If you are looking to supercharge your campaign by adding gamification, great! Applying gamification techniques in marketing, such as winning prizes or getting a score, can help enhance loyalty, increase conversions and boost engagement.
One helpful method in deciding which gaming elements would work with your audience is looking at the Bartle player types. There are four different player types; achievers, explorers, socializers, and killers, each motivated by a different incentive for playing.
1. Achievers
All eyes are on the prize! They want to gain points or get to the next level. They like proof of success: points, possessions, or prizes. They want rewards and prestige with or without advancement in gameplay.
- Include a mechanism where scores or skills can be shown off.
- Games such as spin the wheel and scratch cards are great for instant gratification.
- Loyalty programs where levels and VIP status are included will work well as an incentive.
2. Explorers
Want to discover new things and love to find hidden treasures. Some players like the thrill of discovery. They like to dig down and find something new or unknown. Secret pathways and rare finds excite them much more than gaining a prize.
- Include ways of discovery, such as hidden clues, puzzles, jokes, or features they can hunt for or unlock.
- Consider using augmented reality for new ways to explore a product or world
- Think about enhancing the pleasure of playing rather than the end result.
This cryptic quiz for a John Grisham book launch allowed users to take their time and solve the clues.
3. Socializers
Want to interact with other people. Social interaction counts more than the game strategy. Relationships are the reward, and popularity is the goal.
- Include shareable, novel content that has the potential to go viral, and include hashtags.
- Quizzes are great for a socializer, they get to find out more about themselves, plus share the results with all their friends.
- Avoid competition, that isn’t their motivation.
4. Killers
Have strong competitive instincts. They like scoring points, competing against people, taking part in challenges, winning, and showing off their knowledge.
- Include functions such as leaderboards, ranks, progress tracking, quizzes, and milestones.
- Consider having users compete against each other. For example, a knowledge quiz or who can get the fastest time.
- They enjoy influencing other players, for good or for evil!
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac The Nike+ Run Club app is enjoyable for Killers looking to compete against themselves and others.
To increase conversions, look at ways to attract more than one type with your campaign. As there tends to be an overlap, for example, you can be an explorer and still enjoy the experience if you happen to pick up points along the way.
Demographic factors to consider
When designing your campaign, try to consider these factors about your audience.
1. Gender
It is suggested that men tend to respond to more task and achievement-oriented styles, whilst women lean towards being concerned with social relations and social influence (source). However, avoid dated gender stereotypes that could alienate your audience or put them off!
2. Gaming experience
Will the user instinctively know what to do? Whilst a younger, more tech-savvy user could hit the ground running, could more of an explanation or a simpler format be needed for older crowds? (Ease of use of gamification is shown to decline with age)
3. The intention
Think about how your audience will judge the intention of the campaign. For example, this study looking at the Motivational effects and age differences of gamification in product advertising noted
“Purchase intentions of conventional products were predicted by attitudes, subjective norm and perceived control, whereas purchase intentions of gamified products were predicted by attitudes and the perceived usefulness. Enjoyment and flow were significant mediators between motivational incentives and purchase intentions. Consumers with prior gaming experience had higher purchase intentions for gamified products.”
Tips for starting your gamified campaign
Preparation
- Start with your key performance indicators. This might be sales, page visits, data, or something else.
- Identify your target audience. What’s the demographic?
- Decide on what is your cost of acquisition or what budget you are prepared to put into achieving your goals.
- What’s the timeframe to create the campaign, and how long will it remain active?
- Only now, think of the campaign ideas and test them carefully against your KPIs
Testing
- Ensure that the motivation to enter is very clear
- Blind test the entry process
- Check all social share settings and messages are clear (and being scraped)
About BeeLiked
BeeLiked offers companies an ever-growing portfolio of promotion types that are quick to create, with full design flexibility, performance tracking, and data collection capabilities to ensure your campaign and promotion exceed all your expectations.
The BeeLiked Platform can help you engage and incentivize your audience and customers across their life-cycle and journey.
