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Greyfox

Marketing plan timeline

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On 10/21/2016 at 1:05 AM, Aeris said:

Lol I wouldn't respond to those PMs either to be honest. Try sending a message to Microsoft and ask them about their internal affairs that you have no business meddling in and see how forthcoming they'd be. It's one thing to ask about the concrete plans for a certain aspect of the game, another to ask about things that only concern the employees of a company. If I was working at a company that told the customers about something that concerned my job I'd be pretty pissed off, because what I do and when I do it shouldn't be something that customers poke their nose in. The resulting product from my job and its release dates and functions is what the customers get - Not the schedule so that they can complain every time I take an unannounced crap.

Funny.  I worked in IT for close to 40 years.  And my "customers/clients/fellow employees for whom I was working on something" were quite concerned with projected results and timelines.  And my "supervisors/managers/team leaders/project leaders/bosses" seemed to agree that they had a right to that sort of information.  Not necessarily the details of how I went about my work, or which piece specifically I was working on...  but at least a reasonable projection of when it would be done and the benefits that would be produced.

 

In order for the model that was presented, " Developed around the idea of player influence ....", " Trade in-game items and services for virtual or real life currency", " Another way of making money in Wurm is through trade with other players.", to work new players need to stick around, but before that, they need to find Wurm. 

 

Those who joined, having the assurance that these things would happen, surely deserve some respect and consideration.  Alienation of the player base, the source of income for the enterprise, does not seem to be a positive step to keeping them on board.

 

Speaking for myself, I have downsized from 7 to 3 deeds.  Just sayin'.

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14 minutes ago, Morhedron said:

Funny.  I worked in IT for close to 40 years.  And my "customers/clients/fellow employees for whom I was working on something" were quite concerned with projected results and timelines.  And my "supervisors/managers/team leaders/project leaders/bosses" seemed to agree that they had a right to that sort of information.  Not necessarily the details of how I went about my work, or which piece specifically I was working on...  but at least a reasonable projection of when it would be done and the benefits that would be produced.

 

In order for the model that was presented, " Developed around the idea of player influence ....", " Trade in-game items and services for virtual or real life currency", " Another way of making money in Wurm is through trade with other players.", to work new players need to stick around, but before that, they need to find Wurm. 

 

Those who joined, having the assurance that these things would happen, surely deserve some respect and consideration.  Alienation of the player base, the source of income for the enterprise, does not seem to be a positive step to keeping them on board.

 

Speaking for myself, I have downsized from 7 to 3 deeds.  Just sayin'.

I think CC AB does that, they keep us updated on what they are working on. They solicit suggestions about things. (They do not always use it but they ask for it). 

 

Ask your company if they also shared their internal marketing strategies with their clients? Release dates for those same strategies? Target demographics for their offerings? I currently work a very large IT company and I can say for a fact we do not share any of that information with clients/customers. We do share work iterations where it pertains to the client and we interface with them for release support and other things they actually affects customer as per their contract.

 

I think you are comparing 2 very different things.

 

The OP came off as if he was entitled to the information (to me it read that way) when in fact he isn't. That would have put anyone responding to it on the defensive anyway.

 

He could have come up with some marketing campaigns or strategies and offered to help or give ideas or even solicit ideas from the public that whoever is working on said advertisements could have drawn from.

Edited by Saicotic
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20 hours ago, Saicotic said:

 

You have been reassured, at least once. If that is what you are asking for. It has been done. Your posts come across as if you are entitled to something more. Which really none of us are. We pay for a service that is it. Several people on the team have assured us that it is not going anywhere. 

 

I do agree more advertising would be nice. But CC AB needs to target the correct people who will end up as long term players. Not just any Tom / Richard or Harry who won't invest the time or money required to get good in this game. 


I was, and then I let this thread sit for several months before bumping it asking if anyone has seen one of the ads.   I know I haven't, but I also know that doesn't mean no-one has.  So I asked, so far no-one has said they've seen one.  Retro has claimed "several hundred thousand" have so I guess sooner or later someone will be able to tell me they've seen one of these ads, or maybe I'll see one myself.   If I do see one I'll be sure to take a screen shot and post it.

