Gamification is a form of marketing in which an everyday activity is made into something engaging, fun and interactive by including the same tactics many games use.
You’ve probably experienced gamification before, whether you know it or not. Very simple forms of gamification are loyalty point schemes, a progress bar, or a fundraising thermometer. Providing a clear aim can help guide users to complete an action. It’s the reason your LinkedIn shows a completion percentage on your profile, and why your local coffee shop has a loyalty card.
For charities, Gamification offers a unique opportunity. It’s a way to create an engaged, active audience whilst spreading your message and raising money. Here are our key tips for charities considering Gamification.
Simplicity
Consider some of the most popular games of the past few years. Flappy Bird, Candy Crush and Farmville are all prime examples of taking a relatively basic concept and making it addictive. The key here is creating a game that isn’t hard to understand, but isn’t easy to play. Apply this to your own needs – if you’re planning a sponsored run, create an app to gamify the training process. If you’re hoping for fundraising, a local leaderboard to help motivate volunteers.
Give Goals
Above all, the most important thing to include is a goal. Offering something to aim for will keep your users coming back each time. This can be anything that suits your game and your branding; points, badges, levels, or leaderboards are just a few options. Any combination of these will create the drive needed for a little healthy competition!
Virality
The thing that will really be your key to success is shareability. Offer a reward for social media shares, show users what scores their friends have achieved, and foster a sense of healthy competition. If you’re able to offer prizes, whether they are physical or digital, it will increase the sense of achievement and the likelihood of a share.
A great example of a charity using Gamification to their advantage is the Help for Heroes ‘Hero Bears’ app. It was a simple platformer game that involved bears collecting coins, but a significant portion of the cost of the app went to charity.
We’ve been part of some exciting Gamification projects before, and we’d love to get involved with yours! Get in touch today to find out more.
