In this article, we will be diving into the world of always-on marketing and exploring why it is essential for any business looking to create a lasting impact on their audience. Always-on marketing is a strategy that involves creating content and campaigns that are available to your audience – rather then being time-based. We will be discussing why it’s important to have an always-on marketing strategy, and how you can use game mechanics to boost your always-on campaigns.
We will also be exploring gamified always-on campaigns across the buyer’s journey, from the awareness stage all the way through to customer nurturing. Moreover, we will share some exciting examples of always-on gamified campaigns that you can use to engage with your audience and keep them coming back for more. Whether you’re looking to boost brand awareness, increase engagement, or nurture existing customers, always-on campaigns are a powerful tool that you can use to achieve your marketing goals. So, let’s get started!
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Always-on marketing is a strategy that involves creating content and activities that are available to your audience all year round. Unlike traditional campaigns, which are often tied to specific events or promotions, always-on campaigns are designed to have a long-term impact on your audience and build lasting relationships with them, hence boosting customer loyalty.
At its core, always-on marketing is about being present and available for your audience whenever they need you. It’s about creating a continuous stream of content and activities that are relevant and valuable to your audience, regardless of where they are in their buyer’s journey.
Creating always-on campaigns is important for several reasons. Firstly, they allow you to be more agile and responsive to your audience’s needs, providing relevant and timely content and activities. Secondly, they can help drive more consistent results over time, building momentum and loyal followers.
Furthermore, always-on campaigns have a high ROI because the time spent creating the campaign is valuable for a longer period of time. Instead of investing in short-term campaigns, always-on campaigns offer a long-term impact and help to maintain a consistent presence in the minds of your audience.
It’s easy to sometimes think that certain practices like always-on marketing might just be for B2C setting and not B2B. But this way of thinking is a mistake because even in a B2B context, your customers still want their needs met when they are looking for something specific.
We like this explanation from MarTech Advisor: “The ‘always-on’ nature of B2B marketing has become a necessity to get, and keep, your message in front of target prospects throughout the buying process. If your message isn’t available to them BEFORE they’re ready to engage, you’ve probably missed your opportunity to get into the consideration set.”
Using game mechanics in your always-on marketing strategy can help you create a more dynamic and immersive experience for your audience. By incorporating game mechanics such as points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges, you can transform your always-on campaigns and activities into more interactive and engaging experiences.
Game mechanics can be particularly effective in incentivizing specific behaviors, such as sharing content or completing a purchase, as well as creating a sense of competition and community among your audience. This not only encourages repeat engagement but also can foster a more loyal and engaged audience that is more likely to enjoy your content and recommend your brand to others.
We’ve always known that being closer to the customer and getting information straight from them was the ideal. We also know the way many marketers get data through third-party cookies will be changing for good and very soon.
So how will you get customer or audience data? One way to get closer to your audience (and gain first-party data) is through gamifying your marketing activities. We’ve seen that the value exchange is strong and that consumers are willing to share personal details when the experience is engaging and fun.
A major benefit of first-party data is that it increases relevance for your audience while increasing your ability to personalize.
Customers are in control of when they interact with us and (of course) when they are ready to buy. It’s unlikely that you will win the sale or customer if they only come across your business or brand in the acquisition phase.
A post from the LinkedIn blog explains the solution perfectly: “Ideally, you’re creating constant value far earlier than the buying process when they’re simply researching and learning and educating themselves. You have to be ready not just on your own site and your own channels, but be available wherever they may be…. It’s all part of a buyer-centric, customer-centric marketing program.”
Alway-on activities can be a great solution for this. By thoughtfully designing a customer experience with always-on activities and/or content, marketers can be sure that they fit their customers’ needs.
As marketers, we must accept that our job is to be testing, analyzing, and adjusting. This applies to social media posts, brand positioning, gamification campaigns, and also always-on activities. To be successful, you must be willing to embrace revision so that you are providing the experience that your customers respond to and want.
Below, we will show you examples of always-on gamified campaigns for each of the stages in the buyer’s journey.
Always-on marketing for the awareness stage can help maintain a consistent brand presence, increase brand recall, and reach potential customers who may not be actively searching for a product or service.
These are just examples of gamified always-on campaigns you can use in the awareness stage. Of course, the goal is to increase awareness around your brand and engage your audience. But, you can also leverage the results of your always-on digital campaigns to collect valuable data about your audience and to send personalized offers, recommendations, and content to participants later on in the customer journey.
Here a few examples of always-on campaigns using personality tests.
A swipe game is a type of interactive content where users swipe left or right to make choices, and receive personalized recommendations or results based on their choices.
For example, a fashion brand could create a swipe game where users swipe left or right to choose between different fashion styles to find their ultimate style. Similarly, a food delivery service could create a swipe game where users swipe left or right to choose between different types of food, and receive personalized recommendations for restaurants or dishes based on their choices.
Both social media and search engine advertising are widely recognized as the most common types of always-on campaigns, and are familiar to marketers. However, by turning your regular paid ads into gamified always-on campaigns, you will most likely boost your results through the roof.
Gamified ads can be an effective way to create always-on digital campaigns in the awareness stage, and can be designed as luck games, skills games, or knowledge games.
Always-on marketing in the consideration stage can also provide businesses with an opportunity to educate potential customers about their products or services, and understand their current needs and pain points. By providing helpful information and resources, such as educational videos, assessment tests and quizzes with feedback, businesses can establish themselves as a trusted source of information and build stronger relationships with potential customers.
