E-Sports is a fast-growing and competitive market that has started to attract professional gamers and large audiences of viewers. The companies that sponsor these tournaments need to make sure they promote them effectively on social media, as it is vital for success.
The audience for E-Sports is expected to grow to a staggering 577 million by 2024
Promoting your E-Sports tournaments on social media doesn’t have to be difficult. When you know the right formula, you can effectively generate buzz and attract more viewers than ever.
What Are E-Sports?
E-Sports are video games played competitively against other players. These games, which include titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, have a huge following.
Gamers collectively play against one another or on teams in an effort to claim the grand prize, which can be quite lucrative. To put it into perspective, the wealthiest E-Sports player is worth over $7 million.
Tournaments for these games are becoming popular, as well. In fact, the audience for E-Sports is expected to grow to a staggering 577 million by 2024.
Compare that to the 397 million viewers that E-Sports garnered in 2019, and you can see why the E-Sports industry is such a big deal. And like any industry, the most successful E-Sports sponsors implement effective strategies to promote their brand.
Why You Need to Promote E-Sports on Social Media
Many companies are now sponsoring E-Sports tournaments to increase their brand awareness. But, what you may not know is that E-Sports are also a social media marketing opportunity.
E-Sports are fueled by the passion of gamers everywhere, who live stream their games and watch others to learn new strategies or techniques and also support their favorite teams. This opens the door for brands and advertisers to reach competitive and influential gamers on social media. Consider the following:
Sponsor an E-Sports Tournament
There’s no better way to grab the attention of passionate gamers than by hosting an E-Sports tournament. Partnering with a company that specializes in hosting these events can help sponsor your event and promote it on social media for you, so you don’t have to worry about any of the details.
But please keep in mind that it’s important to consider what’s hot among the gaming community in your region. In the United States, games like Dota 2, Fortnite, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are huge.
In other regions, however, interests differ. Thus, it would likely be a waste of time and money if you host a game that no one plays. You’ll want to research what’s currently trending in your area to ensure that you sponsor a title that the gaming community holds in high regard.
Host a Competition Related to Your Product/Service
If you’re already sponsoring an E-Sports tournament, why not extend your reach? Sponsoring a competition related to one of your products or services is another great way to tap into this market. Encourage participants (both winners and losers) to share their experiences on social media for maximum reach.
Join Existing Gaming Communities
Joining existing gaming communities allows brands and businesses like yours who want to tap into this industry. It’s a great way to get your tournament out there so that gamers are talking about it. This is especially critical if you’re just getting your foot in the door.
There are many successful E-Sports tournaments that garner loads of attention. As such, you have a lot of competition to consider. But with the right strategy, you could become just as successful. Explore the ways to promote your tournament on social media below to find out how.
Ways to Promote Your Tournament on Social Media
There are many ways to go about promoting your tournament on social media, but we have some of the most popular. The following tips will help you streamline your strategy for optimal success.
Schedule Wisely
Be sure to hold your tournament on a day that doesn’t conflict with another scheduled tournament. Gamers and viewers alike already take part in and observe a great deal of E-Sports tournaments and will more than likely stick with what they know if given the option.
You don’t want to limit yourself to one single social media platform. Take advantage of as many as possible, especially the heavy-hitters like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
But as soon as those tournaments are over, those same gamers and viewers will start looking elsewhere for E-Sports opportunities. If you’ve promoted your tournament correctly, you can count on plenty of attention from the E-Sports community.
Branch Out
You don’t want to limit yourself to one single social media platform. Take advantage of as many as possible, especially the heavy-hitters like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Advertise Creatively
And when promoting your tournament, you’re going to get the best feedback by using gaming posters in your advertising.
Keep in mind that while Facebook is more popular among U.S.-based companies than Twitter or Instagram, it’s important to be where your target audience is
By creating custom banners through PMW, your tournament will appear official, and the E-Sports community will take you more seriously.
Update Regularly
And finally, make sure all of your social media pages are updated so you can post the links to your tournament once it has begun.
Keep in mind that while Facebook is more popular among U.S.-based companies than Twitter or Instagram, it’s important to be where your target audience is — which may not be where you are.
It can be really helpful to post about your E-Sports event on all three of these social media sites to make sure you reach as many people as possible who might be interested in what you’re doing.
In Closing
E-Sports attracts big brands and hundreds of millions of viewers. To effectively promote your tournament, take advantage of social media and follow the methods we discussed above. With the right approach, you can gain a foothold in this growing industry.
