Gamification: How to use it in marketing

If you’re looking for a way to make your marketing more fun and engaging, gamification might be just what you need. Gamification means integrating elements from the gaming world into marketing strategies. If you do it right, it can help you increase engagement, customer loyalty, and sales. 

In this article, we explore what gamification is, look at 3 successful real-world examples, and examine potential drawbacks. You’ll also get 5 tips on how to use gamification in your marketing. 

What is gamification?

Gamification can be described as the use of game elements, such as points, rewards, and challenges, in environments and contexts that are not typically associated with games. The aim is to make it fun and motivating for users, customers, blog readers, employees, or students to engage with something.  

Gamification can make an otherwise ordinary or boring activity feel exciting and rewarding. This is exactly why it can be smart to use gamification marketing wherever user or customer engagement is a priority. 

If you offer online courses on your website, gamification can also make your courses more rewarding and entertaining for your participants, increasing the chances that they will take more of your courses and recommend you to friends and family. 

Is gamification behavioural design?

Gamification is based on principles from behavioural design by using elements and techniques that appeal to people’s competitive nature and activate the brain’s reward system. If you have a good understanding of what motivates your target audience, you can create gamification marketing that makes them want to interact with your brand and perform desired actions. 

What can be achieved with gamification?

Numerous studies have shown that gamification is an effective tool when the goal is to achieve higher engagement among customers and users online. When gamification is integrated into a marketing strategy in a responsible, thoughtful, and strategic way, tailored to both the company and the brand, there is much to be gained: 

• Increased customer engagement: Gamification can make your campaigns more fun and motivate customers to actively engage with your content. 
• Improved customer loyalty: Game elements, such as points and rewards, can increase your chances of achieving loyal customers. Customers who feel valued, rewarded, and have a good experience are more likely to return.
• Increased customer retention: A rewarding and exciting user experience can help ensure that customers become attached to your brand and remain interested. 
• Higher conversion rates: By implementing gamification in parts of the customer journey, you can make it more attractive for customers to perform desired actions such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or referring qualified leads. This will lead to more conversions and increased sales. 
• Strengthened brand awareness: Creative campaigns where gamification is used well can attract attention and may even lead to users or customers sharing your campaigns on social media. This can strengthen brand awareness and allow you to reach a wider audience. 

Potential drawbacks

Although gamification has many advantages, it’s important to consider that it doesn’t fit into the marketing strategy of every business. There is also a risk that users may perceive gamification as negative, intrusive, or gimmicky if not used in a proper and responsible manner. The goal is for users to have a good experience and not feel manipulated or overwhelmed.

What to avoid:

• Complicated game mechanics that are difficult to understand. If it is too hard to achieve the reward, you risk the user becoming frustrated and giving up. 
• Rewards without value or rewards that are not tailored to the target audience can make your competition or quiz feel like a waste of time for the user. 
• Ignoring feedback from users and customers is never a good idea. Gamification should help create a good experience for the user. If many of your users express that the opposite is the case, you should listen to them and adjust your strategy based on their feedback. 
• Making participation mandatory can have a negative effect. You should always make participation voluntary and never prevent the customer from accessing your website’s functionality or product selection if they don’t wish to take part. 

Examples of successful gamification

Now that we’ve defined what gamification is and what it can do, let’s zoom in on three examples of companies that have had great success using gamification in their marketing or concept. 

Nike

Nike’s running app, Nike Run Club, is a fantastic example of how gamification works when used correctly. For users of the app, the run becomes a social activity with built-in competition elements. Runners can see an overview of their personal achievements and records, earn badges, take part in challenges, and share new records with friends on social media.  

The result is that the user is motivated to get up from the sofa, put on their running shoes, and go for a run they might otherwise have postponed. For Nike, it means increased brand loyalty and a community of engaged users who are more likely to choose a pair of Nike running shoes because the shoes can be registered in the running app. 

Starbucks and other coffee chains

The large American coffee chain Starbucks has a rewards program that is a classic example of effective gamification. Coffee-thirsty customers earn a star for every purchase they make, and when customers have earned enough points, the points can be redeemed for free snacks or another caffeine kick. The points system makes it more attractive for customers to choose Starbucks because they can see the free reward on the other side of the stars. 

The British coffee chain Costa Coffee has a similar point system in their Costa Club rewards program.  

Duolingo

As we mentioned earlier in the article, gamification is also an effective tool in educational contexts. The language learning app Duolingo is a prime example of this. The entire app is designed like a game to ensure that users complete their language lessons every day.  

In the app, users achieve so-called streaks by completing lessons several days in a row. If you miss several language lessons, the streak you have achieved resets, and many users would prefer to avoid this at all costs. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to see a friend or family member suddenly whispering German phrases into their phones at a party or on the train. 

Duolingo can likely thank gamification for making their app the world’s most popular language app, although their green owl mascot has definitely also contributed to their great success. 

5 ideas for gamification marketing

We’ve looked at the advantages and disadvantages of gamification and at companies that have had great success using it to their and their customers’ benefit. Here are 5 ideas on how you can use gamification in your own marketing. 

1. Create a loyalty program

If you have a restaurant, you can create a loyalty program where your guests can earn points every time, they book a table through your website or if they share their dining experience on social media.

2. Organise competitions

If you have an online shop selling new or used furniture, you can run a competition where customers can share pictures of how they have decorated their living room, kitchen, or children’s room with furniture from your shop, and allow followers on social media to vote for the best-decorated room.

3. Create interactive content

If you have a hair salon, you can create a quiz that visitors can take to find out which hair products best suit their hair type. The reward for completing the quiz could be a discount on the products, either in your online shop or the next time they book a haircut at your salon.

If you have a WordPress site, there are many different quiz plugins you can use.

4. Progress tracking and badges

If you offer online courses on your website, you can, like Duolingo and Nike, allow your participants to track their results and progress to make participating in your courses more motivating. You can also create special badges that participants can earn by completing certain parts of the course or by actively engaging in a community with other participants.

5. Create a referral programme

If you have an online shop selling sportswear, dog food, or something else entirely, you can make it possible for loyal customers to get special discounts, offers, or free shipping every time they refer a friend to your shop.

Gamification: a win-win for both business and customer

In summary, by using gamification in your overall marketing strategy, you can make it more attractive for customers and users to interact with your content and your brand.  

If you manage to implement gamification in a way that matches your brand’s identity and appeals to your target audience, you can increase your chances of gaining more customers and improving conversion rates. Of course, always ensure that you use gamification responsibly and in a way that will be perceived positively by your potential customers and users.