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Game Store Owners: Stop Struggling with Marketing – Here’s What Really Works

(How to Grow Your Game Store Using Paid Ads And Email Marketing, Without Having To Write a Single Ad Or Email Yourself)

Digital marketing is confusing.

One day, your Facebook page is bringing people through your door like a stampede, and the next, the only thing you hear are crickets because the algorithm changed and the only one’s liking your post are your mom and your best friend.

It feels like there’s an update on the backend every other week and nothing ever seems to be in the place you remember it being.

There’s always something new and shiny that’s trying to grab your attention and promises to be the silver bullet you’re looking for.

It’s a world of constant noise and it’s always changing.

So where should you invest your money?

Are Google ads the right move? Should you be doing dances on TikTok to get more customers in your door? What about SEO or building a new website?

There is no shortage of marketing agencies out there that will take your money and help you spend it on whatever the next shiny new internet thing may be.

Likes, impressions, follows, hearts, whatever the next social platform vanity metric that comes along is.

But there’s one question that rarely gets asked, let alone answered…

How do you know your marketing is working?

Unlike most traditional marketing methods, digital marketing’s strength is that it’s trackable.

Every dollar you spend on marketing should get multiplied and returned to your business in the form of additional sales and more customers, otherwise what’s the point?

Hi, I’m Tom Traplin, and I’ve been doing this online marketing thing for almost a decade now. I’ve also been around the business of selling collectible pieces of cardboard and plastic in one form or another for twice as long.

Since 2014, I’ve hosted the Manaverse Podcast, where I talk with local game store owners about what it takes to build a successful game store, and before then I owned a local game store way back in the day called The Last Level.

As a former store owner, I know the struggle of running a business day to day, while also feeling the pressure of needing to get the word out. 

On any given day you have:

  • Shipments that need to be received,
  • Products that need to be merchandised,
  • Orders that need to be put in with distributors,
  • Customers that want to talk about their favorite deck/card/board game with you for HOURS,
  • Toilets that need to be cleaned,
  • Stacks of cards that need to be sorted and priced,
  • Social media messages that need to be answered,
  • Events that need to be organized and run,
  • And more! 

The list is almost endless really.

And somewhere in that exhausting whirlwind of things demanding your attention everyday, you need to also make sure you’re marketing your game store and getting new customers in the door.

This is why almost every single game store owner I’ve spoken to has had trouble with their marketing at some point.

It’s a constantly changing field, so it’s hard to stay on top of what works and what doesn’t, and it takes time to put good marketing together, time which is in short supply most days.

When you combine that with the fear of wasting your limited funds on something you don’t even know is working, marketing usually gets put into the “I’ll get to that tomorrow” bucket.

And tomorrow never comes.

Which is a tragedy for your game store.

It doesn’t matter how awesome your store is or how fun the products you sell are, if no one knows about it!

You may have also noticed that outside the tabletop industry, a good portion of professional marketers have no idea what you’re selling!

Trying to work with a generic marketing agency is awkward because they typically think Magic: the Gathering cards come with a top hat and a rabbit, have no idea what the latest Pokémon set is, and their only reference to Dungeons & Dragons comes from Stranger Things.

So a few years ago, I decided to bridge that gap.

I wanted to take my skills as a digital marketer and use them to help game store owners grow their businesses, and so the Manaverse Marketing Agency was born.

In the Manaverse Marketing Agency, we believe in two core things:

  • That local game stores are important community spaces that deserve to thrive,
  • And that marketing should be measurable and have an ROI for your business.

That’s why we specialize in working with local game store owners and implementing digital marketing strategies that drive results. 

We leverage our industry knowledge and digital expertise to build ecommerce websites and create email and ad campaigns for game stores that:

  • Generate sales online from cold traffic (people who’ve never heard of your store before),
  • Bring new local customers into your shop and encourages existing customers to buy more frequently,
  • Nurture customers and turns them into regulars,
  • Get butts in the seats for your events (if that’s the kind of LGS you’re running),
  • Gets your store in front of new potential customers every single day on autopilot,
  • And gets a measurable return on investment for every dollar you spend.

Does This Sound Like You?

If you’re a game store owner who:

  • Wants to grow your business but lacks the time or energy to create and execute a digital marketing strategy that works,
  • Has an ecommerce website and is eager to explode your online sales by using proven, effective tactics,
  • Aims to attract new customers with targeted paid advertising, but is tired of wasting money on ads that don’t convert,
  • Struggles to maintain an engaging email marketing campaign that turns subscribers into loyal customers, and needs a reliable system to make it happen consistently,
  • Needs a professional, high-converting website that showcases your store’s unique personality and helps you stand out in the competitive marketplace,
  • Is overwhelmed by the endless tasks and tools required for marketing and wishes for a partner to handle it all, allowing you to focus on what you truly love—running your store and connecting with your community,

Then working with the Manaverse Marketing Agency is the perfect solution for you!

But, if you’re a game store owner who:

  • Believes that a great product alone will draw customers, without any online effort,
  • Is satisfied with a basic website that doesn’t effectively display your inventory or engage visitors,
  • Believes a Facebook page is all you need to do to attract customers online,
  • Thinks digital marketing is a passing trend and relies solely on word-of-mouth or foot traffic,
  • Prefers to do everything yourself, even if it means spending countless hours on complex marketing tools instead of focusing on your strengths,

Then Manaverse Marketing Agency might not be for you. We specialize in partnering with game store owners who are ready to elevate their business to new heights with expert digital marketing strategies.

Here are just some of the results we’ve achieved for our clients:

We’ve worked with game store owners in every stage of their business, from prelaunch and opening their doors for the first time, to established seven figure operations. 

