Gamification of Business – The Next Big Thing?
By · CommentsBefore I talk about Gamification of Business let me discuss where we are with social media. Social media has taken the world by storm with over 500 million active users. They say it’s because people are social and like to interact with each other and share cool, funny or education stuff.
At a deeper level, I and others believe that social media is largely ego-based. People like to talk about their lives, what they are doing, things they like and so on. But even more than that they seek feedback on what they share – when you post something and nobody ‘likes’ it or comments on it, don’t you feel bad? It’s like being ignored, which our ego doesn’t like. It diminishes the ego, the sense of self, whereas we seek to increase the ego and our sense of self. People like status, that’s why many people seek more followers, friends and fans on Facebook, Twitter and other sites.
Businesses are using social media for a variety of reasons, the main one being that’s where people are. Plus they can share articles or posts you create with their friends. Companies use contests, quizzes, giveways and other fun things to try to get people to engage with their brand.
I believe the next big phase after social media will be the gamification of business. This means adding game-mechanics and fun to your business, increasing engagement and hopefully sales by taking advantage of the deep ego-based desires we all have as people. While people like to share content and be perceived as people who find cool stuff, gamification can track the amount that each person shares (or other desirable actions) and reward them with badges and other rewards.
Companies have been doing this in many ways already. Two good examples are the reward systems that airlines and grocery chains use. When you travel, buy groceries or use a certain credit card you get points that can be used for travel or free groceries. It provides loyalty as you will likely go back to redeem the points. Tens of millions of people are playing Farmville and other games on Facebook and other sites. Features such as leaderboards (people with the most points)and badges (a graphic showing your status) can offer a lot of incentive as it provides a sense of achievement and status, displayed for the world to see.
Huffington Post just added badges to their website. Foursquare offers mobile checking in and mayorships.
I believe that gamification goes further than just points and badges, although that’s a good place to get started without overwhelming your followers. I believe it should be tightly integrated with the way you educate your customers and the way they even buy things.
Let’s take teaching guitar online for example. You can reward people with points and badges for sharing and liking content, visiting your site (checking in), posting comments and so on. But what about the learning process itself? Imagine you could have a student watch a video, answer a quiz and if they get it right they unlock a free lesson. The points they accumulate could be redeemable for more lessons or a free webcam lesson with the teacher.
Imagine how you could provide rewards and incentives to encourage your customers to take certain actions. Or solve problems. Or help educate your customers.
So how do you get started? One way to get started is to read Game-Based Marketing, Total Engagement, then check out BigDoor which offers some free tools to get you started. Or contact me.
The High Cost of Travel – Good for Telecommuting Trends?
By · CommentsWe moved from Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Sackville, New Brunswick in June 2010 and finally sold our house in March 2011. It took 9 months to sell so I guess the economy isn’t that great. So I just had to book flights, hotel and rental car for a few days while we move stuff out of our house.
The return flight for 2 people was about $2,000, the hotel is over $100 per night and the rental is a few hundred dollars. The flights in particular are a lot more than they were a few years ago, probably in part due to higher fuel prices. There were no WestJet flights on Saturday out of Moncton and most of the flights leave at 6:30am. Plus there are no direct flights to Calgary, so we will be stopping in Toronto on the way. Needless to say flying has become an expensive, annoying pain in the butt, and I haven’t even talked about US security pat downs!
When I travel for an IT contract I either charge an increased hourly fee or add the travel costs (flight, hotel, car rental, meals) to the invoice. So the client ends up paying more money which is bad, right?
With all this annoyance and cost I hope that employers will start to take advantage of all the available technology such as Webex (for virtual meetings, desktop sharing), Skype (basically free long distance, desktop sharing, video chats), VPN connections (for secure connection to network) and of course email and phone.
How to Get Your Boss to Let You Work From Home
By · CommentsIf you want to work from home, that’s great. You have at least thought about what you want which is more than most people do. You may be tired of the commute, annoying co-workers, car expenses and so on.
The first piece of advice I have is ‘Just ask‘! Many of us assume our bosses won’t let us work from home so we don’t even ask.
The second piece of advice is ‘Prepare‘. You have to prepare what you will say, and what you will do if he says no. Perhaps you can start with one day at home and show the boss how much work you get done. Then expand from there. You have to be willing to quit if he says no, so perhaps you will want to have another job offer in your back pocket first.
I found what originally worked for me was that I had to travel to another city each week for a project. Then over time I got tired of all the travel so when the contract was up for renewal I said I would only work remotely with perhaps a final visit at the end of the project. So the factors involved here are: establishing trust with the client, making yourself indispensable (there were few people with my skillset in this geographical area), and negotiating at contract extension points. So I committed to my initial contract. It’s definitely harder as an employee as there might not be much incentive for your boss to let you do this.
