Consumer data is the new gold for any brand or company. And with good reason. Up-to-date information on who the target customer is, what their tastes and needs are, and what they expect from a brand , allows the company's different departments to work on much more personalized campaigns and offers that will achieve a greater impact on their target and, therefore, increase their sales.
In this sense, there are different types of data that can be useful for the commercial purposes of companies, however, first party data, those obtained directly from the consumer thanks to campaigns, social networks, surveys, etc. are those that present a higher degree of precision and reliability. The ways to capture first party data can be multiple and varied , which will allow collecting a large volume of information about the consumer, however, an excess of data can be a barrier to obtaining clear conclusions.
Therefore, data collection and use must be done intelligently. To do this, the first step is to carry out a data cleaning process that allows the brand to optimize the usefulness of its databases with updated and useful records. This translates into doing an authentic cleaning and identifying duplicate, outdated, incorrect or incomplete data. A process that requires investing time, but which will be more than necessary to be able to manage any database more easily.
A database is more useful iran number data the more enriched it is and the more qualitative customer records it contains that can add value to the objectives of the campaign or the brand. In this sense, there are various ways to achieve this data enrichment , from combining it with other databases to mailing or SMS marketing campaigns.
It is important to note the importance of taking into account all possible ways of collecting data due to the cookieless context that is being implemented among brands and that will end with the elimination of third-party cookies in 2023. In light of this announcement, more and more companies are studying ethical and effective alternatives so that customers proactively give them their data.
Relational and direct contact marketing strategies such as gamification actions are proving to be a good way to achieve this objective because they turn the customer into an active and participating part of the campaign while collecting their most interesting data. Gamification is usually linked to business or training fields, but the truth is that when applied to the world of marketing it manages to give good results by generating engagement with the customer, encouraging them to participate in the brand's promotions while having fun playing. But what is the best way to apply this gamification process?
There is no universal answer to this question, as it depends on the brand, the profile of its customers, the campaign it wants to promote or the data it wants to obtain, which will determine which will be the best gamification formula. For example, with a simple question and answer game focused on the brand's products, information can be obtained about the needs and tastes of its regular consumers. Other simpler games such as crossword puzzles, word searches and scratch cards, allow for generating much more engagement as well as collecting customer information in a form prior to participation in the game. The brand's objectives are what will determine how to apply gamification.
It should not be forgotten that the company cannot be the only beneficiary of gamification projects; the expectations of the participating customers must also be met. This does not mean that the games stop being entertaining, but they must offer rewards to the participants who come out on top or to those who achieve a higher score . Discounts on future purchases from that brand or a free product sample are just some good examples of the prizes that a brand can offer to the winners of a gamification campaign.