Here let us discuss why is Gamification important and what good can it do for your website.
What is Gamification?
Gamification is the concept of bringing in game like set up on your website to attract visitors and make them stay for a longer time on your site. Depending on the game, it also helps to earn more money when you have the option like Cost Per Click, etc enabled.
Why is Gamification important?
The goal is to make the site more engaging. There are plenty of aspects that a gaming can bring in more traffic. The options include coupons, hidden bonuses, countdowns, etc. However, actions and rewards are the premier building blocks of gaming. When the users gain points or stars they become more involved with your content and will also automatically begin to enjoy what they are doing
Before knowing the ways of Gamification let us classify our visitors. The Appropriate game technique has to be chosen for the correct set of visitors. So it is highly important to know our class of visitors before we fix in our games!
Let us classify the users into four broad categories
Enjoyers
They are fun people. They use the internet to get laughter and to have a pleasant time. These set of people will like to use interactive quick games. The best way to pull in the enjoyers is to use a Fortune Wheel
Networkers
Networkers like to make friends online. They would always like to share advice and good attractive moral lines or good jokes. They are always looking for ways to build their network.
Farmers
These guys are mainly after coupons and bonuses. They can be mesmerised by hidden gifts and secrets. Unlocking a new prize will always refresh their mood of joy even if they are not going to use it in the next 10 years!
” If you have not noticed it is happening in HEAVEN!! 😉 “
Self – seekers
The geeky population! They browse to learn something. These people are the population who use the internet constantly for any or every solution, starting from How to water your plants to who can be the next US president. Such visitor wouldn’t like to miss a chance to gain a silver or a platinum status on your site and would feel like top of the world when they see their names on the Top user list!! And it would be silly you for not providing them the joy they deserve.
As you see every user needs a special study. But there are some gamification factors that can satisfy more than one category of users.
Daily Bonus points
Points are one of the most widespread techniques to attract more visitors. By allowing users to try their luck every day, we somehow gain their traffic of visiting our site at least once a day. This can also be used further to stimulate their sleeping hunger by increasing the points exponentially. In other words, if it was 10 points for day 1, make it 20 for the second day. If a day is skipped then the points start from 10 again and so on. This is appreciated mostly by enjoyers and farmers. do not forget to use a display board to display the people with more points.
Fortune wheel
Now this is where we allow users to use their points earned. You can fix, probably, say every spin costs 4 points. The wheel can have options of adding up the points or can even have surprise coupon codes. This technique is well enjoyed by the enjoyers. The most important note here is that when the spinner wins something, make sure it is displayed in a visibility space of the website which would drag in the self -seekers. They might ignore for a couple of times initially, but a constant pop up will definitely make them admire at the winning strategy!
Name the object
This is quite interesting. Display articles or products and jumble the words below its picture. Though some may not care to type the answer they will definitely take a minute or two to solve the riddle, after all, it is the simplest of all and the answer is in front.
This is fun. This usually captures self – seekers as their mindset works usually in a problem-solving way. They like to solve a puzzle or a riddle.
Badges
The fruit behind the gamification will never ripen without Badges. Introduce badges of various levels considering the different visiting population. Also never forget to add a free trial badge for a minimum number of days. Though it sounds silly, trust me traffic crowds when its free and once they get used to it, it is very difficult to make a change. Introducing a minimum cost at this point wouldn’t cost them much. And later you can slowly build your reputation and put in decent reasonable cost over a certain period of time.
Prize hunts
Finally, this is yet another Gamification technique that is quite popular. Include prize banners with unique links and let the hunt begin. Once a user finds out that he gains a prize via the link on your page, he keeps coming back even if he is gonna get subsequent disappointments for another 2 years! I don’t blame him. I would do the same. That is how human brain works!
Later, you can limit the number of users accessing the link and as well the prizes they get through the link!
Hope you enjoyed the gamification techniques that can be used on your site!!!
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