Online Influencers: Influencer Marketing Beyond Social Media

Marketers are vastly more familiar with influencers through social media marketing than they are through other platforms. Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube aren’t the only avenues through which you can connect with your audience, though.

Because only 1 percent of millennials have reported trusting advertisements, online or off, influencer marketing now serves as one of the most direct ways for businesses to engage with potential consumers. Now that mediums like Twitch and Mixer are making names for themselves separate from the social media giants, it’s worthwhile to explore the ways online influencers and content creators from these fields can impact a business’s marketing campaigns.

Twitch: Streaming for Gamers and Beyond

If you or anyone you know happens to play video games, then you’ve likely heard a little bit about Twitch. The platform was originally designed to solely sponsor gaming content. Since its acquisition by Amazon in 2014, though, the platform has expanded beyond just gaming. Streamers on Twitch today still include traditional gamers, but they also consist of painters, chefs, and one of the most popular D&D shows operating online to date.

What’s the appeal of such a diverse platform? Not only can your business find influencers of all stripes, but there’s definitive revenue behind Twitch content. As of 2018, Twitch has seen 560 billion minutes of video content streamed across the platform. Given that content’s longevity and repeat-appeal, there’s clearly a market for successful influencer partnerships to reach your target audience. 

Some of Twitch’s top influencers with large followings include:

  • Riot Games
  • LIRIK
  • DrLupo
  • Pokimane
  • GamesDoneQuick

Quick note: One of Twitch’s most famous streamers recently switched exclusively to Mixer proving influencers can hold a lot of power on these platforms. Soon after Fortnite streamer Ninja left Twitch, Mixer quickly moved to the top of the Apple Store free app chart and is getting a ton of press. Not only that, but Ninja’s accumulated over 1 million followers on Mixer already–many of whom are likely new to Mixer and following him exclusively to the new platform.

Mixer: Building Interactive Community for Gamers

Mixer is a streaming platform owned by Microsoft. Mixer claims its main difference from Twitch is the interactivity of the platform–giving viewers options to participate in the stream. With big influencers like Ninja moving to and working with Mixer, there’s more opportunity for brands to diversify platforms, too. 

While Mixer is a smaller platform, Ninja’s move showed that big audiences are also willing to follow their favorite influencers across platforms, which is great for brands. “After just five days of streaming, Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins is boasting 1 million active subscribers on Mixer,” according to The Verge. This is crucial as there are so many unknowns and potential for change (or discontinuation) in the platform world.  

Top Mixer streamers include the following big names:

  • Ninja
  • TheGrefg
  • JaredFPS
  • Ship
  • SIEFE

Reaching Out to Streaming Influencers

The streaming platforms’ primary audiences consist of men between the ages of 18 and 34. Even so, when you reach out to individual influencers operating through the platform, you can tailor your audience outreach:

CookingforNoobs, for example, utilizes game-oriented language to not only draw in that aforementioned young, male audience but the attention of anyone who wants to grow more comfortable in the kitchen.

Critical Role also draws in an average audience of 30,000 viewers, allowing influencer and cast member, Sam Riegel, to advertise sponsors’ products not only to Twitch’s primary audience but to a hugely diverse consumer base.

Smaller channels or games with fewer viewers can also get you a more targeted audience. Games like Stardew Valley have a smaller, but very specific audience that could have influencers perfect for a focused brand or one on a budget.

Twitch and Mixer make it easy for brands to interact with their streamers. Like micro-influencers and mega-influencers on other platforms, they can be researched, contacted, and tracked through influencer marketing tools like Sideqik. You’ll be able to collaborate with these influencers to sponsor events like…

  • Unboxing videos
  • Giveaways
  • Shout-outs during a stream
  • Product debuts

Sideqik makes Twitch influencer research easy so you’ll be able to find an influencer who suits your digital marketing needs operating on Twitch. 

You don’t have to rely on social media influencers alone when diversifying your marketing team. Online influencers exist in many forms. All you need to do is look for them. Sideqik supports influencers on Twitch and Mixer and beyond. Get started here.

Nancy Rothman

Nancy Rothman

Nancy is a passionate, results-driven marketing executive with more than a decade of experience in building robust integrated marketing programs for brands of all sizes, with specific expertise in the martech space. Prior to Sideqik, Nancy held roles at four successful martech startups, each of which received multiple series of fundraising and included two acquisitions. At CallRail, specifically, Nancy served as the director of marketing where she built the company’s brand and established it as a leader in its space. She also held roles at MeetEdgar, where she oversaw the entire sales and marketing practice, increasing the company's user base and annual recurring revenue, as well as PureCars, which was acquired by Raycom Media in 2015. As vice president of marketing for Sideqik, Nancy is responsible for developing and executing on the company's marketing strategy to drive overall business growth.

Share this entry

2 Responses

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.