Gamification Marketing – What is Gamification And How Can You Use Game Tactics For Business Marketing

Gamification marketing and the creation of game-like  motivation to enhance engagement and usership is an exciting new trend.  According to a Gartner study, more than half of the companies that manage innovative processes will “gamify” them.  The same study forecasts by 2014 more than 70 percent of Global 200 organizations will have gamified at least one application.

Gamification is a trend that refers to utilizing the mechanics and techniques of a game to a non-game situation.  The gamification trend has gained momentum due to recognized potential improvement in user engagement, ROI, timeliness, data quality, data quantity and even for learning.   As a business trend, gamification has beenused for diverse purposes from marketing campaigns, to human resource training campaigns, to sales performance incentives.   The power of offering rewards and recognition for desired behaviors and creating a gamelike, competitive environment has broad appeal for younger workers and has also been effective with older, seasoned employees.

The concept of gamification makes sense to encourage and engage employees and motivate desired  behaviors. Having a clear set of identifiable and attainable goals is not a new concept… This has always been part of a well-thought-through process.  The new “twist” is creating the atmosphere of competition and recognition in a  game format is what makes it fun for Generation C.

Whether the target is points, leaderboard recognition or badges, the gamification as a marketing strategy results in healthy competition within an organization, or improved customer engagement for an external marketing campaign.

Leaderboards, and other monitoring devices track performance and create buzz around the campaign.

According to Gartner, there are 4 principals means to use gamification to drive engagement:

1. Improved feedback. Having clear goals as part of the game means that feedback is quick and the required behaviors are recognized.
2. Goals Defined. The rules of the game specify what will win points, rewards or badges therefore there is no confusion.
3. Compelling interaction. As gamers move through the game, they can monitor their progress and compete with others.
4. Achievable results. Short term, and achievable goals mean that progress can be make in steps that are monitored and rewarded.

How would you use gamification to change behavior or move towards a goal? Do you feel this trend would help your company achieve a goal?