Gamers are not your customers.
Okay, technically speaking that’s not true.
People who spend money at your game store are usually gamers but if that’s all you focus on, you’re ignoring 80-90% of the people who could be your customers.
So let’s remix that statement a bit.
Your customers are not just gamers.
Marketing to gamers is like preaching to the choir. They are already bought in.
You should do it, but it shouldn’t be the only effort you put in.
You don’t need to do much to convince a Magic player to buy the latest set release, they are already pretty motivated to spend their hobby money on their favorite hobby.
Same with Warhammer, or Yugioh, or Pokémon, or any of the other main gaming categories.
For invested players, the decision isn’t usually whether they will spend money on their preferred game this month, it’s what they will spend their money on.
And those players typically have a budget for the month that’s only somewhat flexible.
You’ve probably seen this in your shop with Wizard’s more aggressive release schedule. Just because there are more products released in a month, that doesn’t necessarily translate to those players spending more money.
Instead, they’re forced to pick and choose what to spend their hard earned hobby dollars on.
If you want your game store to grow, you need to tap into the people that are not traditionally seen as “customers”.
This is where your marketing comes in and where most game stores fall short.
Your marketing messages need to attract mainstream people, not just the invested players.
Your website, your social media, your advertising, all of it needs to function as an onramp for mainstream people to understand what your game store is offering.
And game stores don’t just sell games.
No one really needs another game in their life.
But what they do need is fun, connection, friendship, a sense of accomplishment, family time, good memories, thrilling moments of victory, and shared experiences.
That is the REAL offer of a game store, it just happens to take the form of pieces of colourful cardboard, plastic, and metal.
Your marketing needs to contain that message in a way that’s approachable for the uninitiated.
If you want to bring new customers into your business, you need to create a store that’s welcoming and warm, where it feels like they’re SUPPOSED to be there, and your marketing should emphasize that.
It should show smiling faces, people having fun over the gaming table, parents playing with their kids during family game night, and friends having a good time.
Give them a taste of the emotional experience that makes gaming awesome, and then deliver on that promise when they come to your game store to learn more.