Retention, Part Twenty: Are You Having Fun?

By Sanya Weathers

There are two things more contagious that spread faster than flu germs at a trade show – fear and fun. With wide swaths of the global economy in tatters, fear is certainly well known these days. People just don’t have much disposable income. In fact, one of the most affordable means of entertainment is online and social gaming. Subscription products offer more bang for the buck than movies, restaurants, cable television, or travel. Free to play products are even more affordable, even if the strictly free form of the products tend to be limited in scope.

The entertainment industry has responded, and created a lot of competition in the online/social gaming space. People have a choice in products, and they want to spend their time with the options that give them the most fun and the biggest escape from fear.

The best way to associate your product with escapism and fun is to have fun where your players can see you. If customers know that time with you – on your website, forum, Twitter feed, and even the product itself – is good for a guaranteed smile, they’ll keep coming back.

As we saw on Monday, you position yourself as fun with the tone of your corporate communications. Don’t take yourself too seriously, even as you take the work you do and the quality of your product VERY seriously. Be ready to laugh at yourself, even though you never laugh at the employees or the developers.

But the real key to fun as it pertains to retention is to watch for the things your customers are doing for fun, and to support and augment their efforts. If a player has organized a tournament, offer prizes. If a player starts a screenshot contest, make it official with promotion on your website. Did a player write a unique bit of fanfiction? Find a way to put it into the game. Hilarious YouTube video making the rounds? Show it at your next live event.

The fun your players come up with will be more authentic than the activities you provide. By openly enjoying and supporting what they do, you build your relationship with them and encourage them to stick with a company that appreciates and celebrates the customer. And the positive attitude is contagious, leading to all kinds of benefits in terms of easier to manage forums, good word of mouth, and better press coverage.