Is Twitch Just for Gamers, or Businesses, Too?

Twitch is a platform that offers endless opportunities for almost any kind of content making it one of the most versatile platforms for you.

In 2011, a live-streaming platform called Justin.tv was renamed to be the platform we know today: Twitch. And while Justin.tv and Twitch originally both had many categories for live-streaming videos and users, they quickly became most popular for gamers. Viewers can join any of their favorite creator’s live streams and watch them play video games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Valorant, while simultaneously having the ability to send messages to the creator
and talk with other viewers through the chat. This set-up has brought success to streamers like Dream, Ludwig, and Hasanabi, and caused one hundred and forty million visitors to watch streams on Twitch every month.

And while much of Twitch is consumed by video games, you can also find live sports, streamers doing other activities and challenges, or just talking about their lives. Combined with its popular ability to live-stream and communicate with other viewers, begs the question: could businesses expand into Twitch, too?

A Huge Audience For a Company

One of the most basic facts about digital marketing is that advertising on social media will allow you to reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers. Out of the billions of websites in the world, Twitch is 37th when measuring global internet engagement. There are 4.8 billion users all around the world, with most in countries like the United States, Germany, South Korea, and Canada, with a daily active user rate of 30 million people per day. This is a huge number of visitors frequenting Twitch every single day and a huge audience that your business
could reach by live-streaming and advertising on this platform.

Another audience fact to keep in mind is that most Twitch users are relatively young. There are a lot of teenagers and twenty-somethings interested in video games and live-streaming in general, so you must keep in mind that by getting involved with Twitch, you are going to be catering to a young audience. This could be great, or it could be useless, depending on your business model. So make sure that this audience will help your business.

Branch Out From Tradition

Traditionally, businesses have remained fairly neutral and professional when using the Internet and social media. But recently, expectations for companies have relaxed, and businesses being willing to have some fun and engage with their followers has proven to be successful. For example, Wendy’s Twitter account is well-known for its witty, sarcastic roasts of other corporations and followers, as well as blunt honesty. Its hilarious personality has earned it nearly
four million followers. Cracking jokes and responding to followers can make a brand more popular, and gain more potential customers for it, too.

Hosting live streams may not be a traditional form of advertising for a company, but it’s one of the most popular forms of entertainment today and can draw in a lot of interested people. Starting a Twitch profile and being willing to adapt to new consumer trends by stepping outside of your comfort zone can take a business far.

Create a Community

When you first start streaming on Twitch, you may not have a lot of viewers. But the unique thing about Twitch is that usually, the viewers you do have are very loyal, coming back time and time again to watch your streams and support your company. The great thing about expanding onto Twitch is that you will be able to build a community of supporters who all have at least one interest in common: you!

The chat option on Twitch is another great feature that deepens the sense of community and strengthens relationships between the streamer and the viewer. Viewers can write messages and use emojis to send messages and feedback to the company, while the business can use the chat to interact with fans too.

Twitch has traditionally been a fan-favorite for gamers only, but the platform is expanding to offer live-streaming options for a variety of people and companies. If your business is looking for a way to appeal to a younger audience, then take a risk, do something nontraditional, and start thinking about including Twitch in your digital marketing.