cracking the facebook code
DESCRIPTION
More than half a billion Facebook users collectively install over 20 million apps daily. Combined, these apps generate roughly $500 million in yearly revenue, making Facebook an attractive platform. But, with 2.5 million developers competing for this market, and the top three (Zynga, Playdom and Playfish) already claiming over half of the revenue generated ($300 million), chances for success are pretty slim. But there’s still hope… By focusing your time and budget more on marketing and design and less on development, you can maximize your app’s results. “Cracking the Facebook Code” examines successful developers’ strategies and provides concrete ways to succeed. Learn the secrets to designing an effective Facebook game, spending less time getting it to market and attracting a loyal user base.TRANSCRIPT
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cracking the
Facebook code
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I am not a developer.
I’m a marketing manager at 3DVIA who published a 3D game
engine demo to Facebook. I spent my time and money on
design and marketing (NOT production) and got big results.
Here’s what I learned and know…
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it’s a big pond
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20M+ apps installed
each day
$500M app revenue
600M users
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but
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a lot there are
of fish
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2,500,000 developers
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3
150
2,499,847
Big Three (Major Developers)
Smaller Developers
Everyone Else
(Remaining Developers)
Developers per Category
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Big Three (3)
Smaller Developers
(150)
Everyone Else (2,499,847)
Revenue Split by Developers (in millions)
$100M
$100M $300M
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$666K per smaller
developer
$1.20 per remaining
developer
$100M per big three
developer
Revenue per Developer
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meaning
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money chance of making real
.006% you have a…
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Farmville chance of becoming the next
.00012% and a…
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them ain’t good odds
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but
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you can
the system
beat
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“ The measure of good design is revenue. If you want to
get your revenue up, create virtual goods people want to
buy, make game play fun, and get it running right away. ”
- Brian Reynolds, Chief Designer of Zynga
Listen to the Experts
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“ Successful Facebook games’ marketing budgets are
upwards of 50% of their production costs and can
skyrocket into the millions as the game grows. ”
- John Pleasants, CEO of Playdom
Listen to the Experts
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meaning
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& on spend
marketing
not production
& design,
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how?
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Design
25%
Production
50%
Marketing
25%
Time Budget
Staff
30%
Software
10%
Marketing
60%
Allocate Like So
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start with good
design
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Design for your
audience
Think
revenue
Don’t be a
copy
Start with Good Design
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reduce
production
costs
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Outsource to avoid
staffing costs
Stock saves time
and money
Free software is
your friend
Reduce Production Costs
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invest in
marketing
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Know
where your audience is
Invest in Marketing
Build a name and
relationships
Producemedia to promote your app
Advertise via paid, editorial &
social means
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thank you Emmy Jonassen
Senior Marketing Manager
Dassault Systèmes, 3DVIA
© Dassault Systèmes. All rights reserved.
1. Venture Beat: Zynga’s Chief Designer Shares Tips Learned from Social Games
2. Venture Beat: Facebook Platform Developers Could See $500M in Revenue this Year
3. Facebook: Four Ways to Make Money on Facebook
4. Social Times: The Economics of Facebook Games
5. Gamesauce: Brian Reynolds Addresses What Game Designers Bring to Social Games
6. Games.com: Meet the Average Facebook Gamer: A 43-Year-Old Woman Who Loves FarmVille
References