People love to share things they’ve helped create. Inviting fans to join in on a project not only gives them a way to actively participate, but it also gives them an excuse to recruit their friends, too.
Ideas here include group art projects, how-to resources (where fans trade ideas on how to better use your stuff), online communities — or even live, in-person creations like an event or a volunteer opportunity.
How a word of mouth marketing supergenius does it:
Harley-Davidson recently called on fans to submit photos of themselves and their bikes, ultimately using 10,000 images to create a giant mosaic of their logo.
It’s certainly not the first time a fan mosaic has been done, but Harley put a few unique twists on it to really make it feel like a family project:
- The mosaic wasn’t just an online stunt, they used it for the cover of their 2010 printed catalog
- Once a photo was placed in the mosaic, fans got an individual code to find their image (and share it with friends)
- Local dealers and fans were encouraged to share the mosaic project with their customers and friends — which always helps something like this feel personal instead of just another corporate campaign
- Online, the mosaic features links to quickly share it with friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace
