By now, everyone has heard of Fortnite. The online survival game came onto the scene in 2017; and, as of May 2020, Fortnite has had 350 million players. Undoubtedly, a major contributor to Fortnite's success is the fact that it is free to all users. This means that there is no real investment (other than time) required for users to initially try the game. If you like the game, great. But, if you don't, there's no harm done!
The ability to play the game first with no investment or initial pressure allows Fortnite to be exposed to a large audience. This exposure then makes it more likely that individuals will develop a personal connection with the game. Once this primary interest occurs, gamers can then use their real money to buy V-Bucks, a fictional Fortnite currency. V-Bucks allow users to customize their characters and boost the overall experience with the game.
New outfits, harvesting tools, and emotes can be purchased through the game. These purchases help establish an individual connection to the game beyond just the act of playing. When users see their characters, they see themselves.
Fortnite, however, is not the only online video game that has recently adopted a similar model. Genshin Impact, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends are other free-to-play games. With these different titles, just like Fortnite, admission into the party is free. You just have to pay if you want to choose what you wear (literally).
The popularity of free-to-play games like Fortnite and Warzone are specific representations of the time and place we are in currently. But what's really interesting about these games to us marketers is how much they parallel inbound marketing approaches.
If you need a refresher, inbound marketing is a process "that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them." An example of inbound marketing would be a company offering customers a free download or piece of content like a blog post, and then later using the customer's email to market directly to them. Much like the free-to-play games, a free download (or other inbound creative) is a no-pressure way for an audience to get to know a brand/product.
Inbound marketing lets the audience develop a different kind of personal connection with a brand or product. Instead of just associating a brand to an ad, they may connect it to a short film, an activity they did using a free download, or questions they answered with the help of a blog post or video.
But why make the connection? What is the purpose of seeing similarities between inbound marketing and free-to-play games like Fortnite? On one hand, we think it goes to show the value of offering some content for free to your audience in order to help move them toward conversion. These games are widely successful and lucrative for their developers, despite their free download price, just like your inbound content can be. At the same time, we also think it just goes to show how inspiration can be found anywhere. Are you having trouble promoting a brand, designing a piece of art, or writing a screenplay? Take a look around. Maybe your interests outside of your current project will inspire the project itself. If you want to keep creating, you have to keep looking.