Becoming a top gaming influencer is not the peak of this content-creating business. Every video game influencer should work on becoming their own boss and avoid the toxic relationship between businesses and influencers. The way forward is to own your brand and market your own products.
It’s nice to feel comfortable when you have two or three deals with different companies and businesses as a content creator. However, if you want more challenges and desire to expand your reach, the next thing to do is to build your brand. Building a brand from influencing is a common practice among celebrities and content creators with lots of followers on social media and streaming platforms.
Common Influencers with their brands
The famous Instagram Kylie Jenner is one of the top influencers with her brand. Kylie Cosmetics didn’t fall from the sky or through the snapping of her finger. She came up with that beauty brand after many years of being an influencer and a TV reality star.
Although she was born into affluence, Kylie’s knowledge about beauty products and cosmetics has never been falsified. And because of this, she was able to acquire for herself millions of followers on Instagram and Facebook. Leaving the celebrity influencers, we could also talk about the likes of Neil Patel that built his personal brand after many years of being a digital marketing blogger.
He simply became famous for educating people about SEO and internet marketing in general. With many failed blogs under his belt, Neil Patel is one of the most respected personalities in the digital marketing world. And his brand is highly recognized for running digital marketing campaigns for businesses.
In the gaming industry, Tyler Blevins, aka Ninja, once a content creator, is now a celebrity and gradually building his brand beyond streaming and games. In 2019, the Twitch streamer signed a huge deal with Apparel company Adidas. And as a result, he now owns a shoe line from Adidas, which will unlock the door for more money or owning a share of the company. It could also lead to him developing his sneaker brand.
The cloak is a clothing brand that is owned by three famous influencers. The brand was founded by Markiplier(Mark Fischbach) and Jacksepticeye(Sean Mcloughlin). Recently, Pokimane (Imane Any) joined the brand. The three content creators have millions of followers and subscribers across different social and streaming platforms. And their contents revolve around gaming and comedy; therefore, the company is usually referred to as apparel for gamers and by gamers.
Reasons for gaming influencers to launch their own brands
Freedom to express your creativity
Signing to be a company ambassador comes with its pros and cons. The pros include more fame, revenue, and deals. However, it will also change the values and the message of the influencer. Most often, they are usually confined to sharing the values and message of the brand they are promoting. This always irritates some influencers. And for this reason, they decided to start a brand that will give them the freedom to express their true nature and creativity.
Develop a better relationship with their followers
When you have your brand, you will have the freedom to make products based on your followers’ demands. You will have no other choice but to listen to your followers, respond to their comments, and hear their feedback. With this, you will be able to connect with them on a better level. Besides, they will feel more satisfied buying a product made by their favorite celebrity brand.
It offers future financial security.
Starting a brand is challenging and risky, but once it’s successful, it offers financial security for the future. Most promotion deals always last for a little period or years, maximum. However, a brand will be yours forever if you possess the ownership. Moreover, owning a brand will give you the freedom to run it by your rules, not listening to a business that just wants to use your influence without listening to your ideas.
The following are ways by which you can convert your gaming influencing business into a brand.
Selling of merch
The selling of merchandise is a common practice among streamers and influencers. These merchandise could be T-shirts, mugs, or anything that has your logo on it. Influencers usually make a lot of money from merchandise because their followers are eager to use products that have the brand name of their favorite gamer.
Outsourcing merchandise is very easy. All you need to do is figure out what your followers like. What merch would they like to purchase from you? Also, you could pick something that’s related to your niche. A gaming influencer could make a T-shirt with customized console pads or caps that says, “gamers Dad.” Then, you outsource it from companies that are into merch production. An example is Bonfire, which makes T-shirts for influencers.
Merch selling is profitable, and it will also help to develop a stronger relationship with your followers and subscribers on Social and streaming platforms.
Partnering with business
Building a business takes a lot of time and effort. Therefore, influencers prefer going into partnership business for branding. Some will fully fund an idea to become a partner and the major shareholder of a brand. Meanwhile, some will purchase a share of the company they are influencing so that they become a member of the decision-makers. Also, you could partner with a business to design and produce a product.
Building the business from scratch
An influencer can also consider building a company from scratch. Most times, they venture into a business that falls into their niche. Beauty influencers usually build a cosmetics and skincare empire, while marketing influencers always start their marketing brand and consultancy firm. The>y already know much about the niche, and therefore, it is easier to start a business.
Also, some influencers venture into building from scratch to correct the flaws they have noticed in their niche or to provide solutions to a problem. An example of such a brand is Florence by Mills, owned by the famous Stranger Things movie star Millie Bobby Brown. She noticed that most makeup products were created for anti-aging. Hence, she built a company that produces cosmetics for young people.
Conclusion
There is always the next step to take on the ladder of success. Influencers should not stop as a promoter for business. You have the support of their followers, and it’s better you use it for building your brand.
If you enjoy this article, please share it with friends and relatives on your social media.
