Certain topics can be uncomfortable or awkward for people to discuss. Things like diseases, political issues, famine, war, and charitable causes aren’t always easy for even your biggest supporters to bring up amongst friends or strangers.
In these instances, sometimes it’s best to look outside your close group of customers or supporters and find intermediaries that aren’t directly involved in the issue, but still care about the cause.
How a word of mouth marketing supergenius does it:
The Prostate Net is a nonprofit that works to educate minority men on the risks of prostrate cancer and the importance of getting exams. It’s a difficult topic, and certainly not one that patients are excited to talk about.
To get the word out, The Prostate Net approached barbers — often opinion leaders in many communities with plenty of time to talk to customers — and created the “Barbershop Network.” Through the program, The Prostrate Net reached 50,000 barbers, taught them how to talk about the issue, and provided lots of educational resources to share.
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