FLGS Marketing and Copywriting
The Branding, Marketing Strategy, and Copywriting
Your Friendly Local Game Store Needs
to Become a Premier Destination for Hobbyist and Families in Your Community
Wait a minute… what is copywriting?”
“Copy” refers to the words on ads and promotional material, both physical and digital. Copywriting is the sales part of marketing: written emails, webpages, ads, and content that engage with customers in order to increase traffic, brand engagement, and sales.
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Tony
ARCANA VAULT
“Riley actually took time to understand my company’s business model… above and beyond what I was looking for”
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Matt
KOSPLAYIT
“After implementing marketing strategies paired with his insightful writing my online sales tripled in a month!”
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Cameron
DnD Coalition
“His talent is unparalleled, but his most redeeming quality is his communication with clients and easy-going and professional attitude”
Why Marketing is Essential
for Friendly Local Game Stores
With the increasing surge in popularity of trading card games, TTRPG's (investigate my TTRPG marketing page here), tabletop war games, and board games, Friendly Local Game Store owners have the chance to not only permanently increase their revenue, but also establish their place in their local community. It is a golden opportunity for tabletop game businesses, and one that cannot be missed!
But this once in a generation chance will slip through each of our hands if we do not put some time and energy into marketing. By implementing targeted marketing efforts, game store owners can increase visibility, reach a wider audience, and ultimately drive sales.
Big Box Stores Present Unique Challenges
Tabletop Games store owners face unique challenges when it comes to marketing their stores. Customer are already familiar with big box stores like Target and Walmart... the big dawgs are their "go to" options. Someway, somehow, you have to grab their attention and use that moment to say: "Hey! We are a WAY better option for buying and playing tabletop games!!!".
Without effective copywriting and outreach strategies, your FLGS may go unnoticed, especially when customers are already familiar with larger retailers like Target and Walmart. But unless they are in a high traffic downtown area, there is a good chance you will need to incrase your visibility and overcome the huge advantage big box stores and their million dollar marketing budgets.
Failure to do FLGS marketing means potential customers never find out about the exciting board game, tabletop, and hobby offerings you have in store.
You might be thinking that FLGS marketing would be a huge waste of time, money, and energy for your particular FLGS. You might be thinking, "They have every advantage, what's the point?" or "My store is an exception... we don't need FLGS marketing help". And honestly, you might be right! No one knows your game business like you do.
But more often than not, businesses that ignore marketing either stay stuck right where they are for ever, or simply fizzle out and die.
Not going to say that there are "dire consequences"... but skipping marketing comes with some undeniable risks. While word-of-mouth plays a role, an absence of marketing efforts makes it challenging to generate new customer interest. Additionally, overlooking search engine optimization (SEO) can be detrimental to your game store's online visibility. In today's digital age, players often turn to search engines like Google to find local businesses, and an un-optimizing website can mean you never rank for the right keywords and never attract the right new customers to your store. Bottom line: marketing is as simple as having more people know about you (increasing brand awareness), getting more buyers (customer acquisition), and those buyers coming back again (customer retention).
Good copy is necessary for good FLGS marketing.
As a copywriter with game store experience, I can provide…
Strategy Custom Tailored to Your Business
Proposals That Fit Your Budget
Messaging that Engages Your Target Audience
Freedom to Choose to Go Full Time
More Control Over How Your Business Grows
Confidence to Use Marketing Tools
Clarity on What Went Wrong Before
Time and Energy to Focus Elsewhere
An Authoritative Brand That Earns Respect
New Visitors and More Repeat Customers
What Successful FLGS Marketing Can Do
But it's not hopeless... While online and big box store purchasing is convenient, FLGS owners have the advantage of offering a more personal shopping guidance and immersive gaming experience. They can garner support from the community with kickstarter campaigns. And by emphasizing the unique aspects of visiting a local game store, such as game demos, events, and community engagement, FLGS owners can differentiate themselves from online retailers...
in a VERY Good way.
