The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success, Second Edition

Chapter 31. Gaming

Online gaming might seem like an odd category for The Social Media Bible, but it isn't. Did you know that 17 million people are playing Halo3 or an additional 17 million are playing World of Warcraft? Any time you can measure a target audience in the millions, you need to be there.

Many Fortune 1000 companies have participated in gaming as a way to build brand recognition. Hewlett-Packard puts up billboards in auto racing games. An author friend of mine had a game developed for his web site for the release of his new book that cost only a couple of thousand dollars, but now has an 18 percent conversion rate on buying his book. And mobile phone game apps are one of the fastest-growing app categories for the smart phones.

Gaming isn't just about kids. The average age of the online gamer is 35 years old. The average gamer now spends eight hours per week online gaming and that number is increasing at more than 10 percent per year. Anytime you have millions of like-minded people in the same place sharing a similar experience, you as a company need to be there.

This chapter shows you three of the largest membership game site companies:

• Entropia Universe

• EverQuest

• World of Warcraft

As you read each profile, keep in mind that its features and functions may or may not be right for your particular business. Use the Tool Scorecard at the end of the chapter to help you determine which of these tools qualify for further consideration when you begin creating your social media strategy ...