Persuasive Visual Pattern #32: Flywheel

Prathamesh Krisang

The Wheel Of Consequences

When one thing leads to a consequence, and that things leads to yet another consequence; and all of those consequences combine together to create a compounding effect, you have encountered a flywheel.

A flywheel is a wheel that builds momentum by itself without any additional external input. The idea was first introduced by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great.

How to use the Flywheel Visual Pattern?

When your solution leads to multiple positive consequences. And those consequences lead to second-order and third-order positive consequences, you should use the Flywheel Visual Pattern to visualize the impact you can create.

Here are some famous examples of flywheel:

Amazon Flywheel

The Amazon Flywheel is a concept introduced by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. It represents a self-reinforcing cycle that drives the growth of the company. The flywheel starts with “Lower Prices,” which leads to “More Customer Visits,” resulting in “Increased Sales,” leading to “Attracting Third-Party Sellers,” which expands “Selection and Convenience,” ultimately leading back to “Lower Prices.” This continuous loop creates a virtuous cycle for Amazon’s business growth.

Recycle, Reuse, Reduce Flywheel

The “Recycle, Reuse, Reduce” flywheel, also known as the “3R” flywheel, is a concept derived from the principles of sustainability and circular economy. It represents a cyclical and holistic approach to managing resources and waste to minimize environmental impact and promote sustainable practices.

Network Effect Flywheel

The Network Effect Flywheel is a framework that represents the concept of network effects, which occur when the value of a product or service increases as more users or participants join the network. The flywheel visualization illustrates how network effects can create a self-reinforcing cycle of growth and value creation.

????Below are some ways where brands can utilize the flywheel concept for visualization:

Customer Flywheel

The Customer Flywheel model focuses on creating exceptional customer experiences to drive customer loyalty and advocacy. The idea is to deliver outstanding customer service, which leads to customer satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth, and referrals. This, in turn, attracts more customers, leading to increased revenue and the ability to invest in further enhancing the customer experience.

Social Media Flywheel

In the context of social media marketing, the Social Media Flywheel model emphasizes the continuous creation and sharing of high-quality content. By consistently producing valuable content, attracting engagement and followers, and fostering community interaction, the flywheel gains momentum, resulting in increased brand reach, engagement, and ultimately, business growth.

Quality Improvement Flywheel

The Quality Improvement Flywheel is a continuous cycle of improvement in which organizations identify areas for enhancement, analyze and plan changes, implement those changes, and review the outcomes. This iterative process drives ongoing improvements in product or service quality, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and a competitive advantage. The organization sustains and scales the successful changes while repeating the cycle to continuously enhance its quality management processes. The interconnected nature of these steps creates a flywheel effect, generating momentum and propelling the organization towards higher levels of quality and performance.

Summarizing,

Use the Flywheel Visual Pattern when your solution leads to multiple second-order and third-order positive consequences, which feed back into the system to create a self-reinforcing cycle of improvement.

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