After I got used to working remotely I basically couldn’t go back to commuting. So I decided I only wanted to work remotely but would allow an initial on-site visit. Then to my surprise the client accepted and said I didn’t even have to travel to the site since other companies involved in the project were also in other geographical areas.
I recently bid on a project with another company and mentioned that I wouldn’t be travelling (a four hour time zone difference). The client was okay with it and we won the bid! So here are two examples where I obtained remote work without a face to face meeting, and for a new client to boot.
Also check out this article titled “How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work from Home“.
Getting What You Want at Work
By · CommentsSomeone I know works a job he doesn’t like very much. He wants to work part-time and also have a month or more off in the winter to go south to escape the weather. Some of the work requires an intense focus, however there are many interruptions during the workday. He mentioned to me that the boss probably wouldn’t accept part-time work for someone in his position. They’re also not happy with long periods of time off (1 month or more at a time).
I suggested that he prepare a negotiation strategy. This should all be based on what kind of lifestyle you want. So for example: “I want a job where I can travel for a month in February, and have more time to myself during the week. I also want to work 1 or 2 days away from all the distraction of the office and the stress of commuting.”
From this we can determine the specifics. I want to work part-time. I want to have 2 months off in the winter. I want to work at least 2 days from home.
Now we ask ourselves, “Can my current job provide this lifestyle”? We might have to change our arrangement at work ie. we would have to work-part time, have an agreement to be off in say January and February each year (either with vacation pay or not), and if working full time then 2 days working from home (available by phone, email and with appropriate software and/or laptop).
If our current job does not allow this lifestyle, we have to think about what kind of jobs would. Perhaps look for a part-time job that isn’t as critical to the company where they would be fine with a month or two off each year. Another idea is a seasonal type of job, where the business is closed during the winter such as a local business that caters to tourists, or a garden center. I know of a specific job that is for a store that sells baked goods and also has some cottages for rent in the summer. The business closes in the winter for many months at a time.
Once you know what you want you have to prepare for the negotiation with your boss. If they say no to these requests are you willing to walk away from your job? Does your spouse agree to this? Are you willing to accept some of the terms but not others? If you are worried that they won’t accept these terms, then beforehand it makes sense to look for another job that does cater to your lifestyle and even get an offer or two.
Many people are afraid to ask for what they want. Many also don’t know what they want. They know they’re unhappy but don’t want to make the necessary changes. Another factor is being stuck financially.
When I mentioned these suggestions, the person admitted that they need to think about these things. Often times we know what we should do be we don’t do them, yet still complain. Go make the lifestyle you desire NOW! Also check out this article on workshifting.
Making Bad Choices
By · Comments
In June I moved from a fairly large city of over 1 million to a small town of about 1000. I’m on a few acres in a beautiful country home surrounded by trees so I don’t see my neighbours. It’s so beautiful out here. After 3 months of swimming with my wife and dog and having fun I obtained a 3 month work from home IT contract. I’m now practicing guitar and studying french during the day. I just turned down an employment offer. So why do I tell you all this?
Because I continue to be amazed by people that continue to make bad choices that complicate their lives. Some of these choices are:
-getting into debt. Nothing keeps you down like spending more than you earn. Having savings means you don’t have to work somewhere you hate. Being dependent on income is very apparent during interviews and other situations because it diminishes your power. You need to be able to walk away from any negotiation.
-not getting an education. I see many people especially in this small town who never got an education. They are paying the price now working many hours for low pay, sometimes more than one job, and even working the night shift.
-accepting low paying positions. Due to fear and insecurity many take low paying jobs and are miserable, plus they have half their pay removed from taxes and other deductions.
-accepting long commutes. People will drive an hour or more to work and be absolutely miserable and waste many hours of their lives each day. They’re afraid to move closer to work, only accept remote work, etc.
At the core of why we do this is fear in my opinion. Fear of what will happen if we set higher standards and don’t get instant results. And the fear is that we won’t be able to pay our bills or support our family. So the financial aspects have to be resolved. With savings and low or no debt the freedom is liberating!
Feel free to post your excuses as to why you can’t do this below! 
Are You Using This Marketing Technique?
By · CommentsI saw a commercial recently for a product that helps parents with their kids and the speaker said ‘Send us your feedback on how our product helped your children and I’ll refund your purchase price”. I thought this was a great idea on getting testmonials that can be used for your marketing.
But the more interesting idea is that you can get the product for free (after paying) so this will actually motivate people to buy the product, as well as getting you testimonials!
So how can we use this on the web? I’m thinking you could ask for a youtube video, blog post, tweet, Facebook post, etc. In my case I sell guitar lessons online so I can offer a refund if someone posts a video on YouTube, mentions my website and puts a link in the video description.
So the question is, are you going to use this marketing technique in YOUR business? Let me know!
