Livestreaming & Influencer Marketing: Engaging Players in the Streaming Age

Jun 4, 2024

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If one thing has stood the test of time in any marketing niche, including iGaming, it’s word-of-mouth.

It’s a classic and reliable play in the marketing playbook, as it stems from two vital components: trust and reputation.

Ask yourself this, have you ever decided on something after hearing an opinion? Maybe, the viewpoint was from a family member, partner, friend, or simply somebody you knew. It doesn’t matter much. The point is you acted. You had enough trust in this verdict to take action and did so.

Gambling operators have tried to replicate this in many ways, like using a famous person’s opinion (or ‘crafted’ one if you like…).

Think of Chris Moneymaker. The guy went from being an average nobody to a $2.5 million poker winner in 2003. His success made him an influencer. It started a poker craze. People looked him up, related to him, wanted his opinion on poker stuff, and thought: “If he could do it, why can’t I?”

Nowadays, this word-of-mouth strategy has moved to the next level in live streaming, where players like Moneymaker can engage and build trust with huge crowds in real-time interaction.

Identify Your Ideal Streaming Influencer

Influencer marketing isn’t as modern as it may sound like.

Seeking trustworthy people to endorse your brand is actually an old marketing ploy. The difference now, compared to let’s say 20 years ago, is that most print and TV outlets don’t cut it so well anymore. The stage belongs to influencers on live streams instead. They draw in more views and offer something online players crave: an engaging and interactive experience.

That said, while your reach with an influencer is higher, does that get you where you need to be?

As Scott Guthrie once put it, “Influence isn’t the same as popularity. Influence drives action.”

Isn’t that your endgame? To drive players into action, turn them into clicks and conversions, so you can get your slice of the profits?

So, rather than paying too much attention to an influencer’s follower count, focus more on their relationship with the audience.

Be specific, ask yourself: do players engage with and relate to this influencer?

You want an influencer who has built a focused iGaming community (or in your preferred niche). This person values the audience, is trusted by the viewership, and gives an authentic streaming experience.

Popular Livestreaming Platforms for iGaming

Streaming is a competitive field and hard to break into, especially if you’re new. So, bearing these circumstances in mind, here is a mix of platforms that are popular and bring potential for future growth.

Kick

Kick is the new kid on the block. This platform was founded in 2022 and yet it has shown strong growth. It is also much more lenient on rules than Twitch, which has made it a favorite for many streamers.

FEATURE	DETAILS
Audience Size	Expanding, especially among younger people
Demographic	Mostly teenagers and young adults
Monetization Options	Donations, sponsorships
Engagement Tools	Interactive chat and emotes

Twitch

Twitch is the best-known platform for live streaming, especially in the case of video games. The audience is vast, and all the features support a streamer. Competition is intense, though. Twitch’s policy on gambling broadcasts has also become stricter in the last few years.

FEATURE	DETAILS
Audience Size	Millions of daily active users
Demographic	Mainly young adults (18-35 years)
Monetization Options	Possibility of subscriptions, ads, donations, and sponsorships
Engagement Tools	Chat, emotes, interactive extensions

YouTube Gaming

YouTube Gaming is a division of YouTube that takes advantage of the site’s huge audience, specifically for gamers.

FEATURE	DETAILS
Audience Size	Billions of people use it every month worldwide
Demographic	Diverse, spanning various age groups
Monetization Options	Ads, memberships, Super Chat, sponsorships
Engagement Tools	Live chat, comments, community posts

TikTok

Internet users have a short attention span, so why not give TikTok some serious thought? The social media platform not only does short videos, but it has started up live streams.

FEATURE	DETAILS
Audience Size	Large, with a fast-increasing number of users
Demographic	Mostly teenagers and young adults
Monetization Options	Donations, brand partnerships
Engagement Tools	Live chat, interactive features like polls and Q&A

Influencer Marketing Strategies Using Live Stream

For new affiliates to iGaming, with a small budget, here are a few tactics that are both cheap and powerful:

STRATEGY	BENEFITS
Sponsored Streams	-Direct contact with a target audience. -Real promotion through trusted influencers. -More affordable than traditional advertising.
Giveaways and Contests	-Your brand becomes more well-known and interactive. -Motivates people to share about your brand and promote it to others. -Affordable, as the main cost is the prize.
Affiliate Code Promotions	-Simple to put into action and monitor. -Directly encourages viewers to act. -Creates a trackable link between the influencer’s promotion and your results
Co-Created Content	-Gives more authentic, good-quality content. -Improves your partnership with the influencer. -Increases how valuable your brand seems through real, joint efforts.
Performance-Based Incentives	-Lowers initial costs by linking pay to outcomes. -Motivates influencers to work harder to advertise your brand. -Balances both sides’ interests for shared gain.

Metrics Needed for Influencer Collaborations

Affiliate Link Clicks & Conversions

Keeping track of your affiliate link clicks and conversions is crucial. The good news is that Voonix has you covered, even if you’re tight for cash. Our Voonix Freemium package allows you to track your earnings. You can even compare your performance across different brands and accounts.