Buzz Marketing: The Gossip Chain That Could Launch A Product Or Service
Aus Salespoint
Written by:Russel Major
An old way of advertising is making a big splash in today's business world. This old fashioned concept has a proven history of delivering results for Internet marketers and entrepreneurs everywhere. Buzz marketing is the name. More technologically advanced marketing methods are usually the talk of the town, but none of them can even compete with the effects of buzz marketing. The reason is that referrals from person to person can't be beat when it comes to marketing. What are the best ways to use buzz marketing and the potential benefits for a business?
The success of buzz marketing hinges on the effectiveness of word-of-mouth recommendations. Buzz agents, in the form of everyday people, are provided by marketers with product samples. When the buzz agents begin spreading the word about their experience with the product, the word-of-mouth advertising is set in motion.
Agents must obey certain guidelines, based on the company. They maintain honest assessments of both good and bad aspects of the product. Most are also required to disclose their position as buzz agents.
In the end, the agents report back to the marketing company. When the company has all the numbers in hand, they can determine whether the campaign is effective, which demographic responded most positively, and how to tweak their marketing strategy.
The biggest reason for the success of buzz marketing is people's natural need to know. People are always interested in talking about the latest news and discussing hot tops. Whether it be celebrity news, political capers, or even sad sagas, people cannot keep news to themselves. Buzz marketing lets entrepreneurs use the same marketing concepts that the media relies on. Intriguing headlines, must-hear stories, and the tug-at-the-heartstrings sagas have always garnered attention, and they always will. People have trouble turning away because they need to know.
Buzz marketing can use any of those common media strategies. Advertisers link their product to an intriguing event or unique attribute, and then send buzz agents out to bring the story up in casual conversations. If the story is unique or interesting, it will spread rapidly, and with it the product.
To ignite the discussion, marketers often turn to social networking sites to speed up the process. Twitter and Facebook are the leaders, and have proven to be superb transmitters of buzz. Another great approach is offering free samples, giveaways, or drawings. Everyone loves a great promotion, and entire sites are devoted to passing on the buzz about great deals.
For a buzz campaign to truly succeed, the marketer needs to hone in on a unique aspect of the product or company. Without that hook, the product will be mired in a pit of similar products that nobody notices. The catchy aspect of the campaign could be the newness of the product's features, the company's history, or some ingenious way the product was used. It could even be a giveaway or other catchy idea, such as the pizza campaign of long ago promising free pizza if it wasn't delivered in 30 minutes or less.
The key to success, though, is that the product does exactly what it claims to do. A great buzz campaign can move a lot of product off the shelves. A great marketing campaign is worthless if the product is junk. If this is the case, then buzz marketing won’t work and the sales launch will be a colossal failure.
The idea of buzz marketing is an effective strategy gleaned from the wizened tactics of old. Companies that use this generally free and highly powerful form of advertisement must carefully plan a solid marketing and business plan. For well-prepared companies with something exciting to say, buzz can be their best friend.
