Gamification in Email is Hot in 2019 Here’s Why

When it comes to email marketing, so many brands are trying to get the competitive edge. Let’s face it, even seemingly small gains, a few added percentage points to click through or open rates, can translate into a big deal on the bottom line.

And while there are lots of strategies and tactics out there, everything from segmentation to testing copy comes to mind, some of the best results you’re going to see will come from going interactive.

Why?

Because customers love it!

Check out these survey results. You’ll see that in every instance when customers were asked what kind of email content they’d be more likely to engage with, they went interactive.

Where gamification fits with interactive content

Gamification plays right into all of those cool psychological triggers that make reveal marketing through interactive content so engaging.

First, opening an email and seeing something different, something that asks for your engagement piques curiosity. It’s really hard not to play around with something that looks fun, right? You’ve got to click or interact to scratch that itch, otherwise it might be floating around in your brain all day.

Tied in with being compelled by curiosity is the fear of missing out (FOMO). You’ve probably felt this yourself before and it can drive all sorts of action. Sometimes, you just have to do something because you don’t want to miss out on what’s hidden behind door #1.

Finally, because gamification primes customers for a reward, you’re building what’s called operant conditioning too. Essentially, what this does is start to establish a connection in your customer’s mind between taking an action and getting a reward. That connection makes it more likely for customers to repeat the process again and again.

Each of these factors are highly emotional triggers too. Customers who are moved to engage with interactive content are building emotional connections and feelings about your brand from the very start.

That’s a good thing if you want to keep them around for the long term!

Different types of gamification for email marketing

When it comes to building an email marketing campaign around gamification, there are all sorts of things you can do.

A few common examples include:

• Surveys
• Quizzes
• Trivia
• Scratch-its
• Tests
• Games
• Click to reveal (discounts, special offers, prizes, etc.)

As you can see, gamification doesn’t have to be super complicated. It’s all about just setting the stage to hit that first trigger that makes someone want to interact. Sometimes, even asking for simple actions, can lead to an improvement in results.

There are a couple of different ways you can insert gamification into your emails too.

Some of these can be inserted right into the email itself, and your customer can engage with it directly from their inbox. For more complex gamification schemes, you might include a link in the email that will bring your readers to a separate landing page that features the game.

Plenty of brands out there are already transforming their marketing strategies to include interactive emails, and gamification is just one part of it.

A few tips to keep in mind

As you get started thinking about gamification and how you can add it to your email campaigns, we want to share a few tips or best practices to keep in mind along the way.

Remember your psychology

The more you think about your customer’s psychology in gamification, the better off you’re going to be. Even if you’re just getting started, keeping a few simple triggers in mind and creating interactive content around that is going to be a winning combination.

Make it engaging

That’s the point, right? Email has gotten more sophisticated and so have customers. With our inboxes exploding on a daily basis, you need to create something that is eye catching and will grab your customer’s attention in just a few seconds.

Don’t forget the reward

While actually interacting with gamified content is a lot of fun, the thing that people are looking for at the end is their reward for participating. So, it’s your job to make sure it’s something that not only appeals to your customers right off the bat but also makes them want to keep coming back for more.

Remember these tips as your planning your emails and you’ve got the foundations of a great campaign.

Are you ready to start gamifying your emails?