WOM BUZZ VIRAL Marketing

This post is my personal opinion on the differences between Buzz Marketing, WOM - Word of Mouth Marketing and Viral Marketing. There is so much overlap, that some people think that it is all just word of mouth marketing. Some people think Viral Marketing takes place only on the internet. Some people think Buzz Marketing is when you go out and pay people to fake buzz. WOM - Word of Mouth - Word of mouth is really people recommending something to someone they know or writing about something in a public place, like the internet. Referrals from a friend are very likely to trigger a purchase, and this is the goal. Viral Marketing - Making something viral does not necessarily mean someone is willfully recommending the product or service, as in word of mouth marketing. It could be that the message attaches itself to something that someone does, such as an email footer for hotmail, and spreads. Or it could be something that is easy to spread and people enjoy spreading it. Viral marketing spreads very quickly and with little effort once the marketing virus is released. Buzz Marketing - Buzz Marketing I refer to as word of mouth marketing with the volume turned up. It is the art of getting more people to talk about you more often. Word of Mouth Marketing experts are often trying to do the same thing, but buzz has a stronger focus on increasing volume and passion about the topic. Good Internet Marketers will use all of these to be successful on the web. Their Internet Marketing Strategy will include:

• Word of Mouth Internet Strategies such as a Refer a Friend website feature
• Viral Marketing Internet Strategies such as a video that is funny or options to easily Digg a page.
• Buzz Marketing Internet Strategies such as creating more content and connections that get people to link to them, write about them, reference them and email about them. One way is to be controversial or exciting, another way to achieve this is with volume of smaller buzz efforts.

With Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing, we prefer a disciplined approach to creating consistently more buzz over the long term with your existing advocates. My upcoming book will address how to do this on a limited budget.

Life as a Carny - Day Four

Yes, this is a buzz marketing blog, but I am working a carnival with my daughter this week and I am recording my new marketing insights as a carny through Sunday. See here , here and here for earlier posts. ----- Sunday the carnival ended. I am so tired from the whole thing. Alexandra made about a $40 profit for the whole four days of work. I believe the carnival was most effective from the Marketing standpoint for vendors, and not from sales. Steak and Shake was giving away tons of free food coupons when you signed up for the raffle. They donated $600 to the band, but more importantly, when we stopped down to collect on on milkshakes, the restaurant was packed. While the carnival was a bust, it did teach Alexandra about money and work. When her foot started getting soar and bleeding a bit on Saturday night, she refused to leave. When people told her about other shows, she knew she did not want to waste her time and money again. That gave me the chance to talk to her about not judging too quickly based on one result. She will be doing an analysis over the next day or two and post it on her blog at Kids Roar. Thanks for tolerating my divergence from the core buzz marketing topic.

Life as a Carny - Day Three

Yes, this is a buzz marketing blog, but I am working a carnival with my daughter this week and I am recording my new marketing insights as a carny through Sunday. See here , here and here for earlier posts. ----- Yesterday was the big day. 13 hours of work with no breaks. In the office it would not be a big deal, but in a tent on black top in 85 degree weather....yuck. Alexandra did a good job with being elastic on price. At first she would drop the price right away, but we made the rule that she would offer to drop the price if they took a step away. She will probably loose money. She is up to $230. If she sells $60 more today she will break even on the booth... Speaking of booths. I guess my carny slang is not very honed yet. Tom Hoey wrote in a comment

"FYI. Carnies do not call their games or food operations...booths. They call games their joints and food operations are grabs. Check out the Carny Lingo at http://www.carnytown.com/ They occasionally do say, "we'll make the rent" or it's a blank or a bust. They would never say booth. A booth is in a restaurant or bar...where you sit. Just a little info from a real carny."

Here is the cool thing. I wrote my blog post about being a carny and within 24 hours I had carnies reading it. My post was quoted in other carny blogs and I never promoted it. It just shows how quickly you can reach different people. It also shows how quickly you can reach your target market if you know what your target market is.

Carnival Business Lessons Learned:

• Wear sunscreen even if you are under a canopy.
• Coming down a buck or two does make a difference.
• Many vendors at carnivals are highly educated people just trying to create buzz in the community.
• Be nice to the other vendors because they will buy things from you. (It is almost a BtoB setting. Or I should say Joint to Joint setting)
• Talk to the other vendors and get an idea of where the good shows are. They all agree this one we are at is not a busy/profitable one....but then why are they there?

I know I am looking forward to going back to my nice cool office, where I do not have to move heavy boxes and try to talk kids into buying $11 dinosaurs.

