Twitch Marketing for Businesses: The Ultimate Guide

Twitch was first set up in 2011 and has since evolved into the huge platform that it is – it currently has over 31 million daily users! Creators share content live with their community, interacting with their fans in real-time, meaning streams can transform into fully-interactive events.

Though Twitch originally started off as a space for gamers, it broadened to attract a wide range of creatives producing content on cooking, esports, boardgames, chat lounges, art, and even travel. It appeals to users who love once-in-a-lifetime events led by interesting and charismatic people.

It’s a place where it feels like anything could happen. Like social media in real-time. And it’s something that can be part of an impactful social media strategy. 

Twitch is a great marketing resource because all of its content is potential marketing material. Streamers market their brand, their products, themselves, events, collaborations, and even their community experiences.

This means that viewers are open to marketing built into the experience. But it’s important your online store, products, personality, and marketing strategy suit how the platform works and meets the expectations of Twitch users.

Twitch users show an extreme level of loyalty to their streamers – in fact, 84% believe that the Twitch experience includes supporting the streamers they watch. So, should you market your business on Twitch?

First, consider your ideal customers! Are they in the 18-34 age range? If so, then you’ve got a good shot of getting their attention on Twitch. It’s then all about finding the right categories to channel your energy into.

If you stick with popular categories, you’ll walk into a community that’s already built. But if you want to break new ground outside of the mainstream categories, it’ll take more time to build an audience unique to you.

Either way, think strategically about which categories might find your products or brand appealing. For example, if you sell party snacks, it’s not just food channels you’ll want – also try gaming, chat, hot tub, and music categories, for example.

We know live-streaming might feel a little intimidating, especially if it’s outside of your comfort zone! So, you can always bring in someone that’s a natural in this environment, such as an extroverted friend, public-speaking expert, or actor.

Or you can bypass the livestream altogether and go down the traditional advertising route!

Not only is Twitch a fun place to be, but it gives you lots of options for marketing approaches. Here are three of the most popular:

1. Influencer Marketing

Influencers bring immediate audience awareness to your brand and fans who trust recommendations. The key is to pick an influencer that makes sense for your brand, whether that’s a big name or a micro-influencer! 

If you aren’t sure if influencer marketing is for you or which influencers would work best, check out our guide on creating an influencer marketing strategy to set you on the right track.

For longevity, we’d recommend picking an influencer with an audience that has a problem your products solve. Rather than them merely mentioning your products, can they demonstrate them? Answer questions their audience might have? Or do you want something less expensive, like displaying your product somewhere in the video background?

There are a few downsides to influencer marketing, though. It can be extremely expensive, and if your influencer gets into trouble for questionable behavior or collaborates with problematic people, that can damage your brand. You might have to spend more money on damage control or re-branding. So do your due diligence!

2. Brand Channel

If you love getting in front of a camera and you’re really passionate about your products, Twitch is made for you!

To really maximize your channel, have a sneak peek at your competition first. What’s missing? Who does well and why? Don’t forget to look at the comments on the streams – the insight from those customers and viewers are gold dust and they’re free.

When planning your channel, these are some of the things to think about:

• Your brand name and category (and unique niche)
• The colors, logos, and visual branding for your location and yourself
• How your brand will be different from similar brands on Twitch
• Regular, reliable streaming at predictable days and times
• How many different formats for your livestreams will appeal to your audience
• Where you’d like to place your streams (e.g. set, studio, your kitchen, outside, an office, an unusual location, etc.)
• Cross-promotion from your other social media accounts

Having a brand channel can take up quite a bit of time and money, especially while you’re experimenting and finding your feet. With Twitch especially, the platform is slick and modern, so expectations from users are high from the get-go.

3. Twitch Ads

This is the more traditional route to market on Twitch and you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to Twitch ads. However, they can be very expensive, with some experts suggesting between $2-$10 per impression. Have a look at the options:

• Carousel – These elements promote streamers on the Twitch homepage
• Homepage headliner – The background behind the carousel (like the foil wrapper underneath a KitKat label band)
• Medium rectangle – A GIF and animation-enabled window under the user’s browse page
• Super leaderboard – The old-school banner ad at the top
• Premium video – Unskippable ads at the beginning, middle, and end of your stream
• First impression – The ad that happens once a user logs on and begins watching their first stream of the day

It’s worth mentioning that premium videos at the beginning of a stream can turn off viewers, and most audiences are gone by the time the last ad plays. The ones in the middle play best.

Around 56% of users tend to buy from brands that they see advertised, so investing in your ads can be worth it!

There are plenty of ways to tackle Twitch marketing, but it all boils down to your business and products. So which approach suits your business best?

• If you or someone you know has a fun personality and your products come across well on video, it might be time to start your own channel. They should inspire conversation and encourage engagement from users to capture the biggest audience. You can then use the carousel ads we mentioned in the previous section to promote your channel.
• If you have tons of stock that you want to move fast, influencer marketing might work best for your business because they create instant demand.
• If you sell mobile games, streamables are perfect for you because they show the audience what they’re getting. But if your ads tend to be low-key (a simple photo or gif) then Super Leaderboards or Homepage Headliners are ideal.

Still unsure? Twitch has built-in tools to help you figure out the types of ads with the most potential. Whatever your choice, start off small and experiment to see what works best for your business, and always check Twitch’s terms and conditions before you start any kind of marketing campaign on the platform.

There are so many good examples of Twitch marketing in practice. Here are two of our favorites:

Totino’s 

Totino’s teamed with the iconic TV show Mystery Science Theatre 3000 to give viewers a Black Ops Brawl – AKA a gaming competition that appealed to three brand audiences. They got a million views, and Totino’s delicious pizza rolls were featured in many of the influencer shots.

This is a great example of collaborating with other brands that pair naturally with your own, and making the most of your products when they’re visual.

MacK_Gyver

Upcycler MacK_Gyver paints custom designs onto unwanted items like sneakers. She talks about her creations and paints them live, giving people a behind-the-scenes view of her creative process. Most of her painted work features anime, animation, and iconic characters who are popular with Twitch’s target audience.

She reads out comments too, which makes the streams more interactive and appealing. She’s a great example of how to make the most of the nature of your products.

If your target customers skew young and you want an advantage over the competition, Twitch is a great place to start advertising. In return, you’ll receive a captive and loyal audience who are more willing to buy from content creators.

Putting your brand into a platform that’s geared towards fun is a great opportunity to be memorable, and collaborative, and build a loyal audience. Plus, deep down, if you want to be a star, it’s the place to be. Why not give it a chance?