Marketing can take many forms, and grassroots is an excellent option for student-led businesses or initiatives. It is cost-effective, efficient, and very targeted. In this guide, you’ll learn all about the pros and cons of this strategy and exciting ideas for application.
Why Choose Grassroots Marketing?
Grassroots marketing focuses on a small niche audience that might become brand agents. The idea is to target a small group of people so that they will share the message organically. The main difference from other types of marketing is that it doesn’t work with vast masses of people. It is aimed at a small yet passionate group of people.
If applied correctly, such a tactic can be compelling and effective. So it is worth learning more about potential cases and usages. Of course, students only have a little free time on their hands. They must simultaneously balance studies, social life, employment, and marketing for an initiative. But you can always get more time on your hands by delegating some of the duties to professionals. For example, using the essay pro app, professional essay writers online can take over assignments and coursework. Experts can finish and polish your work or do it entirely from scratch.
Collaboration with academic helping platforms allows students to achieve more and make the best of their college period. You’ll keep up with your studies, get the best grades, and be able to grow your initiative.
Grassroots marketing tactics are especially effective for non-profit, charity, or eCommerce organizations. These tactics promote more trust as brand advocates share your products or content with friends or families. People are always more open to such offers than direct advertising.
Besides this, grassroots marketing has several pros that make it perfect for student-led affairs, namely:
- It is cost-effective. Instead of targeting the masses, you focus on a niche audience. It is cheaper and more accessible for businesses and organizations with small budgets;
- It is specifically targeted, which means higher ROI rates. You’ll speak to people who will be invested in your product or cause;
- It boosts the authenticity of your brand or product. It highlights the values you stand for and builds trust with potential customers;
- It significantly increases loyalty to the brand;
- It makes your message spread organically. If you create a video that evokes an emotional response, it can go viral. It will boost brand recognition without any additional investment;
- It offers genuine and authentic feedback from your target audience. It is extremely valuable information for the initiative’s growth and development.
Cons of Grassroots Marketing
No strategy is ideal for every situation. And it is only fair to state that grassroots tactics have their cons as well, namely:
- It gives you less control over how the message spreads. Relying on word-of-mouth is not as precise as preparing a traditional advertising campaign. There are plenty of unknowns, and there is always a risk that the message will be misinterpreted;
- It might not be as efficient as other tactics in terms of scale and size. If your content goes viral, it is fantastic and boosts all spheres. But if it doesn’t, you’ll only reach a small group of people. Also, the organic spread of the message takes longer;
- There is a higher level of unpredictability as you delegate the brand advocacy to other people – your niche audience.
Successful Cases of Grassroot Marketing
To better understand this strategy’s power, let’s look at some successful examples of grassroots marketing.
WestJet
Canadian airlines asked customers on social media about Christmas gifts they dreamed of receiving. While the plane was in the air, the company bought the presents mentioned and gave them to the passengers as they landed. The presents appeared on the baggage claim carousel. The video got more than 30 million views on YouTube alone.
The campaign evoked emotion and showed the brand’s gratitude to customers.
ALS
The Ice Bucket Challenge became a huge sensation. It was incredibly successful at attracting attention to the ALS Association. It had all the ingredients of success – social media component, emotional appeal, entertaining value, and call to action.
Dove
The real beauty campaign is another successful case of grassroots strategy. Dove created an experiment where a forensic artist would create two portraits of each woman. One is based on her description of herself, and the other one is based on a stranger’s description. Seeing results makes women realize that strangers see them differently than they see themselves. This campaign appealed to emotion but also dealt with issues relevant to many women and evoked a strong response.
Grassroot Marketing Ideas
If you want to apply such a tactic to your marketing strategy, you need to plan it wisely. The main factors of success are:
- Knowing your audience, their pain points, struggles, and interests;
- Clearly determining the purpose of the campaign;
- Creating a strong message that can be shared and has a call to action;
- Focusing on telling a story;
- Starting with a small audience, hyperlocal.
Here are some potential tactics you might consider.
SMS
Talking directly to your audience is a fantastic opportunity. It creates an individual bond and boosts loyalty. But it is crucial only to message those customers who agreed to receive SMS from your organization. Otherwise, the response might be negative.
Social Media
It is a powerful tool in terms of direct communication with your audience. You can run polls, figure out specific issues your customers deal with, and offer a solution.
Good Cause
Supporting a good cause is always great. It has emotional appeal, makes a positive change, and highlights your organization’s values. People who have similar values might become your advocates and share the message.
Video
Video content works best for all types of marketing, and this one is no exception. Even if you plan an offline event, make sure to tape it and post a video about it. Video is shared more, and people love such content.
CTA
Whatever format you decide on, do not forget a call to action or a way to inspire action. Say about it at the end of the video if you want people to check the best dissertation writing services you’ve found. The message might get lost without a call to action as the audience will ignore anything not explicitly stated..
Conclusion
Grassroots marketing can be incredibly effective for student-led initiatives. It is cost-effective and targeted. But you need to plan it and aim at a specific group of people. When done right, it can give an organization a considerable boost in recognition and ROI.
