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Internet Marketing
CHINESE WHISPERS
When I was a kid, we used to play a game called Chinese Whispers.
In the USA, it’ s a telephone game but we just did it from person to person in a circle.
Chinese whispers is a simple game but one so popular that it has been played around the world for many years. The premise is easy- one person whispers a message to another in their ear, which is passed through a line of people until the last player announces the message to the entire group. The comedy is that typically during the retellings, the last statement announced by the last player may be different and often amusingly, can come out as pure nonsense since you must say exactly what you heard even if you didn’ t quite get it. The game is often played by children as a party game or in the playground. It is also a metaphor for the ideas of rumor or and gossip spreading.
There have been variations of names for this game- Russian scandal, whisper down the lane, broken telephone, operator, grapevine, gossip, don ' t drink the milk, secret message, the messenger game, and pass the message but all are based on word of mouth.
As an Internet Marketer, there are some really cool, easy and free ways to play this game in your business and pass on your message from ear to ear via word of mouth.
The first trick is this – if you want more exposure for what you are writing, try something unconventional. A good idea that you might not have heard of is to post on Quora. I have heard of many people getting major media attention from just posting here.
Quora is a well-known online portal for offering your expertise.
The tip is this- post longer, well-written replies on Quora and wait. I recall someone posting a bunch of tips on spying and it was reprinted by Forbes. Same goes for Klout, then watch as your content and company links show up in all the Bing search results. It’ s a simple idea about how placement is key.
The second idea is this- Follow the cascade of influence.
This is a well-known social marketing trick: Follow the influencers. When you tweet what, they say and form a relationship that paints them in a positive light, they are more likely to do the same back automatically, thus putting you in a very high circle. Or you can go a level above that and seek to connect with 10 influencers of the influencers. Use the likes of Nimble and Spokeo to find info about the upper bracket of influence and at times when they will be at a conference etc., make sure you are there, ready to accidentally start pitching in person. Be careful not to be the creep of all creeps with this one, if done subtly – it can be very impressive and natural.
And lastly – actually play Chinese whispers with your services. Offer someone a great deal or something completely for free in exchange for them re-posting or referring a friend or signing someone up.
The more people do this, the more you will double your list and have many more eyes over your content. Remember – word of mouth is still the freest, most effective way to spread the news about what you are selling or doing and therefore allows you to take things to the next level much quicker than any paid, more forced methods.