The Girl Effect – Small Ideas Big Impact
It’s an interesting concept, The Girl Effect, how a small idea can have a big impact. If you’ve never heard of The Girl Effect, you’re in for a treat. Watch one of their videos like the one here, and you’ll see what I mean.
The concept got me thinking. The Girl Effect is like throwing a pebble in a calm pond and watching the concentric ripples spread across the water from the point of impact. The ripple effect, right? Same thing, small ideas big impact.
It seems to me, that small businesses with no budget should think of their marketing the same way. Rather than do nothing to promote the business, a series of small ideas can create a seriously big impact.
Take for example, the restaurant I’m working with. They are gearing up to open in another eight weeks from now. And wisely, they are beginning their marketing efforts now, before the doors even open. (Hint, hint to any other restaurants out their looking to open. Call me…)
One small idea, like The Girl Effect, that could have a very big impact over time
For this client that small idea involves cab drivers promoting their restaurant. We’ve printed several different direct marketing pieces including gift cards for a free lunch. Typical local small business marketing ideas, but it’s what you can do with those ideas that have the big impact.
This client gave a free lunch gift card to every cab driver that stops at a busy intersection outside the restaurant. In exchange, the driver is asked to promote the restaurant to passengers who ask, “Where’s a good place to eat around here?”
It’s not rocket science and it’s not a huge effort. Frankly, it resembles that pebble being tossed in the pond. Eventually, the ripple effect, word of mouth, will spread. And I think you’d agree that a local telling you where to go eat is a more valuable advertising effort than reading a sign or poster on the cab. The personal recommendation carries more weight, more social proof.
Not to mention you’re feeding someone, who works long hours and lives on a relatively low wage, a good meal for free.
Talk about community impact!
Remember, we only believe 14% of advertising but we believe north of 78% of word of mouth when it comes to a company’s products and services. It’s this very phenomenon that is making social media so important to small business marketing but of course, that’s another discussion for another post.
Word of mouth can make or break a local business. After all, the clientele of a local small business are already a community, the Locals. Your small business has to do right by the locals and prove that you are invested in the betterment of the local community. That’s just smart living. Compassionate. Caring. There is no reason that sentiment should change as a company grows and expands beyond the local community. We should never underestimate the influence that small gestures can make.
In fact, when it comes to marketing to women especially, it’s the small gestures that add the most value over the long run. A woman gives the same weight to receiving one rose as she does to receiving a dozen roses. Why not give one rose a dozen times and make twelve times the impact!
Bottom line, guerrilla marketing works and can have an impact not just on your business, but on your community. And the subsequent ripple effect could potentially be HUGE. The Girl Effect is proof on a global scale that small ideas equal big impact. Now go out and give a girl a rose, I mean a cow. Well, watch the video below and you’ll get it. Really. A cow.
The Girl Effect