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When you’re looking for new ideas on how to create conversations, don’t forget to look to the group who often know best — your fans. Three ways to do it:
1> Look for unexpected topics
2> Accommodate the superfans
3> Ask them
1> Look for unexpected topics
If fans are starting trends and conversations that involve your product or your industry, look for ways keep it going. When Duck brand duct tape saw kids creating prom suits and dresses out of duct tape, they supported the topic by creating a simple contest and offering scholarships to the best ones.
2> Accommodate the superfans
Sometimes all it takes to create more conversations is to get out of the way when your biggest fans want to help. When IKEA let online personality Mark Malkoff live in a store for a week and film his experience, they in turn got a significant boost in web traffic, YouTube views, and sales — and more than 382 million media impressions. When you let fans know you’re open to this sort of stuff, they’re much more likely to approach you with their next big idea.
3> Ask them
The most straightforward way to get ideas from your fans is to simply ask them. Put an idea submission form on your website, save room on your hand-outs for fans to offer suggestions, or simply try calling up your biggest talkers and asking for ideas. To get an idea of how well this can be done, check out how the NHL’s Boston Bruins are getting input from their fans.