Life as a Carny - Day Two

Yes, this is a buzz marketing blog, but I am working a carnival with my daughter this week and I am recording my new marketing insights as a carny through Sunday. See here and here for earlier posts. ------ Friday was tiring. I talked to some of the other booths and they are getting worried as well. "Will we make our booth", they were asking. That is new carny slang I learned for making enough to cover the cost of booth rent. Alexandra, my nine year old, spent $145 for the booth, $600 for inventory, $95 on a tent and $20 on a sign. In two days of hard work she has brought in $85. Of course, Saturday will be a big day and she is selling some of that inventory on the kids roar website as well. Alexandra quickly learned that when people say they are coming back they are liars most of the time. (I would lie too, it is just human nature.) I told her then she needs to close the sale when they are at the booth the first time. Today she might try dropping the price one dollar if they buy the first time. On a different note, beside us is a Steak and Shake booth that is doing a raffle. You buy a ticket and get in the raffle to win a bike.....but then you also spin a wheel and get coupons for free stuff at steak and shake. It always works out to be worth more than what you put in. They are donating the proceeds to the band boosters. What great buzz marketing. Alexandra and I have already had shakes. In my upcoming buzz marketing book I talk about unexpected booths and organizing fund raisers to create buzz for yourself and this is an excellent example of restaurant buzz marketing. Their booth is always packed. There is also an insurance agent that has a booth and it has been interesting to see him work. He is so friendly and knows enough people in the community that he always has a bunch of people around talking to him. He also keeps giving the vendors free drinks, and when one vendor accused him of trying to buy him as a client, the insurance guys response was "hell yeah". Not beating around the bush and a great way to work the vendors. All in all I think that promoting on the web is more effective than being a carny, but I have heard that some of these festivals you can really do well at. For now I am just trying to keep Alexandra's enthusiasm high. She is tired, but gets very excited every time someone buys something.

Good Stories Spread

A good story that makes people smile will spread without a lot of effort. The same goes for eCommerce. Thanks Guys

• Landing the Deal
• Woodruff Direct
• BizInformer

My Life as a Carny

OK, so working one day at a carnival booth may not get me into the inner workings of carny life, but it is a different environment. For those that do not know, my daughter started a business called Kids Roar last year when she was 8. She sells her products on the web; she does speeches and puts on events. To pump up sales we decided to try a booth at a local fair. Here are some observations from the first day.

• I didn’t realize so many people still smoke.
• Teenagers love carnivals and buy silly things at them.
• People are very guarded at a carnival, even when a little kid tries to hand them a piece of paper.
• Vendors buy a lot of stuff from each other. The steak and shake booth was responsible for half of Alexandra’s sales yesterday.
• People do not notice stuff lower than 3 feet off the ground.
• The crowds have more tattoos than the carnies.
• Always have a back up plan. Many parents bulked at Alexandra’s items that are over $10. She gave them the option of buying 3 small plastic horses for $1 so that kids did not walk away with nothing. Some adults bought these from her just because they wanted to contribute to her success.
• It is possible to create a buzz in schools. Kids were coming up to Alexandra and saying they had studied her in their class, and that what she is doing is cool

So ends my carny diary for day 1. Absolutely something outside of my comfort zone, which means I am learning a lot. We will return to your regularly scheduled buzz marketing on Monday.

Kids Roar Booth

This post is purely personal. My daughter is having her first booth for her company, Kids Roar. If you are in the Akron, Ohio area please come over to Streetsboro and say hi. It is This Thursday through Sunday. Here are the details on the kids roar blog.

Your most important trait

What is the most important trait you can have, personally and professionally, and how does it manifest itself at home and in the workplace? I guarantee that this one trait defines your success, or lack of success, at home and at work.

Only today it hit me that people carry traits from work to home, home to work, and they just show up differently even though they have the same root. I know that I am going to get blamed for ruining people's day with this post, but here it goes....

The trait is: Taking responsibility instead of looking for people to blame.

You have heard this before, I know. But have you considered how it manifests at work and at home for the same person?

Keep reading. There is a marketing point I am getting to.

At home and in social settings, someone that takes responsibility will give people the benefit of the doubt. They will get burned occasionally, but they will chalk that up as a learning experience. Since they see themselves as the master of their domain, they will feel confident that they are improving and they are helping the people around them improve.

The opposite of this trait are those people that blame. The world is not easy for them and it is everyone else’s fault. Sometimes it very well could be someone else’s fault, but by not taking responsibility for their contribution to a situation, they are not learning or improving. These people start building arguments for why other people caused a situation or why they failed before it occurs.

Based only on my own unscientific observations over time, which has included many years as an entrepreneur and manager, I am going to make a troubling statement:

There are many times the numbers of people that blame than there are those that take responsibility, and people that blame are not employable.

Ouch.

Why are blamers not employable? It is probably obvious by now.

Blamers will never be happy. No amount of money, no cushy job and no relationship can ever make them happy. They are planning for the failures in their head all the time. At work, they will try to take less responsibility and they will be upset with any task that is outside of their narrow job description. Instead of thinking about how to be successful at a new task, they will start devising excuses for the failure that they are sure is coming.

