What is Spasm and how does it work?
Twitch is a streaming application created in 2011 and owned by Amazon
since 2014. It is a platform where content creators (streamers) broadcast live
videos to viewers. At first, it was used mainly to broadcast
video game games, but today it covers a much wider variety of content,
including music, tutorials on different topics or cooking shows.
Users can access the platform through twitch.tv browser, the
application, video game consoles, and other platforms, such as Amazon TV or
Google Chromecast. Streamers broadcast free live content through their
channels and can interact with the audience through chat.
There are two main types of employers on Twitch:
Followers: can see
the broadcasts.
Subscribers (Twitch Prime): financially
support the content creator through a subscription and in return enjoy benefits
such as badges, private chats with the streamer, content without ads, etc.
Streamers can monetize their channel in different ways: affiliate
programs, channel subscriptions, virtual currencies (bits), sale of
channel-related products, and ads.
How to do marketing on Twitch
To design your digital marketing strategy on Twitch, you must consider
three main options: place ads on Twitch collaborate with an influencer or
create your own brand channel.
Ads on Twitch
Twitch offers two broad categories of ad space: banners and video ads.
Within the banners , we can find different
formats:
Homepage headliner - The top
position on the first page that users find when visiting twitch.tv.
Super leaderboard: banner located where
users search for content.
Medium rectangle: in the right
column, it is shown when users search for content and scroll.
Synched units: a combination of the
two previous formats to increase the potential visibility of the ad.
Carousel - A rotating carousel of
images on the main Twitch page.
Video ads may be broadcast on certain Twitch channels. In order to
integrate advertising on their channel, the
streamer must become a Twitch partner, for which it is necessary to meet a
series of requirements for the number of followers, frequency of broadcasts and
channel growth. Ads work on a cost per thousand impression model and can
be inserted before content (pre-roll), in the middle of the broadcast
(mid-roll), or after the end of streaming (end of streaming).
Here are Twitch's tips for increasing ad effectiveness :
Don't focus your ads at the
beginning or end. According to Twitch studies, the most effective ads are
those that are placed in the middle of a broadcast. At
first, many users have not yet connected; In the end, you have to have a
really powerful creativity to get users to stick around.
Incorporate ads into the channel progressively. Although
Twitch users tend to have a positive attitude towards brand endorsements, an
excess of ads can saturate them and worsen their experience on the channel. For
this reason, Twitch recommends that new partners start with one minute of ads
per hour and progressively increase to three minutes per hour, which is the
optimal volume in terms of generating income.
Inform viewers of advertising
breaks. Twitch recommends that streamers notify their followers
when they are going to play an ad manually. If you use tools to play your
ads automatically, the recommendation is to specify the approximate frequency
and duration of the pauses on the page.
Take ad breaks of between 1 and 2
minutes, in which several short advertisements can be played. It is
recommended to avoid ad sessions that are too long, which can cause the viewer
to disconnect.
Allow at least 15 minutes between each
advertising break. To avoid negatively impacting the viewer experience,
Twitch recommends leaving at least 15 minutes between ad sessions. Combining
this recommendation with the length of the breaks, you can easily reach the
optimal amount of 3 minutes of ads per hour.
Clearly inform users if there is a
possibility to subscribe in exchange for streaming without ads.
Use the Picture-to-Picture
experience to prevent viewers from missing some of the action due to ads
(recommended for video game streamers).
When you create your creatives to advertise on Twitch, keep in mind that
the main function of this platform is to entertain. If
you can create ads that integrate well with the prevailing content types on
Twitch and that entertain your audience, your success is almost guaranteed.
Collaborations with influencers
The marketing influencers Twitch
works similarly to other networks such as YouTube or Instagram. The main
difference is that the promotions are broadcast live, rather than using
recorded images or videos.
The most frequent collaborations between brands and influencers on
Twitch are brand mentions, giveaways and unboxings, but when it comes to live
broadcasts, there are many more possibilities.
Keep in mind that Twitch live broadcasts are accompanied by a chat where
the influencer can interact directly with the brand, so this opens up new
possibilities for brand collaborations. The only limit is your
imagination!
Twitch users are very loyal to their favorite streamers, so finding
the right contributor is critical. These are some of the
factors to consider:
The number of followers and growth
prospects for the channel. The content creators with the most
visibility are usually Twitch partners, who have the option of inserting ads
into their broadcasts. But don't be fooled by the numbers: sometimes it is
more interesting to collaborate with micro influencers who have a lot of
authority in a specific niche.
The frequency of broadcasts. Streamers
who broadcast content frequently and regularly tend to have a more loyal
audience.
The type of channel. Video
game streamers are still the majority on Twitch, but they are not all the same. Focus
on the streamers of your target audience's favorite games, and spend time
researching the industry if necessary. If you are looking for
collaborations with other types of channels, you will have to make sure they
have a sufficient audience.
Topics of interest to the audience. Besides
the main theme of the channel, what other things interest the audience and how
can you insert them within the theme of the channel? For example, a
well-known video game streamer has a refrigerator of energy drinks always in
view in his broadcasts.
Interaction with the audience. Ideally,
look for a streamer who has an active community with mostly positive
interactions, so analyze their chats to see how viewers are behaving.