This was an article about how helpful it is to implement “gamification” into your marketing strategy. People always respond positively when they feel like they’ve earned something special… or when they feel they’re entitled to what’s their’s… or when they’re worried about missing out! I had a blast writing this for Mark Hayes over at Rocketshp—it’s one of my favorites to date.
Gamification is an effort to advance business objectives by harnessing natural desires for interaction and reward.
As an applied form of game theory, it can be an efficient and cost effective means of enhancing brand loyalty and furthering profit generation.
However, care must be taken to apply gamification sensibly to avoid alienating the same customers it means to attract.
Marketing Made Fun
Though gamification can take many forms, the principle is similar in all its manifestations: customers interacting with a product through some form of tiered, stimulating reward structure.
Achievements, badges and virtual currency often play substantial roles in the process, just as in video games, and customers are encouraged to advance upward in the game’s hierarchy through increasing engagement with the product.
The particulars can differ from one implementation to another.
Companies may use narrative to enhance a customer’s interest or provide education about how a product should be used.
Similarly, lightly competitive elements can be introduced to increase retention, though this should only be done in a way that doesn’t excessively disadvantage someone – and, more importantly, incentivizes them to try again in the near future.
How Can Gamification Help?
