Buzz Marketing Part II

In the first installment, I wrote about buzz marketing - a cheap, effective, new, and sometimes risky way to get customers talking about your product. In most cases, the message can be hidden in buzz marketing practices, giving the participating consumers a sense of unknown or secrecy. This obviously triggers word-of-mouth/viral marketing which can spread like a wildfire (especially in heavily populated areas like world famous cities).

"Follow the leader" has proved to be an effective way to participate in buzz marketing. Do what you know will work based on others experiences. However, some of the most successful buzz marketing campaigns are fueled by innovation and creativity. To see some great examples, you can view these pictures. You should also create scarcity and lure consumers in. Companies must also be authentic, which is where some problems can occur due to the fact that companies develop risky and sometimes provocative aspects to catch the eye of consumers. This can hurt the brand image, especially if it is not aligned with the image of the company. Lastly, you must prepare for the unknown. Buzz marketing has no specific success formula. Techniques are always changing and marketers need to do their best to analyze and determine what will be successful right now or a year from now.

Here is a great example of how IKEA utilized Facebook to create buzz between their customers. This video also shows the sheer power of social media. Enjoy and post a comment of what you think!

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