Two core marketing lessons learnt from videogames

I love videogames.

Heck, you don't have to be a total genius to find that out. That's usually the first thing I tell people when we first meet. In fact, a transcript of all my first conversations typically goes like:

“Hi, I'm Jay. I write copy. I love videogames. All the rumors you heard about me are true. Especially if they're from the ladies “.

...Now, one of the best parts about being a gamer is seeing just how videogames tend to bring out the best... and worst in people. Case in point, especially when you give gamers free reign to write reviews about the games they played.

Strange enough these gamer reviews actually contain some pretty interesting insights for us marketers and copywriters. You see, there was an independent study on trends in the gaming community where they analysed well over a 6 million reviews written by the people... for the people... to see what everyone has in common.

Here are two of the most important stats I found, and how they affect you, as a marketer.

1- People tend to write longer reviews for stuff they paid for... just like how people take information they paid for more seriously than free shit

This one's a no brainer.

Thing is, when someone pays for something they essentially make a financial commitment to enjoy it, and go through it. This is why the completion rate for paid courses is typically higher than for free courses.

It's just waaaay easier to jump to the next free thing if you know the only thing you're losing is time... and not money.

This is also why I'm generally against giving away purely actionable content and tips in emails.

You give them all that good stuff... all that gold... all that knowledge... and they do nothing with it.

In fact, they completely forget about it in five minutes, and start looking for the next free thing in ten.

However, if you instead focus on giving them just enough in your emails to stir that hunger for more.... if you focus on shifting their realities and beliefs so they can actually accept your product and your solution in your emails... then you're golden.

Why?

Because you're not giving them any actionable content which they obviously won't follow... yet you're giving them that small 5% they need to take the first step towards ordering from you.

As for the second stat I came across... it's how:

2- The average writing grade for all the reviews was the 8th grade.

Yup.

6 million reviews... across 10 thousand different games... all off them read as if they were written by a fucking 8th grader.

And here you were probably thinking “naw, people are moar educated that that”. Well of course they are!

But that doesn't mean they want to read overly complicated shit... or write it for that matter.

This is why your copy must be at the absolute most, at an 8th grade level. Preferably the 7th grade. Heck... I actively encourage you to limit your copy and emails to the 6th grade if you can.

The simpler the better.

And believe me... you can never make your copy “too simple”

... unless you're trying to stroke some egotistical asshole customer's ego by making him feel smart ( and even then the actual markets you can get away with this are so limited you're better off not doing it ).

See?

Videogames DO teach us neat stuff.

Let me know what you think in the comment below. And if you're a gamer, what do you play?

Finally finished Mass Effect Andromeda a few days back at an 87% completion rate. Replaying the original trilogy... again.

… Till the next wave of madness... Vae Victis...

-Jay Makoni