critical mass and social proof

I truly believe that use is one of the best forms of marketing.  But this last week, I discovered a way to take the use-marketing strategy and turn the volume way up.

As humans, we are groomed to spot trends. You may or may not notice a necklace one person is wearing, or one mug in your friends home. But when everyone seems to have something, we pay attention.

This isn’t a fluke. Identifying trends is something that developed out of our survival instincts. Everyone else is eating those berries. It must be safe to eat them too. Or more importantly, if the dominant tribe are all wearing something, I should wear it too. (To avoid being captured or killed.)

This mentality still exists today. We are hardwired to spot trends (and want to participate), and you can exploit this for your business.

Yesterday, I was at a conference in Philly. Afterwards, I went to dinner with Tara and Amanda. As our waitress is taking the drink order, she suddenly comments on how we’re all wearing similar jewelry. Its mine, we tell her. (While also handing her a business card.)

Last week, I was at the Summit of Awesome in Baltimore. At a conference of 100 people, at least 5 of them were wearing my jewelry at any given time. This was no coincidence. And people noticed.

A key part of my marketing strategy is to get my product on women who make a statement. First, because it ties into the core of my brand. But more importantly, because I want my jewelry to be seen on powerful, influential women.

I consider this a form of advertising. In fact, in many of these cases, I’ve given my product to these people for free. But this type of advertising is more effective because it draws on social proof. In my case, I want people to see my jewelry on influential women because that validates it.

Giving your product to people to create attention is not the same thing as lowering your prices in an attempt to get more people to buy it. In fact, it’s the opposite. One raises the status of your brand, while the other doesn’t. If you’re trying to get the work into the hands of more people, give product to people you view as influencers, but charge the price that fits the value of your brand.

This strategy doesn’t just have to work with wearables either. The Internet has made many people’s homes an open book. If you make home goods or art, pay attention to whose homes routinely appear in images in print or online. Offer to send them something.

The keys to this strategy are critical mass and social proof. You have to get your products in the hands of enough people that other people start to notice. And you have to get your products into the hands of influencers and tastemakers. And when you put those two together, it’s a powerful tool for marketing your business.

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Don’t forget to sign up for my FREE live Q&A call on Thursday, November 3rd. I’ll be answering your questions on pricing, marketing, wholesale, business growth, and anything else you want to know. It’s your chance to ask specific questions about your business and get REAL answers.