Sell More Courses with Gamification

By: Justin Ferriman • December 1, 2014
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gamesGamification is often associated with the educational industry, but the reality is that it has existed in the business world for quite some time (and for good reason).

Using gamification effectively is a great way to increase the bottom line and generate customer loyalty.

If you are selling some form of online course, then you have a tremendous opportunity by leveraging gaming elements within your courses.

You could add a simple point and badge system into your courses – awarding your customers for completing certain elements. Humans are naturally drawn to rewards, especially if they are tied to a desired end.

For example, credit card companies have been employing gamification in their offerings and it is paying off in a big way. Most credit cards will give you “points” that you can cash-in for physical objects or money. The more you spend, the more points you get. It’s quite an effective tactic.

The trick with your elearning is to implement a gaming mechanism that has an effective carrot. This will then encourage your customers to continue taking your courses (or even purchasing additional ones) so as to eventually obtain the desired object.

It has been said that selling to an existing customer is far easier than obtaining new ones. Gamification components in your courses will help to create loyalty and engagement, which in turn will increase your conversions when you do decide to cross-sell additional courses to your customers.

When you do implement your gaming element, make sure that it is easy for your customers to take their achievements with them in the event that they decide to no longer use your services. While it can be tempting to prevent this, you don’t want to force loyalty – people will just become frustrated.

If you are looking into how to make your courses more effective, increase customer loyalty, and ultimately make more sales, then you owe it to your business to implement a gamification system.

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter