The RPG (role playing game) segment of mobile gaming continues to grow. In 2020, the category accounted for 13% of all mobile gaming revenue. User numbers soared in 2020, and they are holding steady. But how can you stay competitive in a crowded market? What are the best tips for RPG advertising that ensure an optimal user experience while also creating revenue?
RPG Games Are Unique and Typically Have Strong Retention
The beauty of RPG games is the story and a user’s ability to control a character. Players continue to customize and develop this story the longer they play. However, this doesn’t mean you have free reign on RGP advertising. Churn can still occur, typically for two reasons—boredom or ads being too frequent disrupting play.
So, it’s a balancing act for advertising in the RPG genre. Let’s look at some tips from our RPG mobile marketing experts.
RPG Gamer Stats
Based on data from Facebook’s gaming report, most RPG players are male and under 44. They, on average, play three games and do so for longer periods than other game genres. A high percentage (68% in the U.S. and 73% in South Korea) play more than 30 minutes.
The data also provides insights into motivation. Players engage with these games for a variety of reasons. Those include:
- Relieving stress
- Passing time
- Immersing oneself into another world
- Defeating others
- Feeling accomplished
That is a long time to have someone’s attention. And those motivations also reflect significant engagement. What will you do with this opportunity?
RPG Marketing Goals
What are your RPG marketing goals? In our experience working in the category, they typically include:
- Positive ROAS (return on ad spend)
- Retention
- Increasing DAUs (daily active users) and MAUs (monthly active users)
- Organic lift
Overall, these objectives fall under driving scalable, incremental, and quality conversion. So, what ad types help you achieve this? And what will your users respond to best?
RPG Advertising: How to Drive Growth and Revenue
Many ad units can generate revenue for your app. Let’s look at each option and the ad units that correlate.
In-App Purchase Options
RPG gamers do make in-app purchases. According to the Facebook report referenced above, 50% of players think purchases that help you win are acceptable. That’s great, but it’s still only going to convert a smaller group of players. To encourage more IAPs (in-app purchases), you can leverage deep funnel CPE (cost per engagement) campaigns.
We recommend promoting IAPs through a variety of display ads at pivotal moments in the game (reaching a level, unlocking a feature, etc.) that will help players move to the next level. Bundle offers, like loot boxes, work well here to get users to make purchases.
In-App Advertising Options
In-app ads are a way to monetize those not making IAPs. However, as noted, too frequent ads kill the experience and cause players to leave. So, you need to balance the experience with rewarded ads.
Offerwalls Work Best in this Category
A rewarded ad unit provides the user something in return for viewing the ad. Inserting these into the game flow is crucial because you don’t want them to be a disruption. That’s why many rely on offerwalls, as they are user-initiated. They sustain in-app activity at crucial moments, such as when currency runs low, or players need a boost.
Offerwalls in the RPG category often offer rewards to help game play. The user pulls up the offerwall and completes an action to receive the currency or special game tool. The action could be to leave a review or invite a new player. It’s a value exchange.
Make Sure Rewarded Platforms Can Support iOS Campaigns
One thing of note about rewarded campaigns: not all platforms can offer this for iOS, so you need a vast inventory from your mobile app marketing partner to achieve this.
Introductions Matter
Another IAP option is a top funnel CPE campaign that occurs directly after install. With such a strategy, you’re looking to hook those that will provide high LTV (lifetime value). It needs to be a welcoming experience to explain and help new users.
Without a CPE onboarding campaign, you may see attrition numbers increase. As you lose users, your rank improvements could disappear. Defining a top funnel CPE campaign based on retention will allow you to earn revenue from these players for a long time.
Burst Campaigns Drive Install Traffic
Another RPG advertising segment to consider is burst campaigns for keywords. Burst campaigns focus on concentrated heavy spend on specific keywords to gain new users. These can drive a significant quantity of users, which could improve rank and lead to organic uplift. Being strategic with these is vital to drive positive ROAS.
Keywords should be highly specific, including RPG, strategy, RPG games, or IP-based terms if applicable.
A Mix of RPG Advertising with AdAction Is the Best Route
A diverse media mix of these opportunities will bring the best results for increasing users and keeping them. Depending on your budget, geos, user base, and overall goals, working with seasoned RPG advertising teams will help you chart a course to meet growth initiatives.
The AdAction team is ready to transform objectives into results. Contact us today to learn more.
