Some of the game mechanics employed by the Empire Avenue staff seem to shout at you without actually telling you anything. Many facets of the interface are a mystery to large numbers of users and this adds an unnecessary layer of confusion to what is already a reasonably complex game. All of these features are useful in some way even if their purpose isn’t apparent upon your first glance.
This guide will break down a few of the things that you can do to pique the interest of prospective shareholders. I will break down some of the profile mechanics and how-to’s. Part 2 will direct you toward some great off-site resources, and offer a few tips as shared by other members of #SocialEmpire.
Because of the line-item nature of this guide I have decided to split the information into two “How to Attract New Shareholders” posts; this one covers Empire Avenue, Part 2 will focus on things you can do outside of Empire Avenue.com but they both boil down to what TO do and what NOT to do if you would like to attract new shareholders and retain the ones you currently have.
The first Pro Tip is global and applies to everything that I touch on: Always, always, ALWAYS talk about yourself and NOT your stock. You want to promote yourself, not sell yourself! Self-promotion “jumps the shark” when it inspires people to SELL your stock instead of buy it!
Your moment of Zen: “Be interested, not interesting.”
Profile
The very first thing you should do is complete and update your Empire Avenue profile. Of course, most people will be checking out your network scores and activities, but things like profile picture and biography are important to those who would like to invest in you long-term. Participation is key, if you don’t care about your profile, why should anyone else?
Now that you have your bathroom mirror photo posted and witty biography edited, let’s take a look at a couple of game mechanics that actually help to expose your profile to the masses.
Interests
While it appears that your list of interests is simply another means to personalize your profile, there is actually an important function that behaves much like any other search-engine optimization (SEO). Empire Avenue emphasizes that you can search and buy other players with similar interests.
In a recent shareholder mail-turned blog post, prominent technology journalist Robert Scoble announced that he was only interested in purchasing shares of other “geeks” and those who produce technology-related content. While this may seem off-putting to those who fall outside of his criteria, the functionality exists within the Empire Avenue search platform to enable such targeted strategies to succeed.
These interests are also responsible for the highlighted “recommended” profiles that Empire Avenue displays on your Home tab along with “recent shareholders” and “trending” profiles.
Pro Tip: Go nuts. Overpopulate the list of interests on your profile to include anything and everything that could be used to describe you, your interests, and your affiliations. This will ensure that others are able to find you by searching topics and will display your profile as “recommended” for other users.
There is also a series of “A Keen Interest” achievements that you will receive all the way up to your first 50!
Influencer Advertising
This is pretty self-explanatory. When you open your Home tab you will see a list of 4 advertisements generated by other Empire Avenue players. These ads are also displayed, two at a time, on the bottom of the pop-ups that appear after you purchase shares.
The next thing you should do, after updating your profile and adding interests, is to upgrade the number of Influencer Advertising slots you posses from the 1 you start with up to the maximum of 3.
At the top of your profile click Shop then Upgrades. Scroll the bar underneath the list (horrible layout) and then choose “Spreading Influence 1″, purchase the upgrade for 1,950e, then do the same for “Spreading Influence 2.”
Now click on “Influencer Advertising at the top of the Shop section. Click “Add new advertisement”, craft a brief text add for your profile and then choose the number of pageviews you would like your advertisement to appear on. Selecting 2,000 usually lasts 3-4 weeks. Repeat until you have 3 advertisements in circulation.
Pro Tip: Advertisements which display a measure of wit and personality outperform “BUY ME” ads in a big way.
Communities
Empire Avenue communities are a hit-or-miss proposition but if you participate in one of the active ones it will certainly get you noticed in a couple of different ways.
The first thing you should do when you join a community is introduce yourself. You want say more than “hi” but not a “wall of text” biography. Perhaps 2-3 sentences which you explain your reason for choosing the group and what you hope to offer. Show your respect for the community by reading the “sticky” articles and even a few of the user posts BEFORE commenting.
The community leader boards are also a source of exposure to your profile. Once you integrate a few of my tips into your game play you will be there in no time =)
Envolve Chat
Are you a talker? It’s certainly not for everyone, many people disable the chat feature altogether, but participating in quality conversations is a great way to introduce yourself (and your stock) to the public.
Awesome article. This is masterful stuff for all levels of game-play in Empire Avenue. I would humbly add that, just as you duly noted, when you purchase eaves in someone and have that one chance to “shout out” – make it count. You should feel human, not like some person that did them a favors that they are indebted to you to return. I usually pump them up! “Hey your numbers look great! Keep all the social activity!”
But it’s SO important that you don’t come across like a spammer or ‘sales-like’ – that’s the first thing I will not return the favor for. Additionally, buy a minimum of 10 eaves in anyone, IMHO. I think these people with the 1 eave approach feels like tipping a server with pocket change, you just don’t do it.
Those are my few cents (no pun intended).
All my best ~
JusticeMitchell.com AKA: e(JUSTICEM)
Great post Ryan! I have this blog bookmarked and will be checking in all the time. You have great advice, especially for new people like myself just getting started. Thanks for leading by example and providing so much value to the community!
Excellent points! I meant to include buying/selling etiquette as well as shouts. Where does the day go! Update coming.
Glad you liked it Chris!
Ryan you hit all the great points and something that should be part of all social platforms. I see for some profiles you only get one chance, after the purchase, to leave a shout out and I agree with Justice that it should be something that “counts!”
And you know I’m a big advocate of profile photos on top of having a Bio ;)
i never considered Influencer Advertising before. In a matter of fact, ive considered it just to get the achievements =P
when i have shares available ill give it a try.
thanks for the tips Ryan!
great read, but for some obscure reason EA will not offer me the additional two Influencer Advertising options. I have been running 1 ad, and it has definitely bought me investors. I guess that you have to reach a certain level to unlock the ability to buy additional advertising.
Apart from that, great advice
http://www.empireavenue.com/richgirls
Thank you for the post, will have to read more as the Empire is interesting and exciting it’s confusing as well..thank you for the blog
Ryan – I’ve been on EAv for just a couple of months and am SO confused in regards to the game aspects.
Thanks for giving me a couple of suggestions!
I’m glad I could help. I plan to update this and a few of my other articles to reflect game changes and pass on things that I continue to learn =)
Yes, another article to reflect game changes would be most welcomed. I have done everything you’ve suggested (other than buy advertising and send out Shareholder messages). It’s just, like so many people, there are only a certain number of hours in the day.
I thank everyone for their purchases. I shout out when I purchase shares (maybe not personalized enough). I try not to talk numbers too much but focus in my status updates on what I can do for others, or that I am working to increase my dividends. I subscribe, endorse, connect, like, comment, add etc with every shareholder and purchase. I split my 19K dividends as much as possible to purchase as many people back as I can….. I belong to a couple of communities.
Very very complex game!
That, it is! Don’t feel too discouraged, it takes most people several months to really get a handle on things. If you are having fun with it, hang in there =) If it has become more trouble than it’s worth, maybe it’s worth it for you to step away for a while.