Kiva is a nonprofit, but on a higher level it’s also a solid, solid brand. Take a close look at its marketing, and you might mistake it for a PR- and viral marketer-enriched company: by the measure of its captive audience, it wouldn’t be absurd to think that Kiva contracts a legion of brand agencies across the globe.
The microfinance platform has fans across so many different communities, the vast majority of whom are unbridled evangelists. Kiva has been featured in The New York Times, on Oprah, and on more influencer blogs than anyone can name. Clearly the brand is sterling.
We think that other organizations can learn from Kiva’s marketing success — and this includes for-profits.
Kiva owes a lot of its reputation to its core product/service. By itself, the idea of connecting ordinary lenders to entrepreneurs in the developing world is very compelling. And in turn, the execution of this idea has generated some wonderfully inspiring success stories.
But there’s another link in the marketing chain. It’s important to note that Kiva has mastered the art and science of empowerment marketing: it has effectively championed the strategy of allowing your fans to speak on behalf of your brand.
Of course, the concern here is that things might get out of control. What if people speak ill of my brand on Facebook? What if they post negative comments on my corporate site’s discussion board? What if they turn away others by virtue of their negativity?
Fortunately, there’s a proven way to deal with this: campaign moderation. For all the talk in some quarters about radical conversational marketing, brands still need to lean on tools that will allow them to stop the trolls without slowing the momentum of any brand conversation.
Ultimately, brands have every reason to encourage grassroots empowerment marketing. I want to end by simply reposting a few of the comments that Kiva has received through its Involver-powered Facebook video campaign. Generating the kind of earnest enthusiasm reflected below should be a goal for any brand.
Posted March 16, 2009: “Kiva is amazing because you can really help someone take a step away from poverty and at the same time encourage responsibility and a sense that they CAN change their future. I love it and will help as much as I can!”
Posted January 22, 2009: “I had not looked at my Kiva account for a while. Today I did look and found I had a credit of $28.85. And I thought “Wow – those entrepreneurs have been working hard.” So I got back to work too and made another $25 loan… and it was for free. Can’t beat that.”
Posted December 19, 2008: “I have just made my 100th loan with Kiva. In all those ($25) loans, during the last 2 years, I have never had one person default on me. It amazes how safe the funds are and that $25 can make a difference in someone’s life. If you are thinking of lending, please do so now. You won’t be sorry.”
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