As consumers become increasingly difficult to push along a sales funnel to the point of purchase, engaging them in a meaningful and valuable way is vital to the success of any marketing strategy. In a digital world full of distractions, it can be challenging to create a customer journey that is free of bumps in the road where your users can get lost - and this can mean losing a prospect for good.
So how do we as marketers ensure a smooth journey for our users that entertains them and provides the value they desire to capture their long-term attention? More than ever, the research and real-world campaigns tell us that gamified content is the way of the future. Let’s do a deep dive into how gamified content can create a loyal customer base that comes back for more time and time again.
Using gamified experiences to create personalised content
With the average person now reported to see between 6,000 and 10,000 advertisements each and every day, creating content that cuts through this noise can seem like a daunting task. Cutting through this marketing noise is categorised by personalised content - and how do you create personalised content? By collecting accurate and detailed information about your audience and feeding relevant content back to them using this data. Lately, we’ve spoken in detail about the rise of zero-party data collection as Google’s phasing out of the third-party cookie rapidly approaches.
Attracting new audiences is another goal that zero-party data will help you to reach. A 2021 Mckinsey & Company report found that 78% of consumers are more likely to make repeat purchases from brands that personalise.
As you may already know, zero-party data gives brands information directly from the source - their customers. Users impart data willingly and intentionally with the aim of improving their individual customer experience; note the word individual here. You can read more about zero-party data in our previous blog post. So how can you use gamified content to collect this valuable data? Easy. Build in market research questions that deliver rich preference data as a part of your gamified content.
Picture this - you’re a burger joint wanting to learn more about what buns your customers and prospects prefer. You create a competition to give users the chance to win free burgers for a year by building their ideal burger. By utilising gamified content in a scenario like this, you provide your consumers with a value exchange for imparting their preference data and you collect accurate and current information that you can use to create an incredible remarketing campaign that connects with your customer's needs and wants and ultimately, drives measurable business growth through informing you product innovations with valuable preference data.
Using gamified experiences to develop trust & loyalty with existing customers
We’re all familiar with the classic rewards program - you sign up with your name and email (first-party data), and you make purchases with a rewards card which then provides you with points that one day leads to a discount on a purchase. Once upon a time, this was an effective strategy for building trust and loyalty with an audience, but in a consumer environment that grows more impatient by the day, this strategy is outdated. How can we provide consumers with the instant gratification they seek? We know we’re repeating ourselves but the answer is still gamified content!
Gamified content is a new and improved way of providing a rewards program that fosters customer loyalty. We’ll talk more later about how you can do this using the Komo Platform but on a more general level, gamification enhances the experience of customer rewards. An interesting piece by the team at SaaSquatch discusses the idea of positive reinforcement - a psychological principle that when repeated, drives consumers to express loyal tendencies towards a brand or product. This is exactly what is at play with a competition where users are given the chance to win instantly - which also plays into the idea of instant versus delayed gratification.
An article from the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing (2020) showed that gamified content increases users perceived level of control, leading to increased positive attitudes toward a brand or their product. When users feel in control, they are much more likely to return again and again.
The role of gamified experiences in increasing engagement
With gamified content, you truly do get back what you give to your audience.
When users are exposed to a fun, smooth, branded experience from which they receive value, they’re far more likely to be forthcoming with information that brands can then utilise in order to convert them in the future. Our client, Havas Media, is proof of this, having achieved a market research response rate of 98% for a client in-stadium.
This all comes back to the idea of personalisation. By feeding an audience personalised content off the back of data they have imparted, a trust loop is created, where the customer is rewarded for their information with a prize, some form of coupon, information no one else knows or another valuable asset that enhances the relationship between that consumer and the brand. That consumer is now far more likely to repeat this loop and speak highly of their experience with the brand, recommending it to others.
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We see the incredible results of gamified experiences day in and day out through the experience of our customers - the users of the Komo Platform. Brands are able to create a highly-branded experience for their users, allowing brands to connect with users, capture their valuable data and reward them for imparting their information. This entire experience is low-cost, with a simple platform that requires absolutely no coding. As this ever-changing marketing landscape shifts, let’s explore the new terrain together and create content that engages, encourages brand loyalty and ultimately drives measurable business growth.
If you’re interested in learning more, there are a number of resources for you on our website. Searching for something more personalised? Request a demo at the link below and let us personally introduce you to the Komo Platform and how it can transform how you capture data and reward your audience!