Educational quizzes or video quizzes can be a highly engaging and effective type of always-on campaign in the consideration stage, as they offer valuable information and entertainment to users while collecting valuable data for marketers. By creating quizzes that are relevant to their target audience and industry, businesses can attract potential customers and showcase their expertise in a fun and interactive way. Additionally, quizzes can help businesses to segment their audience based on interests and preferences, which can be used to personalize marketing efforts and create more targeted campaigns. For example, a healthcare company could create a quiz about healthy living habits or common illnesses, and use the results to send personalized recommendations or offers to each user based on their health concerns.
Assessment tests can be a valuable type of always-on campaign in the consideration stage, as they allow businesses to gather detailed information about potential customers while providing them with personalized recommendations or insights. By creating assessments that are relevant to their target audience and industry, businesses can attract potential customers and collect data on their needs, preferences, and pain points. Additionally, assessment tests can be a very effective way for sales teams to gain knowledge about clients before sales meetings, enabling them to better tailor their pitches and build stronger relationships with potential customers.
Industries that require a high level of personalization, such as healthcare, financial services, IT services, and education, are particularly well-suited for using assessment tests as always-on campaigns in the consideration stage.
Gamified retargeting campaigns can be an effective way to keep potential customers engaged in the consideration stage, and encourage them to move further down the sales funnel. By offering fun and interactive games or challenges to users who have previously shown interest in their products or services, businesses can build stronger relationships with potential customers and keep their brand top-of-mind. Industries that require a high level of engagement and personalization, such as travel, entertainment, and e-commerce, are particularly well-suited for using gamified retargeting campaigns, as they can help businesses stand out from the competition and create a more memorable experience for potential customers.
Priority puzzles can be a highly engaging and effective type of always-on campaign in the consideration stage, as they challenge potential customers to think critically and prioritize their needs and preferences. By creating puzzles that are relevant to their target audience and industry, businesses can attract potential customers and showcase their expertise in a fun and interactive way. Additionally, priority puzzles can help businesses to segment their audience based on interests and preferences, which can be used to personalize marketing efforts and create more targeted campaigns.
Creating always-on campaigns in the decision stage can help businesses nudge potential customers towards making a purchase or taking a specific action, by providing them with relevant and compelling information at the right time.
Gamified exit-intent campaigns can be an effective way to keep potential customers engaged in the decision stage, by nudging them into taking a decision. In the e-commerce industry, gamified exit-intent campaigns can be a powerful tool for encouraging potential customers to make a purchase, by providing them with a fun and engaging way to receive a discount code or special offer.
By creating games or challenges that are relevant to their target audience and brand, e-commerce businesses can keep potential customers on their website for longer, and incentivize them to make a purchase before leaving. Gamified exit-intent campaigns with discount codes are particularly effective for e-commerce businesses that sell products with lower margins or higher competition, as they can help businesses to stand out from the competition and create a more memorable experience for potential customers.
Product selectors can be a highly effective way to guide potential customers through the decision-making process, by providing them with a personalized and interactive way to choose the right product or service for their needs. By creating product selectors that are tailored to their target audience and industry, businesses can provide potential customers with a clear and easy-to-understand way to compare and evaluate different options.
Additionally, product selectors can help businesses to collect valuable data on customer preferences and behavior, which can be used to create more targeted and effective marketing strategies. Industries that offer a wide range of products or services, such as electronics, home goods, or fashion, are particularly well-suited for using product selectors as always-on campaigns, as they can help potential customers navigate a complex and sometimes overwhelming product catalog.
Creating always-on digital campaigns for customer nurturing can help businesses build long-term relationships with their existing customers, by providing them with ongoing value and support even after the initial sale.
Polls can be a simple and effective way for businesses to engage with their existing customers and gather feedback on their products or services. By creating always-on poll campaigns, businesses can provide their customers with ongoing opportunities to share their thoughts and opinions, which can help to build trust and loyalty over time.
Moreover, the insights gathered from polls can be used to improve products, address common pain points, and create more personalized and effective marketing strategies. Industries that rely heavily on customer feedback and satisfaction, such as healthcare, hospitality, and customer service, can benefit the most from using polls as always-on campaigns for customer nurturing.
Surveys can be a powerful tool for businesses to gather in-depth feedback from their existing customers and improve their overall customer experience. By creating always-on survey campaigns, businesses can regularly collect data on customer satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and track their progress over time.
Additionally, surveys can be used to personalize communication with customers and offer targeted promotions or rewards based on their responses. Industries that prioritize customer satisfaction and retention, such as software as a service (SaaS), financial services, and e-commerce, can benefit the most from using surveys as always-on digital campaigns for customer nurturing. An idea of an always-on campaign could be to always send a survey 10 days after customers have purchase your product.
In conclusion, always-on marketing can be a powerful tool for businesses to engage with potential and existing customers throughout the entire customer journey. By incorporating gamification elements into these campaigns, businesses can increase engagement, build brand loyalty, and drive conversions. Whether you’re looking to create a quiz, puzzle, or exit-intent campaign, there are endless opportunities to gamify your marketing strategy and achieve better results.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to gamify your always-on campaigns, book a demo with Playable, the leading gamification platform. Our team can help you create personalized, effective campaigns that resonate with your audience and drive long-term success.