What if marketing was a game? Something you can play at, play with. A game without winners or losers, just different outcomes.

Would that make marketing feel easier? More fun?

monopoly

I see many business owners treat marketing as something serious, saying things to themselves such as, “There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it,” “It must be done correctly, or it won’t work,” “I’ll look foolish if I make a mistake, and I’d hate to have it look like I don’t know what I’m doing — it’ll be embarrassing in front of my peers and my clients.” The idea of doing marketing the correct way can be a hurdle that feels hard to overcome.

What if marketing were a game?

You’re likely familiar with Monopoly, where there are clear winners and losers, and the goal is to amass property, charge rents, collect $200 by passing Go, etc. But what about a different type of game, one that’s cooperative rather than competitive, a game where the goal is to have fun and enjoy it for its own sake? The object is to play and connect, and the common denominator is having fun. Playing a game like this encourages you to explore and expand, placing the focus on the journey (What happens when I do this?) rather than the destination (I win, you lose).

There’s been a lot of talk lately of gamification, turning business into a game. Being personally motivated by fun, I like the way that sounds. Not being competitive, however, I’d rather play a cooperative game, where we all pursue an outcome together, where winning means you’ve had fun, and in the case of your marketing, created the results you were looking for.

Turning marketing into a game means you win if you have fun, and your ideal clients are touched.

Love marketing as you love a game. Play at it; allow yourself to have fun with it. Know that it’s not about winning or losing: you can enjoy it, which makes for better marketing, to which clients are more likely to respond, making them naturally gravitate toward you and your message.

Marketing as a game –> You have more fun –> Clients respond more positively.

Do it for the love of the game.

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