Timeless, Proven Techniques Any FLGS Can Implement.
By implementing the following time and cost effective strategies,
FLGS owners can maximize their marketing efforts and reach potential customers effectively.
The Role of Website in Game Store Marketing
And apart from the store, the most important piece of your FLGS marketing is your website... it serves as a central hub for your outreach efforts, showcasing everything your store has to offer. It is an absolute MUST for any serious FLGS marketing. And it needs to be geared towards two groups: 1) people and 2) google. For customers, it is often the first point of contact for potential customers, so it's crucial to make a positive first impression with an attractive, user-friendly design. And you need to have the right keywords and structure so Google can direct the right people in your area who are searching for board games or tabletop gaming. And that's not to mention its potential as a second store for online purchases, a source of information as they research games, and a billboard for promoting upcoming promotions and events!
Email Marketing= Board Game Store Marketing
Now... some members of the tabletop game community will scream "SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS" if you ask for their email. But the majority, particularly parents looking for activities that can bring the whole family together, are like the general population: they VASTLY prefer email to all other channels for marketing. Yep... with an ROI of $36:$1, email marketing remains a powerful tool for targeting potential customers and nurturing relationships with existing ones. But it can be tricky and has many steps:
Build an Email : You can't email customers if you do not have an email list! Offer rewards, discounts, pre-release, private gaming time... ANYTHING to get them to sign up
Track, Personalize and Segment: Divide your list into groups so that you can send emails that, ya know, they actually want. For example, die hard MTG people don't care about your Ticket to Ride Murder Mystery night. only send them the game releases, upcoming events, discounts, and exclusive promotions that THEY care about.
Get Valuable Feedback: Apart from talking in person, email is definitely the number 1 way to elicit feedback, conduct surveys, and engage with customers, building stronger relationships with your customers.
A Distinct Tabletop Game Store Brand Messaging
For starters, they need to create a distinct brand. Don't worry, this does not mean hiring some expensive celebrity or becoming a black turtleneck wearing narcissist. Branding is about creating a unique, clear, value-packed identity that not only is immediately recognizable, but also becomes more and more true as gamers spend more time and money at your Friendly Local Game Store. It needs to be consistent across anything everything your game store touches.
What Are the Right Social Media Channels For My Tabletop Game Store?
It depends entirely on who your regular customer are, who your brand appeals to, and who are your regulars. Because it doesn't matter if its Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, or Instagram.... the right social media channel is whichever one THOSE people use the most!
If you are a larger FLGS, then you might want to consider more robust SEO or blog content marketing (click here to check out my blog page and see the traffic I bring my clients. But if you are on the smaller side then social media marketing is going to be your best way to gain new customers. My suggestion: "picking and sticking" with a single social media outlet for a few months and seeing how it goes. Each day you can create engaging content related to board games, upcoming events, new game releases, and discounts. You can generate exceitement with giveaways and contests. And you can engage with the community, interacting with game designers and industry influencers to show that you are an authority... you REALLY know what you are talking about when it comes to tabletop games!
D&D 5e Blog Content
That Dominates Search Engines
Creating compelling content remains the best way to expand your online reach…
But it only works if your content is original and SEO optimized.
Because if you aren’t in the top 5 results on Google, you are basically invisible.
I research, write, and edit until you are in the top results for your targeted keywords.
This isn’t empty rhetoric… see the results for yourself.
FLGS Marketing Priced on a Sliding Scale
Every business is unique, which means unique copy, unique projects, and also… unique pricing.
All my services are offered on a sliding scale, with some openings reserved for friendly local game stores.
Just another way I can get help get you what you need.
Friendly Local Game Stores have a golden opportunity before them. And with my board game marketing and custom=tailored copywriting, we can establish your store in the community, reach your target audience, and build a customer base that will be present all year long:
1) Branding that clearly communicates your value
2) SEO optimized web pages that put your best foot forward
3) Email and social media messaging that updates your core customers