Gamification is ubiquitous in the consumer world. So much so, that sometimes it's worth being reminded of just how many ways it can touch our lives. In a single lunchtime, you could go on a 'streak' of language achievement on DuoLingo, burn wholesome calories on a Fitbit Challenge and then earn some stars from Starbucks for buying a White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino with extra cream.
Given gaming’s diverse appeal, you can see why brands have flocked to use it in their marketing. There is a pervading stereotype that games are the sole domain of teenagers, but in fact it is probably one of the only hobbies that is equally popular across at least three generations. The average age of a gamer is 35 and around 45% of Western gamers are female.
The integration of consumer brands goes back for as long as there have been computer games (you could play McDonalds on a 1980s Atrai 2600). But as digital interactive content becomes more universally popular, it offers opportunities for B2B marketers to be more creative about how they engage their audience across any platform.
Gamification isn’t necessarily about games. It’s about challenge and reward. Enjoying the need to compete and complete. It’s about tapping into that emotional response that comes from winning and the feedback that comes with it. Applying those mechanics to your B2B marketing can be a powerful motivator for your audience, but the key question is how you do it.
Deciding your objective
As with most strategy planning, gamification tends to be more effective if you start with the outcome you want and work backwards. The examples at the start of this blog offer a distinction between two objectives: increased engagement verses customer loyalty.
Both DuoLingo and Fitbit have realised that the more they can improve the experience of their users, the more often they will return to use the platform. Sticking to a language or exercise takes perpetual self-control, so these apps reward engagement beyond the incremental improvement in their respective disciplines.
An obvious parallel is with B2B topics that might otherwise be considered complex, intimidating or just plain boring. Gamification offers prospects an enjoyable chance to educate themselves on the background and benefits of your product or service, at their own pace and without being overwhelmed. You can see this in action over at LinkedIn Learning, which allows you to consume simple online courses, go on learning ‘streaks’ and show off your progress to connections.
Customer loyalty on the other hand, is not something that needs too much translating. Starbucks has calculated that the simple conceit of collecting stars towards a free cup of coffee will result in users being willing to spend £50 before they taste that sweet complimentary caffeine. Not a bad margin for the company at all, although you will need to judge the value of your own offer to keep customers loyal.
Lead generation, community engagement and conversions are also big draws for gamification, and all three have been cracked by Juniper Networks. This is a great write-up of how a global business selling B2B networking and cloud services was able to make the most of gamification techniques both in-person and online.
Setting a challenge
In some ways, a challenge is designed to appeal to your prospects’ ego – or at least their need for that dopamine hit that comes from winning. It can be easy to forget that just because your product might be aimed at a business, you’re still marketing to a person. They have wants, needs, fears and ambitions, and interactive content allows you to tap into those emotions with quizzes, stories, scenarios and games.
The challenge you set very much depends on the values and objectives of the people you want to engage. Do they want something, do they want to learn, or do they want to prove a point? Are you testing who has the most expert knowledge? Whose skills reign supreme? A low-involvement challenge could simply be letting prospects check which option is right for their business via multiple choice.
These sorts of interactions are great because they ask for very little input but still scratch that psychological itch for seeing your decisions progress towards a satisfying conclusion. Neil Patel puts this to great effect with his SEO analyser tool: by answering questions in nine short clicks, first-time visitors are presented with a personalised SEO action plan.
And this leads to the next important part of gamification:
Rewards
Starbucks doesn’t feel the need to overly-reward customers in terms of money or product. However, users can see themselves move closer to that prize every time they buy a drink – and that’s enough to keep them engaged.
Digital badges, stars, progress bars and medals can work as little ego-boosters themselves, but they can also signify movement towards something more tangible. They are a key part of gamification that you can employ in your own prospects’ route through the funnel: small steps towards a larger reward.
The prize might just be an ego-boost that comes with ‘winning’ your game – especially if it’s a test of skill or knowledge. Alternatively, it could constitute some exclusive research or insight à la Neil Patel. Or if you’re looking to make a sale, it could be a discount, free shipping or an upgrade.
For prospects who want to be recognised for their expertise, the reward could be pride of place on a leader board displayed on your website. Whatever you choose, it has to coincide with your objective and the value of the outcome needs to be worth the time and effort you’re asking of participants.
Humans have been playing games for at least 8,000 years, so it’s fair to say it’s pretty ingrained in our nature. Done well, gamification allows you to tap into your audiences’ desire to enjoy, to overcome, to prove, to progress and succeed. In return, the increased engagement offers your business a chance to level up.
To explore the potential of B2B gamification, visit LinkedIn Ad Vantage and immerse yourself in our ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ experience: A Day in the Life of a Marketer. Don’t forget to tell us what you think via #linkedinadvantage.
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