Narrowcasting is narrowly casting your point of view to those aligned promoters who, in turn, will take your message and become walking vessels called upon to broadcast your gospel to the masses.
When you narrowcast your point of view to a passionate group, that swell of momentum is a boost of courage. When it resonates, you take off. If they don’t buy in, your point of view won’t go any further.
Zappos fungineer Tyler Williams is allowed to shine because the Zappos culture allows it. The culture was part of the reason Williams had the freedom to help Team Zappos stand out during the congested 2015 Black Friday-Cyber Monday long weekend. He did this not by promoting a single SKU or shoe but by partnering with Best Friends Animal Society, a national nonprofit, which helps find homes for homeless pets.
Zappos challenged its customers to adopt a pet through its heartfelt Give Life, Get Love Pawlidayz promotion. It started with Williams narrowcasting to passionate internal Believers. “As soon as it went live, our employees shared it 1,800 times,” Williams says. “We woke up the next day and were trending number one on Facebook. We ended up trending number one for three days.”
Along the way, the media and celebrities who believed in the cause powered the pet adoption message as well, with big hits from Huffington Post, CBS, and FOX, while more than a hundred celebrities, including Sophia Bush, George Lopez, Jewel, and Wayne Brady shared the story with their social networks.
During a time wildly saturated with holiday discounts, Zappos’ Return on Courage was rewarded for promoting something meaningful and different.
In the end, the Pawlidayz promotion received more than 200 million Twitter impressions over a 10-day period. There was a total of 275 media mentions according to the Best Friends Animal Society. More than 6,200 cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and horses were adopted through 143 participating shelters.
Narrowcast to those who align with and adore you. If someone follows your brand on social media, they are a prime candidate to become a future promoter. Make it easy for them to hit the share or forward button for the greater good of both of you.
Remember, consumers prefer to hear from their friends, families, coworkers, and social networks. Look to narrowcast your authentic, aspirational, and amazing message to selected influential promoters, and nudge those advocates to convince others to buy in, believe, and share.
