Wordle is a website that gives users six chances to guess a five-letter word. After guessing a random five-letter word, the game will tell you if any of your letters are in the daily word and if they are in the correct place.
Every 24 hours, a new word appears, and it is the identical word for every single visitor, no matter where you live in the world.
Although it may appear straightforward, it is really addictive. It has earned its developer a seven-figure amount in just a few months. Wordle, a game in which players try to figure out a secret word, has grown rapidly.
Only 90 players were playing the online game at the start of November 2021. By the beginning of 2022, that figure had risen to 300,000, quickly rising to 2 million. It has attained such a level of popularity that the New York Times has valued it at more than $1 million (£738,000).
Viral Marketing
Wordle is a perfect specimen of what marketers like to call viral marketing.
Viral marketing relies on people rather than paid efforts, and content rather than advertisements.
However, in order to go viral, you do not need to create an app or make a film. An image, a video, or a social media post can all go viral if it elicits powerful emotions. They can be positive or negative. They must ultimately be universal to the human situation.
The concepts of viral marketing can be applied to almost any material created by your brand.
Marketing tips to pick from Wordle
1. The strength of Digital Word-of-Mouth Marketing
With hundreds of thousands of people tweeting their results every day, it creates a big social media event. However, without context, it’s difficult to understand what the colour blocks imply, sparking interest and a desire to participate in the discussion.
Wordle, like any other game and online experience nowadays, includes a social sharing button. User-generated content on social media is crucial to Wordle’s viral success. However, what distinguishes it from other shareable games is the way its social sharing is constructed.
Wordle has devised an elegant approach, utilising colour-block emojis. Thus, enabling players to effortlessly share the process of their daily games without giving away the answer. The finished result is visually appealing and slightly enigmatic, which may entice some people to stop scrolling and figure out what it is.
Wordle’s colour-blocks outcomes have a distinct yet cryptic style that is memorable, and it also alludes to a vague sense of insider knowledge that awakens our intrinsic social urge to be “in the know.”
Striking a balance between accessibility and mystique for companies necessitates careful research and strategy in the design of how your branded material is distributed online. Being considerate to your next customer while satisfying your existing customers’ bragging rights should not be mutually exclusive.
Hence, unless you’re targeting a devoted niche audience willing to make an upfront commitment, it’s best to keep things simple and easily accessible.
2. Importance of accessibility
Getting your brand message out there is typically a key aspect of brand marketing. If you want to reach a large number of people, universal access should be a top focus when building your brand experience.
Wordle is not an app. It is a web-based game that anyone with an internet connection and a browser may simply access. Regardless of the device, the user experience is always basic and straightforward.
Its worldwide accessibility surely contributed to its viral success. In today’s fragmented consumer-technology landscape, this is especially effective.
Consider the periodic game restrictions imposed by opposing governments. Furthermore, Android users did not have easy access to Clubhouse until months after it originally exploded in early 2021. Also, for nearly a year, Apple customers were unable to download Fortnite on their iPhones.
Wordle’s marketplace accessibility is a pleasant move. It brings everyone together in this day of cynicism and conflict.
3. Experience over monetisation
Did you know that? Josh Wardle, a software developer, established the website for his word-game-loving girlfriend.
Despite the millions of visitors to his website, he had no plans to monetize the game. Some brands and ad purchasers must have been disappointed by this. It is, however, an intriguing departure from the compulsory monetisation ethos that has come to rule the internet in recent years.
Josh Wardle’s reputation has grown as a result of his decision not to monetize his game, which has proven to be a wise decision. Millions of Wordle users are relieved that they will not be inundated with ad banners or, worse, pop-up advertising.
Wordle does not require any signups, thus there is no risk of malicious data acquisition. Furthermore, because it only delivers one puzzle per day, it is not intended to be addictive in the way that many free-to-play mobile games are.
The trick for marketers here is determining which material should be locked and which should be freely available. Gated content is rarely viral.
There is, however, nothing wrong with monetizing attention. We recognise that not every creator can afford to not monetize their viral moments.
4. Miscellaneous
1. Creating FOMO is an excellent method to enhance the likelihood of anything going viral. There is only one game every day, and if you don’t play before midnight, you miss out on that day’s puzzle and the chance to compare scores with your friends.
2. A little healthy competition is never a bad thing. Brands that take advantage of it stand to benefit greatly. In the case of Wordle, players compete against themselves (trying to beat the previous day’s score) as well as their friends (by posting on social media).
Wordle in your strategy
As a social media manager or small business owner, you may be wondering, “Can I participate in the Wordle trend?” Yes, the answer is yes!
From memes on reactions to failing and acing at the game to using Wordle’s emoji-based approach to replicate what you sell, the sky is the limit.
Conclusion
Wordle’s achievement is undeniably astounding. In comparison to some of the most sought-after marketing strategies, such as advertisements, the basic viral marketing tactics make it a marketing marvel.
If you want to incorporate it into your creative plan, now is the moment. Will you join Wordle’s viral marketing campaign?
Get in touch with us at Shaktiki Marketing to learn more about the most effective marketing strategy for your business.