This is an installment of my “Book of Principles”. For more info, click here.

I do not have a loud voice. Not being a drinker, I often wonder if it’s my lack of concert/bar/party time that kept me from getting the requisite exercise to develop this trait.

Needless to say, when I’m at an event and I need to get everyone’s attention, I almost always ask for the help of someone with a louder voice than me. Sometimes, that “someone” is actually a group of people all shouting together.

The marketing lesson within that took a while to sink in, but it’s a humdinger.

A-Ha Moment
Because as I started along my marketing career I noticed two things:

1. There is a ton of noise out there.
2. Most marketing voices aren’t loud enough to be heard…especially mine.

When it clicked: if I can’t be heard, I need to either:

• A) Find someone with a loud voice to share my message for me.
• or B) Get a lot of small voice to say my message at the same time.

Sometimes this was creating products so snazzy it got people excited to tell others about it. Other times it was setting up affiliate programs that push cash in the pockets (or something equally valuable) of people who used their voices for my good.

But in every instance the principle was the same:

“Give people a reason to spread your message for you.”

I’ve used this concept over and over and over.

Example #1
The Social7 reports many hundred of you receive each week also exist in the form of SocialSav. I do almost no marketing for SocialSav, because my members do it for me:

This simple concept drives many of my new signups because collectively (and sometimes individually) their voices are much louder than mine could ever be. It’s also why SocialSav doesn’t have (need) a Twitter account.

Example #2
Interestingly enough, talking about people is a great way to get them to talk about you. For example, I thought Vail Resorts’ video series “My Mountain” was great. So I said so.

Been really impressed with the @snowdotcom "My Mountain" series so far. Quality stuff. https://t.co/bn5Rl2jkzp

— Gregg Blanchard (@slopefillers) December 10, 2014

And guess who retweeted that message to their followers 38,000 followers? Vail Resorts.

Ask Yourself
On a broad level, any media buy follows this same pattern. They have the loud voice, you’re paying for access. Only recently has the rise in brand-owned reach really impacted that balance.

So start with your goals and work your way back to the messages you’ve created to accomplish those goals. Then ask yourself:

“Who has a louder voice than me (either individually or collectively) in the markets I want to reach? What would it take to get them to spread my message for me?”

Whether it’s your customers, employees, news outlets, sponsors, partners, or none of the above, it’s a smart road to experiment with.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.