Friday, January 13, 2006

Buzz Barriers

What are some of the issues that can lead to holding back and not creating buzz?
  • Not taking the time to identify some good stories to tell. - Know what makes you and your organization special before you need a story.
  • Feeling that no one will want to hear what you have say. - People talk endlessly on meaningless stuff, some even blog on it. Just open up to people more frequently and it will get easier.
  • Don't like to sell. - Creating buzz is not like being a sales person. You do not have to convince them to spend money, just convince them to think about you and talk about you.
  • You are shy. - If you do not like to talk to new people in person, I would suggest you work on getting more comfortable by achieving small successes. In the mean time, the Internet can be a better buzz tool anyway, so start there and work your way to personal buzz.
  • Worried your organization will not approve of the message. - This is a sticky point if you are in a highly regulated environment, but if you take the time to plan out what you can say in advance, you can run it by your boss and be ready.
  • Don't like your organization. - If you do not like the place you work, start working on getting out. One way to do that is to create positive buzz about yourself and where you work, despite how you feel. Remember, few people hire a complainer. The positive attitude and great buzz you create for yourself will help you achieve your goal and your employer will still benefit.

If you have barriers to creating buzz for yourself and your organization, keep at it in little ways and build up your confidence. Creating buzz is fun once you make it a part of who you are.