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Newsletter #922: The “Lessons from KIND” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

The basics for amazing word of mouth stay the same no matter who you are: give people a reason to talk about you, give them the tools to do it with, and make it visible.

KIND is a healthy snack food company with a big conscience that does this well. Here are some lessons we can learn from their KIND Movement:

1. Do something kind
2. Get them in on it
3. Give them something to share
4. Check it out: Your life’s annual report in an infographic

1. Do something kind

Some of the best word of mouth conversation-starters are about random acts of kindness. People love to talk about when a company did something nice or unexpected out of pure generosity. KIND calls them “not so random acts of kindness,” and they do them monthly. They’ve given Thanksgiving meals to families in need, thrown birthday parties for homeless children, planted thousands of trees, and a lot more. This spreads around a lot of goodwill for their company and gives lots of people a great reason to talk about them.

The lesson: What kindness are you spreading in your community?

Learn more: KIND

2. Get them in on it

Each month, KIND pulls off one big act of kindness, but to do it, they ask for the support of their fans, or “KINDaholics.” If enough people pledge to complete one small act of kindness, they’ll go through with their big one. That means a whole lot of people are spreading the word about KIND’s movement to a whole lot of other people by doing good deeds. That adds up to a lot of warm and fuzzy conversations about their brand.

The lesson: How can you involve your fans in helping you do something great for your community?

Learn more: KIND

3. Give them something to share

Scarcity is a great word of mouth motivator. A lot of people try this, but they don’t commit to being truly rare. Three Floyds only distributes their beer locally Your word of mouth message spreads even easier when you put something in your talkers’ hands to give to a friend. KIND does this with cards attached to their boxes that encourage someone who has received a “not so random act of kindness” to pass along the goodwill. The card gives them instructions for carrying out an altruistic goal and shows them where to track it on their website.

The lesson: What can you give the people who spread your word of mouth to share with someone else?

4. Check it out: Your life’s annual report in an infographic

Want to keep track of how many lattes you’ve had in a year, see a pie chart of places you’ve eaten by type, or a graph of how many miles you’ve travelled by car, plane, or treadmill? Nick Feltron can help you do that with Daytum. You can also get inspiration from the annual reports he’s kept of his own life since 2005.

Check it out: Feltron

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