the importance of personal branding by merlin gore
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by Merlin Gore of FlashGameLicense.com about why it is important for game developers to maintain and promote their personal brand.TRANSCRIPT
DO YOU…?
v Have in-game branding?
v In-game Ads?
v A website/portfolio?
v A page for each of your games?
v A business card?
v A pet velociraptor?
IS YOUR HAND STILL UP?
As an Indie Developer, you should have all that, and more! Okay maybe not the Velociraptor
H OW I S I T D I FFE R E N T TO PRO D U C T BR A N D I N G ?
v The budget’s smaller!
v Games are your products
v Promote yourself as much as your promote your games
W H Y S H O U LD I BR A N D M Y S E LF?
v Adds value to you
v Adds value to your games
v Encourages you to do a better job
v Sponsors will respect you more
v It’s not just for clicks to your website
B R A N D I N G I N T H E I N D I E G A M I N G WO R L D
v 2 facets of branding for us Indie game makers • Our games • Outside our games
IN-GAM E: PERSONAL LOGO & PRE-LOADE R
v On the front page
v Adds identity to the game
v Make the logo interesting, and people will want to find out more
v A good way to point sponsors to you
PRO M O TI N G YO U R G A M E D O I N G I T Y O U R S E L F
v Can be tough
v Email multiple sponsors individually • Professional tone • Short and sweet
v Sponsors aren’t friends, they’re clients • Be shrewd • Know the value of your game and stick by it
v Enforce your branding in the game
PRO M O TI N G YO U R G A M E G E T T I N G H E L P
v Alternatively, let others do it for you
v FlashGameLicense are there to pitch your game for you • We attract multiple sponsors • We pitch your game to sponsors we think will be interested • The bidding system ensures you get a fair price for your game • The game is shown to sponsors professionally and they have access
to a multitude of tools to give you the right offer • We can also help cut through the bureaucracy of working with big
sponsors, (EasyLicense).
A FTE R TH E S A L E
v Distribution is vital for your game to be a success • Sponsor will sometimes do this for you • Submit to as many sites as you can • Or let tools do it for you, like FGD and Mochi.
v Keep relations with your sponsor • Being on good terms with sponsors is always great when selling your
next game!
W E BS I TE / PO RTFO LI O
v An absolute necessity
v A place for fans to go
v A place for prospecting sponsors/employers
v If you don’t have a website, there are always other options • Social Media • FGD, FGL
BU SINE SS C ARDS
v If you’re here, you should have business cards with you
v You generate interest, be contactable
v Your card is an extension of your brand, make it enticing