Wordle Mania! Also, 4 Things You Need to Re-Learn Right Now.
Are you playing Wordle?
?If you’re playing,?you know.
If you’re not, you're seeing tiny colored boxes invading your social media feeds, and maybe you’re wondering why. Let's talk about it.
?What is Wordle??
Wordle is a daily ritual and word-guessing game. Every day, a new five-letter word is posted to?this website, and you get six chances to decipher what it is, building on your correct guesses as you go.??
“Five letters? I can do that,”?you think to yourself.
Just like that your new obsession begins.?
The puzzle is unassuming--strategically and visually. There are no beginning clues or required reading. You just get started.
Sometimes having a plan helps. Starting with a vowel-heavy word or maybe something with lots of common consonants to reveal them early.
Type your first letters. Hit enter. Repeat.
The game responds wheel-of-fortune-style to reveal how close your guess is to the final word.
In November, the word-guessing game had 90 users.
As of Monday, just two months later,?there were 2.7 million.???
Go ahead. Read that stat again.???
?We’re clinging to Wordle as aggressively as we baked sourdough and binged Tiger King.
?Here's why and what you can steal.?
?1. It’s So Simple
Look, it’s a new year, but the bulk of us are?exhausted. We’re not diving into things. We’re?easing into them.?
I can’t commit to solving the New York Times crossword.?
I?can?commit to spending five minutes to guess a five-letter word.??
?That’s the beauty of Wordle--anyone can play.?
?The?whole experience?has been designed to feel easy.??
?There are no ads or website pop-ups. There’s nothing else to distract me. It even remembers my incorrect guesses, so I don’t play them again. So sweet!
?Wordle lets me do what I want without worrying about the stuff I never wanted to worry about.?That's atypical in our digital world.
?? Steal it: Remove the barriers and obstacles that make it harder for your people to do what they want to do. Sometimes that means that marketing and data collection comes at your?second?or?third?interaction, not your?first. And maybe, just MAYBE, earning someone’s love and trust will set you up to yield better results long-term.?
?2. It Has Baked In Shareable Triggers
Things spread when you give people something to talk about?AND?make talking about it easy. Wordle gives us a new puzzle each day with sharing triggers already baked in. Sharing my game lets you see:
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The stickiest part of Wordle is this???????
We’re all solving the same puzzle.?My word is the same as your word regardless of where you live or the time of day you’re solving it.?
Interest is piqued, and community is formed.
?The result? People are?sharing Wordles at Omicron speed.?
??? Steal It:?We think if we create something worthwhile--a great product or standout content--people will share it. That's not how it works. We must bake in triggers to encourage spread by provoking emotion, creating surprise, and rewarding conversation.?
?3. It Rejects Gimmicks?
Wordle was built by software engineer Josh Wardle?(yep, the game is a play on his name)?as a gift to his word game-loving partner.?Swoon!?Because it was built for love, not marketing:
Because Wordle is rooted in love,?not?an MBA-approved marketing strategy, it exists as a simple word game.?
?Wordle is a five-minute daily ritual to enjoy over coffee and jumpstart your foggy morning brain.?That's it, and there’s something lovely about that.?
??? Steal it:?You’re not Wordle. You need to sell and sway people to take a specific action. But your marketing goals shouldn’t serve as roadblocks in your customer’s path or weaken their experience--they should enhance it. Consider your customers' goals and the journey you've laid out for them. Where do your needs and their needs intersect? Take care to insert bits of content and engagement hooks and technology in ways and places that will?benefit?them. Delighting your customers is your priority. The marketing comes after.?[Controversial take!]
?4. It Entices With Scarcity?
You get just one Wordle every day—just one.?
?Tomorrow that puzzle will be gone.?
?If they don't solve the game today, players know they'll miss out on all in-jokes happening, and they won't get a second chance. Being part of the #dailywordle community means carving out time in your day.?
?The allure of scarcity is real, and so is the Wordle fandom.
??? Steal It:?Scarcity is a tactic sales and marketing teams love--mainly because it works. Low inventory notices. Introductory offers. Sale and shipping countdowns. Use 'em but don't abuse 'em.
??* * * *
?Here's the thing--it's the beginning of a new year. Every email in your inbox is challenging you to be your best self and to fix all of last year’s supposed wrongs with fads, diets, and shiny new things.?
?Except for Wordle.??
?It’s not selling us the latest and greatest tricks. Wordle is bringing us back to the basics of how to create a really great product.
?When is something great? When it is:
That’s breaking marketing down to its most basic, long-lasting components. Proof that for now, at least, we can have nice things without destroying them.?
?Thanks for reading.
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Delivering excellent Customer Experience through data-driven insights, operational readiness, and continuous improvement | Healthcare, Finance, Retail | Non-profit Board Member
2 年Loved this article, Lisa — quick, insightful, and provides a snapshot as to what makes Wordle such a good (and unintentional?) builder of community.