If you haven’t heard of Ello by now, you’re either out of the loop or you weren’t invited.

Dubbed the “Anti-Facebook,” Ello is the newest social network gaining attention by promising an ad-free experience and using the strategy of only allowing access to those who receive invites from their friends.

This tactic may seem strange for a site that needs users if it plans to take down Facebook, but it’s actually a wise marketing plan for social networks just starting out.

Ello launched in March as a private social network and decided to install a semi-public invite-only system on Aug. 7. Fast forward a couple of months and people are joining Ello in droves.

CEO Paul Budnitz told Businessweek in a Sept. 30 interview, “About forty to fifty thousand people are either signing up or joining Ello every hour.” If you think that’s wild, there are reports that beta invitations to Ello are being sold on eBay in the price range of $5-150, according to a Sept. 25 Mashable article.

So how did unknown Ello go viral practically overnight? Invite-only social networks like Ello rely on the momentum of word of mouth and exclusivity to quickly gain buzz.  

Proven by the recent iPhone 6 hype, FOMO — fear of missing out — is doubled when it comes to technology. People can’t help themselves from snatching the newest products regardless of whether they need it or not. It’s human nature to want what we can’t have, and social networks are taking full advantage of that. The exclusivity of Ello and other invitation-only networks is what makes people curious and eventually drives them to give it a try.

Facebook knows a thing or two about exclusivity. Back when it was still named “The Facebook,” the site required a college ID to log in. This gave college students at Harvard University and surrounding schools a sense of belonging to a cool new community. More importantly, it made non-college kids desperately want a Facebook so they didn’t feel left out.

Invite-only networks also have the benefit of better quality posts. By limiting access to just friends of friends, the content you see will most likely be things you care about rather than spammers or nonsense. Users are more likely to return to a new site or app if they see familiar faces.

Another reason startups should consider the invitation method is because it gives developers leeway to make tweaks to the design or functionality without causing uproar. Due to the massive amount of people that use Facebook daily, making changes to its layout usually causes worldwide outrage. But for a small company like Ello, changes can be passed off as new features or may even go unnoticed. This beta testing period can be used as trial and error for a social network before it becomes popular.

Success stories of this invitation policy include Pinterest, Spotify, Gmail and possibly Ello if its growth doesn’t plateau. Ironically, the company known as the “Anti-Facebook” is using Mark Zuckerberg’s exclusive approach to attract people, and so far it’s working.

More companies should be patient and allow word of mouth to work its magic. If you believe in your website, and are willing sacrifice a few early users for a bunch down the road, the invitation strategy is the way to go.

Facebook, and now Ello, have proven that telling people they’re not allowed makes them want in even more. This is an open invitation to all tech entrepreneurs to trust in that process.

Aarick Knighton is a junior information management and technology major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @aarickurban.

Published on October 9, 2014 at 12:01 am