How to Drive a Movement in 7 Easy Steps
With so much focus on the changing digital landscape, it’s easy to get caught up in task mastering the latest marketing to-dos: Content calendar? Check. Programmatic allocation? Done. CRM tools? Purchased. Snapchat? Hire that intern stat!
As dutiful corporate employees, we’re trained to focus on the minimum viable performance measure: slow, steady sales growth. However as marketers (jazz hands up!) we strive to create a whirlwind of sales and excitement for our brand and products, preferably within a 6–9 month timeframe, with a doubled-down YOY budget increase — right?
Or perhaps somewhere in between apathy and delusion lies and opportunity for exciting, community-driven movement.
Perhaps we’re all rep-ing perfectly good, reputable products, in dire need of new perspective and buyers. A little disruption never hurt anyone. We’ve been talking about the product features for so long, we’ve forgotten to whom we’re speaking. Reconnecting with our consumers is crucial, but the realities of budget and staffing constraints will require THEM to actually do the work.
Yes, your consumers will drive your marketing. You just have to invite them to join the movement. How? Roll out the following steps to build a new cult following, and establish profound connection with existing users and opportunistic new audiences.
- Define the unifying, underlying purpose
What’s your branded purpose? If you can’t easily name it, you’re not alone. Most products on the market today fail to align their product with a real human need or value, but clues can be found in your corporate mission statement, or folklore on the company’s founders.
Traditional CPGs face two problems: 1) online shopping has jeopardized their shelf advantage, and 2) online shoppers are far more likely to be price shoppers — leaving marketers the greater burden, or opportunity, to create new differentiators through cultural or value-based ties with their consumers.
Whether your purpose is to care, empower, delight, inspire, educate, innovate or drive optimism — it is crucial for the purpose to be the un-muddled foundation for your movement.
2) Turn over the keys to your brand
Empower consumers and fans to express themselves through your product and services. The best way to enable this is to start small: choose 5–10 people who perfectly exhibit the purpose and lifestyle of your brand, and then use them as guiding lights for all brand activities. Could these guiding lights create your content? Let them. Are there any opportunities to personalize their experience? Do it. Would they wear your t-shirt? Make it. Provide every opportunity for people to wear, share or be your brand.
3) Act as a supporting friend
A friend will always follow up. Have you? Far too many brands still use Twitter to respond to customer service complaints without reaching out to happy consumers at the same velocity. Shouldn’t at least half of our time be spent “liking” the positive experiences? Social marketers need to keep a pulse on what types of consumers are prone to promote your brand, unprompted, and deduce strategies for replicating with larger groups of people.
Anyone who reaches out deserves a personalized response, and savvy online buyers now fully expect you to know who they are. Set response time thresholds for direct messages, and be sure to dedicate time every single day, to acknowledge, “like” or share all positive comments.
4) Drive ongoing, simplified tasks or actions
Reward frequent contact, whether it be through an app, a website or social network. Ask for social updates, promote your hashtag, and acknowledge every single user who performs your requested task. Contests and promotions can be used to kickstart the sharing process, but are difficult to sustain. However promotions will likely introduce you to new potential target groups or superfans who can be leveraged as brand advocates, so at least a few each year spawns growth and new intelligence.
5) Cannibalize other movements
Tap into trending consumer expectations. Every industry evolves and to maintain relevancy, most products will need to extend their messaging, if not their product ecosystem. The packaged food industry has had to respond or adapt to the organic food movement and GMO labeling. Cruise lines needed to adjust to consumers’ demand for personalized versus scheduled activities. Fast food connoisseurs now expect mobile ordering and payment. Business travelers expect Uber-like platforms for their personal services, wherever they may be traveling. Disruption in the fashion industry is being led by “one for one” altruism and local design/fab/build shops.
Anyone can react after the tides have already changed and consumer expectations are well defined, but what happens when companies seize the opportunity to ride the wave or even take ownership for the movement? Look up brands that have taken up the charge of #natural, #shopsmall, #STEM, #girlsinengineering, or better yet — built up their own universal hashtags. The first movers must fuel the movement, but will reap the rewards and credit for it.
6) Allow consumers to see themselves in your success
Never miss an opportunity to acknowledge and amplify a happy customer. This serves two benefits: 1) it adds authenticity and depth to your content calendar, and 2) it immediately generates a bubble of influence and potential advocacy.
Regardless of whether your social media is managed in-house, or through agencies, establish the pedestal whereby you’ll promote your next superfan. Instruct your social managers to be looking for user-generated content in both simple photos, and also their stories. Look for opportunities to display random, over-the-top appreciation for someone’s feedback — good or bad. Invite them on a factory tour, a trade show, or to consult on a product extension, and maybe offer free trials to those long-time loyalists.
7) Serve cookies… or something joyful
Lady Bird Johnson once said, “The public can accept any news — good or bad, as long as the news is delivered with cookies.” What better way to acknowledge a friend than to offer a cookie! Along the theme of surprise and delight, set aside a small batch of swag each month to send to fans, or partners and organizations that are aligned with your branded purpose. This automatically builds an entourage of support, which leads the broader audience to give you the benefit of the doubt when things go south.
Need Ideas? Use concert tickets, posters, stickers, t-shirts, limited-edition products or really anything with a throwback logo or advertisement on it. Give some acknowledgement that your consumers are both part of your past and part of your future.
Collectively or as individual acts, these seven steps ladder up to build authentic relationships with our consumers. If you’re truly listening to your buyers and you’ve set the stage for ongoing human, unscripted connections, there is no way for your brand to slip on a scale of authenticity and excitement.
Will you build a movement with millions of followers, or just a few hundred? Both are valuable. Either will drive the future of your business — if you’re smart enough to follow their lead.
