In the article on how to apply gamification to improve employability, I explained what this technique consists of and its multiple benefits for students.
Subsidised training allows you to advance in the business world while updating or expanding your knowledge in current areas and skills. In recent times, the rise of new technologies and the appearance of different channels and social networks have led to greater access to the digital world. Although Spain continues to face a high rate of people who suffer the effects of the digital divide, this is being reduced thanks to the commitment to projects and initiatives that bring the online world closer to places where it did not reach before.
In this social environment, professionals are beginning to understand the need to expand their knowledge in areas that were previously restricted to experts in these fields. One of them is digital marketing. A discipline that encompasses a series of strategies, actions and tools that can be useful in all sectors of professional activity.
Why is Digital Marketing important?
Companies know the importance of having a presence on the Internet, but is it enough to just be there? If it is not based on a well-defined function and a solid marketing and communication strategy, a digital presence is useless. However, concepts such as SEO, SEM and Social Media are no longer restricted to large brands. SMEs are beginning to understand that they must invest in training their employees to expand their digital skills.
Digital marketing is not the future, it is the present and, furthermore, it changes and evolves every day, which is why it requires constant updating and review.
Benefits of having a good Digital Marketing strategy helps to identify needs.
It allows you to better understand the brand's target audience.
It offers solutions adapted to the weaknesses and areas for improvement that exist.
There are multiple tools and channels through which to disseminate communications.
Improves brand branding.
All of this has an impact on the reputation perceived by the customer, which translates into an increase in sales.
Many techniques can be used to achieve this, but the best thing is to start from the beginning. By choosing a marketing course that responds to the needs of the company or the employee at that moment. From there, and thanks to the multiple platforms that exist with free resources and articles, you can delve deeper into this area and gradually orient the strategy so that it fits with the values of the brand.
Marketing
Gamification applied to Digital Marketing
As we have seen, this concept is not only applicable to education. Marketing and advertising have been applying the benefits of gamification to advertising campaigns and actions for years. In this example, the popular soft drink brand used different elements to create an immersive game that allowed users to get closer to their commercial objectives in a less intrusive way: turning the action itself into an extension of the film that was intended to be promoted.
In marketing and advertising, gamification has a long history and has contributed to the creation of iconic campaigns that have achieved a greater connection with the audience. Chema Gómez Rodríguez , an expert in marketing and gamification applied to advertising, explains in his article Gamifica y vende (2021) that brands no longer only need to be on the internet but must offer an extra point. The starting point for a strategy to work is to identify the Value Proposition of each brand . That is, what makes it unique and helps it stand out from the competition.
Steps to define the POS
What makes my brand different?
What do customers value most about my products or services?
What needs have I identified in the client and how do I respond to them through my company?
And finally, if I had to explain in less than 3 lines what my company does, how would I do it?
On this last point, it is highly recommended to review the concept of Elevator Pitch, which helps to synthesize and explain a project in a clear, concise and concrete manner, in less than a minute.
Elevator Pitch in 20 seconds
For Chema Gómez, the consumer's need to find an experience that complements their purchasing activity fits perfectly with the values of gamification. Combining gamification and advertising offers new forms of entertainment that lead the user to interact with the generated content, get involved in the game and connect with the brand. All of this results in improved branding and corporate communication.
A common mistake that companies making their first steps in the digital world kuwait whatsapp contact number make is trying to use social media as an extension of their website or e-commerce.
Consumers are increasingly aware and are looking for brands that care about their customer experience. Therefore, companies that focus solely on selling their products and services will find it more difficult to maintain the loyalty and trust of their customers. In response to this, companies must focus on creating a community on their social media profiles. This is a somewhat longer process that involves allocating resources and attention to generating quality content that responds to the needs of potential customers.
What do brands that successfully create a strong community do?
They listen to their customers.
Criticism is taken as an opportunity to grow.
They ask questions, offer alternatives and give personalized answers.
They generate elaborate content and not just filler posts.
They bring the brand's values closer to their followers.
They are honest and show the human team behind each product or service.
How can gamification help build community?
Through my teaching experience, I have identified that the vast majority of students have a negative and biased view of social media, understanding it as a channel that simply serves to sell products and that is saturated with invasive advertising that annoys the user. This biased view ignores the data offered by social media analytics companies such as HubSpot or Hootsuite, which reflect that the growth of brands is based on a commitment to engagement with their users.
That is, they focus on listening to their users, understanding their needs, answering their questions and offering them practical and effective solutions . Breaking with the dynamic of social networks = advertising channels is necessary so that professionals who are training to manage the digital presence of brands do not repeat erroneous patterns.
The training in social media management that professionals receive must take into account this current circumstance and work to dispel the smoke and transmit the values, objectives and needs of the company in a clear, concise and concrete way. Gamification can be used to establish an original and creative communication strategy that manages to keep the customer engaged and guide them in their purchasing process. Social media, in this case, would be the starting point where the game would begin.
Nowadays, all companies must have professionals in charge of digital marketing and who use Social Listening tools that allow active listening to the perception that exists about the brand. Once all these concepts are clear: