With Ai content material flooding all our channels, participating individuals has by no means been tougher and in addition by no means extra vital. Whether or not you’re making an attempt to transform a prospect right into a paying buyer or rework a brand new rent right into a loyal group member, one factor is evident: with out significant engagement, your efforts are prone to fall flat.
At Gamification Nation, we’ve labored with world manufacturers and small companies alike to assist clear up challenges in worker motivation, buyer retention, and productiveness. Over time, we’ve seen a recurring fact: earlier than individuals act, they have interaction. Earlier than they purchase, subscribe, be part of, or contribute—they join in a roundabout way, nonetheless small. That is why we designed the EARN framework: Have interaction, Entice, Retain, Nudge.
Backed by analysis and behavioural science, the EARN mannequin gives a dynamic, gamification-led roadmap to create enduring enterprise relationships. On this article, I’ll stroll you thru the mannequin, share the newest findings that assist it, and clarify how it may be utilized to each buyer and worker engagement methods.
Engagement is Not Elective—It’s Foundational
Let’s begin with why engagement issues.
Trendy advertising funnels and worker journeys will not be linear. Audiences are bombarded with content material, and workers are juggling a number of platforms, duties, and messages. What cuts by the noise is private relevance and emotional connection. That is what actual engagement is about.
Viewers Engagement Comes Earlier than Model Engagement
We now have the info to assist what many entrepreneurs and other people professionals have suspected for years: viewers engagement precedes model engagement, and each are essential to drive motion.
Analysis from NetLine (2023) exhibits that B2B professionals who have interaction with content material—whitepapers, webinars, articles—are 33% extra prone to make a purchase order determination inside 12 months. Equally, PowerReviews discovered that buyers who work together with critiques, Q&A sections, or filter choices on product pages convert at as much as 177% greater charges than passive browsers.
This implies that earlier than individuals grow to be loyal to your model or product, they need to first discover one thing price participating with—a narrative, a problem, a query that feels prefer it was designed for them.
Introducing the EARN Framework
At Gamification Nation, we’ve distilled years of expertise and behavioural insights right into a four-phase mannequin:
1. Have interaction – Seize Curiosity and Spark Interplay
Earlier than anything, you want consideration. However not simply clicks or views—you want cognitive engagement, emotional resonance, and a few type of interplay. This may very well be a touch upon social media, a accomplished quiz, and even studying a case research.
Gamification methods for this part embody: – Interactive quizzes and character exams – Micro-rewards for small actions – Visually wealthy progress bars and unlockable content material
Analysis Perception:
Gallup experiences that engaged customers ship 23% extra in profitability and pockets share. In different phrases, when individuals really feel concerned, they offer extra again.
2. Entice – Construct Need and Connection
When you’ve captured consideration, the subsequent step is to construct a deeper connection. That is the place your model values, storytelling, and content material have to shine. You’re transferring from consciousness to affinity.
Efficient techniques right here embody: – Customized journeys (e.g., “choose-your-own-adventure” onboarding) – Social proof and testimonial partitions – Gamified training content material with clear milestones
Analysis Perception:
Demand Gen Report (2022) exhibits that 62% of B2B consumers overview 3–7 content material items earlier than ever speaking to gross sales. These mid-funnel moments form model notion and shopping for readiness.
3. Retain – Maintain Momentum with Significant Progress
Retention is the place most organisations wrestle. We’ve all seen initiatives that work properly for a launch after which lose steam. The important thing to long-term retention is making individuals really feel like they’re making progress, that they belong, and that their efforts are seen.
Gamification instruments for retention embody: – Stage methods or achievement tiers – Peer recognition – Deep dives and professional quests – Staff challenges – Up-or down-voting
Analysis Perception:
Edelman’s 2023 Belief Barometer discovered that engagement and belief go hand in hand. Prospects and workers who recurrently work together with a model in significant methods report greater ranges of loyalty and advocacy.
4. Nudge – Information Behaviour With out Forcing It
The ultimate (and repeating) part is all about nudging—delicate reminders and prompts that assist customers take the subsequent finest motion. That is the place behavioural economics meets design.
