The adoption of gamification in marketing has opened up a world of possibilities for companies. More than just a fun experience, this innovative methodology can help strengthen relationships with target audiences in different ways, including increasing lead generation .
Gamified platforms can serve as incentives for people to get in Barbados Email List touch with the brand, all through an engaging and fun activity, instead of something routine and expected. These tools can complement marketing strategies — from in-person events to digital actions — offering an alternative to enrich the department's work.
This way, it is possible to innovate in various tactics, such as sales funnels , contributing to increasing sources of lead capture and strengthening the organization's image. However, this is just one example of what investing in gamification can do for a business's actions.
Summary:
Gamification in Marketing
What is Gamification?
The Potential of Gamification in Marketing
How to Use Gamification in Lead Generation?
Gamification in Marketing: A Strategic Partnership
Technological advances play a fundamental role in marketing and sales strategies. No company — regardless of its size or market segment — can ignore the power of the internet to attract, engage and retain customers. And, of all the tools available, gamification is one of the most innovative and surprising for this sector.
However, many businesses are still unaware of the potential of applying this strategy to their advertising and communication efforts, thus missing out on countless opportunities. And, in a scenario where the gaming industry has been dominating the market and the hearts of millions, this negligence can have significant impacts on the business's competitiveness.
But, first of all, it is essential to understand what gamification is and why it is such an interesting tool for a company's marketing and sales strategies.
After all, what is gamification?
Although it is not a new methodology, many people are still unaware of what this tool is and how it works. In short, gamification is a strategy that uses game elements, design and logic to motivate people to perform actions that are not limited to entertainment, but rather generate positive benefits in their lives and routines.
More than a fun activity, a gamified dynamic can encourage someone to perform a task and even change certain behaviors.
This methodology was developed taking into account theories from fields such as psychology, neuroscience, motivation, learning, anthropology and sociology. It brings together studies and knowledge aimed at using certain stimuli to awaken the engagement of the target audience of an action.
In other words, it is not just a game or fun activity, designed to socialize and pass the time, gamification is a dynamic that encourages people to complete certain tasks that will lead them to have positive and concrete impacts on their lives.
In this sense, it is no surprise that this strategy has been attracting attention in areas such as health, security, politics, education, business and marketing. Organizations in these segments are adopting gamified platforms that were developed taking into account their specific needs to attract, retain and engage their target audience.
Thus, they offer an immersive and interactive experience, and consequently, a memorable one for the key people in the operation of their businesses.
A scoring and ranking system with friends can be used to encourage someone to exercise; storytelling , that is, a well-developed and engaging story, can contribute to a student's immersion in a specific topic of their classes; and a gamified activity is capable of attracting the attention of a relevant number of people to fuel a company's lead generation.
These are just a few examples of how gamification is an effective strategy in a variety of contexts. In the case of businesses, it can be used in activities such as recruitment and selection , onboarding of new employees, corporate training , internal communication, in employees' daily tasks and in marketing actions.
And in this last strategy there is a large field to be explored by companies of all sizes and market segments.
The Potential of Gamification in Marketing
The truth is this: games attract a huge number of people. From something considered “childish” or “silly”, they have become a powerful industry all over the world.
The TechNET study, published in 2021 by the Canaltech portal , stated that the gaming sector is valued at US$163.1 billion, accounting for more than half of the value of the entertainment industry — larger than the film and music markets combined. The research also indicates that there are more than 2.5 billion gamers worldwide. In other words, a considerable audience.
In Brazil, the numbers are also relevant: the Game Brasil 2021 Survey (developed by Blend New Research, ESPM, Go Games and Sioux Group) provides an overview of the industry and the behavior of Brazilian players. The numbers are clear:
Brazilians have the habit of playing electronic games.
Of these respondents, the age groups with the most players are people of working age:
And, contrary to common perception, the majority of the audience is made up of women (51.5%), while men are a minority (48.5%).
One thing the research makes clear is that for these people, games are not something trivial:
In this group there is also a platform preference:
But what do all these numbers mean in the end? There is great potential to be explored by companies that can adopt gamification in their marketing strategies to delight this large and diverse group.
