How can we get more people to attend? [Suggestions]
Osprey1
Posts: 610 ✭✭✭✭✭
@WerewolfChaser asks ,"How can we get more people to attend?"
This thread is to share ideas and observations about community day and how to increase attendance.
There are two pools of people who could attend community day but did not, those who are wizards and those who are not. These two groups should be addressed separately. As the second group is significantly larger, let us start there.
Getting More People to Play Wizards Unite
There are two groups of people the we can recruit from, those who we know and those who we don't.
Recruiting people you know
Recruiting people you know is simpler and more straightforward, but how do we get them to try the game?
- Ask them to take a walk with you in the park. This is a great option for people who may already be going outdoors for example people who enjoy walks in the park or people who have pets that need to be walked. This may also work if you have friends who have kids in sports, the likelihood is that they sit around at a park playing candy crush during practice. Do you know someone like the above? Introduce them to Wizards Unite!
- Ask someone to go to the mall. This used to be the thing to do. Get a little retro and gather some friends and head to a Simon property and introduce them to Wizards Unite! Other groups that already go to the mall and would be great wizards, mall walkers, people who walk in the mall to get exercise because it's too hot outside.
- Invite them to a picnic. Who doesn't love fried chicken and potato salad on a blanket in the park? Throw in some Wizards Unite as a fun activity (after a quick post meal nap.)
- Start a lunchtime walking club at the office. You know they want to put on tennis shoes and do a few laps before dealing with the afternoon grind. Get a Wizards Unite walking club started at work.
Tips for making this work.
- Bring a battery. Nobody likes to have their phone die.
- Start slowly. If they've never played games before describe it as an adventure activity, tackle one element of the game at a time so they don't get overwhelmed. Stay away from numbers, complicated strategies. Express positive emotions when they catch their first flobberworm.
- Give them a gift. If you buy the starter pack for them they may feel obligated to stick with it a little longer and learn to love it.
- Be expressive. Tell them how much you love it. Talk about Harry Potter, the mystery, the walking, whatever makes the game exciting to you.
Recruiting people you don't know
There are two main category of people that you can recruit to play Wizards Unite, people who love AR games and people who love Harry Potter.
Pokemon Trainers and Ingress agents
Understanding why a person plays Pokemon or Ingress will help you devise a strategy to get them to play Wizards Unite.
- Emphasize how they are alike:
- Walking
- Point of interest
- Interacting with augmented reality
- Emphasize how they are different
- Cooperative vs competitive
- Number of different elements or aspects of the game (potions, ingredients, registries, professisons, etc.)
Emphasize that a lot of people are playing both for variety. Encourage and support them as they get started. Find a profession that needs to be filled in your community and make them feel needed.
Harry Potter Fans
Believe it or not there are Harry Potter fans who might not know about the game. How can you find Harry Potter fans to introduce them to the game? (Hint: It's easier than you think.)
- Harry Potter fans show their Harry Potter fandom. They wear jewelry or clothing that shows their love of Harry Potter.
- Wear Harry Potter gear. Target has a great selection of Harry Potter items for relatively little money. Vans is offering Harry Potter themed shoes. You can find simple, inexpensive time turner necklaces and deathly hallows earrings. You can even get a dark mark tattoo, but that's probably going a little too far.
- Recognize Harry Potter gear. Spot it, comment on it.
- Ask people what their house is or better yet what their patronus is.
- Once you have started up a conversation ask them one simple question, "Would you like to cast spells?"
- Find or host Harry Potter events
- Harry Potter movies in the park
- Harry Potter dress up and read to kids at a hospital
- Harry Potter pop up taverns with adult beverages that change colors (look it up if you don't believe me, there are kid friendly concoctions as well)
- Harry Potter themed Halloween parties (yes, not too far away)
How do you recruit a Harry Potter fan to become an SOS Supporter? You give them an invitation. Harry Potter fans have been waiting for an owl to arrive with their invitations for years. Simply hand them an invitation and make them feel like you want them to help you with the task set before us. The whole world of Harry Potter is about the unlikely being a hero, give them that chance.
Comments
Wow, this got very long and I got three notifications while I was writing it. Since nobody will read it anyway I'm going to post some other issues I am seeing.
Problem - Social Networks: We have people split across Facebook, Discord and a variety of other social networks. This is especially true for people who played Pokemon Go, they have adopted other communication methods and are playing WU without thinking about reaching out to other players.
Solution - Hubs: Create a simple website that allows people to connect. Do not try to replace existing networks, just connect people to those networks. Allow people with existing networks to submit their networks and then advertise. Make sure that your site is first when someone searches for Harry Potter or anything else locally. This isn't that expensive with AdWords.
