How to choose a game type for your gamification marketing campaign?

Picture of Kalev Kärpuk
Kalev Kärpuk
Figure out your marketing goal before you publish the campaign. Then choose a game type to enjoy success

In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, one strategy has been making waves for its ability to engage, captivate, and motivate audiences like never before – gamification marketing. Instead of adhering to the traditional marketing playbook, gamification takes a unique route to success. It all begins with a simple but powerful question: What’s your end goal? Before launching any grand marketing campaign, it’s crucial to define your objectives and aspirations.

In this article, we’ll delve deep into the exciting universe of gamification marketing. We’ll explore the various game types at your disposal, each with its unique strengths and capabilities. Whether you’re looking to create a buzz around your brand, educate your audience, or incentivize specific behaviours, there’s a game type that fits your needs like a glove.

First steps first – Set your goal

Setting up clear and well-defined marketing campaign goals is the compass that guides your entire marketing journey. Without a destination in mind, you’re simply sailing in uncharted waters. To start, it’s essential to articulate what you want to achieve with your campaign. Do you aim to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, boost sales, or enhance customer loyalty? Each goal requires a unique approach and metrics for measurement.

Next, ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART). This framework provides a solid foundation for goal-setting. Additionally, consider your target audience and market conditions, as they play a crucial role in shaping your objectives. Whether you’re looking to launch a product, create buzz, or reposition your brand, setting clear marketing campaign goals is the pivotal first step in building a successful strategy.

How to choose the correct game type?

When it comes to creating a gamification marketing campaign, choosing the right game type is similar to selecting the perfect strategy in a game of chess. Your choice can make or break your campaign’s success. So without further ado, here’s how to choose the correct game type according to your marketing goals.

Competitive games are what drive the Customer Engagement metrics

There’s no shame in having the desire to win something. That is what we call the human nature. By capitalizing on this perception, we can narrow down the selection to game types that require competition. Like the name says – competitive games.

Some of the most well-known games are Candy Crush, Flappy Bird, Drop Game and the 90s hit game Bubble Shooter. These score-based games spike the engagement number by requiring the player to actively take part in the interactivity in order to be eligible for the prize. It helps when you add a leaderboard and the “Play again” button to the end of your game.

In the Candy Crush, Drop Game and Bubble shooter you could either replace game elements with your products or create icons that represent your business. Games like Flappy Bird, Tower Stack and Stick Ninja are great when you have a character that has to collect items representing your line of business.

Example Case Study – Road to success with gamification marketing | Ballzy case study → https://adact.me/blog/road-to-success-with-gamification-marketing-ballzy-case-study/
Example Case Study – How Euronics’ Candy Crush engaged customers for over 15 minutes → https://adact.me/blog/euronics-engaged-customers-over-15minutes/
Example Case Study – How Ādažu increased with customer engagement campaign → https://adact.me/blog/how-to-use-gamification-to-get-higher-customer-engagement/

Key to the Lead Generation campaigns – lottery games or competitive games

Having an enticing prize definitely lowers the entry barrier for the game. This means that your potential customers are more eager to give up their email address or phone number in order to win something.

Lottery games are one of the most simplistic ways to collect leads. People give up their email in order to spin a wheel or scratch a card so they can win something. If they don’t then they can try again next time. Nevertheless, you have their contact information.

Thanks to their viral effect, competitive games like Candy Crush, Vertical Scroller and Whack a Mole can quickly reach the masses ramping up your prospect list. The same list can be later used in direct sales or marketing campaigns by giving out special offers and recommendations.

Example Case Study – How BITE used Black Friday gamification campaign and got 488377 gameplays in 2 weeks https://adact.me/blog/bite-black-friday/

Example Case Study – The Power of Gamification: How Atomic Wallet’s Jeopardy-Style Campaign Attracted 246k Unique Players https://adact.me/blog/atomic-wallet-polygon-jeopardy/

Increase the conversion rate and time spent on your webpage

When a regular marketer is only interested in the social media campaigns’ reach, CTR and number of impressions, then a proper marketer is interested in the conversion rate. This is where gamification marketing can help you a lot.

Games like Wheel of Fortune, Scratchcard and Plinko are great additions to any online site that sells something. Adding an embedded campaign to your product/service selection, or adding a widget to your shopping cart can increase your conversion rate by 20+ per cent.

Example Case Study – Spooktacular Gamification Results for CreditStar (+20% in conversion rate) https://adact.me/blog/creditstar-spooktacular-gamification-results/
Example Case Study – How Tallink used gamification to increase user engagement and sales
https://adact.me/blog/tallink-engagement-case-study/

Pick a game, any game for your next event

Choosing a game for your event or booth is as important as choosing one for your digital marketing campaign. Everything starts with the goal and why you are at the event. Then you choose the game type according to your goal.

We usually recommend having Questionnaire games like Trivia and Jeopardy or competitive games as a part of your booth strategy. But when you are thinking about a booth concept, it is crucial to decide whether the game is the centrepiece of your demo area or not. This is detrimental to your event marketing strategy since it either requires additional screens and special solutions or it is a tool that you use for lead generation and nurturing.

What are the next steps to creating a campaign?

In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, where engaging and motivating your audience is the key to success, gamification marketing emerges as a powerful strategy that challenges the traditional playbook.

Now, armed with a deeper understanding of the theory and practical applications of gamification marketing, you’re ready to embark on your marketing adventure. To truly unlock the potential of this strategy, consider partnering with Adact’s Customer Success Managers. They’re equipped to help you navigate the complexities of gamification marketing theory and tailor it to your unique business needs. Together, we can turn your marketing goals into a reality. Take the next step on your journey to marketing greatness by booking a call with our experts today!

In the meeting, we will take a look at ADACT, discuss different game ideas and how gamification can help reach your marketing goals.

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In the meeting, we will take a look at ADACT, discuss different game ideas and how gamification can help reach your marketing goals.

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Just two weeks after the successful launch of our user-friendly Tic-Tac-Toe game, we’re thrilled to unveil our latest addition to the gamification marketing toolbox: the

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