Ultimate toolkit for user engagement and monetization
If you run or want to launch a metaverse project, game, virtual hangout place… whatever you call it, this paper is done for you. In this white paper we give you the tools that we used to generate a ot of revenue and to retain loyal users. It goes without saying that users purchasing digital items for their avatar are the retained users, those who come back regularly. In a virtual universe like in real life, you need to give users good reasons to come back. We tell you how.
Virtual worlds have become a popular and essential part of the online experience. Engaging your audience and monetizing your virtual world is critical to its success. This exclusive toolkit offers a comprehensive guide to creating immersive and engaging experiences, ensuring user retention and generating revenue.
Inbound Tools – give reasons to come
FOMO triggers: what's happening in the virtual world
Keep your community informed about the latest happenings, with special invitations and hangout meetup propositions. Provide a calendar of upcoming events and activities, to help users plan their participation and stay engaged.
Example of email invite to an exclusive concert in our virtual world
Updates: contents and features
Regularly introduce new content and features to keep your audience excited and engaged. This can include new events, new games, new social activities, and new outfits that users can try out. The hard work is to keep always up to date, but it is also the most interesting part. Don’t think that if you do nothing, people will keep coming back. If a website never gets updated, users tend to get bored: the same applies to virtual worlds. You need to plan your content ahead and involve users (see interactive campaigns). The beauty of virtual worlds is that they are perfect for co-creation with users.
Example of post showcasing new features to express emotions, such as new dance moves, poses and emoji menu
Streams
Offer live streams or demos of new features and content, to showcase what's coming up and build anticipation among users.
Example of trailer used by Fortnite, to announce what’s coming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs8YIhsbZxg&t=5s
Interactive campaigns: polls, UGC designs
Engage your audience through interactive campaigns, such as polls and user-generated content (UGC) designs, allowing them to have a say in the development of the virtual world.
In this campaign we announced the project to launch new arcade cabinets, and asked the community what type of game they would like to have.
In another campaign, we offered our community to come up with their own avatar outfit design. The winners would see their design implemented in the virtual world, and anyone would be able to get this outfit.
In this campaign, we offered 4 quirky outfit options and wanted to collect reactions.
Promotion: DLC and giveaways
Offer promotions like sales or downloadable content (DLC) and giveaways, to encourage users to explore new content and stay connected with the virtual world.
Example of discounted packages of items
Example of posts showcasing temporary sales
Monthly Planner and Daily Staffing tools
You have so many channels to communicate about your world: it is time to get organized
Social Media: start with the obvious, to speak to your audience where they are, announce what is happening in your world. We’ve been actively using platforms like Discord, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to inform our users about upcoming in-world events, promotions, and updates. With interactive campaigns: we organize activities such as votes, design contests, and giveaways on social media channels to increase user engagement. Twitch is also a great tool, especially if you target GenZ/millennial gamers, to show the new features and explain how to earn in-world currency for example. You can stream gameplay, tutorials, and special events , allowing users to engage with our team and ask questions in real-time.
Dev blogs: this is the name used in the gaming industry to present the new features and what is coming next. Make sure that your own website and apps share behind-the-scenes stories and sneak peeks of upcoming features: this keeps the community informed and excited about the future of your virtual world.
Newsletters: you can send out regular newsletters to highlight updates, and announce special events coming soon in your world.
App stores: if you self publish in Apple, Google stores or a game-related store such as PlayStation, Epic or Steam, you can share updates about your virtual world and make sure descriptions are up to date. You can generally pay for more exposure, as it is the case for most marketplace platforms.
To get organized, you need to plan your operations in advance. We used 2 documents indicating who does what for each channel. We are happy to give you the templates which we made now downloadable and adaptable for yourself!
The “monthly planner”
Example of monthly planning tool
The “Daily staffing tool”
Example of daily staffing tool
2. In game engagement tools
In-game actions – Retention Mechanic with soft Currency
Pick-up collection games
Create pick-up collection games where users can collect in-game items or currency: this encourages exploration and engagement within the virtual world.
Example of Easter egg pickup challenge to collect virtual currency
Challenges and awards with leaderboards
Introduce challenges and awards with leaderboards, to foster a sense of competition and achievement among users.
“Sticker book” with all possible rewards
Implement a feature that showcases all available rewards, like a Panini sticker book, motivating users to complete challenges and collect rewards.
Example of sticker book we did to show all tasks / quests and challenges in progress
Free Events
Seasonal activities
Host seasonal activities and meetups (e.g., Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc.) and international events (e.g., World Cup, Olympics, etc.) to keep users engaged throughout the year.
Weekend events: parties, concerts, bespoke events
Organize weekend events such as parties and bespoke events to offer unique and memorable experiences for users.
“Foam party” organized in one of the most popular spaces, with temporary foam just for the event
Premium items
Seasonal outfits to accompany activities
Offer seasonal avatar items exclusive to each event. These outfits complement the experience at each event. They should be fun quirky avatar rather than serious. People want to chill and have fun.
Example of easter costume
Limited edition items
Sell limited edition items to create a sense of exclusivity and desirability, driving demand and revenue. Limited editions are almost always successful, so simple and effective!
Believe it or not, our “gold suit and dress” sales was one of our most successful operations of all times!
Time-limited items
Offer time-limited content (e.g., "this weekend only"), or merchandise purchasable only at events, to create a sense of urgency and drive sales.
Our scary Friday the 13th T-shirt was only available this Friday!
Pre-paid content (calendar with surprises)
Implement a pre-paid content calendar, like an advent calendar, offering users surprises and exclusive content, encouraging them to return frequently.
Exclusive Events
Ticket sales: concerts, VIP parties
Sell tickets for exclusive events like concerts or VIP parties, generating additional revenue and offering unique experiences for users.
Events accessible for specific item owners
Organize events exclusively for users who own specific items, creating a sense of exclusivity and encouraging users to purchase these items to gain access.
Day passes, ticket rolls
Offer day passes or ticket rolls for multiple events, providing users with a more cost-effective option and promoting attendance at various events.
Clubs:
Allow club owners to invite friends and members to their club's events or private spaces. Offer club-specific outfits or branded designs exclusive to club members, creating a sense of belonging and exclusivity.
Example of item only available to the members of the “Hamster Freedom” club
3. Retention tools
Membership
Introduce a membership subscription program that offers exclusive items, private sales, and private spaces every month. This can help maintain user engagement and generate recurring revenue.
Live Ops Tools for Better Retention:
Support tickets
Provide a support ticket system to address user concerns and issues, ensuring a positive experience and maintaining user satisfaction.
Merchandising dashboard
Implement a merchandising dashboard that allows you to monitor the results of campaigns, new content, and features, helping you make data-driven decisions to improve user retention and monetization.
Pie chart of best selling items
Breakdown of revenue per item reference
Example traffic dashboard
In-game questionnaires
Utilize in-game questionnaires to gather user feedback and insights, helping you understand user preferences and expectations, ultimately enhancing user engagement and retention.
Conclusion
This exclusive toolkit offers a comprehensive guide for engaging your audience and monetizing your virtual world. By implementing these strategies and tools, you can create an immersive and engaging environment that keeps users coming back, ultimately generating revenue and ensuring the success of your virtual world.
We created Atom Stars to help brands and organizations around the world to unlock the potential of virtual worlds with their own audience. We provide the gaming infrastructure, tools and support to run your own virtual, world without any engineering or programming knowledge required. If you have any question, feel free to contact us here.