How to apply the 80/20 rule in designing self-propagation and new sharing activities?

If you want to enhance the self-propagation ability of an event, you can use the 80/20 rule (that is, in many phenomena, 80% of the results come from 20% of the causes; 20% of the effort often produces 80% of the results) to find breakthroughs in the design of event rules and in terms of vision, interaction, and copywriting .

The 80/20 rule was proposed by Italian economist Pareto, which is the familiar Pareto law.

The 80/20 rule means:

In many phenomena, 80% of the results come from 20% of the causes; 20% of the efforts often produce 80% of the results.

When reviewing the data and user research of self-propagation and new member sharing activities, we found that the 80/20 rule also applies: 80% of the success of self-propagation and new member sharing activities is to find or create scenarios around the user's main operating task flow, while designing the most appropriate activity rules; the remaining 20% ​​is vision + interaction + copywriting. Next, let’s illustrate this with a case study.

1. The “80%” of self-propagation campaign design

Why should we look for scenarios around the user’s main operational task flow? I have discussed this in detail in my previous article "Design of Self-propagation Activities of Inviting New Members to Share from the Perspective of Funnel Model ".

To put it simply: whether it is a time-saving (Save Time) oriented product or a time-killing (Kill Time) oriented product, there is a clear main line of operation task flow. In most cases, users will only use the core functions of the product based on completing a task, which determines that their attention is extremely focused and limited.

Our invitation and sharing activities should be integrated into the complete operation task process as much as possible to achieve the maximum exposure and ensure the user base at the top of the funnel.

We can further divide the user's complete task process into three main parts: "Before the task - During the task - After the task is completed", and think about the scenarios that can be used for the new sharing activities.

For example: for online ticket purchasing products (12306, High-speed Rail Butler, WeChat train tickets and air tickets , etc.), the user's main operation task flow is: "Home page query - list page filter - order page order - payment - payment success page", the corresponding home page query page is the pre-task scene; the list page query page, order filling page, and payment are the task scenes; the payment success page is the post-task completion scene.

Next, we need to design appropriate activity rules based on each scenario. The design of activity rules is based on insight into user needs, and different products determine the different needs of users in each scenario. The design of activity rules must also consider the balance between user incentives and costs, that is, the ROI of the activity.

1. Design of pre-task scenarios and activity rules

The key point in designing pre-task scenario activities is to ensure sufficient activity exposure.

In addition to the homepage banner and pop-up screens within the site, there should be channels outside the site that can proactively push activity messages to users in advance (SMS, email, WeChat service account , etc.), because users will not discover the activity until they open the product to complete a task, and they may give up because they cannot wait.

The case of Didi Hitch :

During the 2018 Spring Festival, Didi’s ride-sharing business launched an activity called “Invite friends to help and get a Spring Festival cross-city gift package worth up to 100 yuan.” The scene of this activity is before the mission.

The success of this event:

• First, Didi used a combination of user contact methods. Didi adopted a method of pop-up window after opening the product + message reminder within the product + SMS push outside the site + WeChat public account message push;
• Second, the activity rules design captures the user's desire to take advantage and be greedy. It can be said that this applies to most products.
• Third, the amount of support can be exchanged for coupons, and 2 coupons at a time, which stimulates users to repurchase; the cumulative rule of obtaining additional coupons or support funds by opening gift packages has increased the number of supporters, and the ROI of the activity is also good.

2. Design of scenarios and activity rules in tasks

The key point of designing scene activities in tasks is that the activities should help users complete their tasks rather than interfere with or interrupt their operations.

The case of group buying on Ele.me :

When ordering takeout, we may encounter such scenarios: for example, when ordering midnight snacks, a merchant requires a minimum order of 40 yuan for delivery, but what I ordered is less than 40 yuan; for example, a merchant offers a 20 yuan discount for orders over 50 yuan, but the amount I spent is less than 50 yuan; for example, I want to treat a few friends to afternoon tea, and I have to ask them one by one what they want to drink, whether to add sugar or ice, which is very troublesome.

Based on the needs of users in these scenarios, in September 2014, Ele.me cooperated with WeChat to launch the takeout group-buying function. The initiating user can enter the merchant selection list and share the merchant with friends. Friends can click on the link to directly select the product. The initiator can then see the updated products on the order filling page and combine the payment.

This is a typical self-propagation activity design based on task scenarios (in the case of Ele.me, this is internalized into product features). The key to success is insight into user usage and demand scenarios: accomplishing operational tasks, saving money and improving efficiency. The rules of its activities are internalized into the rules of the merchants. They are very simple and clear, which provides sufficient incentives for users. From the perspective of Ele.me, the cost is zero, thus achieving the effect of self-propagation.

From an optimization perspective, the product function is not prominent enough. For users who have not yet developed the habit of group buying, they may not remember it even if they have the need, resulting in a low click-through rate, which ultimately affects the self-propagation effect.

For the first two situations, you can just make a reminder when the order is submitted for payment.

3. Design of scenarios and activity rules after task completion

The key point in designing post-task scenario activities is that the design of activity rules should be sufficiently motivating and able to be fulfilled immediately.

WeChat train ticket example:

Recently, after completing the payment for purchasing train tickets in WeChat Wallet, a pop-up screen activity will appear saying "Help from friends, bargain and win a free ticket."

This innovative activity has set a precedent for bargaining for free train tickets, which to a certain extent can make users feel novel and interesting and thus increase participation in the activity.

