Marketing Strategies Anyone?

2

Comments

  • DhondonDhondon Member Posts: 717
    BlackbirdStudios said:
    Seriously? You guys obviously have nothing else to do. Can someone close this post? You can go and ruin someone else's question now. I came here for marketing advice, not opinions.

    If your graphics sucks, marketing wont make any difference. So I think people here are actually trying to help you.
  • DimensionGamesDimensionGames PRO Posts: 993
    Not trying to jump on the bandwagon but as others have said your graphics aren't great which in such a saturated market mean low sales! If the gameplay is all you say it is seriously consider investing a couple hundred ££ on artwork will pretty much guarantee more sales :)

    Good luck with whatever you decide to do :)

    Cheers.
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    PossesiveGaming said:
    Not trying to jump on the bandwagon but as others have said your graphics aren't great which in such a saturated market mean low sales! If the gameplay is all you say it is seriously consider investing a couple hundred ££ on artwork will pretty much guarantee more sales :)

    Good luck with whatever you decide to do :)

    Cheers.

    Thank you for your suggestion.

    -Matt
  • butterbeanbutterbean Member Posts: 4,315
    Graphics are everything in the iOS market. Unfortunately, in this day and age, people DO judge a book like it's cover, and games as well. Graphics need to be spiffy, eye catching to even grasp anyone's attention.

    Great job and great start, keep plugging away!
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    butterbean said:
    Graphics are everything in the iOS market. Unfortunately, in this day and age, people DO judge a book like it's cover, and games as well. Graphics need to be spiffy, eye catching to even grasp anyone's attention.

    Great job and great start, keep plugging away!

    Thank you, I appreciate that. Did you get a chance to see the candy theme posted above?
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    dhondon said:
    If your graphics sucks, marketing wont make any difference. So I think people here are actually trying to help you.

    By the way, I wasn't talking to everyone. :)
  • DimensionGamesDimensionGames PRO Posts: 993
    Looked at the candy theme....If the graphics were given the IOS look (you will notice a lot of games have very similar slick style of graphics) it maybe alright but can't really judge without knowing the premises of the game (fill me in and Im willing to re-evaluate my opinion accordingly!)
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    PossesiveGaming said:
    Looked at the candy theme....If the graphics were given the IOS look (you will notice a lot of games have very similar slick style of graphics) it maybe alright but can't really judge without knowing the premises of the game (fill me in and Im willing to re-evaluate my opinion accordingly!)

    A Maze based game. This is a bigger screen than what you would actually see on the iPhone. By the way, this is part of an update that adds 40 free levels to the game, with a lot of new themes.
  • DimensionGamesDimensionGames PRO Posts: 993
    Glad to seeing you are adding new content to the game even though sales are poor :) shows good determination! Any reason a bird is involved and candy...quite a strange mix really! Maybe search maze games on the app store and see what grabs your attention and help give you a feel for the style of graphics you want to create/buy!
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    PossesiveGaming said:
    Glad to seeing you are adding new content to the game even though sales are poor :) shows good determination! Any reason a bird is involved and candy...quite a strange mix really! Maybe search maze games on the app store and see what grabs your attention and help give you a feel for the style of graphics you want to create/buy!

    The main reason is just kind of a "candyland" theme all together. It is just to add some diversity. I have also added unlockable levels, and a theme where you try to navigate in the dark and you can only see some small space around you. Do these themes peak your interest PossesiveGaming?
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    PossesiveGaming said:
    Glad to seeing you are adding new content to the game even though sales are poor :) shows good determination! Any reason a bird is involved and candy...quite a strange mix really! Maybe search maze games on the app store and see what grabs your attention and help give you a feel for the style of graphics you want to create/buy!

    And to be honest, sales really haven't been that poor :)
  • DimensionGamesDimensionGames PRO Posts: 993
    Sounds good liking the dark thing especially! I would still consider spending a few just to gain an extra bit of polish as the kids category is a lucrative one and quite easy to climb the ranks :)
  • MegapixelIdeasMegapixelIdeas Member, PRO Posts: 476
    BlackbirdStudios said:
    And to be honest, sales really haven't been that poor :)

    If sales haven't been that poor then I would keep the artwork that you have and possibly make an update or two to keep up the game. Just out of curiosity what are your sales?
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    PossesiveGaming said:
    Sounds good liking the dark thing especially! I would still consider spending a few just to gain an extra bit of polish as the kids category is a lucrative one and quite easy to climb the ranks :)

    Yeah, I see what you are saying. I might eventually try to talk to a friend I have who is an artist. But I do think that going from 1 theme and 10 levels to 5 themes and 50 levels (or more) will definitely help sales. Don't you?
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    rodh100 said:
    If sales haven't been that poor then I would keep the artwork that you have and possibly make an update or two to keep up the game. Just out of curiosity what are your sales?