Problem - Introverts: Many, many Harry Potter fans would describe themselves as shy or introverts. They are reluctant to approach a stranger and may not feel comfortable in larger groups. These people would be valuable community members if they could be connected.
Solution - Branding: Create branding for your local group and make it visible. People will actually feel more comfortable if you have a logo and a title and a name tag. Make sure your group has prefects, people who will stop playing and make sure others are included and feel welcomed and needed. Everyone needs a car sticker. Everyone needs a t-shirt or hat or something. Prefects need large badges with their names on them.
Problem - Finding People: We hear problems with people not finding other players. They may see a fortress lit up in a park and then not find anyone.
Solution - Real World Advertising: Community bulletin boards (Starbucks, campuses, large offices) are a good place to let people know how to connect with you. Car stickers that clearly indicate Wizards Unite are physical advertising that are placed in parking lots. Finally get on the TV. Morning news shows are always looking for fun content so get up early and talk about your community event. They key for all of this is to point people to somewhere for more information. That goes back to you hub website.
Love this @Osprey1 , all great ideas.
Ooo just read the bulletin board piece from @Osprey1 . Imagine walking into Starbucks (or PJs if you're fortunate enough to have a good coffee place in your area) and seeing a black card with the Deathly Hallows icon emblazoned across the front and a QR code with this website printed on the back.
To an HP junky that is one of many symbols that we don't miss. Death Mark, Hogwarts Coat of Arms, House icons, lightning bolt over glasses, etc, etc
I know after suffering for years with so few additions to the HP universe if I was unaware of WU I would instantly be curious.
Lol the one on the right!!
Thank you @Osprey1 . These are great suggestions.
I am definitely in the introvert group these says.
I am thinking of getting a Deathly Hallows badge to wear when I go out though. I must go check some shopping sites.
We had about 20 people at our city's community day. It was at a huge mall in the city proper so it was extremely unnerving for someone like me to attend.
I was so exhausted afterwards that I slept soundly. Just woke up at 3pm.
WB London has a nice pin for £7.95. Pity it's £17.95 postage.
Although it is tempting to order some Bertie botts in a tin. I either missed that when I was there or it's new. I bought the cardboard box beans.
Oh dear, now I've found the platform 9 3/4 shop. This is not good news for my bank balance.
I am looking at the trunk to carry all my D&D stuff and the chocolate frog moulds to bribe people with on comm days. I think I'll go offline now.
Wow @Osprey1 once again you have gone above & beyond in your advice!! Seriously- the ideas & links & allsorts you put into this forum is quite astounding! Just wanted to recognise that!!
I love all the advice & ideas, i too am in the harry potter fan but never played ar games before, or any other game apart from hogwarts mystery lol- unless monopoly & buckaroo count! 😂😂
Ive got a harry potter purse with sorting had dangling from it so people must see im a fan every day, plus my carkeys keyring often out, harry potter trainers i wear, not got tatoo yet but that's coming lol. So if i get merch together for if someone comments about my HP stuff that will be great.
I was so disappointed with the local facebook chat & site, virtually no interaction as yet. I couldnt understand why there weren't loads of people at the fortesses, i see local greenhoses & fotress glowing so i know they are out there!
But ive realised the game really is in its infancy, and we need to get proactive in pulling people in- my hubby is still being stubborn & he's the one on the park playing candy crush! So im gonna use your ideas!
Thanks for this @Osprey1 🙌
So this is definitely happening! Thank you @Osprey1!!! I'll post some pics once I get them hung up hopefully tomorrow.
@Osprey1 you have outdone yourself, once again! You are a shining gem of this hub. Thank you for all your help, ideas, and commitment.
I was thinking about this very subject as I was knitting last night. Here's some things I've come up with to do in my local community:
I have been wearing a HP shirt for Community Day, but I think something a little more eye-catching is needed to attract attention. I'm going to get a Sorting Hat to wear for Community Day. Can't miss me then! LOL Last month I saw two women playing a game on their phones. One of them had a HP themed purse and phone case. I asked if they were playing WU, and neither had heard of it. The one with the purse was very excited about it. So hopefully that translated into a new player.
If one has money to spend to build up a local group in a guerilla fashion, how cool would it be make up actual letters from the Ministry to hand to someone showing their HP pride in public?! Can you imagine unexpectedly being handed a letter and then being told the Ministry of Magic needs your help? LOL It creates some mystery and excitement. But that could just be how I would react. 😉
As I mentioned before, I'm going to have a car magnet made for my truck. I haven't decided on text yet, but it will definitely have my username and QR code, and FB group. I think every printed piece should have these three items.
The flyer/card idea for community bulletin boards is a fantastic idea!! And your mock-ups are brilliant!
I'm thinking a series of pins for various achievements to give to local players would also help keep people motivated. They're quite inexpensive and let's face it, we love collecting just about anything HP related. LOL
These are just some of my initial thoughts on the subject.
