Most of us start thinking about how to market games, once we receive the sacred message from Apple “Your App has been approved”. And at that moment, we confront the thought “Now how am I going to market the App”. If that is the case, it might be too late to market it already.

With no way to grow inorganic installs, it is best to have marketing built into the product development…

This was the topic of my session with Yetizen (a social-mobile gaming incubator in San Francisco) graduating class. As one of the accelerator advisors, the objective was to make game developers pause and think about “What makes their app different from anyone else?” and “How will they place their app and build loyalists who will help them with Word-of-Mouth” marketing.

Below is the presentation:

Mobile gaming space is getting really heated. With that comes a lot of excitement and challenge. Excitement because there is a visible opportunity to make a lot of money (Mobile gaming market will be a $13B market in 2014, source Mercel). Challenge because now everyone wants a piece of the pie BUT only the best execution and innovation will save the day.

Why do people buy virtual goods?
It is the same reason why people bought vinyl records, DVDs and iTunes songs. These purchases are a cross between social element and entertainment element (social X entertainment).

Imagine, you are at a party, you share your iTunes library and the party starts to rock. You clearly see an intersection of social and entertainment. People ask you about the song, where to get it, request to take your library…

Now, lets look at another scenario – we all buy branded goods. We all know that a pair of sun glasses is needed to protect your eyes. But still people pay upwards of $300 to get a pair Chanel, Versace or Prada. If we look at it pragmatically, we can all do with a $20 sunglass that will serve the purpose. But owning a brand, makes us feel good about ourselves. We enjoy the experience of wearing it with friends, and sometimes they ask us where we got it from, what did it cost and where can they get it (marketers (I am guilty too) have known this for a long time).

So, virtual goods is not a purchase of fluff stuff, it is really a purchase of a rich social and entertainment experience. The mankind has indulged in these goods and will continue to do so (I still want Michael Kors handbag even though it does not fit my budget – but want makes things happen. Guess! I will be saving and working harder. Even though, I know that it would have cost Michael Kors only $20 to produce it, I am willing to pay upwards of $100).

A article to support this : Flurry: Freemium titles yield two-thirds of App Store gaming revenues

There is nothing new about virtual goods business model. It is aligned to supply and demand, cost of producing the good and basic psychology that we buy things because of how they make us feel and entertain us all the time.

What is virtual currency?
This is a currency that is used to buy virtual goods. In essence, it is what enables passionate people to transact for things that they desire. People NOTE – passionate people who are your loyal fans, repeat customers and your brand ambassadors. They love accumulating the currency to get stuff that they want online. It is similar to the real economy only that it is virtual. The rising of the virtual gaming economy has enabled brands to incentivize their users, reward them and drive awareness. (Using Facebook credits as eCommerce sales incentives)

The Opportunity: Great article at VentureBeat sums it up.

There are so many new techniques of marketing evolving constantly and with mobile coming to the marketing mix – the excitement is to integrate mobile marketing to your mix. And with the excitement comes a new challenge – how are we going to do this?

I remember the time when Facebook came around and suddenly there was a new challenge to get a handle on how to market on FB, for app developers – it became a platform for customer acquisition. Primarily, this was possible because of the social element of this platform. People wanted to share, play and connect with friends.

So, with the mobile – Remember SOCIAL

Connect People: When a new app is launched and doesn’t have millions of active users, connecting people through geography can drive up user engagement.

Rich Experience: Rich experience pays rich dividends. Check out Flixster, and PopCap Games. Having great interface, great content and great social offers is key to developing valuable social experiences in mobile.

Social distribution and monetization : This is just the beginning of an ever-evolving mobile app industry. Check out Facebook’s Project Spartan, enabling HTML5 social apps, especially games, aims is to reach some 100 million users in a key place: mobile.

We are living in a world when social media has become an integral part of our lives. There is a new report that says that the web is shrinking and more and more people are spending more time on FaceBook.

Looks like the web is disappearing. We are now entering the world of social media where being competent in optimizing Facebook is going to play a big role.

This morning while pondering over some work, I wondered if Gandhi would have joined FaceBook. It might be a bizzare thought but HE is my HERO. And I would have definitely followed him on Twitter and connected with him on LinkedIn (if he accepted ofcourse!)

Just by leveraging social media:

Is it possible he would have accomplished his goals for Independent India faster?

Maybe, he would have the biggest Fan Page on FB?

Would his Tweets would be most re-tweeted like his quotes?

One of his quotes is :“Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it is important that you do it” Mahatma Gandhi

And I believe, this debate can go either way – it is pure speculation. And I believe, his belief in being accessible to people and being in action was enough to become part of the social media momentum.

