While the concept of incentivizing user interaction is not new, the aptly named concept of “gameficiation” is an important facet of any businesses marketing strategy.   Gamification is the idea/act of implementing a competitive/progress aspect to a marketing strategy.  For instance, Foursquare employs this strategy by incentivizing their users to check in to locations in order to gain points and awards (badges), and then tracks a user’s progress against their friends.  Thus, gamification is able to build loyalty, interaction and incentive amongst a business’s community under the “game” veil.  How can businesses leverage this concept?

First, businesses must figure out the end goal of the gamification strategy.  Setting key performance indicators of the strategy can help to guide their marketing efforts in order to accomplish the end goal.  Also, setting the end goal and KPI’s of any gamification strategy helps businesses obtain a more clear idea of the odds of success.   In addition, a game or contest by itself will not immediately result in increased user interaction with a business.  Online users, like you or I, need an incentive to do so.  Meaningful prizes and discounts provide the impetus for users to perform the actions of a game or contest that businesses want them to do.  Lastly, merely promoting online games will not build a user following.  Businesses need to close the online/offline loop by interacting and promoting these games in the offline medium.  Users, who are not used to interacting with a business online, can learn about these games during visits to a store or via status calls and follow up online.

Utilizing these tips in order to focus a gamification strategy should help businesses decide if gamification would work for their company, product or service.  Just because a lot of companies are using games, does not mean that it will work for everyone.