How Gamification Can Boost Your Social Media Presence
Does your social media presence need a boost? Gamification might be your tool to put your brand on the map.
What is Gamification?
Gamification is the use of game-like elements in non-game contexts. In other words, making something that isn’t a game feel like a game. It’s beneficial in sectors like HR, education, and communication. Gamification can be a powerful tool for growing your brand’s social media following.
By incorporating elements of games into your social media strategy, you can make your content more engaging and enjoyable for your audience. With unique content up your sleeve, your social media can gain more shares, likes, and comments.
Continue reading to discover why humans love games and how you can implement gamification in your social media strategy.
Why People Open up with Games
Humans are social creatures. We crave connection and interaction with others. One of the most fundamental ways we do this is through play. Games provide a fun, safe environment for us to explore our social nature, which is why gamification can effectively boost your brand’s social media presence.
Think of how slot machines work: they’re famous for pulling the lever, hearing a crank, and watching the colourful symbols spin in a flurry of lights. If that sounds stimulating, that’s because it is! Since the inception of the slot machine, inventors have incorporated various stimulants to the visual, audio, and tactile senses.
Today, slot machines have become digital but still stimulate players’ senses. Likewise, smartphones also incorporate a variety of senses to gamify user experience. For several reasons, the parallels between games and social media are good news for digital marketers.
When people feel like they’re playing a game, they let their guard down and are more likely to open up and share. This willingness to communicate can lead to deeper connections and relationships with others. Additionally, games are often naturally competitive, encouraging people to engage more frequently with your content.
By incorporating gamification into your social media strategy, you can create a more engaging and interactive experience for your users, giving them a reason to stick around longer and interact more frequently.
Polls
Polls are a fun and casual way for followers to learn more about your brand. They’re also easy to make; usually composed of a single question and a couple of answers.
It can be as simple as a colour preference, but your audience will appreciate the opportunity to interact with your content. These small acts of participation build trust with followers, which can eventually lead to growth and sales.
Not only are polls a great way to boost engagement, but they can also help you gather valuable, long-term data about your audience. By seeing how they vote on different topics, you can learn more about what they care about and what kinds of things they’re interested in.
Later, you can use this data to better tailor your content and marketing strategy.
Creating Competitions with User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) is a fantastic way to get people involved and excited about your brand.
By asking people to submit photos, videos or even just descriptions of their favourite moments using your product, you can tap into a wealth of creativity and get some great organic content for your social media channels at the same time.
Challenges are more likely to go viral, so they’re a great resource for spreading the word about your brand. As people share their submissions and compete with their friends, they’ll also be helping to promote your brand to a wider audience organically.
Rewarding Users
Gamification can be a great way to reward users for their engagement with your social media presence. You can encourage more interaction and build a stronger community around your brand by offering rewards for sharing content, tagging friends, or leaving comments.
Of course, you must ensure that the rewards you offer are valuable to your target audience. Offering discounts on your products or services is a great way to show appreciation while driving sales. You can also provide exclusive content, early access to new features, or other VIP treatment to keep your most engaged users coming back for more.
By offering rewards for interacting with your brand on social media, you can boost your presence and build a stronger community of passionate fans.
