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Building a following


TonyE

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So you've created a game, update, database, utility, scenario, and would like the world to experience your great work-product... You post it to HarpGamer.com and wait for the accolades and glowing usage reports to come in but instead you hear absolutely nothing. Soon you would settle for a bit of harsh criticism but nothing appears. Welcome to the world of Harpoon!

 

In many ways your initial work-product was the easy part since it was effort you enjoy. At this point it is time to don your latent "Marketing Genius" hat.

 

My intent is to make a number of posts laying out potential ways to increase uptake of your work and maybe even grow a following that publicly participates and contributes to your efforts.

 

Foundational concepts:

1. Make it multimedia. If you post a scenario, include a graphic to make the download page prettier. If you want uptake, any contribution should include at least one graphic or video. Did you create an add-on? Post a usage video on a video sharing site!

 

2. Tell the world about it. At a minimum you should be posting to HarpGamer, Matrix Games' Forum(s), and Facebook. There are many other haunts for Harpoon players, touch on them.

 

3. Keep it fresh. So you author a database with thousands of hours worth of effort, great. If you don't release periodic updates it will appear dead. The changes don't have to be many but there at least has to be an appearance of vitality. One release per year does not an appearance of vitality produce. That said, you could release once per year if you are active on the related support thread. Maybe you do a glossy 8.5x11" PDF every-other-week of a platform in the database, great, maybe even better than a database update.

 

4. Provide support. If a user goes to the trouble of posting feedback, acknowledge it and act on it. That doesn't mean you do everything asked but make the person feel valued.

 

5. Contribute elsewhere. Make a good name for yourself in the community or in a sister community. This could also be categorized as building your brand. A respected member of the TacOps community has an easy transition to be respected in the Harpoon community. You may be a scenario author but having a reputation as a good beta tester goes a long way.

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If you've been following the forums lately, you will notice that activity tends to shoot up when there are new scenarios.

 

That is no coincidence.

 

You can tinker with the code or a database as much as you like, but it means nothing if there are no new scenarios to play.

 

Something to keep in mind. B)

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Facebook???

I didn't know there's a Facebook page for Harpoon. Link?

 

 

2. Tell the world about it. At a minimum you should be posting to HarpGamer, Matrix Games' Forum(s), and Facebook. There are many other haunts for Harpoon players, touch on them.

 

Why be Harpoon specific? Hit up the more broad category of wargamers. What about the people who love naval warfare but have no idea Harpoon exists? We tend to focus on our small and generally apathetic audience when wider adoption may be entirely feasible. As always in marketing, it comes down to effort except when you have a flashy, Internet sensation, which we don't .

 

A sampling of Harpoon-related:

https://www.facebook.com/harpgamer/

https://www.facebook.com/AdmiraltyTrilogy

https://www.facebook.com/matrixgamesltd

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Some others:

 

- The Old Pooners Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/143822619011193/?fref=ts

 

- Harpoon 4

https://www.facebook.com/groups/60276561384/?fref=ts

 

- Warships of the World

https://www.facebook.com/groups/worldofwarships/?fref=ts

 

 

- ​WWII Warships

https://www.facebook.com/groups/395665347134575/?ref=ts&fref=ts

 

 

 

- WW1 Warships (very recent but very interesting) ​

https://www.facebook.com/groups/798200056964855/?fref=ts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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