice a strong mobilization of the users and a particularly high engagement. This can be explained by the link created by the influencer-streamer with his community.
Streamers have thus become real references and pillars of influence on the internet. That’s why brands work with them to promote services or products during broadcasts to their particularly engaged communities.
What does Twitch mean in numbers?
- More than 15 million daily users ;
- between 2.2 and 3.2 million monthly broadcasters;
- A peak of 245,000 people connected simultaneously on a single channel;
- 55% of the audience is between 18 and 34 years old;
- 20%+ of the content viewed is about e-sports;
- 30 million dollars have been raised for charity.
As you can see, Twitch has become THE place to be in the gaming world. It’s not for nothing that in 2014, the platform was the subject of fierce competition for its purchase between the two giants Amazon and Google.
Since its creation, the platform has recorded record growth and outperformed its competitors. Nevertheless, this does not prevent Youtube Live (Google) or Mixer (Microsoft) from knocking on the door of live-streaming and stepping on Twitch’s toes.
How to integrate Twitch in your marketing strategy?
Twitch is a specific platform that is not adapted to all types of brands. But this characteristic turns out to be one of its greatest strengths. The fact that it’s a niche platform that interacts with a community that shares common interests makes the platform more interesting than a “traditional” social network. This is a highly targeted and highly engaged audience.
When considering Twitch in its branding strategy, it is essential to know that this channel is ideal for reaching millennials and young people in general. At the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that there is an imbalance in the audience with a predominantly male audience (more than 75% of the audience), although this trend is gradually reducing. Anyone interested in the video game industry would be well advised to consider Twitch in their strategy to increase their visibility. The booming e-sports market also brings a lot of opportunities.
But Twitch is not just about gaming anymore. We must also consider the fact that more and more content is proposed on Twitch (music, cooking, talk shows, news, radios etc…). And with it, new opportunities linked to interconnected communities and their influencers. Because if Twitch is the MVP of the gaming market, it’s without counting the brands that have already invested in advertising and sponsoring, without any direct link with the video game market.
Promote your brand through Twitch
Pre Roll add & in-video publicity
Like many other platforms, Twitch uses pre-release advertising (Pre Roll ads). This doesn’t require any contact with the streamers and allows them to reach several communities with a higher engagement rate than Youtube, for example. The chosen ad can be repeated during the broadcast at the streamer’s convenience.
Communicating on Twitch also means accessing a powerful network of influencers. It is also possible to establish personalized contracts directly with them. Sponsoring can go from a one-time contract for a special operation to promote a product/service to a long-term recurring partnership. This way, you can reach a targeted audience and establish a trustworthy relationship with the streamer and his community.
Sponsorship on Twitch can also showcase your brand in a creative way, and the authenticity of the streamers can be a real plus. Choosing a streamer with a personality that matches your brand and values has the potential to generate a strong impact on your sales and leads. With this type of partnership, it’s more about building credibility than advertising.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing on Twitch is a low-risk marketing option in which companies only pay for results (leads, sales made etc…). In return for their affiliation, streamers earn commissions. This model is not favored by streamers. As a result, the exposure is much lower but it remains an interesting option for small brands with a limited budget who want to be known by small streamers.
Your channel, your community
Beyond the advantages presented around streamers and their community, Twitch can also represent a creative way to develop your own communication space. For example, it’s common to see brands streaming their events live to create a meeting place both online and offline without any extra cost. Nothing better to create your own brand identity than to gather an active community on Twitch!
However, don’t get me wrong, without a solid communication strategy, it will be difficult to reach this goal. That’s also why brands invite influencers to get the public’s attention!
