Where’s Waldo: Creating Your Unique Space in a Sea of Sameness [TwitchCon 2016 Panel]

For the complete list of panels, check out the main TwitchCon 2016 panel recap post.

VoD link: https://www.twitch.tv/twitchconsandstorm/v/93348749
Sandstorm Theater Day One
Moderator: Kiraeyl
Participants: Dr. Patricia Todd (Peiylar), George D (itsdehprey)

• Logos
• • Represent your brand
• Creating brand loyalty
• • Have a story – people remember stories and can connect to them
  • Perception is reality: understand how your audience sees you
• Ask Yourself
• • Who am I?
  • Who is my audience?
  • How am I different from competitors that are similar to me?
• Be brutally honest with yourself
• • Don’t sell yourself short but don’t give yourself too much credit
  • You can’t trust your viewers to give you the honest truth
  • Look at your stream from an outsider’s perspective
• Online brand communities
• • The desire to fit in and the desire to belong
  • • What can you do to make your viewers feel this way?
  • Create an emotional connection and become part of your viewers’ identity
• Characteristics streamers possess:
• • Personality
  • Charisma
  • Attitude
  • Passion
  • Engagement
  • Empathy
• Your brand is created by how you present in ALL AREAS, not just your stream
• Consistency in how you present yourself
• • Your viewers are looking to connect to you
  • Too unpredictable can create disconnect
• Viewer motivations (based on a survey)
• • Most significant
  • • The broadcaster is trustworthy
    • The broadcaster is enjoyable to watch
  • Least significant
  • • The broadcaster is an expert in the game
    • The broadcaster is experienced
    • Attractiveness
• Layers
• • Outer layer – relevancy
  • • Your stream criteria overlaps with the needs of a viewer
    • Viewer count, title, game category, overlay
  • Authenticity Core
  • • Originality, honesty, integrity, clarity of purpose, consistency
• Seven deadly sins of personal branding
• • Negativity
  • Irrelevance
  • Disrespect
  • Disengaged
  • Inconsistent
  • Fake
  • Loss of community
• QnA
• • Finding the vision for artwork
  • • Seek out a quality designer
    • • They will help lay out a branding guide
      • Help you figure out color schemes, logo
    • Don’t rebrand too often
  • Finding consistency with more than one person being your brand
  • • Transparency
    • • If you’re sick one day, your viewers will understand missing a day
    • If you aren’t streaming together, branding yourself as a duo will be difficult