Are You Asking “What is Buzz Marketing?”

Buzz Marketing is word of mouth marketing on steroids.  Buzz Marketing is when something big happens, or when enough small things happen and a buzz starts to build.  Traditionally, Buzz Marketing has been thought of for the big bang sort of buzz.  However, strategies can be put in place to steadily increase the buzz for an organization.

This steady growth of buzz comes from the careful planning and training of employees to act as advocates for the organization.  Tools exist for company employees to create more and more buzz for the organization even if they are not sales and marketing people.

Microsoft has a large percentage of their staff blogging regularly.

Buzz does not just happen online though.  With some thought to your message and what you ask employees to do, you can use Buzz Marketing techniques to create online and offline buzz.  Buzzoodle actually measures each time someone creates some buzz and gives the employee a score.

What has been most effective when using employees to do Buzz Marketing is to have those that are more technical or writing oriented focus their efforts on the web and with email, while having those people that enjoy talking and phone conversations work more with creating buzz when out in public.

Never underestimate fantastic customer service or original products for creating Buzz.  The best buzz marketing results will come from being exceptional, not from buzz marketing tricks and gimmicks.

Word of Mouth Marketing is when you get a significant number of people to start talking about your organization, product or service.  Word of Mouth Marketing has been shown to have the best ROI on dollars spent and more people trust word of mouth than any other form of advertising.

This has been shown through studies, but it also just makes sense.  When was the last time a friend said you had to try something and you doubted it?  If you did doubt it, it was probably because of the character of your friend, not because of the product.

Word of Mouth Marketing works in any industry, but it is especially effective in areas where there are items that are buzzworthy.  Every day you probably promote something for someone without thinking about it.  Word of Mouth makes us feel good because we are helping the person we are telling and we appear knowledgeable.

Pay attention to the word of mouth you generate each day and you will find that, unbeknownst to you, you have been a marketer for some major companies, and they are not even compensating you.

How does the internet affect word of mouth marketing?

The internet has turned up the volume on word of mouth marketing.  You can set up a free blog and develop a devout following that will give your voice more reach.  In fact, many word of mouth marketing professionals rely solely on the buzz on blogs to measure word of mouth.

Tools have begun to come out that help organizations measure and control word of mouth better.  Buzzoodle challenges advocates to create word of mouth and track each instance, rewarding them with points and creating teams that use competition to create Word of Mouth.

The fear of bad word of mouth is always on the minds of marketing and PR professionals as well.  By being preemptive and creating a lot of good word of mouth, you can weather a negative word of mouth if it ever happens.

Before you ask your employees or co-workers to help you create Buzz, you need to identify what your objectives are and what your core message is. Then throw a little party. If you want, open it up to employees, family, special clients and friends.

The theme of the party can be “What makes us special.” Find out good stories and let everyone know the stories and that you encourage them to repeat them often.

Have them let you know when they spread a little word of mouth. Be sure they know what kinds of people you would like to meet and what are ideal prospects. If you want, make it into a contest. Who can create the most buzz? Who can generate the most valuable connection?

1. Get employees with a computer to post to a Blog or message board once a week, with the link going back to your website. Be clear on what they can and cannot say.
2. Have your employees call one past client per week and check in with them. They can ask how they liked the product or service, find out how they are doing, and let them know you value their patronage.
3. Have employees stop by in nearby businesses they have never been in before. They can introduce themselves and let the people they meet know they work by. They can invite those people to stop in some time if appropriate.
4. Have employees write a letter or email to an author, reporter, or some other media professional and let the person know they appreciate their work. Offer to be a source of information if they ever need information on your industry.
5. If your employees have email, have them “ping” at least one person per week. This is a quick “Just checking in” email to someone they know but do not know too well.

Word of Mouth Marketing is not a gimmick. It is not a trick to get everyone talking nor is it hiring a bunch of strangers to promote your product for pay. It is also not having a blog.

Word of Mouth Marketing is an ongoing commitment to excellence.

Word of Mouth Marketing is being unique and buzzworthy.

Word of Mouth Marketing is understanding that people talk and finding out what they are saying about you.

Good Word of Mouth Marketing pays attention and heads off less than positive word of mouth. It turns the negative into a positive.

Good Word of Mouth Marketing is finding ways to turn up the volume on genuine stories and opinions that paint your product or service as something special and noteworthy, even if the exact same thing is sold by someone else.

Great Word of Mouth Marketing is getting advocates that are already familiar with your product or service to understand the power of word of mouth and to work your story into more genuine conversations. Employees can be a wonderful Word of Mouth Marketing tool.

Great Word of Mouth Marketing monitors the buzz of your product or service and feeds fresh stories to advocates by being exceptional every day.

If you want to understand Word of Mouth Marketing better, do the following. Carry a pad and pen, or use one of those newfangled PDA devices, and record each time you talk about a product or service and what you say about it.

Review the product list, whether it was positive or negative word of mouth, and what benefits of the product or service you found buzzworthy. Ask yourself if your potential clients would find your products worth talking about.

Use tools like Buzzoodle and education to get every employee aware of the power of word of mouth and have them look for opportunities to plant the seeds to great visibility.