One of my favorite movies is 3:10 To Yuma starring Christain Bale (always awesome), Russell Crowe (who for once doesn’t annoy me) and Ben Foster (as one of the most badass Western villains EVER).  It’s a modern Western done very well, something we don’t get very often.  The plot evolves around Russell Crowe’s character (Ben Wade), a notorious criminal with a softer side.  Wade is captured by a group of locals, including Christain Bale’s character, and it’s up to those men to escort Wade all the way to Contention, Arizona where he’ll be put on a prisoner’s train to Yuma prison (are you with me so far?)

They get Wade to Contention BUT Ben Foster and his gang of outlaws catch up.  Wade is their leader and they want him back.  Foster’s character, examining the situation, realizes there are only 10 of them against 7 other men holding Wade, many of which are lawmen and sharpshooters.  They have Wade held up in a hotel until the train arrives, and Foster isn’t a patient man.  So looking around, he sees that the town-folk have started to pay attention and he does something truly incredible.  Foster jumps into the street and offers $100 to anyone who kills any of the men holding Wade captive.  Instantly, men (and women!) emerge from inside the town, guns at the ready!  The gang suddenly goes from 10 men, to 100, all incentivized to join the cause!

I have to laugh everytime I watch this scene.  I understand that it’s a movie, and a bit of historical drama, AND this particular exploit brought out the worst in people.  BUT it still makes a great point.  Looking at his competitive odds, Foster applies a bit of strategy and in a matter of seconds suddenly has a new team of people, ready to help him accomplish his goal.  The odds turn drastically in his favor.

This same psychology and strategy can be applied in any marketing campaign.  Reward-based incentives to an interested crowd of fans or consumers can help you accomplish big tasks.  The key is finding the right incentive for the particular demographic you’re marketing to.  In the movie, Ben Foster saw a group of poor town-folk, probably bored and itching for some excitement.  This badass looking gang just rolls into town like rock stars and suddenly wants THE LOCALS to be part of the action too!  Who could resist?

If you’re in entertainment you already have that edge.  If you’re a business with a little less glamour, you can still find something compelling about your products or services that creates a “marketing experience” that your fans can participate in.  The more you know about your customers or fans, the easier to find the incentives.  Maybe just offering direct access to your brand and team for helping you market is enough.  Maybe it’s the promise of a new ipod to the person who does the most.  Maybe it’s literally $100, just like in the movie.

The key is BUILD a great promotion, INVOLVE your fans directly in it’s execution, and INCENTIVIZE them properly so they eagerly participate.  Play it right and you too could suddenly have a gang of 100 townsfolk!