Until then, anyone seen one of these ads yet?

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They were giving away keys to WU on various social media outlets recently, could still be going on.  I forget where I saw Retrograde mention it, and I avoid the social part of most media ^_^ so really don't know more details but I remember reading about it and thinking, "that's a form of advert."

 

I know, it's WU and not WO.  It may be more targeted than what you would hope for, but at the end of the day, there's only so much micromanagement we can really expect as playstomers.

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3 hours ago, Reylaark said:

They were giving away keys to WU on various social media outlets recently, could still be going on.  I forget where I saw Retrograde mention it, and I avoid the social part of most media ^_^ so really don't know more details but I remember reading about it and thinking, "that's a form of advert."

 

I know, it's WU and not WO.  It may be more targeted than what you would hope for, but at the end of the day, there's only so much micromanagement we can really expect as playstomers.

Giving away keys for WU from the Facebook page that you have to like in order to see posts from doesn't count as advertising.  

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3 hours ago, Greyfox said:

Giving away keys for WU from the Facebook page that you have to like in order to see posts from doesn't count as advertising.  

 

Where have you been for the last 5 years? Social media advertising is a very important medium.

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7 hours ago, Greyfox said:

Giving away keys for WU from the Facebook page that you have to like in order to see posts from doesn't count as advertising.  

 

You're totally right, we should probably be doing magazine and newspaper ads instead.

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13 minutes ago, Budda said:

 

You're totally right, we should probably be doing magazine and newspaper ads instead.


The Sun front page news. 

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i think Grey means: if you are aware of Wurm, you have already pressed Like on Facebook. How are you reaching those not aware?

And giving WU keys is great for WU, but how about offering some incentive for Wurm Online? Maybe a newbie starter boost or something during summer?

Edited by Mclovin
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27 minutes ago, Budda said:

 

You're totally right, we should probably be doing magazine and newspaper ads instead.

 

you forgot radio and television too

 

I dunno how you guys messed up not having something during the super bowl. Won't be another chance like that one for another year now.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Brash_Endeavors
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34 minutes ago, Mclovin said:

i think Grey means: if you are aware of Wurm, you have already pressed Like on Facebook. How are you reaching those not aware?

 

Specifically for Facebook, the way it works is when someone who has liked the page sees the post and likes it, that then (has a chance to) show up on that person's friend's timeline, saying "xxx liked this post". That way you reach a large pool of people that may not have heard of the game, but knows someone who has - generally the most likely people that would also enjoy the game, and take their friends recommendation at higher value. It doesn't always work this way, but that's the idea behind social media stuff at least.

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48 minutes ago, Mclovin said:

i think Grey means: if you are aware of Wurm, you have already pressed Like on Facebook. How are you reaching those not aware?

And giving WU keys is great for WU, but how about offering some incentive for Wurm Online? Maybe a newbie starter boost or something during summer?

At least someone gets it.  Advertising to people who already know about your product is not helping you reach new potential customers.
 

16 minutes ago, Budda said:

 

Specifically for Facebook, the way it works is when someone who has liked the page sees the post and likes it, that then (has a chance to) show up on that person's friend's timeline, saying "xxx liked this post". That way you reach a large pool of people that may not have heard of the game, but knows someone who has - generally the most likely people that would also enjoy the game, and take their friends recommendation at higher value. It doesn't always work this way, but that's the idea behind social media stuff at least.

So in other words your marketing plan is to keep advertising to the same group you have been for over a year now.  It hasn't been working, what makes you think that all of a sudden posting from your FB page is going to start working? 
 

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True Budda, I over looked that important detail.

I still think a some sort of starter pack for new players during summer could help. A better starter equipment/xp boost and bonus SP/Silver.
Perhaps make it a option under membership page. 

Other than that, we need something to inspire older players to come back this summer, something big and drastic when the underlying issues are addressed and new desired mechanics added, should really look at the elevation map for a reset. NO Matter how many cool mechanics or bug fixes you do, the map is just disliked by the majority of the players. 

