[Welcome back to our Word of Mouth Marketing Lessons newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using this handy form.]
Can you teach people something? Can you make people feel at home? Can you throw a party? Then you have what it takes to build a community of fans — and you don’t need a forum, Facebook group, or fan club to do it.
Here are three ways to do it:
1. Give them a place to gather
2. Get them to talk to each other
3. Teach them something together
1. Give them a place to gather
State Farm Insurance has a storefront space in Chicago called Next Door. They have coffee and free access to wifi, conference rooms, financial advice, and yoga classes. Budding entrepreneurs use it for workspaces, students do their homework there, and people stop by to get financial advice. It’s an alternative to a sales office that makes going to see your insurance agent feel more like going to a coffee shop. Even better, it helps their customers introduce more people to State Farm. For example, one life coach teaches a monthly workshop in the space and uses Next Door as a case study for her clients.
2. Get them to talk to each other
Outlaw Yoga is a little different from most yoga institutions — their site says they welcome “fighters and lovers, soldiers and tree huggers.” They also hold many of their classes inside breweries and give away beer after each session. That means students are more likely to stick around and hang out with their fellow classmates instead of rolling up their mat and leaving right away. It helps the diverse group of classmates make friends, feel like they belong, and gives them a motivation to tell other people about their cool yoga class.
3. Teach them something together
Yamaha Champions Riding School is a two-day course that teaches motorcycle riders racing skills that help them become safer riders on the track and on the street. Motorcyclists of all levels can either bring their own bike or borrow one of Yamaha’s for the class. It helps Yamaha earn new fans from beginner riders and gives advanced riders an experience to connect with the brand and other Yamaha owners. For Yamaha, the class is an investment in long-term word of mouth. They’re not only teaching motorcyclists important skills, but also surrounding them with a community of other Yamaha riders and instructors to build relationships with, invite out to track days, and call when they’re going out for a ride.