@SamuelHaight Great ideas!
Everyone, let's keep this going.
Also, consider business cards. Letters are fun but business cards are manageable.
I'm wondering about graphics rights? Any admins wanna comment on what we can and cannot use?
With Ingress, we used a ton of the graphics for fan-made items. We never got dinged for any, that I know of. I've never searched for any for PoGo, so I can't comment there.
Tons of PoGo ones were used as well.
Free voluntary promotions of their product shouldn't be an issue, especially on the scale we're discussing.
I'm not bribing people with gifts to make them play... If that's what is needed, then the game really isn't worth playing.
Loving this discussion, so many great ideas. By the by, I just recruited another friend this morning at breakfast 😈
@DubiousAffairs bribing isn't the intent. With what we did in the early days of Ingress, it was a badge of honor that you could physically show off. It was also some of the best guerilla marketing for a game that no one knew about.
Long before level 16 was ever talked about, having a trinket signifying you had hit level 8 was a very big deal. It was something that someone could see while you were out, and newbie players would actually strike up a conversation about it; asking for advice.
Sometimes they even caught the attention of those who had never heard of the game. Which turned into new players more often than not. I can't tell you how many conversations I had with people just because of the pins on my hat.
The first community-wide event that we hosted here in Phoenix back in '13, shortly after it's official launch, there were MAYBE 100 people. Just over a year later when we were host city again, there were thousands.
The point is thinking outside the box. Not everyone can do these kinds of tactics, and certainly no one is saying everyone has to. But for those who can, have at it, because it works. 😁
In regards to the launch, it should have been promoted long before the release. And they should have marketed it as the next story in the HP universe. We're in an uphill battle to convert lovers of stories, here. Not lovers of video games. I mean, we want them too, but the HP fanbase is massive. These are people who have read the series multiple times. Most of them have never played any of the HP video games. Because that's not their interest.
@SamuelHaight @SamuelHaight The suggestion was "Give them a gift. If you buy the starter pack for them they may feel obligated to stick with it a little longer and learn to love it."
I didn't buy it for myself, I'm not going to buy it for other people. It emphasizes the "pay to win" aspect of the game, and Niantic are good enough at that by themselves. It definitely is not a badge of honor.
@DubiousAffairs that wasn't my idea. We're just throwing out ideas and seeing what makes sense to boost the numbers.
No one is saying you have to do any of this. If you don't want to spend money, don't spend money. Try out the free ideas, and see what works for you. We're just trying to help each other and improve the community experience.
@DubiousAffairs I mentioned bribing with chocolate frogs.
I wouldn't go out of my way to do it but that's part of my nature.
Especially if people look forward to getting together so they can have a chocolate frog. Any excuse for chocolate really, lol.
Like what you (OSPREY1) suggest but no mention of the WU Devs being any reason why people dont play or give up in a short time..... I'm posting my response below from 'AUGUST COMMUNITY DAY ROUNDUP' as to the main reason why so few people are not playing / meeting up for this game, I've spoke to a fair few different people both keen PokeGo players, Harry Potter fans and the just curious.... and all agree gameplay content especially from the Social Aspect , too much content for newcommers and too much pay-to-play with items all need addressing !
SileciusGrey Posts: 9 ✭✭
#1711 August, 2019, 02:55 pm.
I live in a large town Bristol, UK. have a decent park opposite me with a good many Inn's / Greenhouses and about 3 Fortresses within a ten minute walk, belong to two... HP-WU Bristol & HP-WU Bristol / Bath Facebook Groups which tots upto 516 members though some are in both groups so more likely around 400ish in total.... Both Community days didn't result in more than 4-5 meeting up in total ! compare this with a PokeGo 5* Raid event last week where 24 people met up and that was just for little Staple Hill where I live not the whole of Bristol !! Interest is beyond poor for a game like this and the WU Developers should be concerned !
It was a pretty flat start and numbers dropping rather than increasing since launch ..... understandably PokemonGo is a tough act to match and Harry Potter notably more difficult to make into a mobile game..... but to be frank putting any fickleness of the public aside, its the Niantic/Warner Bro Dev team who have the most to blame for this games failure so far..... They've done a poor job dispite the varied interesting content like Portmanteus / Fortresses, great music / graphics etc but the Social part of the game urgently needs a redesign including Inn's & especially Greenhouse's being much more useful from the Social Aspect... too much to go into here which having gone into detail on my last post ! ... was hoping the previous two updates would have gone some way rectifying this, sadly those updates largely ignore those core game issues which would make all the difference and encourage a growing "Social Community" ..... At present it appears the WU Devs aren't interested in gaining popularity with this game, they seem somewhat arrogant that its quite fine as it is.... how deluded !!