More Than You Would Like, Less Than You Think
Recently I was speaking on a panel for gamification and social media, and was asked how much time and effort should be invested into these efforts. The answer of course depends, but in my opinion I believe it can be summed up this way: "More than you'd like, less than you'd think"
Social media is not free. It is also not a panacea for all your business woes. It takes an investment in time, energy and creativity. I think too many people throw up a twitter page because they are "supposed to" and then leave it to waste away, ultimately doing more harm than good. Moral of the story? Don't engage until you are ready. People have such short attention spans and there is so much content out there, that the second you are branded as "out of date", you lose your opportunity to maintain relevance.
The panel featured some experts in marketing, public relations and loyalty space, and they all offered some great insights which I thought I would share.
Question: "Will adding gaming elements to my Facebook presence improve fan engagement?"
Answer: Does playing spin the bottle liven up a party?
Question: " Do I need a huge budget to increase engagement on my fan page or website?"
Answer: No. You do need to invest time and creativity. You don't need to have a game like Zelda to be effective. Weight Watchers is a great example of points and competition for something we do everyday, and it has been quite effective.
Question: "In my Social Media efforts, is it as simple as just offering rewards and points, or is there more to it?"
Answer: Contrary to what we might think, you don't want to just throw up a bunch of coupons to attract a bunch of attention. By doing so you risk damaging your brand. You never want to train your audience to only show up when it's cheaper. Stick to unexpected rewards and goodies like Zappos (Often times they upgrade your purchase to overnight delivery for a pleasant surprise the next morning). Consider competition as well. People are wired to compete. Leader boards, point systems and a spotlight on "loyal fans" can really get things going. Consider platforms for Facebook and Twitter that have these features. Host contests, have fun, surprise your fans. Give them a reason to engage. Let them compete and earn the top spot as "number one fan". And of course…be consistent!
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