Women, men, people of working age, who love mobile games: how many campaigns can you run for this audience, attracting them to your business and increasing sales?
The preference for smartphones also shows how adopting a gamification strategy is possible for businesses of all types and segments. After all, it is not necessary to have a partnership with giants responsible for sophisticated game consoles, but rather with an organization specialized in simpler mobile games.
As it is a flexible method, there are several actions that can be taken by combining gamification with this area:
Gamification in events
This methodology can make all the difference in small to large marketing campaigns. Gamification can be adopted to make some moments of company events more participatory and memorable, helping to engage the public and obtain better responses in these situations.
Instead of just relying on lectures and conversations — which can become monotonous and, therefore, the message is not absorbed properly — it is possible to adopt this strategy to break the ice, reinforce certain ideas in more practical and active dynamics, in addition to making events more unforgettable.
Imagine using a gamified activity to strengthen organizational values and the causes that the company defends for a diverse audience: wouldn't that be a different way of positioning itself in society?
There are countless ways in which this strategy can be adopted at an event, whether small or large.
Gamification in customer loyalty
Another strategy that can be strengthened with the use of gamification is customer loyalty initiatives. It is possible to offer a gamified activity to strengthen the bond between buyers and the company, creating a dynamic that is beneficial for everyone involved.
It is easy to find examples of actions like these: one of the best known are sporting goods companies that invest in gamified applications to encourage their customers to practice physical activities — thus offering a positive experience for the public that is still linked to the brand's objectives and values.
This way, it is possible to get even closer to customers and provide them with a different experience.
Product/service launch
Offering a new solution is always a challenge. Convincing the public that your service or product deserves attention and will meet their needs is hard work, but if done well, it can boost your company's sales.
However, this situation can be a bit boring for potential customers, especially when their daily lives are surrounded by advertisements all the time.
Adopting gamification when launching new solutions can be a way to break down this advertising barrier, attracting attention that would have otherwise been diverted or ignored by traditional advertising campaigns.
Gamification, therefore, becomes a “bait” for people to get to know the company’s new product or service, in addition to offering a more memorable and positive experience with the brand.
Lead generation
The idea of using gamification as “bait” also works in the sales funnel strategy. It is necessary to attract a large number of leads before working with and nurturing them until the most prepared ones reach the final stage — and purchase the company’s products, services, and solutions.
Since games are so popular, especially when they are free, offering a gamified activity can be an excellent strategy to attract more leads by providing free and fun content. It is possible to develop a specific dynamic for the profile of the audience you want to attract — young people, women, in a certain age range, heavy smartphone users, among many options.
All of these ideas can help the company reach new groups and strengthen its relationship with those who already know the organization. In the case of digital strategies, the partnership with gamification becomes even more advantageous by allowing the development of electronic solutions to boost the marketing work that is already being done.
Therefore, when it comes to lead generation and sales funnels, gamification becomes an innovative and strategic tool that can contribute to the success of these methodologies.
How to Use Gamification in Lead Generation?
All marketing and sales professionals know that generating leads and nurturing the sales funnel is not easy. It is important to discover new strategies and ways to attract people, offering them interesting and innovative content.
Gamification can be an excellent option in this regard. This methodology provides an immersive and interactive experience to the public, using familiar elements to draw attention to something different.
Instead of offering static and traditional materials, leads will participate in a fun and participatory dynamic — encouraging an active stance with the company.
Imagine having a partner to develop a game with the goal of leveraging certain content: what are the chances of this action generating more buzz and attention from potential customers than simply making a blog/social media post or an advertisement (on and offline), especially in a world full of stimuli competing for the public's attention? And what are the chances that those who come into contact with the gamified materials will end up engaging with the brand?
In addition to other lead generation strategies, gamification helps to innovate the dynamics with the public — giving them a different, friendly and engaging experience. In addition, it can also be a strategy that the competition is not exploring, being a suitable space for the company to differentiate itself.
However, like any strategy, gamification requires planning, investment and efforts to be adopted in the best way and generate the positive impacts desired by the organization.