HOW TO SEED WORD OF MOUTH?

An idea list.

Welcome to the third chapter of our series on “Engineered Word of Mouth.” Let us look at what seeding options are available for use, frugally!

"I don’t have money. How can I seed my target market?"?

This is a fair question, as most online answers cater only to the funded companies with big marketing budgets.

You and I can do so much frugally with basic smarts.

SEEDING by entrepreneurs strapped by money, ideas, or that much required kick-in-the-butt. The key topics include:

• Strategic Partnerships – even with competitors!
• Customer loyalty outlier programs
• Local community involvement
• Collaborative content creation
• Crowdsourced feedback/development
• Organising live events

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Here are some examples to seed and keep the buzz growing:

Strategic Partnerships:

Can competitors collaborate and partner?

Seems unconventional, but it has been done successfully as the examples below highlight.

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When faced with such a conundrum (an idea of opposites working together),

start with WHY NOT? ??

• Urban Ladder x Pepperfry: Urban Ladder and Pepperfry, two prominent online furniture retailers, collaborated to offer customers a wider range of furniture options. Urban Ladder hosted a collection of products from Pepperfry on their website, allowing customers to browse and purchase items from both brands in a single platform.

This partnership enabled both companies to expand their product offerings and reach a larger customer base.

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• The Man Company x Beardo: The Man Company, a men's grooming brand, partnered with Beardo, another prominent grooming brand, to offer a limited-time collaborative grooming kit. The kit contained a selection of products from both brands, providing customers with a comprehensive grooming experience.

This strategic partnership allowed both brands to tap into each other's customer bases and cross-promote their products.

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• Cure.fit x Faasos: Cure.fit, a health and fitness platform, partnered with Faasos, a food delivery platform, to offer curated fitness meal plans through the Faasos app. Customers could order healthy meals from Faasos specifically designed to align with their fitness goals from Cure.fit.

This partnership leveraged the strengths of both companies to cater to health-conscious customers looking for convenient nutrition options. ??

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Who really is a competitor when we can make crazy combinations work?

Such partnerships encourage people to talk.

Talking leads to Seeding.

Continuous seeding ensures we remain in mind (either top of mind, or lodged there somewhere!).

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ENGINEER WORD OF MOUTH.

MAKE IT HAPPEN.

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Customer Loyalty Outlier Programmes:

The best way to spread the word is to use existing customers. Give them something that makes them talk about you. Either they initiate conversation about your brand as they are mighty excited.

Or to fill in the awkward gap in conversations.

Either way, it is our job as brand managers to ensure there is enough for them to talk about (me or my brand).

Check out these examples and find a way to adapt/adopt customer WOM for your business!

• Paper Boat: Paper Boat, a brand known for its nostalgic Indian drinks, introduced the "Memory Project" as a loyalty program. Customers were encouraged to share their childhood memories associated with traditional Indian beverages. The most heart-warming and creative stories were rewarded with special Paper Boat gift packs.

This program not only engaged customers on an emotional level but also encouraged them to share their personal stories, building a deeper connection with the brand.

Most importantly, the customers now felt a part of the brand.

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• InnerChef: InnerChef, an online food delivery platform, implemented a unique "Food for Thought" loyalty program. Instead of traditional points-based rewards, InnerChef offered customers free e-books authored by well-known authors and thought leaders with every order.

This program added educational and cultural value to the food delivery experience, giving customers an extra reason to choose InnerChef.

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• SleepyCat: SleepyCat, a mattress-in-a-box brand, introduced a "Try at Home" loyalty program. Customers could order a mattress to try for a week before deciding to purchase. If they liked the mattress and decided to keep it, SleepyCat rewarded them with exclusive discounts and accessories.

This innovative approach provided customers with a risk-free trial experience while promoting brand loyalty. This method has since been copied by a lot of companies across categories! Any innovation that works WILL BE COPIED, instantly.

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The seeding ideation and implementation, therefore, is a continuous process.

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What’s stopping you from adapting what your competitor is doing successfully?

Hmmmm.

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Local Community Involvement:

The local community is a ready-made micro market.

Do you know who they are? What do you plan do about the people/community around you?

How have companies leveraged it?

• Robin Hood Army: The Robin Hood Army, a volunteer-based organization, collects excess food from restaurants and individuals and distributes it to the less fortunate. Bootstrapped entrepreneurs Neel Ghose and Anand Sinha co-founded this initiative in India, aiming to eradicate hunger.

By mobilizing a network of volunteers, the organization has significantly impacted various local communities across the country.