It seizes the users' desire to get a bargain and be greedy, uses the gimmick of "free meal" to stimulate users to share, maximizes incentives, and through the design of a tiered reward rule, superficially lowers the threshold for users to obtain positive feedback (returns), further improving the activity's dissemination coefficient.

Judging from the actual situation of the event: the first few supporters bargained for a slightly larger amount, and the amounts of subsequent supporters were very small, resulting in the need for at least dozens of friends to help in order to reach the milestone of cashing out 10 yuan. This is undoubtedly too high a threshold.

For existing users who initiated sharing, they may feel that it is a rip-off and that the experience is damaged; for supporters, after seeing the amount of bargaining between themselves and others, they may feel that the activity is not sincere enough and is not conducive to consumer conversion .

From an optimization perspective: the redemption rewards of milestone nodes can be changed from cash to vouchers, while lowering the threshold for reaching each node (the number of helpers), so that existing users who initiate activity sharing can actually obtain certain positive feedback (returns) through sharing, even if the threshold for using vouchers is raised for cost considerations (such as limiting time, meeting a certain amount of money requirements, etc.).

New World Distribution Case:

Xin Shi Xiang was originally a public account self-media on WeChat, but now it has developed into a content monetization platform with its own independent APP and mini-programs . After entering the field of knowledge payment , Xin Shixiang started to launch premium courses. A very important point in the operation of premium courses is the design of the self-propagation mechanism.

This activity (New World Marketing Course) was once all over the WeChat Moments , leading to it being banned by WeChat and even becoming a hot topic.

In terms of the effect of the activity, it was very successful. The rules of this activity are more motivating than "bargaining to win a free meal", and the threshold is low enough, because a user can easily earn back the cost of purchasing the course through sharing, and make extra money. It has been tested that the profit can be positive if there are 3 or more users.

One thing to note is that this rule applies to free-cost virtual goods that are developed once and sold in bulk.

4. Create scenes and activity rules design

In addition to finding scenarios and designing matching activity rules based on the user's operational task flow, you can also create new scenarios and activity rules.

Huajiao live answering case:

Live answering questions is a scene innovation of live broadcast products. The background of this is that the domestic live broadcast industry entered its heyday in 2016 and stabilized in 2017. At the same time, the live streaming industry is facing the embarrassment of user loss .

In January 2018, live quiz shows became popular on major live streaming platforms , which then triggered a nationwide quiz climax and made the live streaming platforms popular again.

This activity scene fits well with the live broadcast platform itself, and users participating in the activity can get a sense of presence like in a variety show. Inviters and invitees can team up to answer questions, which strengthens the emotional connection while also providing multiple incentives of game fun and answering bonuses.

From the perspective of activity ROI: Huajiao Live's "Millionaire Winner" activity controls the difficulty of questions, making the probability of users passing the level higher (compared to activities such as Cheese Superman), but the amount of money users finally get is not much, only a few yuan, and a threshold is set for the cashing process: withdrawals can only be made when the amount is 10 yuan or more, and a photo of the user holding the ID card is required.

I personally participated in many Huajiao Live events and only earned a total of 10 yuan, which I didn't cash out because it was too troublesome. However, I invited no less than 10 new users, so although this event seems to be giving out millions of yuan in each event, the cost of inviting new users is really not high at all.

One of the biggest issues with innovative scenarios is sustainability. It is questionable whether users will quickly get bored of an activity after trying it out. Therefore, in addition to policy reasons, the disappearance of live quiz shows on major live streaming platforms in February was also due to a decline in APP downloads and user loss.

2. The “20%” of self-propagation campaign design

After solving the design issues of the scenarios and activity rules of self-propagation activities, the remaining 20% ​​is about vision, interaction and copywriting.

Generally speaking, as long as the visuals, interactions and copywriting of an activity are not too bad, it will not have a big impact on the effectiveness of the activity; however, if the scenes and rules of a self-propagation activity are not well designed, top-notch visuals, interactions and copywriting cannot save the final effect of attracting new customers .

Does that mean visuals, interactions and copywriting are not important? Not really. If the scene and activity rule design of the self-propagation activity represent the bottom line of the activity effect, then the vision, interaction and copywriting represent the online level and the potential for conversion effect.

As long as the visuals, interactions and copywriting are not too bad, it will be enough to achieve two things: the activity is easy to understand and the activity looks credible. The more capable ones can package the activities to make them more attractive (motivational) and credible at the same time, that is, to achieve a balance between motivation and credibility.

WeChat train ticket "Invite friends to get bonus" example:

WeChat Train Ticket has launched an activity called "Invite Friends to Get Bonuses". The scenario is after the task, that is, after the user successfully purchases the ticket and pays, an activity pop-up screen + horizontal bar display will appear; the activity rules are that users share the activity with friends, and when friends receive the gift package, the user will get a primary reward (voucher). If the friend successfully travels, the user will get an advanced reward (voucher). The two vouchers cannot be used together.

For this activity (as well as several other self-propagation activities), a brainstorming session was held with users, and the problems collected can be summarized into three aspects: "difficult to understand", "unreliable", and "insufficient incentives and motivation to share".

In response to the above problems, we made a simple optimization, making the pop-up screen easier to understand and believable through visual and text optimization. However, there are still shortcomings in user incentives and there is room for improvement.

The author of this article @刘佩龙 is compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!

Product promotion services: APP promotion services, advertising platform, Longyou Games