Your Launch Deserves a Plan, Not a Panic

We've all seen it: a job posting for a community manager that expects the person to be a marketing guru, a graphic designer, and a PR machine all in one. But there’s another common mistake I see a lot in indie game development: a company hiring a marketing and community person at the very last minute.

I'm talking about hiring someone in August for an October launch. This isn't just unrealistic; it's a major red flag that the person you've hired is being set up for failure. You may be thinking you need someone who can "hit the ground running," but what you're really doing is asking them to sprint without a map.

A successful marketing and community strategy is not a pre-packaged product. It is a plan built on information and clarity. The first step in building a healthy and productive relationship with your new marketing and community person is to slow down. Before any big moves are made, you need to sit down and ask some essential questions. What is your brand's voice? What is your core message? What is your product, really? These are not questions that can be answered in an afternoon. This process is the foundation, and you can't build a house without one.

This period of strategic planning is not a luxury; it's a necessity. If you skip it, you're not saving time—you're just creating chaos. You're guaranteeing a contentious, rushed, and likely ineffective launch.

If your budget is the reason for the last-minute hire, you have two options. You can either take the time to answer those key questions yourself before the person is hired, or you can take a hard look at your timeline and modify your expectations. The success of your launch, and the sanity of your new team member, depends on it.

So, take a deep breath and start asking questions. A marketing person who feels supported and has a clear plan is far more effective than one who is thrown into the deep end. You're not just hiring for a skill set; you're inviting a strategic partner onto your team. Give them the tools—and the time—they need to win.

How to Build a Brand Guide as an Indie Studio

As we’ve discussed, a good marketing strategy isn't something you can just make up on the fly. It's built on a solid foundation of clarity and purpose. And the first step to getting that clarity is creating a simple brand guide.

Don't panic! This doesn't have to be a massive, corporate document. For an indie studio, a brand guide can be a simple, one-page Google document that keeps everyone on the same page.

Step 1: Define Your Voice How does your brand talk? Are you a witty and playful friend? A serious and thoughtful guide? Or a mysterious and intriguing stranger? Write down a few words that describe your voice. This will help every team member, from the social media person to the CEO, sound consistent.

Step 2: Define Your Core Message What is the one thing you want people to know about your game? This isn't your tagline; it's the core idea. For example, your message could be "Our game is about exploring the forgotten memories of a beautiful world." Having a clear message makes it easy to create content that always points back to your game's heart.

Step 2B: Look at Your Pitch Deck If you have a pitch deck, you’ve already done a lot of this work! This is your foundation for building a marketing story.

Step 3: Formalize Your Visuals (Work with Your Artists) Most indie studios have talented artists on their team. This step is about formalizing the visual identity that your artists are already building. Work with your art team to establish a few key visual guidelines that everyone can reference:

• Color Palette: Establish a core set of 3-5 colors that define your brand. Your art team can help you pick colors from your game's world that will work well for marketing materials.

• Fonts: Choose one or two fonts that fit your game's style—one for titles and one for body text. Always make sure these fonts are legible.

  You don’t want to end up a feature on r/crappydesign
  

Step 4: Know Your People Who are you trying to reach? Create a quick profile of your ideal player. What games do they play? What do they value? Knowing your audience helps you speak their language and show up in the right places.

Step 5: Write it All Down Put all these points into a single document. Share it with your entire team. A brand guide is not just for your marketing person; it's a tool for the whole team to make sure everyone is telling the same story.

Remember, a little bit of planning goes a long way. This simple guide is a chaotic good way to get your entire team aligned and make your marketing efforts much more effective from day one.