Gamification has been a trending buzz word in the creative and innovation world for the past few years. Simply put, it is the use of game mechanics and game design techniques in non-game contexts. Gamification has become most prevalent in current day through digital platforms such as Foursquare and Klout. Some will dismiss the current resurgence of gamification as a trend or too faddish. But there are definitely many benefits to applying gamification to your work life or business strategy. Here are a few of them (reposted from Indigo Media Consulting):
1. It greatly improves your customer engagement.
When you employ gamification into your marketing tactics, you will easily improve your engagement with your customers. Gamification helps generate more users to your site as well as getting the same user to visit more often. Users will be more likely to spend more time on your site, and they will be more inclined to take part in other aspects of your site, such as participating in polls, trivia or general conversation. The more engaged your users are, the more you can learn about them, and the more likely they will be to choose your products or services over the competition.
2. You can influence your audience.
The use of gamification allows you to have some influence over your audience. If you push out information directly to those who use your site for gaming by offering new incentives, you will increase their participation and make them more inclined to start playing sooner. By having this type of influence over your customers, you have a better chance of influencing their purchasing decisions and not just when they play your game.
3. You will build customer loyalty.
If a consumer is constantly visiting your site to play your game, your name is being embedded into their head. When it comes time to make a purchasing decision, they are more likely to turn to your company. They are dedicated to your game, and in return, they become dedicated to your product or service.
4. You can go viral.
If a user falls in love with your game, they will talk about it with their friends and family and influence them to start playing. They may also share your game via their social networks, which will push you in front of a larger audience. The more people who start talking about your game, the bigger chance your game has of going viral.
5. You will definitely improve your SEO.
If your game generates a ton of traffic, this traffic will be leading to your website. If they spend a lot of time on your site, this will have a great bearing on the ranking of your site. Search engines use these metrics to determine how to rank your site appropriately. If you are getting a ton of traffic and are keeping users on your site for long periods of time, you may see your site climb in the search engine rankings.
(original author Jonathan Proute)
The uses and techniques for gamification vary greatly. If you would like to learn how to apply some serious gaming techniques to your business and strategy plans, join our friend Robert Becker of Becker Multimedia for a powerful workshop, here at the Ranch on October 23. For more info and to register, click here.
