Since its inception, social media has been about people-driven, interactive, time-sensitive experiences. So it is no surprise that gamification exists within various social media touchpoints.
A tactic that has followed social media from the start, gamification offers users opportunities to share their interests beyond the traditional photo or video. Laurel Mintz, founder and CEO of Elevate My Brand, a digital marketing and live events agency, spoke with us about the relationship between social media and gamification and how brands should approach gamification in their campaigns.
Gamification is using play to connect an audience to a brand or experience. It’s often displayed in online forms through mobile apps or loyalty programs. But it can also be used in polls, surveys, gamified filters and other game-like concepts within social media.
“Say your favorite brand is M&M’s. If they put up a poll asking what their next color should be, they can create strong brand evangelists by picking a color people voted for,” said Mintz. “Customers are going to have a stronger affinity for M&M’s because they’ve played the game, M&M’s listened and implemented their ideas.”
This type of interaction can also allow consumers to feel they’ve had a real impact on brand development.
Mintz offered another gamification example from FedEx: “FedEx gives out $30,000 grants to small businesses. The contest [leverages] gamification. The businesses create a video, and their supporters have to up-vote them. It’s a really smart way of doing something good for social channels, the community, and it plays into gamification.”
One social media channel that’s adopted gamification into its content is TikTok. The app offers bracket challenges, this or that games and others. While TikTok may be a relatively new platform, its strategies are not.
“It’s a platform that has the ability for virality, more than others because it’s the youngest platform, but it’s the same concept. They’re not reinventing the wheel. It’s the same concept we’ve known since the board game was invented,” said Mintz. “Brands need to play on those psychological concepts and find their voice on certain channels.”
Gamification has a long-standing relationship with social media. Social media’s built-in gamified processes are a simple way to drive engagement and share your content.
