There is a risk vs. reward scenario that we all play out when deciding to interact with an online ad or a website. With online ads and websites for games, there is a delicate dance to be had between publisher and gamer—one that isn't always done so delicately. As game marketers, our online marketing tools need to inspire excitement, passion, trust and commitment in the people we are marketing to. These emotions play into aspects of psychological interaction.
Is there a psychology to online advertising? If so, how does online advertising for games play into this psychology?
Disclaimer—I am not a psychologist. A little psycho, perhaps. A psychologist, definitely not. Seriously, I'm no more qualified to analyze human behavior than any other marketing guy. And yet, I've been a student of behavioral interaction ever since I started in this business. Still, take these comments and observations as they are intended—as a layman's (or lame man's) opinion and not medical fact.
We all want to evoke emotional responses to our online marketing devices. There are dozens of emotions we can feel when we see an ad or a website, some of which I noted above. Suffice it to say, these emotions can be a powerful ally in compelling the web surfer to click. What can we do in creating these online tools to heighten some of these emotional responses?
To get to the bottom of this, we need to understand what compels us to click, or interact. I've narrowed down the reasons why we click into five main categories:
1. Trust—When a web user decides to click on an ad or navigate a website, they make several assessments in the blink of an eye—Will this be a waste of time? Will the site I click to be safe? Will the information I seek be relevant? Will I get what I need efficiently? Web users need to feel a sense of reliability and trust in what they are doing when they decide to interact. When they do, they are more likely to interact with a sense of purpose.
2. Curiosity—Many web users click because they are simply curious about what they have seen and want to see what's to come. The trouble with curiosity clicks is that person clicking lacks the intent needed to enter into the sales cycle—which is the whole point of advertising for video games. This brings conversions way down and the ROI can suffer.
3. Gain—We all act and interact motivated by gain. This is hardly a dynamic that exists exclusively online. Whether it is financial gain, increased intelligence or bragging rights, often times we find ourselves interacting because it means something better for us and our lives.
4. Fantasy—The great thing about the web is that it allows us to live out alternative lives with the click of a mouse. The infinite amount of information and content the web contains allows us to be transported into lifestyles and situations we would never dream possible. Web users often daydream by navigating the web. Within minutes they can be at a first class island resort sipping cocktails with the celebrity du jour—all without leaving their desktop.
5. Error—Various studies have shown web users click ads in error upwards of 17% of the time. Clicks in error on websites is part of the standard protocol of navigation. Why do we click in error so much? As bandwidth increases, the speed of the web has made it such that we simply aren't navigating based on what we read so much as what we see and feel. The more intuitive an ad or website is, the less clicks in error are made. This is a very important dynamic as you will read below.
Now that we know why we click, how can we use this to our advantage to increase interaction with our online ads and websites for video games? The great thing about marketing video games online is the rich storytelling that can be leveraged. With effective use of graphics, copy and interactivity, we can hit the triggers and avoid the pitfalls of some of the reasons why we click.