To begin with, answer the question: what is the percentage of engagement in your business accounts? That is, how many people leave reactions, vote, participate in polls. If it is 50 (in simple words: for 100 views, 50 people reacted), you are doing fine. If 30 – you’re on the right track, but there’s room to grow. If 15 and less – not fatal, but you need to fix it. So if you use services, buy real Instagram followers.
What are games?
This tool is called gamification. It is the use of game elements and components in a non-game context.
Game components are leaderboards, scores, points, rewards, etc.
And the non-game context is increasing brand awareness, attracting customers, audience loyalty, including sales. In short, it’s everything that’s not a game.
The goals that gamification solves:
- Engagement, increasing reach. With this goal, we build relationships with the audience, communicate with subscribers. Let’s talk more specifically about this.
Announcement of products/special offers/promotions. In 2020, Audi created a sticker pack for Telegram. It is dedicated to the new Audi e-tron electric car, which goes on sale.
- A product/service introduction/new product presentation. Balenciaga in 2021 will fully immerse itself in the game: Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow. In the game created, the brand will present clothes and shoes. The action takes place in the year 2031. The character will move through locations and solve puzzles.
- Warming up the audience and increasing sales. A good example of Starbucks. Lots of in-game activity on Instagram on a regular basis. Often offer to vote for new drinks/desserts.
- Education (characteristic of expert blogs).
- Loyalty building (familiar “loyalty programmes”: bonuses, holiday gifts, discount cards for regular visitors in shops, e.g. gold cards for “Sephora”, “Walmart” and “CVS”, etc.)
Involvement in Instagram Stories
Stories games are very diverse: you can use polls, quizzes, voting, etc. In practice, SMM people encounter the problem that people are sluggish to participate in such activities. Often there is only one reason: storizas are uninteresting, hackneyed or difficult to comprehend. It’s hard to get your coverage back, but it’s still possible. You can also target a new audience if you buy Instagram followers.
Think back, do you leave reactions everywhere, do you participate in activities? If yes – in what? If not, why not?
Examples of games from personal experience. For the coffee shop:
- What do you prefer in the morning: tea or coffee?
- Which syrup would you never put in your coffee: strawberry, blue curacao, mint, none of the above (use emoji slider)
Five more important thoughts about storify games:
- The questions should be simple: people come to social media to relax. They don’t come to solve complex puzzles, remember authors’ birthdates, or chemical formulas. But here’s the caveat: choose the level of difficulty based on your target audience.
- Give up on the idea that the design of a stopgap story needs to be complicated. Remember, how much do paintings of modern art cost! Sometimes the stories that gain a lot of engagement have no design at all, apart from a question on a coloured background.
- Change the mechanics: quizzes, YES/NO sticker, smiley runner, etc. Don’t get bored with the same storizas.
- Don’t make the games too long, people will get tired. Optimal number of slides: 4-7.
Storytelling games are always about subscribers. Forget the questions like: Guess how many kgs of coffee the supplier has brought us today?
Storytelling game ideas right now:
- “I never.” Listen to your subscribers’ preferences, let them tell you a little bit about themselves.
- “True/False.” The questions should be interesting. For example, if you have a nutritionist account, you could break down non-obvious calorie or low-calorie foods in the game. After the game, be sure to comment on each option – show your expertise by explaining where the truth is hidden and where the lies are.
- Musicality Quiz. Choose popular songs related to your niche. Ask subscribers to continue the line. For example, you are a wedding and party planner.
