Like millions of others all over the world, my house has recently been invaded by thousands of brightly coloured rubber bands. In case you’ve missed it (which, given their popularity, would be hard to imagine) loom bands – small, multi-coloured elastic bands –  are currently one of the most popular toys in the world, with all 30 of Amazon UK’s top selling toys either looms or loom related.

Sold in packs of hundreds or thousands, the bands are woven into bracelets, necklaces and any number of weird and wonderful items. They are the reason every kid in the country seems to be covered in elastic from wrist to elbow, with even the Duchess of Cambridge embracing the trend.

As I dragged the hoover out AGAIN this weekend to tackle the trail of loom bands left through the house by my daughters, I sympathised with parents worldwide bemoaning these pesky, messy bits of rubber. But I also marvelled at fact that my girls’ imaginations are being exercised by something tactile, creative and stimulating, as opposed to the latest tablet app or computer game.

And I got to thinking: how has this phenomenon that seemingly appeared from nowhere captured the imaginations of kids all over the world in 2014? Why ARE loom bands so popular? And what can we learn from their success to boost the growth of our businesses online?

 

For answers to the first of these questions, I went straight to the experts: my daughters, Molly, 9, and Ruby,6, both of whom have embraced this craze with every bit of enthusiasm and pocket money available to them.  Here are their top answers:

 

You can make beautiful, colourful things with them
We can play with our friends
There are so many different designs
We can take them anywhere
Even grown-ups like them

It’s not too much of a stretch (!) to look for the business lessons here…so here are my lessons from loom bands:

Make your online presence bright and beautiful

Are you drawing customers in with striking images and eye-catching graphics? With visual marketing enjoying rapid growth, it’s time to embrace the trend and spruce up your content!

Play with your online friends

How sociable is your social media? If you’re just bleating on about your business and churning out sales pitches, you’ll be left alone in the playground. A successful online marketing plan is all about engaging with your audience, communicating, interacting and sharing information!

Make your brand mobile

The beauty of loom bands is that they can be enjoyed anywhere: there are kids weaving away everywhere from parks to playgrounds to restaurants. Make sure that your website offers visitors easy access and usage whether they’re indoors or on the move: if your site isn’t optimized for tablets and mobiles yet you’re going to lose business.

Make your appeal far-reaching

Although loom bands are aimed at 8-14 year olds, younger children and even adults love them too. Simple bracelets can be made by a 5 year old using just fingers, and older kids get immersed in complex designs requiring the use of a plastic pegboard known as the loom.

Whilst it’s important to always have your target market in mind, your content should be interesting enough for anyone who comes across it to enjoy it, be able to interact with it and make something of it, by sharing images, responding to questions, commenting on posts or using quotes from blogs etc.

Change and evolve

Having an online presence isn’t worth much if you’re not continually adding content, updating your profiles and sharing fresh ideas and information. Just as a bunch of elastic bands is, well, just a bunch of elastic bands until you weave it into something else, so your online presence only comes to life when you MAKE something happen.

Focus on shareability

Make your content shareable and make sure it’s easy to share: create original, useful content that others will want to share online and ensure that you have the necessary buttons for sharing on other platforms.

So, the next time you bend down to pick up a loom band, think of how such a simple idea has evolved into something so appealing, and remember the lessons for your business presence online: make it fun, make it shareable, be creative, be engaging and STRETCH your branding in as many interesting directions as you can!

Thanks to my girls I now have my very own Branching Out loom charm !