The Digital Gun: What a Digital Marketer Really Does

Last weekend an engineer asked me what I do for a crust and in reply I told him I worked in digital marketing. He thought about it for a second, cocked his head to the side, laughed and said 'so you are on Facebook and Twitter all day long?', like it was the most hilarious joke in the world.

It's funny the way other people see us digital peeps.

What we are really doing all day long is learning, adapting and growing as specialists in our field. I truly believe digital marketers work in the most rapidly changing industry there is. The fast-paced world of digital is always changing and it's our job to keep on top of it all. Some days it feels like I'm Neo on the Nebuchadnezzar having information constantly downloaded right into my brain.

How can brands use Pinterest to directly impact sales? Download it.

How did Twitter recently change the way people use the @ symbol? Download it.

What does PTA mean for brands on Facebook, and why is it so damn important? Download it.

What's the drop off rate when you do a Facebook app that requires permissions? Download it.

How is Google going to force businesses/brands to start using G+? Download it.

How will Facebook's new timeline impact brand pages? Download it.

In my opinion, it's impossible for a digital marketer to know everything about the entire digital landscape, especially when it comes to utilising digital to achieve marketing objectives. There's just too much information out there for any one person to know. No-one can juggle that many balls and keep them all in the air. If you meet a digital marketer who thinks they are 'The One', just slap them - they are delusional.

Digital marketers who are worth their weight in pixels are usually specialists in certain areas. It's these people who are often referred to as 'Digital Guns'. Here are a few examples of digital guns in the industry and the areas they dominate:

• George Andreolas - A weapon when it comes to CRM campaigns!
• Jubran Moe - One of the world's best 'Search' gurus!
• Cara Pring - The Queen of Social Media!
• Venessa Hunt - Your one-stop source for all things mobile!
• Jye Smith - When it comes to digital strategy, he's got it locked!

The ideal digital marketing team, for big brands (who can afford the luxury) is compiled of a number of these so-called 'guns', all working in perfect synergy. It'll be someone in management who, when the time comes to do something digitally explosive, will say 'We need guns, lots of guns!'

Now, out of 100 points, how did all of you score in my blog?

• 10 Points - You are already on Pinterest (you are so cool)
• 10 Points - You know at least 2 of the 5 digital guns I called out
• 10 Points - You are a Digital Gun (chk, chk, boom yo)
• 10 Points - You've seen all 3 Matrix movies, and got all the references (geek much?)
• 10 Points - You can juggle, like a boss!
• 50 Points - You voted for me in the shootout!

- Digital Goose

The Fitness Game

In my last blog I talked about customers being born competitors, and used coffee consumption as an example of how a business can use gamification to blow on the competitive ember inside every customer and ignite their desire to be better. This is nothing new; I'm just stating the obvious. Brands all over the world have already proved, using gamification strategies, that turning the regular consumption (or purchase) of a product (be it coffee or hot dogs) into a game will motivate customers to be competitive and thus increase their propensity to consume more frequently and in turn, be more loyal to the brand. Aussie brands are also getting in on the action, with big brands like Wendy's jumping on the gamification bandwagon every day.

 

While this all sounds great for brands trying to flog their products, it's certainly not the only way businesses can benefit from gamification. Cue CrossFit... a fitness program with gamification at its core; where the product is gamification!

If you haven't already heard of CrossFit, you will. It's a fitness program that, in recent years, has exploded into a worldwide craze (yes, just like Zumba). At its most basic level, CrossFit is a strength and conditioning fitness program that combines a number of traditional activities, ranging from weightlifting to medicine ball training, and presents them in short high intensity workouts (called Workouts of the Day or WODs).

CrossFit was founded in 1995 by Greg Glassman, who used the program to help train a police department. CrossFit has since been used all over the world by fire departments, military organisations and law enforcement agencies. However, it wasn’t until CrossFit affiliates started using scoring and ranking systems (game mechanics), to transform the WODs into a game, that the everyday customer started taking notice and getting involved.

 

How does it work? CrossFit practitioners complete a set WOD as fast as they can (using correct methods) and are timed doing so. Their times are used to rank them against other ‘CrossFitters’ (like Jye Smith). The rankings act like a leaderboard at the gym and the times are used in regular conversation among CrossFitters, i.e. ‘How fast can you do this WOD?’

CrossFit turned fitness into a sport using gamification.

So successful (and addictive) is CrossFit that it has spawned its own version of the Olympic Games. The CrossFit Games started in 2007 and have increased in popularity ever since. Now, competitors from all over the world get involved for the chance to win up to $1 million in prize money, with Reebok as the sponsor. Its big business, for everyone involved!

CrossFit used gamification to put the call out for ‘Motivated People Only’ and what happened? Motivated people are turning up in droves, with cash in hand, just begging to be better customers. As a business, you need to put the call out to your customers and get them motivated, excited and involved!

And here's a bonus meme for all the CrossFitters out there. I know we've seen thousands of these over the last few weeks, and are sick to death of them, but one more won't hurt...

Now, out of 50 points, how did all of you score in my blog?

• 10 Points - You know what kipping is...
• 10 Points - You follow Jye Smith on Twitter
• 10 Points - You knew the guy in the image was doing a 'Snatch' (not this)
• 10 Points - You know what meme means, and are sick of 'What I Really Do'
• 10 Points - You timed yourself reading this blog, then re-read it to improve

- Digital Goose