Two unconventional word-of-mouth strategies that saved $1,000s in marketing
1. Uberflip: B2B Marketing Software
.webp)
Uberflip, a well-known B2B marketing software, differentiates itself in the software space with a more relaxed and fun approach to its branding compared to the typical seriousness of the industry when dealing with other business owners.
They've fully embraced this with their pink branding, which is just hard to ignore.
Pink is quite uncommon in their sector. Something you'd rather see in the beauty or fashion industry. Yet everything they do has to have something pink:
- All the CTA buttons on their website are pink
- Their social media posts are pink
- During events, they set up pink booths and wear pink shirts and pink blazers
Headband
One of their most interesting items is their cheap, branded pink headbands.
The pink headband idea was an inexpensive yet distinctive promotional item that became one of their main word-of-mouth strategies.
They started giving them away at the South By Southwest festival to those who made it from the RSVP list.
People started sharing what they got all over Twitter.
For those who missed the event, they came up with a fun idea for a follow-up email. They sent photos with the headbands to the RSVP list of those who didn't attend the event, along with the subject line:
You forgot your headband at the party.
This was a creative twist on the usual "sorry you missed the event" email that other companies would send.
This innovative email strategy resulted in 150 responses from people interested in getting a headband.
From that day on, Uberflip decided to integrate these headbands into their broader marketing campaign, encouraging people to share photos wearing them.
You can say that it became a symbol of what Uberflip is all about and a conversation starter for 1000's of potential inbound leads.
And by September 2019, they had distributed over 30,000 headbands.
"If something’s stupid and working, you should stick with it." —Randy Frisch (Co-Founder Of Uberflip)
2. WindsorOne: Woodcrafting
.webp)
A market crash left WindsorOne with a small marketing budget.
They had no choice but to come up with a wild and innovative strategy.
Free Shirt
So they came up with the idea of putting "Call Kurt For A Free Shirt" on all their planks.
This initiative caught the attention of their builder customers, encouraging them to call in.
On the call, while organizing the shirt delivery, Kurt would take this opportunity to build a relationship with them and discuss their other products, give them a business card, and a "tell a friend" form.
The shirts weren't just boring shirts either. They gave out shirts that had popular memes in their community.
Returns on the investment
This experience brought tons of new leads as builders started telling all their builder friends to call this number for a shirt.
They also got referrals from people recommending their products based on what they learned from Kurt on the call.
“Over the last 10 years, Kurt has received over 20,000 calls from all across the country.”
WindsorOne also encouraged builders to photograph themselves in the shirts so that they could feature these photos on WindsorOne's blog.
This blog generates thousands of visits each week.
So instead of spending $400 per lead, their expenses were:
$25 per year for the stamp, 50 leads a week, and 3,000 leads in the last year vs. 50 leads a month from advertising.
This saves $250,000 in advertising costs.
If you interested in more B2B marketing examples, case studies and interviews, you can get notified by subscribing here :)
Information curated from:
Talk Triggers By Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin
I love how these companies use creative strategies to engage customers in unique ways. The pink headbands and personalized shirts are brilliant ideas that leave a lasting impression. It's a great reminder to be creative in our own marketing efforts!
this is why marketing is both awesome and a total pain. there's no playbook - infinite ways to go wrong, infinite ways to go right.
That's why I enjoy curating these successful examples. These intentional word of mouth strategies are low risk in terms of budget too, so I think everyone could add a unique 'talk trigger' to their strategy.
Music artists do this well and Donald Trump who has tons of talk triggers with his orange face, red tye, hand movements and hairstyle, but i dont know if that is intentional 😅
These creative marketing strategies, like Uberflip's pink headbands and WindsorOne's free shirts, show the power of thinking outside the box. They engage customers in unique ways and create lasting impressions. A great reminder to be creative in our own marketing efforts!
Exactly, glad you enjoyed
Absolutely love the creative and unconventional strategies shared here! Uberflip's pink headbands and WindsorOne's "Call Kurt For A Free Shirt" approach are pure genius. It's a testament to the power of standing out and injecting fun into marketing. The pink headbands not only became a symbol for Uberflip but also sparked a social media frenzy. The "You forgot your headband at the party" email is a stroke of brilliance, turning a follow-up into an engaging conversation starter. And WindsorOne's personalized shirts, coupled with a unique call-to-action, turned leads into lasting relationships. These stories prove that sometimes, the boldest ideas yield the brightest results! 💡
After reading this, I briefly considered running a "call for a T-shirt" campaign for my newsletter Juicy Ideas, but then realize it might bankrupt me!
(Thanks for sharing the ideas! Can I share it in the newsletter?)
Haha yeah, definitely would be a risky strategy for a newsletter.
Sure you can share it, thanks
A lot of solopreneurs get caught up in the loop of overthinking about whether it'll work or not. The best thing we can do is start experimenting rather then thingking.
Yes, lots of experiments you can take in marketing without much risk too
These unconventional word-of-mouth strategies are a breath of fresh air in the marketing world, proving that creativity can indeed be cost-effective. Uberflip's embrace of pink branding, especially with the distinctive pink headbands, is a stroke of genius. The follow-up email with the subject line 'You forgot your headband at the party' adds a delightful twist, turning a potential loss into an engaging interaction. The idea of turning a simple free shirt into a marketing tool by prompting builders to 'Call Kurt For A Free Shirt' is brilliantly executed by WindsorOne. The incorporation of popular memes on the shirts adds a touch of humor and community connection. Both examples emphasize the power of unique, memorable experiences in fostering word-of-mouth marketing. Kudos to these companies for proving that sometimes the most effective strategies are the unexpected ones!
Absolutely love the creativity and bold marketing strategies from both Uberflip and WindsorOne! 🚀🎨
Uberflip's embrace of a pink branding strategy in the B2B marketing software space is not only refreshing but also a brilliant way to stand out. The use of pink across their website, social media, events, and even in the form of branded headbands is both eye-catching and memorable. The 'You forgot your headband at the party' email follow-up is a stroke of genius, turning a simple promotional item into a conversation starter that resonates with potential leads. The fact that it evolved into a symbol for Uberflip's identity, generating thousands of inbound leads, is a testament to the power of thinking outside the box.
As for WindsorOne, the 'Call Kurt For A Free Shirt' strategy is pure genius, especially in the face of budget constraints. The incorporation of popular memes on the shirts adds a fun and relatable touch, making them more than just giveaways. The personalized touch of building relationships during the shirt delivery process, along with the 'tell a friend' form, is a fantastic way to turn a simple giveaway into a lead-generating opportunity. The encouragement for builders to share photos in the shirts on WindsorOne's blog is a brilliant move, creating a community and generating consistent traffic.