Maitland Law- Chapel Hill and Durham NC

Make Like a Dragonfly

The Dragonfly Effect is what happens when you coordinate four small activities to produce BIG results. It is named after the only creature that is able to move in any direction with tremendous speed and force when its four wings are working in concert.

In their book, The Dragonfly Effect:Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways to Use Social Media, Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith teach readers that "small actions create big change" and help them harness social technology to achieve a single, focused, concrete goal. The authors remark, "It is remarkable how many businesses don't take the time to collectively understand why they are on Facebook, why they are on Twitter and what is their single-purpose goal.

The book teaches 4 key skills - focus, grab attention, engage, and take action. The book also explains how to coordinate them with social technology to spark measurable results.

Get Personal. Find personal hooks that range from physiological to self-actualization needs. Make sure that the personal hooks can be understood within seconds to make them work best.

Deliver the unexpected. People like consuming and then sharing awe inspiring information. Draw them in by piquing their curiosity. You can do this by re-framing the familiar in a creative way.

Visualize your message. Show, don't tell. Photos and videos speak millions of words. Synthesize your thoughts with quick visuals and show them to your point of view for feedback.

Make a visceral connection. Design your campaign so that it triggers senses - sight, sound, hearing, and taste. Music is powerful and can often tap underlying emotions.

This simple tips and ideas can work magic! Try them out and see for yourself.

Citing "Make like a dragonfly". The Costco Connection: April 2011. pg 13.