Since we only hire highly skilled people and I know they will perform well in a new company, that immediately shines a good light on us.

However, I am more proactive than that. I encourage everyone to be open an honest and support decisions to move on. I have only one requirement, and that is to stay in touch. These people already know well what we do and how we encourage Buzz and word of mouth, and I know many keep that going beyond working for us.

How can you keep former employees buzzing about your company?

• Email them at least every other month. Maybe do an ex employee eNewsletter.
• Do an exit interview. Find out why they are leaving, if they would be interested in returning at some point, and let them know you appreciate them continuing to talk about the good aspects of the organization.
• If appropriate, offer a commission on any sales they bring your way, including their new employer.
• Build a online staff and alumni community. This could be a good way to find about something that was done before an employee left.
• Outsource additional weekend work to ex employees, if they are interested.

Employees that leave your organization can be a great resource, and if they are leaving on good terms, had a positive experience and are kept up to date and excited about your company, even ex employees can be a great source of Buzz.

Guerrilla Marketing is usually low cost or free marketing that promotes the product or service in a creative way.

Buzz Marketing can be inexpensive or very expensive in an effort to create something worth talking about and generating lots of word of mouth.

Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing combines Guerrilla Marketing and Buzz Marketing by utilizing businesses employees and other advocates to create word of mouth and buzz in a guerrilla fashion.

Example One:  Employee Email Challenge

Buzzoodle often challenges employees to follow up with people they have not talked to recently and see how they are doing.  Imagine if a company of 500 people followed up with one more person each week.  What if signatures in those emails were made to sing and get noticed?

Guerrilla Marketing Tactic: Email is cheap and no one is less productive sending one email more each week.

Buzz Marketing Tactic: Five hundred people more per week hear about the company.  Soon people notice a difference.  Your company is friendlier, more responsive, better connected.

Example Two:  Employee Blog Posts

Buzzoodle encourages active online participation of employees with computers and internet access.  What happens if every employee starts either writing a blog or commenting on other people’s blogs?  Much higher visibility, inbound links and curiosity about the company.  Plus the public feels your company is more accessible.

Guerrilla Marketing Tactic: Free blogs and comments have no cost.  Time to post on them is minimal and they will create more visibility for the website.

Buzz Marketing Tactic: With so much more visibility on the web, people will notice the buzz and start paying attention.  One of the most powerful aspects of Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing is when people start seeing your company name and message in various places.

Example Three:  Better Networking

Buzzoodle encourages every employee in an organization to understand the power of word of mouth and start becoming better networked.  Some will do this better than others, but everyone increasing their network, even by just one new person a month, adds value to the company.

Guerrilla Marketing Tactic: Utilizing free events, and employees networking in their free time allows a company to get greater value per employee and helps the employee be more successful in the future.

Buzz Marketing Tactic: Some of the people that employees meet will be well connected and enjoy talking about the company and the people they know.  Once a few of these people know people at your company, they will create incredible buzz about the products and services you have to offer.

Example Four:  Write to a Media Professional

Buzzoodle encourages employees to reach out to their favorite authors, radio hosts, reporters and TV anchors.  Send them email or letters of ideas and praise.  Be sure to mention where you work.

Guerrilla Marketing Tactic: Inexpensive and can result in huge visibility if your company is talked about in the press.

Buzz Marketing Tactic: One quick email can result in a jackpot of PR if you end up in the news or on a well known author’s blog.

These are just four examples of how Buzzoodle challenges employees to create more buzz for the company they work for.  It is part Guerrilla marketing and part Buzz Marketing, but most of all it is just plain smart.