As he said, We must become the change we want to see in the world. So, if the change possible with Facebook is a connected world – then it is possibility worth creating.

From early days on gaming on Facebook, we are now looking at Mobile gaming and how it is changing the gaming landscape. Many monetization models have been tried in the mobile gaming. I believe freemium with virtual goods sales is the way to go, although there’s much potential for advertising too.

Many players who have been successful in Asia are now trying to penetrate the US market. Also, there is an increased emphasis on the Platform strategy – outside developers are necessary for the plan to work. The idea is to release a software development kit and tools to make development easier. This allows developers to code their games just once and have it work across the range of Android and iOS devices.

But we all know that To have a killer Platform you need a Killer App – content is KING.

The presentation below speaks to 3 growth factors in Gaming:

1. Globalization
2. Product innovation
3. Branded mobile

I recently attended Adtech in San Francisco, a digital marketing conference in US. And some of the insights I got from speaking to industry experts and thought leaders validated my initial perception that mobile marketing and M-commerce is at the onset of taking off here in the US and in Asia with Japan being the only leader in this space. It reminded me of my days when I was getting out of Engineering school back in 1996.

As an Electronics and Communication Engineering graduate, I landed in the emerging wireless industry at the time. I was probably the only one who even had a wireless phone based on GSM technology (thanks to the wireless service provider company I was working for at that time). It was clear to me that I was at the intersection of the biggest mobile revolution that would change the world. And it did.

From feature phones to iPhones to Andriod Phones, the world of mobile communication has come a long way. And just like we were at the helm of wireless communication over fifteen years ago, I believe that we are now at the intersection of the biggest revolution at the intersection of M-commerce and Mobile marketing.

Here are some of my observations:

The New Media renaissance: When SMS marketing was experimented with, it took a lot of heat from the mobile users.But with guidelines that were put in place by the mobile operators; mobile marketing via SMS has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia as a new channel to reach the consumer. Now the industry is looking at mobile as not only a way of “Targeting” users but to become “Business solutions”. I love that I can use location based services by some cell phone networks as a way to send custom advertising and other information to cell-phone subscribers based on their current location.

Continue Reading my post on my column on ActiveGarage: Social Media and Tribes: Mobile Marketing + M Commerce = Mobile Social Network

My work has given me the opportunity to be at the helm of rapid innovation in the world of gaming. And one of the fastest growing segment is interactive gaming where the user gets to play the game and also create content like videos, virtual goods and even produce story lines. This is largely influenced by video gaming.

Here are three scenarios to help you make sense of what I am saying:

1. Communities get involved in creating content: Guitar hero is a game which allow users to create their own songs and share it with their friends. Also, game content creation enables users to create their own virtual goods to share with their friends. This leads to a new digital economy when the users can share the profits from the sale of their virtual goods with the developers. Allowing both communities of users and developers to benefit from each other – a win-win situation.

Continue Reading the post on ActiveGarage: Online Gamers become Contributors

From Morse codes to cellular phones, from x86 processors to Intel’s i7 processors and from email to social media, mankind has come a long way. All these methods have one thing in common – need to connect. And the most important thing we forget is that though these devices and technologies are designed to improve productivity, they are serving the basic human need to communicate. And the litmus test for all these advancements is when you can use them during crisis situations.

The recent crisis in Japan is a reminder to us to that Technology can be a boom and a curse.

When a nuclear reactor has radiation leak, it makes it impossible to justify benefits of nuclear power even if it is designed for making the world Green or Safe. After all, what is the point if families inhabiting that place will virtually never be able to go there for decades due to the radiations. And then technology renders the only way to either give your location in a crisis or communicate with your loved ones.

Continue Reading my article on Active Garage: Social Media and Tribes: Social Media comes through during Japan crisis

Most Recently, I was interviewed by Teresa Morrow about my eBook PINK and grow Rich. Just sharing it here on my blog….

Please share with us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Deepika Bajaj – Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Blogger. Most of all, I am a dreamer who likes to follow her dreams and enjoy every moment of the journey. My journey began the day I came to this earth. Growing up in India, I had the unique opportunity to grow up in a small town, close to New Delhi, where I met my first teacher, who gave me the confidence to believe in myself. I moved on to get my Engineering in Electronics and Communication from Bangalore, India. And worked with some premier Technology companies like AT&T, Alcatel, Bell Labs etc. In my journey, I even got an MBA in Marketing from New York. Working in corporate America, I got many skills.

And then my life took a sharp turn, I started on my entrepreneurial journey.

