If you’re a brand sponsoring an athlete, or if you represent a team, or if you represent a stadium or a concert venue, what tools do you have in your toolbox for engaging your audience?

You probably put together promotional videos. Perhaps you have an email newsletter. No doubt you’re using the latest social media platforms to build your brand. 

But is your toolbox up-to-date with the latest model tools for 2022? Why don’t you check your toolbox against ours? 

We’ll talk about what we think should be in everybody’s toolbox – whether you’re an individual athlete, a sponsor, a team, or the manager of a theater or stadium – and you can compare your tools against our recommendations.

Interactivity

Today, Internet users of all ages want in on the action. They’re not content to passively consume. You need to give your audience something to do. Give them actions they can take. Participation will bring them closer to you and make them identify with your brand. Here are some ways you can achieve this.

Polls/Predictive Trivia

This could be anything from a social media poll, to a push sent to your fans’ smartphones, to a survey in your email newsletter. Polls can gauge your audience’s reaction to your decisions. They can allow you to focus-group your decisions. They can help you to measure audience sentiment and identify an appropriate course of action. Or, they can be a fun way to give people a piece of the action. Ask them to predict outcomes in your game, match, show, competition, or performance.

Non-Predictive Trivia

Here we’re talking about the kind of questions professors ask their students to make sure everyone is paying attention. Or the kind of questions people crowd into bars on Tuesday nights to answer. Trivia questions about the past or present, not the future.

Games

Everyone loves smartphone games these days. But they’re not just time-wasters. They can be fun and educational. And they can help you reach your audience directly. Remember what we said about making sure you had the latest-and-greatest model tools? Let’s just say there’s a reason the New York Times bought Wordle. The Sunday crossword still has its devotees, but it’s just not enough to reach the widest possible audience in 2022.

Social Elements

Are you maxing out your use of social media? Do you deploy hashtag campaigns? Have you partnered with influencers? If you’re the manager of a team, do your players interact with your fans on social platforms? How about exclusive photo filters? Or a social wall?

Digital technology offers clever new ways to increase the level of interaction you have with the people you serve. Make sure you’re deploying tools that allow you to use that interaction to your advantage.

Rewards

For the last decade or two, companies, coaches, and even governments have been applying the logic of video games to incentivize outcomes in the real world. You’ve got to give people a reason to interact. 

Just because you have digital means for people to engage with you doesn’t mean they will. Rewards solve that problem. People are more likely to take action if there’s something in it for them. Especially if that something is a chance to win valuable prizes, such as the following:

Downloadable Content (DLC)

Typically, we’re talking about coupons and discount codes with monetary value. These could include digital coupons for use in games or in online shopping. 

Physical Coupons

These are definitely rewards with real-world value. Not tokens for some kind of virtual reward, like a video game treasure box, but actual coupons for free drinks, t-shirts, food, watches, etc.

Physical Discount Codes

Same as the previous except that instead of free swag, people get reduced-price swag. 

Recognition

If you use virtual leaderboards for your audience contests, everyone can see who your top performers are. Most people love winning, especially if they know that all of their friends know about it. And even if you’re not very competitive, it’s easy to get excited when you see you have a chance to beat other people at something.

Virtual Toolbox

Okay, now that you have a pretty good idea of what you want your toolbox to do (what functions your tools need to accomplish), let’s look directly at Versus Systems’ virtual toolbox. 

• Mobile, Web, and In-app Integrations
• Over-The-Top (OTT) and Steaming Enhancement
• White-Label and Customizable Games
• Programmable Second-Screen Experiences
• Bespoke Sponsorship Integrations
• Digital Reward Compliance Management
• Production and Development Services
• Live Event Support

These engagement tools are actual applications of the different methods for delivering audiences interactivity and rewards. In other words, Versus’ tools perform all of the different functions that you want your toolbox to perform. 

These tools help you follow through on your desire to offer fans polls, trivia, rewards, and games. They allow Versus’ partners to enhance their audience’s at-home or in-stadium experience. They’re easily customizable for every team and sponsor and venue. They’re easy-to-navigate for any smartphone user. 

And they take care of all the back-end stuff so that all you have to worry about is doing what you do best: whether that’s football, pop concerts, boxing, or golf.

Let’s Recap

Digital technology has evolved to the point where brands and sports teams and concert venues can easily deliver a level of interaction to their audiences that was previously unheard of. 

If you want to be successful in the 21st Century, you’ll want to make sure your virtual toolkit can deliver that kind of interactivity, along with the kinds of rewards and incentives that ensure your audience wants to participate. If you compare your toolkit to Versus’, you’ll get an idea of the kinds of tools you need.