How Can Mobile Game Publishers Monetize With Surveys, and What Are Some Use Cases?

Hybrid Mobile Game Monetization for Game Publishers Is a Must

Creating a successful mobile game requires investment, both in terms of time and money. So naturally, this is something you can only accomplish with effort and resources. Therefore, making money and ensuring your game generates enough profit to cover development is essential.

Simply put, your aim isn't to break even; you want to make money too. The success of mobile games hinges on both their quality and the monetization strategies that developers adopt from the start. Some titles instantly become wildly profitable at launch, while others take years. It depends on how a game is managed right out of the gate.

Paid games aren't typically trying to monetize. Free game publishers have a lot of ways to monetize mid-core games successfully, but survey monetization is often overlooked. Companies can do this through surveys and mobile advertising companies that offer the opportunity to integrate in-app surveys into their applications as an additional revenue source. In this post, we'll discuss mobile game monetization via surveys in greater detail and outline some use cases.

Typical Mobile Game Monetization Models

It's well known that the primary objective of any mobile game developer is to make money. However, too many games overlook monetization until they already have their idea in motion--which is never ideal. That said, you need not be one of those developers. Mobile gaming monetization can help you attain your goals with little difficulty.

Freemium model | In-app purchases

Freemium games offer an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to try out new gaming experiences. In addition, these free-to-download and play titles provide the option of purchasing in-app upgrades that give users an edge over their opponents. The freemium model has become increasingly popular among mobile game developers, thanks largely to the high volume of successful in-game purchases. As a result, approximately 50-79% of game apps use this model.

In-game ads

Utilizing in-app ads is the second most successful way most developers monetize free-to-play games. Developers benefit from this model by displaying advertisements for players, allowing them to gain access to game features without fees. Generally, these displays are for other apps or non-gaming applications; however, with in-app advertising, developers don't have to worry about additional expenses and can start earning immediately!

To ensure successful ad-serving, three key players must be considered:

• Publishers
• Players
• Advertisers

Players are delighted with this model as the free version allows them to experience gameplay without cost. For developers, displaying multiple banner ads is the key to more revenue and increasing their profits, while advertisers can showcase their advertisements before potential customers. Everyone wins in such a situation.

Why Traditional Mobile App Monetization May Not Work For Your App

Proceed cautiously if you plan to monetize your game with the standard methods above. Ads and in-app purchases can be a great way to generate multiple revenue streams, but some mobile game genres don't work with those models.

No one likes in-app ads

Nevertheless, if you plan on monetizing your game with various ad formats, you should remember that players may tolerate ads to an extent. However, they mostly despise them. Inevitably some players won't stand for them and will leave negative reviews in the app stores about “too many ads” present in your game.

In-game purchases are a turn-off

For example, puzzle or casual games generally don’t offer enough features for players to make meaningful in-app purchases. Similarly, mobile strategy games require players to invest a lot of time to progress, making it difficult to persuade them to spend money on mobile game purchases.

No one wants to pay for a mobile gaming app

Mobile game developers also face difficulty getting players to pay for mobile games. Although mobile gamers are more than happy to spend money on their free apps through in-app purchases and upgrades, they’re less likely to pay for mobile gaming apps upfront. This means that mobile game developers should focus on rewarding users and developing creative monetization models or risk losing out on the mobile gaming market.

Why You Should Consider Rewarded Surveys for Your Monetization Model

The survey mobile game monetization model is emerging as a viable strategy to address the drawbacks of mobile game monetization methods outlined above. Rewarded surveys allow mobile game developers to capitalize on engagement without compromising user experience or game performance.

Rewarded surveys are mobile questionnaires that allow players to earn in-game rewards by completing simple surveys or engaging with brand content.

App developers should switch to rewarded surveys because:

• They are Unpredictable - Rewarded surveys constantly provide us with new and exciting opportunities, are far more valuable than other forms of compensation, and never become mundane.
• Faster and Relevant - Rewarded surveys are delivered quickly and can be tailored to mobile game genres, giving you more relevant information.
• They are Interactive - Rewarded surveys are interactive, and mobile game players can also be entertained while answering questions.
• Opt-in or Opt-out - Players can participate in rewarded surveys if they want and take a break when they don’t.

Surveys appeal to both developers and app users. Typically, these survey companies have a tool that allows app developers to sign up for the service, create their audience, create survey questions, and then pay for the service. Once everything is ready, the platform will distribute the surveys to mobile game users and track the results. Mobile game developers can also monitor the performance of their mobile games and make changes accordingly.

App publishers are paid for each survey their users complete, which helps monetize the app. As a mobile game developer, consider integrating surveys into your monetization model. Users that participate in surveys can win gifts just by sharing their opinions. Surveys would help you increase mobile game revenue, improve user experience and in-app purchases, and keep users engaged. Best of all, users stay within the app, and surveys can pay up to 20 times more than classic banner ads.

Uses Cases for Rewarded Surveys in Mobile Games

Rewarded surveys are an ideal monetization model for mobile game developers looking to profit from their games without compromising the experience. Usually, there are two kinds of surveys:

• Basic Questionnaire Surveys - are designed to understand user preferences. They usually include questions about mobile game design and mobile gaming habits.
• Basic Reward Surveys - are used to reward players for completing simple tasks like watching videos or sharing mobile game experiences. These surveys are an effective monetization model.
• Play-oriented Surveys - mobile game players are rewarded for playing mobile games and answering questions about their gaming experience.

When implementing these survey options, developers should incorporate them without making fundamental changes to their app. Cloud-based survey software can act as a plugin, allowing developers to integrate survey options into their apps seamlessly.

Incorporate without changing the UI

App users should be able to move through the game without survey interruption. To make potential users avoid this, developers should integrate rewarded surveys into the game without changing the user interface. With mobile gaming surveys, you can blend rewards into mobile games in a way that players perceive their value.

With surveys, everything is rendered as an overlay, so publishers don’t have to change anything in the interface. With most solutions, publishers should allocate a space in the apps to publishers to render the surveys, but still, it doesn't affect game performance. It typically takes a line of code to implement and activate surveys.

Publishers can incentivize users with in-app rewards

Surveys are an ideal substitute for rewarded video ads, as publishers can entice users by offering temporary ad removal and in-app goodies. For example, in-app rewards could include virtual in-game currency, extra lives, boosters, skins, and game bundles.

Rewards could be as simple as access to hidden levels or secret game characters. This strategy is becoming increasingly popular since surveys pay out well, and people prefer interacting with them over video ads - leading to increased developer revenue streams.

Publishers can create internal surveys

Publishers can create internal surveys to determine the players' preferences and mobile gaming habits. Developers can use these surveys to optimize the mobile game experience, game performance, UI/UX design, user retention, and mobile game monetization.

Developers can collect valuable feedback from players through surveys. This data can help free app developers create engaging game experiences, content, and features.

When Should You Consider Using Rewarded Surveys in Your Mobile Apps?

Game development and app monetization strategy are essential to any developer's business plan. Therefore, researching different methods and analyzing which will provide the best ROI for your mobile game monetization is critical. Surveys are ideal because they can be part of a multiple-use monetization strategy.

By integrating rewarded surveys into your game app's monetization strategy, you can draw in freemium players and increase revenue. Not only this, but these surveys will also help retain existing customers and promote higher conversion rates. Rewarded surveys are a great way to build on the success of your current monetization system.

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