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Posted by Jilesh varma
August 03, 2016
Today, even a toddler knows about the crazy buzz for Pokémon Go! It has, after its initial release in the US, taking over the world by a virtual storm. Whether you’ve played the game or not, there is nothing to deny that its popularity sky-rocketed in just 13 hours. Yes, you heard that right! Let me tell you about some statistics: After just 13 hours of its launch, Pokémon Go reached the top of the highest-grossing applications in the US chart. And, just after 5 days, Nintendo’s market value increased to amazing $9 billion dollars! Additionally, the app enjoyed 15 million downloads in just 7 days.
Believe it or not, but we can learn some insanely marketing techniques from Pokémon Go. But, before I move forward and reveal how Pokémon Go is related to digital marketing, let me take a moment and explain the game if you’re still uninitiated.
Pokémon Go, launched by Nintendo, is an Augmented reality game that uses your smartphone’s camera and GPS system to find and catch Pokémon in real life. Players are required to explore the areas nearby, public places, parks in order to find, lure and catch the Pokémon. And, the way Nintendo has created virtual reality games is an example of how we should be conducting our digital marketing campaigns.
Here are 6 things that Pokémon go teaches us to enhance our marketing strategy and promote our business.
Nintendo released Pokémon Go during the summer holidays when its core audience (middle-aged children) have plenty of time to go out and enjoy the app. If you really think about it, Nintendo could have hit the streets at any time of the year, but of course, the impact would have been far less substantial.
<p”>So, what do we learn here? Being a digital marketer, you should never forget that creating unique and informative content is not the whole story. You must figure out and plan a decent, profitable strategy for releasing that content by keeping the behaviour of your target audience in mind. Consider launch timing and target demographics because launching strategies can make or break even the stellar efforts.
When you’re playing Pokémon Go, Pokémons don’t come around you, you need to start walking to make sure you reach them. So, why would it be different in digital marketing? You need to go where people are actually interested in buying your products. And, when you get there and catch the Pokémon, you don’t just stay there right? You find places where Pokémons are well populated.
The same thing applies in digital marketing, you have a superpower of Analytics, to figure out which customers you need to target and catch them with the right ads.
When you’re trying to catch a Pokémon, you need to adjust your technique sometimes. If the Pokémon is too far to throw the ball accurately, then got closer. If the ball keeps rolling away, then throw harder.
Similarly, you need to have a flexible marketing strategy and take a unique approach for various communities of customers. You should look at web analytics to understand what the problem is and fix it. Analytics can show you how long people are staying on your website, what search keywords are leading them to your website, etc, etc. All this important data can help you enhance your strategies.
If most of the visitors found your website using one particular search term, then try to amplify it. If your visitors are bouncing off your website, then check and see if it’s a performance issue. Remember, by using this data you can develop new strategies, and by testing them to work well, you can get closer to becoming a marketing master.
If you’re familiar with the Pokémon universe, then you must be aware of the criminal element called Team Rocket. In Pokémon world, trainers are sworn to protect their Pokémon and keep them safe, while the team rocket is known for enslaving them. Besides this, there have been many accounts of criminals that used the app to track people and mug them. In addition, the app still has major issues with security. However, Nintendo assured that they are addressing the issues and will solve them as soon as possible.
So, the lesson to learn here is that you should also keep your customers safe and ensure that their online shopping experience is easy to use and secured. Hire a programmer on backend to make sure that your platform isn’t inviting hackers.
Pokémon Go is the most innovative thing that has been done by Nintendo. From trainers travelling to become Pokémon masters to adding more Pokémons, Nintendo has adopted the same plot in every game. Nintendo always wanted to bring the Pokémon out in the real world when they packed together with the experience of gaining pokewalker with each copy of Soulsilver and HeartGold, but they still weren’t able to make it happen.
Finally, now you can find Pokémons in real locations and see them through your smartphone camera. It combines the real-world experience with the entire virtual world.
My point is, whatever you’re trying to promote, whether it’s your company’s standard website or your e-commerce platform, it is essential that you add the “real world” feel. It seems like a tough task, but many people have discovered new services and products through posters and word-of-mouth. So, if you want to bring real-world feelings, then try using social media. Be active on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and Pinterest to let the customers find you in the virtual world. And, by this approach, people will tag you, write reviews about you and your business which will eventually result in reaching more audiences.
Pokémon Go is so much fun when you’re wandering around with your friends to support and challenge them. However, just as you shouldn’t be wandering at night just because there is a Gyrarados near the creek behind your home, you shouldn’t be taking marketing risks by yourself. For instance, if you’re running an online shop, then you must hire a programmer to make sure that your code is neat, clean and secured. Also, have a full team helping with content, design, marketing and everything else that you need to snatch the leads. Just like in Pokémon world, Ash had brock, misty and a lot of other people throughout his journey to help him out.
Who would have thought that one game will bring so many lessons to digital marketing professionals? That being said, Pokémon Go has certainly set the gaming standards to a whole new level.
And, with these digital marketing lessons, I hope I have given a different perspective on how one gaming app can improve the marketing factors of today’s business.