Nice nudge options embody: – “You’re 2 factors away out of your reward!” – E-mail or in-app prompts primarily based on behaviour – Peer primarily based nudges to encourage you in direction of your targets – Default decisions that encourage desired outcomes
Analysis Perception:
A research printed in MIS Quarterly (2021) warned that engagement with out steering can backfire. When an automotive model made its web site extra interactive, test-drive appointments really dropped by 12%—as a result of individuals felt that they had already explored sufficient on-line. This underlines the necessity to pair engagement with directional nudging.
The EARN Loop: Why It’s Not a Funnel Anymore
What makes the EARN mannequin completely different from conventional funnel frameworks is its looping nature. As soon as somebody has been nudged to motion, they don’t fall out of the system. As an alternative, they re-enter the cycle—now extra acquainted, extra empowered, and ideally extra motivated than earlier than.
In buyer journeys, this will imply: – Changing as soon as → returning once more – Referring others – Changing into model advocates
In worker journeys, this will imply: – Progressing in function – Changing into mentors – Shaping firm tradition
The continual nature of EARN implies that you’re not simply fixing for the subsequent click on or motion—you’re constructing long-term engagement methods. It’s all the time contextual in your firm, tradition and intentions with the unstated assumption that it’s good in your individuals, the planet and the group you’re employed in, we do need you to maintain it honest, inclusive and constructive for everybody in your ecosystem.
Deep Viewers Understanding is the Basis
Each part of the EARN mannequin depends on a transparent understanding of your viewers: – What motivates them? – What frustrates them? – What would profit them? – The place are they probably caught? – The place are they of their journey?
Whether or not you’re constructing an onboarding circulate for brand new hires or a lead quiz for brand new clients, your mechanics should be aligned with viewers wants and enterprise targets. That is the place our gamification diagnostics come into play. We use motivational profiling, behavioural segmentation, and journey mapping to make sure every ingredient of the EARN mannequin is related and efficient.
Making use of EARN to Key Enterprise Objectives
1. Improve Buyer Acquisition
By creating gamified experiences on the high of the funnel (like quizzes or competitions), you possibly can have interaction chilly audiences in a enjoyable, low-friction method. With the correct follow-up content material and worth, you possibly can then appeal to and convert them.
2. Enhance Retention and Loyalty
Retention is commonly an afterthought—however with gamified development paths and significant nudges, you possibly can maintain customers coming again. Loyalty shouldn’t be in-built a single motion however by a sustained sense of progress.
3. Scale back Worker Turnover
Engaged workers are extra productive and fewer prone to go away. With gamified onboarding, studying journeys, and recognition instruments, the EARN mannequin helps you create a office individuals wish to be a part of.
4. Improve Productiveness
Motivation is a multiplier of efficiency. By turning targets into video games and duties into challenges, you make productiveness measurable, seen, and enjoyable.
How Gamification Nation Applies EARN
We’ve deployed the EARN mannequin throughout numerous industries—from monetary companies and telecoms to healthcare and training. In every case, the mannequin is tailor-made to the organisation’s tradition, customers, and targets.
Instance Purposes:
– Playerence Quizzes: Have interaction and appeal to potential clients with enjoyable, branded quiz experiences which you can feed immediately into your CRM.
– Onboarding Missions: Retain and nudge new hires by gamified coaching paths, incomes rewards for milestones achieved.
– Wellbeing Programmes: Maintain engagement in worker wellness by habit-forming nudges and tiered incentives.
In each enterprise and life, individuals are extra prone to act after they really feel seen, valued, and motivated. The EARN mannequin doesn’t simply provide help to get individuals within the door—it helps you retain them, develop them, and switch them into ambassadors.
Have interaction them. Entice them. Retain them. Nudge them. Repeat.
In the event you’re prepared to maneuver past outdated funnel considering and construct actual, sustainable engagement, we invite you to discover the EARN mannequin with us.
Get in contact to learn the way we will apply it to your small business.
