Spreading Ideas

Great ideas have no meaning unless they reach the audience. Here is the video by Seth Godin about how the ideas can be spread in modern world:

According to David Burkus, an assistant professot of management at the College of Business at Oral Roberts University, there are 5 common characteristics of ideas that spread:

•  Relative Advantage – degree to which an idea or product is perceived as better than the existing standard, what is the improvement with a new product. It is something that most people think when they visualize product being innovative.
•  Compatibility or how easily it takes to understand new functions of the product based on past experiences. The higher similarity with existing norms, the better chances of adoption. Ideas that miss this factor are often described as “ahead of their time”
• Complexity or Simplicity is how easy it is for people to understand the new idea or use the new product. Is this idea logical? Is the product easy to use? Case of Instagram:  the app started as a service similar to Yelp where people could add photos as an added bonus. But as soon as complexity was reduced to a single-purpose function, the popularity increased.
• Trialability – efforts that customers have to make in order to try a new product. The more possibilities for a customer to test the product the more like people adapt it. 
•  Observability – noticeable results of trying or consuming the idea. Products should be highly visible that would drive more people to share and to adopt a product.  http://99u.com/articles/19306/the-5-common-characteristics-of-ideas-that-spread  

So how do you begin to make an impact and spread an idea?

1. Create something that people want to talk about.
2. Give people a way to share it.
3. Know who you are talking to or targeting.
4. Understand your audience.
5. Work out what people want before they do.
6. Think about what one person will say to another to recommend it.
7. Question why someone will buy, use, or talk about your thing over another.
8. Believe in the idea yourself.
9. Be the best choice.
10. Create for a few.
11. Make it work for the many.
12. Ask people to try it.
13. Engage people and build trust.
14. Connect your true fans.
15. Help people to care about what you do or sell.
16. Ask your followers to share it.
17. Make people laugh.
18. Make people cry.
19. Do something unexpected.
20. Be generous.
21. Promise something and deliver on it.
22. Create something people want, not just something they need.
23. Be passionate.
24. Start!
25. Evaluate and make it better. by Bernadette Jiwa http://thestoryoftelling.com/understanding-how-to-spread-an-idea/

Written by Anna