We’ve talked about gamification a lot on the old SocialToaster blog. After all, gamification is a pretty big deal in the wide world of business, being used to support everything from marketing, to developing, to management. But how do you know if the gamification program you launched is successful? We’ve polled our team of social masterminds to bring you the top three signs of a successful gamification program.

We’ve talked about gamification a lot on the old SocialToaster blog. After all, gamification is a pretty big deal in the wide world of business, being used to support everything from marketing, to developing, to management. Big name brands including Perdue, The Baltimore Ravens and AARP have been deploying gamification tactics that give fan incentives like points, prizes and other motivators in exchange for engaging with their brand online. With such a proven track record, it’s no wonder more brands are exploring incorporating a gamification campaign into their businesses.

But how do you know if the gamification program you launched is successful? We’ve polled our team of social masterminds to bring you the top three signs of a successful gamification program.

You’re Achieving Your Goals

The most basic indicator that your gamification strategy is working is whether or not you are achieving your goals. As we’ve discussed before, any successful gamification campaign will begin with setting goals; this way, once your campaign is going on you can track it’s impact and make adjustments when necessary.

A successful bevy of goals should include goals around:

• Program growth – Successful campaigns are always growing with users
• Program engagement – Successful campaigns are filled with engaged individuals
• ROI – Successful gamification campaigns show a positive ROI to the bottom line

Your Program is Mutually Beneficial

Another marker of a successful gamification strategy is that your program is mutually beneficial for both your company and your players. Making sure that your program or campaign is of value to your customers is an important element to ensuring long-term and frequent interaction.

One company that knocked this out of the park is Starbucks with the My Starbucks Rewards program. They used gamification to reward customers with “stars” or loyalty points that they redeem for rewards. Unlike a typical grocery store loyalty card, this program includes an app that allows players to track their progress which includes starts earned and level achieved.

The proof that the program benefits the company as well can be found in the numbers. The program and it’s mobile app generate more than 6 million transactions per week which account for 15% of sales nationwide.

You’ve Turned Players into Superfans

Perhaps the most important sign that your campaign is a success: Your players go from being casual fans to Superfans brand ambassadors. They love your program and brand so much that they want to tell the world. This happens (mostly) on social media (although we have heard rumors that people are still occasionally talking face-to-face) and acts as word of mouth promotion for your brand. Not only can these advocates recruit more players for your program, they can also encourage their friends and followers to engage with your on social media and ultimately purchase your products or services.

Gamification is an important tool that allows you to generate friendly competition among fans through challenges, leaderboards and contests.As a tactic, it also goes a long way to encouraging engagement with your brand on social media. If you’re interested in implementing a gamification strategy but don’t know where to start, drop us a line because—not to toot our own horn or anything—we’re pretty much social gamification experts. Call us today at 855.62.TOAST (86278)!