  • 34% year over year growth and adding an extra $978,634 in top line revenue.
  • From 0 to over 3000 email subscribers with an average value of $13 per subscriber.
  • $500k in additional revenue from paid Meta ads, with an average Return on Ad Spend of 12x.
  • Over $400k in revenue from Google Ads with a ROAS of 38x!

Take a peek at some of these dashboard snap shots!

Imagine a buzzing Saturday afternoon at your game store.

The air is filled with the hum of conversation and the rustle of cards and models moving across tables.

Your tables are packed with excited players, having a great time.

Customers weave through the aisles, their eyes lighting up as they discover new releases and long-sought treasures.

The satisfying cha-ching of the cash register echoes repeatedly, a constant reminder of your store’s success.

Every event you organize is booked solid weeks in advance, creating a palpable buzz and anticipation in the community. Meanwhile, your online sales are soaring, bringing your unique store experience to gamers across the country.

You’re not just running a store—you’re creating a thriving community hub, a place where gamers gather, connect, and share their passion.

With your digital marketing taken care of and your game store’s growth happening on autopilot, you have more peace of mind and time to focus on the important things:

  • Working on your business, rather than in your business,
  • Spending time enjoying the hobbies and passions that got you into the business in the first place,
  • Providing a better life for your employees,
  • Creating a thriving community space where everyone feels welcome and has a good time,
  • Enjoying the fruits of your labor!

This isn’t just a dream—it’s the reality for game stores that have embraced powerful digital marketing strategies with the right support.

With the Manaverse Marketing Agency, you’ll have a steady stream of new customers walking through your doors and returning regulars who are more engaged and loyal than ever.

Your store will become the go-to destination for your local gaming community and a recognized name in the wider online market.

There’s never been a better time to take control of your game store’s growth. 

The online marketplace is more competitive than ever, and every day you wait is another day potential customers are finding your competitors instead of you. Plus, digital marketing trends and strategies are constantly evolving. 

The longer you delay, the more ground you lose. 

And the sooner you begin laying the marketing ground work, the more you can take advantage of the prime shopping season that is rapidly approaching!

By starting now, you can stay ahead of the curve, capitalize on the current opportunities, and secure your store’s place as a leader in your local gaming community.

Think about the last time you invested in new inventory, a store renovation, or a major event. Those were essential investments for your store, right? 

Digital marketing is no different. 

In fact, it’s the investment that amplifies all others by bringing in more customers, driving more sales, and ensuring your store remains a thriving part of the community. 

The average salary of a digital marketing employee comes in around $68,000 per year, with more experienced marketers earning well over $100,000 per year.

Our services start at just $3,000 per month, with discounts on longer term contracts—a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time in-house marketing expert but with a much higher return on investment.

And we handle every aspect of setting up and maintaining a powerful digital marketing engine for your game store.

Here’s a breakdown of how it all works:

First, we get to know your business and the branding and style of your game store. We build out a brand guide that includes your fonts, logos, colors, and the general style of your game store’s digital footprint.

Then we get to work building out automated sequences of emails that integrate directly with your ecommerce website. We can even build an ecommerce website for you.

We’ve worked with most of the major ecom platforms and specialize in building Shopify, BigCommerce, Crystal Commerce, and WordPress websites.

Once your email automation system is built, we plug everything into your ecommerce site so everything works seamlessly.

From there, we develop and refine a newsletter that gets sent out to your email list each week, highlighting events, new releases, and what’s happening in your store to keep your customers engaged and connected.

With the email system and ecommerce site in place, we’ll start building your paid ads campaigns.

First, by integrating the most popular platforms: Google and Meta. By connecting them to your ecommerce platform or existing website, we can directly track results for our campaigns in the dashboard.

From there, we set up the audiences within each service. Depending on your business goals, we can focus on a hyper local audience centered around your game store’s location, or we can go national.

Or we can do both!

Once that’s done, we build out ad campaigns focused on driving foot traffic into your store, selling products directly via catalog, shopping, and conversion ads, and getting new people onto your email list.

Each month you’ll get performance reports on how everything is doing, plus monthly strategy sessions and priority support, so you’re always in the loop on how your marketing budget is performing.

It’s a complete digital marketing system for your game store.

And to make it even easier to get started, we’re including a few bonuses when you sign up today:

  1. Free Marketing Audit: We’ll take a deep dive into your current marketing efforts and identify the biggest opportunities for growth.
  2. Exclusive Training Webinar: Get access to our proven strategies for maximizing online sales and customer engagement, available only to our clients.
  3. Custom Content Package: Receive three professionally written blog posts tailored to your store’s audience, designed to boost your SEO and drive traffic to your site.

Don’t let another day go by without taking action. 

Schedule a free strategy call with us today to find out exactly how we can help your store grow. 

Whether you’re looking to increase foot traffic, boost online sales, or create a more engaging customer experience, we’ve got the tools and expertise to make it happen. 

Grab a time below to book your call now and take the first step toward transforming your store’s future.

Not ready to dive into a full marketing package yet? That’s okay! Start with our Marketing Essentials Kit.

This kit includes our comprehensive digital marketing tracker for game stores, a basic website audit, and a 30-minute consultation call.

It’s a great way to dip your toes into digital marketing without a big commitment. And if you decide to upgrade to a full package later, we’ll credit the cost of the kit toward your first month’s service.


P.S. Remember, every day you wait is an opportunity cost where your store could be serving more customers and growing but isn’t. You’ve worked hard to build your store, and you deserve to see it thrive. With the right digital marketing strategy, the sky’s the limit. 

Let us help you get there—schedule your strategy call today and let’s make it happen together.