Also, ausimus should make the next one :D


(Truth be told im only on Chaos mainly because of the detail of the map)



 

Edited by Mclovin
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3 minutes ago, Greyfox said:

At least someone gets it.  Advertising to people who already know about your product is not helping you reach new potential customers.
 

So in other words your marketing plan is to keep advertising to the same group you have been for over a year now.  It hasn't been working, what makes you think that all of a sudden posting from your FB page is going to start working? 
 

Social media relies on existing connections between people, and allows us to target specific interests, there's more than just posts on a facebook page to social media, and we work within that to identify those who wurm would actually appeal to, so its not just targetting people who like wurms page, but people who might like other pages about games similar to wurm, or themes within wurm.

 

Also, it is working, I'm not sure what results you expect but we have the means of tracking traffic and registrations and they have picked up considerably and still continue to do so.

 

 

Just now, Mclovin said:

I still think a some sort of starter pack for new players during summer could help. A better starter equipment/xp boost and bonus SP/Silver.
Perhaps make it a option under membership page.

And new players get a starter pack of gear, and they also get extra silver on their first premium purchase.

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5 minutes ago, Retrograde said:

And new players get a starter pack of gear, and they also get extra silver on their first premium purchase.


Do you think thats a starter pack that inspires/makes people aware that through out summer they should invest and spend there spare time on wurm? I don't feel like it does tbh.

Look at how you can advertise it as a True Starter pack for summer only, not saying give them top end items etc.
Add a free deed writ, for example? and X3 their skills for 7 days.

I'm just pointing out, summer is comming, spare time is there for most and we should look to snag some players towards wurm. 

Also, as discussed, a road map @Buddafor this year would inspire current players, especially the community holding out for pvp

 

Edited by Mclovin
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Can't say as I've seen any specific advertisements, but being fairly close to a starter town I have definitely noticed an uptick in new players!

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Just now, Araninke said:

Can't say as I've seen any specific advertisements, but being fairly close to a starter town I have definitely noticed an uptick in new players!

 

Same here!

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Recruitment board is nice aswell, but maybe there needs to be more depth to it.

Also, I don't think the tutorial should end on the tutorial server, perhaps once they get into the game, depending on the starter town, you could try and hold there hand for the next hour, be like, ok let's gather some wood, let's find a iron vien, etc, maybe keep a area around GM-made starter deeds maintained by GM's to ensure there is always a vien etc around, hold their hands until they get a shelter up, if they wish for it. 

You'd probably know it's not even the getting players to wurm, it's getting them past that first wtf24hours moment. 

Also valrei creates, please please please nerf/remove/rethink them. 

PVE Itself is pretty dull, why can't you make it so there is more movement when fighting bigger moments. Make them cast lava pillar or fungus traps, atleast something to keep you on your toes, small small things you can improve to make the game a little bit more exciting for pvers. 

ofc, the community at some stage takes over aswell. Offering houses/deeds etc, on PVP you find that this is normally quite rare since any new player is an alt until proven otherwise. Should really be something to combat this in some way

Edited by Mclovin

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The book of wisdom is also an incredibly valuable tool, turn on notifications in your HUD settings and read through it, better understanding of that will also allow you to point out just how useful it is to new players too.

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yep, small things like that do help your first days. But after listening to new player complaints and had friends drop out and give me the feedback, it doesn't seem to do enough. I think we should address Starter towns more. Really make it so they're not plucked from the tutorial and placed in the wildlands. Allow them to use forges, kitchens, have some meals around, resources and have a small tutorial within them to get them from nothing, to some Real tools made and a shelter started outside. Provide cotton and the means to actually hunt for the first few hours too, You can put a timer on the town itself, so make them aware "you will only benefit from this town for the next 12 hours", this will make them want to take advantage of it for when they move on. A true starter town indeed. And Once they have their first writ, the book of wisdom can then take over more, but i do feel as if holding their hands is better than not and atm, new player retention does show that. 

Now normally when a player joins they aren't apart of a deed, maybe make it so they insta join the starter town?
Keep a CA or GM in control of it, so even tho they are removed from the benefits, they still got a village to talk to. 

