I caught a little of ESPN's College Football Game Day this morning (one of my weekend routines during the fall) and saw a great story on Boise State running back Ian Johnson.
He's one of the best running backs in the country, but that's not what the story was about. It was all about his favorite past-time: Knitting.
Yes, a college football star who knits. You can imagine the ribbing he takes from his teammates because of his hobby, but he's big enough that they know when to back off.
He knits caps and scarves, which have grown in popularity with his teammates and Boise State fans. In fact, he's got a nice little side business going.
Just one problem: The NCAA doesn't allow him to advertise or market his creations...that's against their rules. So, he relies on word-of-mouth marketing: One player told another, then another, and so on and so on. Then a fan got one...then another, then another. According to the story today, he has 50 orders in the pipeline waiting to be completed. No advertising, no marketing budget, no TV spots, no nothing. Just word-of-mouth marketing, and a great product with a great story.
Johnson's enterprise is small compared to most business and sales operations. But what would happen if you took his ingredients - a great story, a cool owner, a good prospect, and enthusiastic customers who sold the product by telling their friends and neighbors - and applied it to whatever your business is? Would it make a difference?
Johnson has found success via word-of-mouth marketing because he had to do it that way. You have a choice: Word-of-mouth, or expensive advertising. So, what's it gonna be?
I think the word-of-mouth is not that sure but it's sure effective! Good luck!
Posted by: Tickets | October 30, 2007 1:06 PM | Permalink to Comment