In 1999, a small Internet company called Half.com came up with a genius idea while trying to set itself apart thousands of other companies. It made a deal with a small town with a population of 350 in the state of Oregon in the U.S. The company gave the town some money, 20 computers for the school, and free Internet. In return, the town accepted changing its name to Half.com. The news made the headlines in the national media in one week. Between news on newspapers and discussions on television, all of the U.S. was talking about Half.com. Six months later, the company was sold to eBay for $300 million.

This is a true story. With a tiny budget, it is possible to be recognized across the whole country. The inventor of this, Mark Hughes, explains the methods of word to mouth marketing.

Each year, 23,000 new products hit the market in the U.S. alone. All these services and products are trying appeal to consumers through newspapers, television, and traditional advertising channels. With a myriad of products and messages out there, it is "quite a task" to be remembered.

First of all, if you wish to "draw attention, stay away from the crowds." Staying away from the crowds? You put a new product on the market. You advertised on television and newspapers. You sit back and expect everyone to purchase your product... Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. And why? Because we live in a world that is drastically different than 30 years ago. Hundreds of channels and thousands of pieces of information are within reach. A study shows that we either change the channel or direct our attention to something else in 92 percent of the commercials. According to another study, the more advertisements are in a magazine, the less the chances of them being remembered. “The bigger the crowd, the less the attention.” So, what is the solution? A consulting company took a different approach to promote its Fast Reading classes. Instead of using expensive advertising methods such billboards or newspaper ads, it made a deal with bookstores. When the customer reaches the middle of the book, a message appears, "You could have finished this book!" Unexpectedly, the reader's entire attention is focused on one place. A clear message related to the need. Result? With one-eighth of the budget, sales soared by 350 percent in two months.

Two: “Give people a story so that they will tell their circles.” Advertising is expensive but talking is free. Give people a reason to talk to their friends and family about your product. Story! We all love stories. When Halfway turned a town into Half.com, people talked about it. A nondescript website grew into one of the biggest retail sites in six months. The better the story is, the faster it spread by word of mouth. There are six ways to promote by word of mouth:

One: Taboo...

Two: Out of the box ...

Three: Shocking...

Four: Fun...

Five: Striking...

Six: Secrets... “But, I need to tell you this.” How many times have you heard this in your life?