All of this is still very rough-draft, but I figured I'd post what I have worked out so far. I'm trying to approach this fairly professionally. Think of it as a academic exercise, a unpaid internship, or some equivalent. We aren't just spamming, we are recruiting. If enough people are interested, it would make a great group-learning project on marketing/psycholgy.
I welcome any help/input. The beauty of this marketing campaign will be that it can be tailored for what resources we can muster. If I'm alone, it will be a long and slow process. With a well coordinated group the whole effort becomes more than the sum of its parts. If done well, each representative can exponentially increase the overall outcome.
Prime Directives of Campaign
-Increase awareness of Battlemaster and Might & Fealty
-Increase player-base of Battlemaster and Might & Fealtywith active and fun new members
Priorities for Representatives of Campaign
-'Delight' potential new players with your interactions
-Associate friendly/helpful/fun representatives with BM and M&F
-Ensure good name of BM and M&F and related entities
-Determine if an audience will be receptive or not
-Remain discrete about intent
Stage 1-Research
-Research key terms, relatable hobbies, and similar interest groups in search for prime recruitment.
This is a targeted campaign. We are looking for max-yield for our posts, so our audience really matters. Roleplaying, strategic games, fantasy writing, medieval diplomacy; all of these sources may yield better interest. It may take some experimentation before we know for sure what is the best target demographic.
-Research the audience/topic of best potential new member sources. (etiquette, interests, rules, age/nationality/activity of members)
We want to be subtle about this, so sincerity matters. If you really can't get into/wrap your head around the audience and their interest, it might be better to see if other representatives may be more suited. Also keep an eye out for specific members of the audience that look promising, as they might warrant a direct presentation (a private message or some such).
-Research additional marketing gimmicks to increase yield
I'm rusty on a lot of the little tricks and deceptions used to make salient memories and embed ideas into people's head, so this has near-infinite room for expansion.
Stage 2-Assessment
-Organize/delegate forums/sites to representatives.
We need the right people for the right audience, so this is important. Know your strengths, weaknesses, and those of other representatives.
-Introduce yourself; immersion and sincerity need to be evident, as well as your presence
You are going to be apart of this online community for some time, so immerse yourself as you can. We want their experience to feel natural and unprompted, so genuine reactions will be beneficial to the process.
-Semi-regular posting that is friendly and on-topic
Small remarks on things of interest, helping those who have questions, and making your presence known. Build up a fair repertoire with your hosts before attempting to 'make the sale'.
-Test for reception toward BM and M&F
Subtle leads may help quickly gauge an audience without giving your intent away. Questions like "Wouldn't it be neat if this game had more roleplay?" or "Does anyone know of a good place to practice writing and get regular feedback (while in a fun environment)?". Information gleaned is information that can be used.
-Find what presentation of BM and M&F would best suite this audience
Some audiences will prefer the roleplay, some the strategy, some the politics. Make sure you know what your audience wants for each forum/site. A targeted campaign relies on both the right audience and the right presentation.
Stage 3-Views
-After sufficient participation in the group, find an appropriate place to garner views for BM and M&F
"Other games" type sub-forums, misc chatter, or even a well traveled thread prone to tangents can reach a wide audience. Check for any forum statistics for better indications of where the most views can be gained
-Make sure that your presentation is tasteful, appealing, and easily understood.
Too over the top, and it may lose non-english speakers and skeptics. Too unmemorable and it won't prompt clicks/account creations. Try to balance brevity, wonder, and a sense of fun. Try not to disrupt the natural flow of the community, but make sure your presentation gets seen.
-Utilize previous resources to attract interest (youtube clips, wiki, etc)
The youtube history clips of islands, cherry-picked wiki articles, and older campaign attempts can prove useful. It will take experimentation to see what gives us our best bang-for-buck.
Stage 4-Teasers and Bumps
-If the link does not seem to be getting views/interest, attempt to renew interest causually
This can be tricky, depending on the situation. Some cases it might be better to wait a while and present BM and M&Fonce the initial memory of rejection fades. Do not proselytize or be overly-aggressive. The more it feels as if it is their own choice, the happier they will be with their choice.
-If interest wanes, and you think there are still potential members, bump/repost with an immersive or well crafted story of the game.
Have a secondary presentation ready that caters more to personal experience. You want your tale to be impressive, but you want to hint that they can do better within BM and M&F framework.
Stage 5-Analysis
-Attempt to record all relevant information to aid in future works
Number of posts made, where, what kind of yield for views/accounts/active players. This may be easier in certain cases than others.
-Determine strengths/weaknesses of approach, estimate future efforts
As with any new endeavor, there will be room for improvement. Even if this initial effort doesn't pan out, it may lead to more fruitful projects.
Stage 6-Payment Upon Satisfactory Results
-20 bucks
Some token business transaction would be nice. Negotiable, though.
-A good reference if I ever decide to try to get my foot in the door in the field of marketing.
I've dabbled in a few different fields and it is all about pressing-the-flesh and networking (no matter what). If marketing is something I take to, you never know what business contact can lead to another. This would be my prime incentive (beyond bettering Battlemaster).
-Others who join the campaign may want different things. Incentive matters in a variety of ways, so hopefully Tom/Devs are willing to negotiate depending on results.
First Edit: Coupled Might & Fealty and Battlemaster in presentation.
