Digest...

Game theory is the study of interdependent rational choice, not independent. More simply put, it is people making strategic decisions based on how they think someone in the group will respond to their decision. Game theory is about choices and outcomes, and can be illustrated in two ways.

 

Think about approaching your content marketing with a bit of game theory. If the game is between you and others creating similar content, you attempt to understand the moves of your competitors and make decisions based on what you think they will do. You want to minimize your own losses. You think several moves ahead.

 

You could apply game theory to your next content planning meeting. You could debate a long time on whether idea A is better than idea B, which is usually futile; both likely have merit, they are merely different decisions that will lead down a different path. The question isn’t which idea is best, but rather which path is the best. Turning the debate into whether idea A or idea B is the better path in the game can be more effective and lest caustic to those whose ideas are rejected.

 

How can you use gamification with your content marketing? The possibilities are wide open, but here are a few ideas to get the wheels turning:

-- >  Create achievement levels. Create an online course, and track their progress through levels all the way up to “graduation.”

-- >  Introduce scoring. Reward those who comment the most on your blog (or share your content the most on social media).

-- >  Suggest skill level. For membership sites, allow them to unlock new content and features as they consume your content. The more they read and share, the more is made available to them.

-- >  Create a game in your content. Whether you write a blog post where you let people choose the ending

 

If you have gamification in place, game theory may more easily come into play for your audience. There is clear competition. They are competing against the others, and are making decisions to come out ahead.

 

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