With my first company Invincibelle, I aim to bring content and share information with women to be able to empower and inspire them. In this journey, I have met some amazing people who share the similar passion. In Oct, 2009, I published my first book: DiversityTweet, Embracing the growing Diversity in our world. This started my author’s journey. I knew I had an author in me but to be able to get a book published was a dream come true. My second adventure is called, ActiveGarage. It is a resource for people to learn from experts who write on different business concerns. I myself write a column on Social Media on it. ActiveGarage is also the company behind 99tribes which is Twitter discovery engine for people to find and discover others who share similar interests.

I recently launched my first eBook “PINK and Grow RICH” . This e-book can make one promise that if you had one reason for NOT living your DREAM – you will find that with the UNREASONABLE Rule Book – 11 UNREASONABLE RULES of success that will help you OWN your dreams.

One of the most humbling moments was when I won the 2010 IWE Entrepreneurial Achievement Award. I was honored to receive this award. It motivated me to keep moving on my entrepreneurial path.
The little known fact about me is that I love dancing, DJing and mixing music, and traveling. Sometimes, I travel to really ancient spots since I am fascinated by history and by discoveries I make. I love to spend time with my friends and family. My favorite rock bands are Metallica, ACDC, Def Leppard. My favorite pop singers include Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Beyonce. I enjoy hiking, cardio kickboxing and swimming.

How long did it take you to write your book(s)?

The first book, DiversityTweet, Embracing the growing Diversity in our world, was written in two months between projects. The reason this book to be complete so quickly was that is has a very unique format. The book has 140 tweets of 140 words. the objective of this book was to write thought provoking tweets on Diversity, a subject that is very close to my heart. The tweets are based on my work in this field and my travels that constantly reinforce that though we all are diverse we are one and part of nature. This book intends to create a bridge between this medium of expression (Tweets) used by hyperactive Gen Y and the Baby boomers who prefer a quick read book on the topic of diversity. I believe there are certain advantages to adapt the communication channel that is growing exponentially within the Gen Y and to learn from experiences of the Baby boomers. This book helps companies managing the generational divide, employee retention and engagement.

The second eBook, PINK and Grow Rich, was a work in progress for three years. I was meeting some really exceptional women in my journey to build Invincibelle. And in talking to them I felt that something was shifting within me. I felt more empowered, inspired and built great relationships that I did not have before. I wanted to take this experience and insights to people who did not have access to these leaders. So, that they can feel the same energy and enthusiasm to live your dreams as I experienced being in their vicinity. This book is compilation of conversations with these women and was in making for a while.

Please share with us more about your latest book.

There are two main themes for my eBook
#1. UNREASONABLE Rule Book

This e-book can make one promise that if you had one reason for NOT living your DREAM – you will find that with the UNREASONABLE Rule Book – 11 UNREASONABLE RULES of success that will help you OWN your dreams. You will know how to live your life, use your own mind, go toward your dreams that you want to make REAL and SOLID.

#2. The 6C Framework

I went deeper with what I call “The 6C framework” – 6 common characteristics of leaders. I share these characteristics that give them the energy and vitality to get the work that needs to be done (to achieve their dreams). You will find excerpts of my conversations with these women and what they stood for.

Example:

Ann Winblad: Partner, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners

Why did you choose to write this book?

Continue Reading my interview on: Spotlight interview with Deepika Bajaj, Author of PINK and Grow RICH.

Yes, the fact that Valentine’s Day was a week ago is not lost on me! In retrospect, its actually a good thing I waited to write this post till now as I had the time to notice very interesting shifts in behavior, thanks to the Social Media & Valentine Tribes! Alright, lets get going…

Some of us probably remember the days when you had to write a letter while you were dating or wooing someone special. This was not a long ago, although it might seem so. At that time, if you were in a long-distance relationship, you had no choice other than to write a letter or spend a ton of money making a long distance phone. In both cases, you were not sure if the person concerned will receive your message. Your best intentions to connect might be futile.

It is almost hard to believe but I have personally gone through that era. When I got my Valentine Card in the mail from my then boyfriend, now my husband; I did not receive it till the next day in my college hostel room. And when I did, I was already upset with him for being late (for apparently no fault of his since it was the nature of the postal system that caused the delay in the delivery).

Well! if you are late in today’s time only Heavens can save you. Since with emails, instant messengers, cell phones, text message, twitter, FB and smart phones you better have a good excuse. There is no way you can be late even if you were in a different time zone in a different country!

Continue Reading my post on Active Garage under my column: Social Media and Tribes: Virtual Valentine