Edited by Mclovin
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forges and kitchens can be used, and the bartender feeds new players with under 24 hours playtime, there's also resource tiles in proximity locations (GM spawned if not naturally occuring) There's also public mines, and newbie bonuses (food/healings/aggro) that have a countdown of 24 hours.

 

What you're asking is all there, but since many players were already established when they came in, they don't recommend them enough and it in turn leads to them not being used by the new players, who then don't recommend them when other new players come along.

 

Breaking that cycle is tough in all aspects, as it involves older players understanding the current new player experience as opposed to their own experiences when they were new, and it's not really possible

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13 minutes ago, Retrograde said:

forges and kitchens can be used, and the bartender feeds new players with under 24 hours playtime, there's also resource tiles in proximity locations (GM spawned if not naturally occuring) There's also public mines, and newbie bonuses (food/healings/aggro) that have a countdown of 24 hours.

 

What you're asking is all there, but since many players were already established when they came in, they don't recommend them enough and it in turn leads to them not being used by the new players, who then don't recommend them when other new players come along.

 

Breaking that cycle is tough in all aspects, as it involves older players understanding the current new player experience as opposed to their own experiences when they were new, and it's not really possible


I know forges/kitchens can be used, but there isn't a focus on this. Because when i am placed into the world there is nothing telling me to go use that. [Or maybe I should whip out my book of wisdom:D) - What I'm saying is, can we not carry the tutorial over and actually have Everything needed to get setup properly at their disposal? Make it more clear and more in depth so they stay around the actual starter deed a little bit longer gaining equipment/resource for their effort of actually learning? the bartender just allows you to go get full, what I want is for them to be Hand-held towards the oven and actually told to cook something, you could reward them with a boosted skill gain whilst learning there. The point is, when they do actually go to leave deed, they will have a better understanding before being plucked into the game itself.

I am guilty of not recently starting as a new player, which I will do tonight to see, but I've made accounts and naturally I just ran past it all and truth be told, when I started the game, I completed the tutorial which was pretty cool at the time and I got put into the starter deed, had the bartender there etc. I saw community signs about public mines..But nothing else really to keep me there.

I guess to sum it up, 'keep players' and make more aware that Starter towns are a better benefit, create it so they are as said aboe, you've got the things in game as you said but it doesn't engage to the player that, ok, this is how you're making your first meal, this is how you're gonna imp your tools, here are some logs, make a bow..Here is some wemp, make a bow string, if you want to get better at that make a better carving knife, oh and it can all be done inside saftey of these walls and nearly everything is at your disposal for a few hours.

You know?

 

Edited by Mclovin

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4 minutes ago, Retrograde said:

forges and kitchens can be used, and the bartender feeds new players with under 24 hours playtime, there's also resource tiles in proximity locations (GM spawned if not naturally occuring) There's also public mines, and newbie bonuses (food/healings/aggro) that have a countdown of 24 hours.

 

What you're asking is all there, but since many players were already established when they came in, they don't recommend them enough and it in turn leads to them not being used by the new players, who then don't recommend them when other new players come along.

 

Breaking that cycle is tough in all aspects, as it involves older players understanding the current new player experience as opposed to their own experiences when they were new, and it's not really possible

To be fair, Retrograde, it looks to me like you continue to justify an antiquated system that has proven to not work. It's like when you walk into a store and you ask the attendant how much this porcelain doll is, and he tells you "read the price tag". 

 

You cannot expect new players to find their way around. You cannot afford to. Development has to reinforce and ensure integration or the new player will get bored and f-off to a easier to understand game. Many people won't click the bubbles. Many people won't even do the current tutorial or read signs.

 

Most games address these issues with voice. If you play other MMOs you will notice many have a voice tutorial that walks you through your early moments in the game, then never hear another voice again. This is because audio input is extremely effective for retention. These games address the issue. Wurm does not.

 

Leaving it up to players to figure it out because developers made a mediocre attempt to tell people what to do is not going to help. I have already met at least 5 guys that have quit less than a week into the game. They walk up some forsaken piece of land, build a house, realize how long things take, and then fall off the bandwagon. Bringing new people serves no purpose if there are no effective retention mechanisms in place 

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