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There’s more to social networks than Facebook messages, random coupons and aimless Twitter comments. Sure, nearly every company has a Facebook profile these days. They’re free and easy to manage. But how do you create something engaging, interesting and relevant?

How About Games?

Gaming is no longer just an escapist outlet for Mountain Dew-guzzling teens spending twilight hours playing Warcraft. It’s a venue for everyone. And Gen Y is the first to grow up with video games from the point of birth. According to video game developer Electronic Arts, video games are a community of one billion worldwide users as of 2009. And it’s not all shoot-em-ups. Some have character roles and don’t even need a virtual world to inhabit.

Mob Wars, for example, is one Facebook’s most popular role-playing games. It’s a simple role-playing game. Players interact with other players, either by sending them messages or by attacking them. Like many Facebook applications, most of the play revolves around having friends join the player’s “mob”.

Gaming for Business

So what does this mean for your businesses? You’ve got some gaming to do. IKEA plays games. The swanky Swedish furniture giant launched a Facebook profile under the profile of its store manager in the newly opened Malmo , Sweden location. The IKEA store manager, Gordon Gustavsson, uploaded pictures of the store’s showrooms to his photo album. “Friends” who tagged the products with their names won those items. Click here for the video.

“Friends” began asking when the page manager was going to upload pictures again so they can have a chance at another item. And then friends told other friends about this game or scavenger hunt, and then the word spread. It didn’t take long for IKEA to have a vast network thanks to this creative brand building campaign. Everyone loves entertainment, contests and prizes. Players love people-to-people interaction. And brands love people.

A Simple Idea for Any Business

Is there a way to tie your business into the gaming world without paying big bucks to create software? Yes! Mid-size businesses can engage prospects and build brands through gaming. Some social network-based games use simple concepts like snapping pictures of others (in a spy-like theme) and posting them to the social board as a way to virtually capture their target. Use your imagination or try a virtual scavenger hunt with simple mobile photos as a word-of-mouth campaign.

The technology has changed the way we interact, but the rules of the game have stayed the same.

A Guest Post by Michael Mitchell:

As an senior consumer trends analyst and consultant, Mike Mitchell has profiled and reported on emerging consumer trends throughout the globe. From people raising urban chickens for eggs to bolster the local food movement to the emergence of colored beers like electric green and fluorescent blue, he has continually unlocked some of the deepest and most fascinating forms of modern consumer behavior.  His interests lie primarily in crowd behavior and crowd intelligence, as well as consumer sentiment, sector blending,  the irrationality of buying and Gen Y trends.