[Hua11.com Original] When discussing the country with the most advanced social software, China is undoubtedly at the forefront. An endless array of social software permeates every aspect of our lives. Public data indicates that the number of people using social software in China has surpassed one billion, an extraordinarily large figure.

Where there are people, sales activities are sure to follow.

Thus, you will notice that nowadays, whenever you open Moments or various online communities, certain types of information are almost guaranteed to appear:

- WeChat business promotions

- Likes collection

- Voting campaigns

- QR code scanning for coupons

- QR code scanning to attend free classes

And so on.

Why do these messages persist? It's because "you," the one viewing Moments and community posts, hold "utilization" value, either directly or indirectly.

Therefore, the person sending the message is motivated to do so—to reap benefits. For instance:

- Direct sales income

- Brand promotion

- Popularity gathering

- Acquisition of free gifts

- Procurement of coupons

- Securing more free class time

And so forth.

If the person sending the message does not receive these benefits, the motivation would vanish, and these messages would cease to appear in Moments and communities.

However, is this approach effective?

Let's first examine a screenshot (sourced from the Internet):

This is Dropbox, a well-known online storage service in the United States, which allows users to store and access their photos, files, etc., anytime, anywhere, for free. Similar products exist in China.

Due to its utility, Dropbox was quickly embraced by many users. Yet, they soon encountered a growth bottleneck: the user increase rate was too slow.

So, the clever team at Dropbox employed the following promotional methods:

1. New users receive 2 GB of storage space upon registration.

2. For each new user invited, an additional 500 MB of storage space is granted.

3. The invited new users also receive an additional 500 MB of storage space, totaling 2.5 GB.

How effective was this approach?

In just 14 months, their user base grew 40-fold. This method, often discussed among community marketers, is known as fission.

Fission is an alluring term that sparks boundless imaginative potential. It suggests that once you acquire one user, you can employ some method to encourage that user to bring in more users, while you simply wait for the benefits to accumulate.

Why use Dropbox as an example? Because Dropbox is likely the first internet company to use the fission method for user development and achieve significant success.

Its triumph has set a precedent for many engaged in social and community marketing in China. Many have expanded upon this concept, such as:

- Passive income

- Multi-level marketing (1 to N levels)

- Downlines

- Agency models

- Zero-cost entrepreneurship

And so on.

The allure of these concepts can be misleading, enticing many to participate. However, their outcomes are often less than favorable:

- Being blacklisted

- Being blocked

- Even leading to legal trouble: "The first major case of pyramid selling by WeChat business 'Cloud at Fingertips' was cracked, involving 600 million" (Source: Sohu News)

All are results of improper fission. Why could Dropbox go public while other companies faced such dire ends?

Let's analyze the differences:

- Both the inviting and invited users of Dropbox receive value enhancement (an additional 500 MB of free storage space). In other words, Dropbox itself is a "value creator."

- In contrast, some companies exploit user trust to acquire more users without providing inherent value, instead consuming the trust of users. They are "value extractors."

This distinction is crucial.

Only fission that continuously creates value during the process—value that is genuinely meaningful to users—is effective and leads to secondary or even further rounds of transmission.

Fission that erodes trust, fails to provide value, and indiscriminately posts in Moments in hopes of increased visibility is futile and may backfire (resulting in being blocked).

Remember, each time you ask someone to click a link for you (to vote, scan a QR code, forward, etc.), you expend a bit of your credit. Consider whether you can offer value in return. If not, please exercise restraint and cease your "sharing."

This is the essence of community fission—depletion of trust.

When you consistently create and deliver value rather than exploit the trust of others, believe me, success is within reach.

Disregard all notions of "rapid fission," discard the fantasies of easy expansion, and start by steadily engaging with the customers around you. This is the principle we, who engage in实体经济 and operate flower shops/studios, should adhere to.

In doing so, you may actually find growth occurs more rapidly.

According to our current statistics, without any active value-driven initiatives and relying solely on word-of-mouth, Hua11.com can boast a 15% spontaneous high referral rate, a testament to our dedication to self-improvement rather than focusing on various distractions.

Hua11.com often receives overtures from various investors, but we currently prefer not to expand rapidly, to remain a boutique brand, and to grow at a gradual pace. We do not seek to compete with others.

Free from external capital influence and maintaining our integrity, we can follow our own rhythm and concentrate on providing more value to the floral industry. If we pursued rapid fission growth, the Hua11.com of today might not exist.

Copyright Statement:

This article is an original creation by Hua11.com and is included in the “How to Run a Flower Shop and Floral Studio” Ebook. The content of this article may be periodically updated and is initially published on the Hua11.com official website blog. You can find the article at this link: https://hua11.com/blog/4717.html.

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