Looking for a simple, Monday-style and effective format to boost the engagement of your online audience? The digital scratch game is a must. Accessible to all, quick to set up, it seduces by its instantaneous and immersive aspect, while offering great opportunities to convert, collect leads or build loyalty.
In this article, we explore the different use cases for scratch games, and guide you step by step to create your own engaging campaign with Socialshaker.
Why launch a scratch game?
The online scratch game, or Instant Scratch, is a fast-paced, fun mechanic that’s very popular with digital marketing strategies. The principle is simple: the user scratches a virutal zone to reveal instantly whether or not he or she has won a prize. This immediate interactivity captures the attention of participants and encourages engagement.
How does an online scratch game work?
- The user fills in an entry form.
- He scratches a defined area on the screen to discover the result.
- The result, win or lose, is displayed instantly. This is known as Instant Winning.
- Sharing options allow participants to spread the game to their network, amplifying its reach.
Scratch game offer several advantages for brands looking to boost their marketing strategy:
- Increased engagement: The fun aspect and immediate gratification encourage users to interact with the brand, boosting their commitment.
- Collection of qualified leads: The entry form collects valuable information about participants, facilitating the development of future targeted campaigns.
- Amplified visibility: Sharing and referral features encourage virality, increasing the campaign’s reach.
- Customization: The game is fully adaptable to the brand’s image, offering users a consistent, immersive experience.
When to launch a scratch game?
The great strength of the scratch game is that it can be perfectly integrated into different use cases and serve different strategic objectives.
Here are 4 cases in which Instant Scratch can be relevant.
1. Lead acquisition
Scratch game is a highly effective way of collecting qualified leads in a fluid, non-intrusive way. In exchange for their participation, users fill in a form, which helps build or enrich a database that can be used for future marketing actions.
Advice:
- Offer a sufficiently attractive prize to encourage participation (flagship product, voucher, exclusive experience).
- Take care with form structure: limit fields to what is strictly necessary to avoid wastage.
2. Community animation
Easy to understand and play, scratch game is an excellent way to create interaction with your community on social networks or via your existing base. It generates reactions and shares, and strengthens the emotional bond with the brand.
It’s particularly interesting for engaging your audience around a strategic highlight. Whether it’s Christmas, sales, Halloween, back-to-school or a sporting event, scratch cards are ideal for punctuating your marketing calendar and capitalizing on key moments in the year. It attracts attention at just the right moment, and allows you to align your communication with current events.
Advice:
- Set up a sharing or sponsorship mechanism to encourage virality.
- Adapt the game’s design and narrative to the event (e.g.: scratch a pumpkin at Halloween, a gift box at Christmas).
- Integrate a visual design in line with your brand universe or an engaging theme.
3. Conversion
Online scratching can be used as a purchase trigger, offering discounts or personalized offers revealed only via the game. This stimulates sales while making the experience more fun than a simple promo code.
Advice:
- Offer immediate discount vouchers for use online or in-store, with a “surprise” effect.
- Integrate a clear call-to-action to your store at the end of the game to make the purchasing process more fluid.
4. Loyalty
Used with an existing customer base, scratch cards can also strengthen brand loyalty by rewarding loyal customers with surprise rewards. It’s a simple way to re-engage your audience and encourage them to make new purchases.
Advice:
- Segment your base to address the game to your best customers with differentiated prizes.
- Offer exclusive incentives (e.g. early access to a private sale, a gift with your next purchase).
Our tips and best practices for maximizing the effectiveness of an online scratch game
Creating an online scratch game is an effective strategy for boosting audience engagement and conversions. Here’s a step-by-step guide to designing and optimizing your game animation.
1. Define your objectives and targets
Before getting started, it’s important to clearly identify the campaign objectives (lead acquisition, loyalty, sales increase, etc.) and precisely target their audience. These elements will guide the game’s design, message and rewards.
Best practices
- Audience segmentation: Tailor the game to the preferences and behaviors of your target audience to maximize engagement.
- Measurable objectives: Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the campaign’s success.
2. Designing the game
An attractive design, consistent with the brand’s visual identity, is essential to captivate participants.
Steps to follow:
- Creation of graphic elements: Prepare the necessary visuals, such as campaign backgrounds, scratch images and interface elements.
- Personalization: Ensure that the colors, fonts and images used are consistent with the brand’s identity.
Best practices:
- Simplicity and clarity: A streamlined design facilitates navigation and the user experience.
- Mobile adaptability: Optimize gameplay for smooth use on all types of device.
3. Set up endowments
Rewards are the driving force behind participation. Brands therefore need to select them according to the perceived value to their audience.
Steps to follow:
- Selection of prizes: Choose attractive prizes that are relevant to your target group.
- Winning configuration: Determine the winning slots and the number of prizes available.
Best practices:
- Vary the rewards: Offer a range of prizes to satisfy different participant profiles.
- Transparency: Clearly communicate the terms and conditions of winnings distribution in a set of rules to build trust.
4. Configure game mechanics
The fluidity of the game has a direct influence on participant engagement.
Steps to follow:
- Definition of rules: Establish clear, easy-to-understand instructions.
- Technical set-up: Use a reliable gamification platform to manage the technical aspects of the game, such as the distribution of winnings over the set slots.
Best practice :
- Test the mechanics: Make sure there are prizes every day to avoid disappointment if all participants lose on the same day.
5. Promote the game
Effective promotion is crucial to reaching a large audience and boosting the performance of your marketing campaign.
Steps to follow:
- Selection of distribution channels: Identify the platforms most frequented by your target audience (social networks, emailings, website, etc.) and optimize the media coverage of your marketing game (via an ads campaign, for example).
- Creating compelling content: Developing compelling messages and captivating visuals to generate interest.
Best practices:
- Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers or other brands to extend the reach of your campaign.
- Teasing: Create suspense before the launch to arouse curiosity.
6. Analyze and adjust
Once the campaign has been launched, it’s essential to monitor its performance and adjust the elements if necessary.
Steps to follow:
- KPI tracking: Analyze the data collected to assess the game’s effectiveness.
- Gathering feedback: Gather participants’ opinions to identify areas for improvement.
Best practices:
- Flexibility: Don’t hesitate to modify certain aspects of the game according to feedback and observed performance.
- Post-campaign report: Draw up a detailed report to capitalize on successes and learn from any pitfalls.
Scratch game is the ideal format for boosting your marketing campaigns, engaging your audience and building loyalty! By following the steps in this comprehensive tutorial, you can maximize the effectiveness of the mechanics and optimize your conversion rates! Discover our other marketing game formats to animate your community all year round!
