Marketing games and their impact on today’s consumers
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In a world where technology is constantly evolving, so too are the ways in which brands market their products. Today, there are all kinds of marketing games that companies are creating to engage their audiences. But what effect do these games have on consumers?
In this article, we’ll consider the impacts these gamified forms of content can have on consumer behaviour.
The evolution of consumer behaviour
Society is constantly changing and with it, consumer behaviour. In particular, consumers are now so accustomed to speed and convenience, that online shopping tends to be the preference.
In the early 2000s it was common to go to a shop to make purchases – even to make a day of going to a shopping mall and patronising the food court – whereas the shift to reliable online shopping means people can shop from the comfort of their sofa or on their phone with just a few swipes and taps. You can literally decide you want something, order it on your phone, and have it delivered to your door the next day, sometimes at no extra cost, or a relatively nominal one. You can even have restaurant quality food delivered to your house within a half-hour of selecting your meal on an app. Additionally, online makes searching for products incredibly easy – no hunting through aisles or fathoming departments – and an online store typically has access to all of a company’s warehouses, so consumers aren’t limited to what’s available at their local branch.
The other advantage of online shopping from the consumer standpoint is the ability to make a more considered purchase. You’re far less likely to be “sold” on something by an instore specialist. They may give you information, but you can follow that up by consulting reviews and independent blogs and vlogs. With social networks playing an increasingly important role in our lives, opinions on products and services can be formed almost instantly after use or purchase. This has made customer reviews one of the most important factors influencing purchasing decisions today.
As a result, companies have had to adapt to improve the customer experience, and make their offerings as close to undeniable as they can. The consumer now has a far bigger market available to them than before. Businesses have to contend with the fact that no demographic is beholden to their geographical area – the customer’s world is far bigger, and they have far more options available to them. One particularly innovative method for companies tackling this new challenge is through marketing games.
What is the impact of gamification and marketing games on your customers?
Gamification and marketing games are an increasingly popular method for driving customer engagement in this age of high speed internet and instant gratification. Not only do they provide a fun and interactive experience through game play, they can also build brand loyalty and generate a lot of valuable user data. By applying game mechanics to marketing, motivations like the desire for challenge and discovery can be redirected to encourage desired consumer behaviours.
By creating marketing games, which is to deliver branded experiences and challenges for their target audience, companies can quickly discover what their customers enjoy and what kinds of rewards keep them playing. In addition to creating a quality customer relationship, games also encourage customers to take specific actions, such as leaving feedback or recommending a product to friends. All of these benefits demonstrate how powerful gamification strategies can be when it comes to expanding your customer base and building a loyal following.
By integrating marketing contests and games into your digital content strategy, you can create a win-win situation – engaging customers in game play while increasing your marketing’s return on investment (ROI).
Engage and convert a prospect into a customer
The process of convincing a prospect to become a customer is a long-term strategy. It goes beyond the initial sale, as it is important to build brand loyalty over time.
To engage with potential customers, companies need to create a memorable customer experience. This can be done through interactive content, such as marketing games like competitions, which can add significant value to a brand’s reputation.
One of the best ways to build buyer loyalty is to get them to choose your brand over others through rewards or discount codes. The quality of the customer experience and service, as much as the quality of the product, are what converts one-time customers into fans who will keep coming back.
Examples of marketing games for your customers
Creating marketing games from scratch involves a lot of coding and development, but with a marketing games platform like Drimify, you have access to numerous tried-and-tested marketing games that offer successful repeatability – you just need to use your dashboard to tailor them to your branding, your message, your content, and if offering them, your prizes.
Because such a large section of the population are gamers, or have been gamers, or have at least partaken in the playing of some video games through the course of their lives, the format is a familiar one to many people, and makes gamification applicable across markets.
The Quiz
Quizzes are a fun and engaging way to communicate with your community. It can help build relationships by creating a friendly, competitive environment, while providing a platform for consumers to learn more about your brand – or show off their knowledge about your brand. Participants are presented with multiple choice questions that they must answer correctly in order to progress through the game. Prizes such as discounts or exclusive offers can be offered to players who achieve high scores.
Wheel of Fortune
Games of chance such as a Wheel of Fortune are a classic game that can be used to effectively promote your business. It involves spinning a wheel with various branded rewards on it, such as discounts or free samples. Participants then have the opportunity to win the gift or prize on which the wheel stops. This game is very engaging and stimulating for the players because it creates drama and tension through its visuals – you can see the prizes and you can see how close they are to being yours. This makes it memorable, so the experience you delivered, and your business, can stick in the customer’s mind.
A Word Search or Crossword Puzzle
Word Search games are excellent for attracting prospects and keeping them interested in your organisation. Players can play a word search game containing words related to your business identity, such as product names or industry terms. The aim of the game is to find all the words within a certain time frame. Crossword Puzzles add a slightly more challenging, potentially more addictive element to game play, as it is a more involved experience, and takes a little more brain power.
The human being’s natural appetite for challenging diversion is a key motivation to capitalise on when creating these kinds of puzzles. The game needs to be hard so players can feel a sense of achievement in solving it, but not so hard as to be impossible without resorting to cheating.
Engage your audience with marketing games
These are just 3 of the many marketing games you can use to engage your audience and promote your company. If you want to know more about how gamification can work for your business, you can contact our team. We will discuss how marketing games can be used to enhance your customers’ experience.
By using interactive, attention-grabbing, and challenging gaming experiences, businesses can zero in on their audience’s concentration and engage them in gamified content.
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