People give. And people talk!

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• Daily Dump: Daily Dump, founded by Poonam Bir Kasturi, focuses on decentralized composting and waste reduction solutions. The company encourages local communities to adopt composting practices, reducing the burden on landfills and promoting sustainable living.

Daily Dump provides training, products, and resources to help communities manage their organic waste locally.

Education, assistance, and resources!

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• Goonj: Anshu Gupta started Goonj, a social enterprise that addresses clothing shortages and waste by collecting and redistributing used clothes and essential items. The organization channels these resources to underprivileged communities in rural and remote areas, transforming them into valuable resources.

?A social cause with emotional tugs - to find new people for old (usable) clothes.

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Collaborative Content Creation:

“Content” is a key part of seeding WOM. The right content, to the right audience, at the right time.

“Collaborative” is when you work with another brand to bring out something together – for a common target audience. Relevance is a key factor deciding who to collaborate with.

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Here are some real-life examples of bootstrapped entrepreneurs in India who have engaged in collaborative content creation in unique and impactful ways:

• The Better India (Positive Journalism): The Better India, founded by Dhimant Parekh and Anuradha Parekh, is a platform that focuses on positive news stories and social impact initiatives in India. They collaborate with freelance writers, photographers, and citizen journalists to share stories of individuals and organizations making a positive difference in various communities. ?
• BetterButter (Culinary Platform): BetterButter, co-founded by Niyaz Laiq and Sukhmani Bedi, is a culinary platform encouraging home cooks to share their recipes and cooking experiences. The platform thrives on collaborative content creation, allowing users to contribute and discover various homemade recipes.

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CROWDSOURCED FEEDBACK AND DEVELOPMENT:

Examples of bootstrapped entrepreneurs in India who have successfully implemented crowdsourced feedback and development strategies:

• Furlenco (Furniture Rental) Furlenco, a furniture rental platform, involved customers in the design and development process. They launched a "Design-Thinking Contest" where customers could submit furniture design ideas.

The winning designs were added to their product offerings, creating a sense of ownership among customers and boosting innovation.

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• Toppr (EdTech) Toppr, an education technology platform, engaged students in developing learning resources. They encouraged students to submit questions and concepts for inclusion in their study materials.

This approach improved the quality of their content and increased student engagement and participation.

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• Belong (Recruitment) Belong, a recruitment platform, involves its user community in enhancing their algorithms. They run "Hiring Hackathons" where participants solve real recruitment challenges. The solutions contributed by participants are used to refine their platform's matching algorithms.

?And the participants continue to speak about it. And continue to contributions.

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LOCAL EVENTS:

• The Circle (Co-working Space) The Circle, a co-working space in Mumbai, regularly hosts workshops and events for its members. They organize skill development workshops, networking sessions, and industry-specific discussions.

?These events create a sense of community among co-workers and provide them with valuable learning opportunities.

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• The Inkpot (Creative Hub) The Inkpot, a creative hub in Bangalore, organizes "Maker Mornings" workshops. These workshops cover a variety of creative activities like pottery, painting, and crafts.

By offering a platform for artistic expression, The Inkpot fosters a creative community and encourages locals to explore their passions.

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• Meetup Groups (Various Niches) Several bootstrapped entrepreneurs across India use Meetup.com to organize local events and workshops in diverse niches. For instance, "Photography Enthusiasts" and "Startup Founders Bangalore" groups host photography walks and entrepreneurship-focused workshops, respectively. These groups provide opportunities for like-minded individuals to connect and learn from one another.

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There are several other ways of SEEDING the marketplace effectively.

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Explore:? Guest blogging, contributed articles, personalized (thank-you) notes, thought leadership sessions, contests and challenges, beta access, strategic consultation, etc.

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You have the ideas here. The drive is within you.

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What’s stopping you from strategically engineered word-of-mouth seeding to scale your business?

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As Seth Godin oft says:

There are no original ideas.

Only original combinations!

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Disclaimer: As I master the art of “prompting”, I have leveraged ChatGPT as my research partner. I am continuously building a ready reckoner SEEDING IDEA list for my keynote on “Engineered Word of Mouth”.?

Book Recommendation:

The Outlier Marketer recommends "Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery" by Roger Kneebone.

Rating:

Clarity of thought - 5 | Connect - 4 | Uniqueness of Topic - 4 | Outcome - 5 | Research - 4 | Writing style - 4 | Author credibility - 5 | Book cover - 5 | Title of the book - 5 | Author website/resources - 5.

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