    I don't want to reveal exact details about my sales. They haven't been that bad, and haven't been incredible. But I just launched 2 other apps, so in a week I think I will have a better understanding of my overall sales.
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    PossesiveGaming said:
    Sounds good liking the dark thing especially! I would still consider spending a few just to gain an extra bit of polish as the kids category is a lucrative one and quite easy to climb the ranks :)

    Want a promo code so that you will have it when I release updates?
  • MegapixelIdeasMegapixelIdeas Member, PRO Posts: 476
    Sure ile take a promo code, I have been making games for close to a year now and have found two things that you can do. You can make a lot of average ok games or you can make one or two really good games. So far I have been making a lot of average ok games and sales have been pretty good. Just recently I relesed a what I consider to be a really good game and I will see how sales are on it. But with the bunch of average ok games I am making on average $20 a day. All I can say is keep working hard :)
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    Which version do you want. SD for iPhone or HD for iPad? (iPad has more content at the moment)(iPhone will have more content in the coming weeks.)
  • MegapixelIdeasMegapixelIdeas Member, PRO Posts: 476
    Probably SD for iPhone, Just send me a message with the promo code

    Thanks
  • TheHooglerTheHoogler Member Posts: 102
    @Blackbird

    You essentially have 3 types of actors on your candyland (backdrop, walls, and bird). I think the bird and the candy match thematically, but the backdrop has a "real" quality to it that makes it stand out, disrupting the theme. This is why I like working with a single artist (or as I imagine in your case, gathering art online from a single source) on a project, because I know all items will follow the same theme. As a suggestion, try changing the backdrop to a similar color, but without the paper texture. Its that paper texture, along with the creases, that disrupt the theme. Good luck!
  • DimensionGamesDimensionGames PRO Posts: 993
    BlackbirdStudios said:
    Yeah, I see what you are saying. I might eventually try to talk to a friend I have who is an artist. But I do think that going from 1 theme and 10 levels to 5 themes and 50 levels (or more) will definitely help sales. Don't you?

    Im sure that they would encourage buyers but if the screenshots don't look polished then why would they expect more of the gameplay?
    BlackbirdStudios said:
    I don't want to reveal exact details about my sales. They haven't been that bad, and haven't been incredible. But I just launched 2 other apps, so in a week I think I will have a better understanding of my overall sales.

    Just of interest why do you not want to reveal sales? I never understand why people don't want to talk about numbers...I certainly plan to :)
    BlackbirdStudios said:
    Want a promo code so that you will have it when I release updates?

    Sure! Would love an Iphone copy, I will try and complete all the levels and then email you my reaction to the gameplay etc. possesive.gaming(at)gmail . com
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    PossesiveGaming said:
    Im sure that they would encourage buyers but if the screenshots don't look polished then why would they expect more of the gameplay?

    Sure! Would love an Iphone copy, I will try and complete all the levels and then email you my reaction to the gameplay etc. possesive.gaming(at)gmail . com

    I will change the screens, they will look polished :)

    I am emailing you the promo now, I hope that you can enjoy.

    Thanks,

    Matt
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    rodh100 said:
    Probably SD for iPhone, Just send me a message with the promo code

    Thanks

    I just send the message

    Thanks,
    -Matt
  • MegapixelIdeasMegapixelIdeas Member, PRO Posts: 476
    Ok, Thanks
  • quantumsheepquantumsheep Member Posts: 8,188
    PossesiveGaming said:
    Just of interest why do you not want to reveal sales? I never understand why people don't want to talk about numbers...I certainly plan to :)

    There's a few reasons I'm sure!

    1. The numbers are embarrassingly low.

    2. The numbers don't mean anything to the person.

    3. We all 'work' here. One of life's greatest lessons, I feel, is not to share info with regard to your pay packet with fellow workers. It can only really breed resentment, especially amongst those with the same job title, if there are discrepancies in pay amount.

    4. Joe tells us his figures, for example, to inspire, not show off. They're ridiculously large. Most people will never see 1% of his sales figures, and so don't feel it important to divulge that info.

    5. Fear of copycats - people seem to be looking for games that 'sell' - often, the question is 'how are sales?'. While it may be perfectly innocent, the cynic in me imagines those asking thinking 'If sales are good, I'm making a game like that next!'.

    6. It's none of your business :D

    I can think of a few others, but those are the main ones I think :)

    QS :D

    Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
    Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io

  • DizkoDizko Member Posts: 498
    I think I fall in the "embarrassingly low" department, at least for now.
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    I would imagine as many of us here its #1. See I just don't buy the sales are not bad when you are asking this question of the forum and in your first post he mentions he cannot get people to take promo codes. That should be a dead sign somethings wrong. I do not consider myself to have a successful game yet but when I do post promos they get gobbled up fast. same with going free for a day. I get a nice boost in downloads. but still as soon as its back to paid . its back to embarrassing sales figures.
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    tenrdrmer said:
    I would imagine as many of us here its #1. See I just don't buy the sales are not bad when you are asking this question of the forum and in your first post he mentions he cannot get people to take promo codes. That should be a dead sign somethings wrong. I do not consider myself to have a successful game yet but when I do post promos they get gobbled up fast. same with going free for a day. I get a nice boost in downloads. but still as soon as its back to paid . its back to embarrassing sales figures.

    You seriously think that I can't get anyone to take promos? That's funny
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    rodh100 said:
    Ok, Thanks

    No problem.

    Thanks,

    -Matt
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