Buzz Marketing with Winners

Buzz Marketing with employees is only going to be successful if you have a group of people that take responsibility and enjoy the challenge. They accept the responsibility of helping create a more successful business and they do not feel entitled to anything that they did not earn. People that take responsibility are winners even when they fail. They are not afraid to make a mistake and take responsibility when they do make one, and learn from it. They also enjoy life and celebrate success because they take responsibility for the good and the bad.

The good news is that once a blamer becomes aware of this, they can work at it and make the shift. I would suggest reading all kinds of empowering books and keeping aware that they are in charge of their life.

Two good friends of mine have books that, at their root, address this issue.

Career Intensity is excellent at taking responsibility for your career.

Make It Great is about not settling for good. Make your life great.

More Stuff vs. Better Stuff: How feature creep effects buzz and your future?

This is a buzz marketing note to those technology entrepreneurs out there. Feature Creep is when people keep asking for new features and you keep adding them for clients. You end up with a bloated system that is difficult to manage. It is easy for entrepreneurs to fall into a trap. The trap is in your mind when you rationalize that it is a good idea because it will make the product better. It is also difficult for new entrepreneurs to say no. The simple truth is, you should listen to your clients and you should consider every suggestion, but keep some simple things in mind.

• People buy software that they understand and can easily use. Not because the software has 100’s of features.
• Better software that is easy to use and easy to achieve results with, will be sticky and generate buzz.
• If you continue to add features but not improve the base product, you will end up with a support nightmare at some point as you try to support many features that each have a few users and are mediocre.
• Just because one person wants it does not mean everyone wants it.
• Just because you can do it does not mean you should.

Feature Creep is a big Buzz Marketing issue, believe it or not. Buzz and Word of Mouth happens for products that are easy to use and have a surprisingly big benefit. If you are a technology entrepreneur focus on making a great product and choose your new features wisely, and you will be on your way to generating the sales you dream of.

The Long Tail and Buzz Marketing

I am currently reading The Long Tail. While I already had an understanding of the basic premise, it is still a fun read. It got me thinking about how Buzzoodle is the Long Tail of buzz marketing. A normal buzz marketing or word of mouth marketing firm is going to try to sell you on a campaign. A set of activities that will climax and achieve incredible buzz. Of course, the idea of 3 or 6 months leading up to buzz that changes the company is not practical. In some cases it may work, but in many more it will just produce noise and a blip in marketing that will quickly fade. The Long Tail says that the majority of products are not best sellers. But when you take them in aggregate, they produce incredible sales. (I am simplifying) Instead of focusing on one buzz marketing or word of mouth marketing campaign, create a culture of buzz. Buzzoodle instructs clients to get everyone involved in creating a little buzz on a regular basis. In aggregate, you get more buzz and longer lasting return on your investment most of the time. The long tail makes perfect sense in marketing. If you consistently choose marketing that continues to give you a return after many months, you will develop a long tale of people hearing about you.

Why Smart Employees Create Buzz

The Employee as Advocate It is obvious that organizations benefit from employees creating buzz. How do the employees and other advocates benefit? The reality is that employees who create buzz for an organization benefit in many ways.

• The organization has more success which provides employee with more security.
• Employees that contribute more to organization’s success could expect more opportunities and rewards in the future.
• A work atmosphere that encourages buzz is frequently a more open and fun environment.
• Creating buzz gives employees an opportunity to learn about and use new technologies and improve communication skills.
• Employees who become active buzz creators become can become respected as industry experts over time and may get invited to speak and write.
• Employees who are good buzz creators will have other opportunities from within an organization and from outside as well.
• Good buzz creators tend to know more people and can accomplish more in life via their extensive network.

Remember it is a win/win situation. Sell yourself, sell your expertise and sell your employer.

Publishing your Marketing Secrets

A good friend of mine is putting together a marketing book with 100 marketing experts contributing to it. Here is the info: --------- I'm sending this invitation to you to join me and 93 other marketing experts to contribute one chapter in a new book, 100 Marketing Secrets to Small Business Mastery, written by Marketing Experts. Although marketing is one of the most important aspects of the success of a business, it can also be the most difficult. In fact, as a business owner, how do you bring fresh marketing ideas to your business that work? We are looking for Marketing "secrets" that are proven , that works and you are willing to share. We have no preconceived ideas about marketing and as a result we know there are some unique and different ideas that would be well accepted if known and understood. Our objective is to find the best 100 marketing secrets that work and put all these great secrets into a book for the small business owner. Once I have 93 ideas I am going to shut down the process so if two people have the same idea the first one wins. Here is how it works: I would ask you fill out the form and tell me the topic you wish to write about. When I received your draft of between 600-1200 words I will let you know if our team of judges a will accept the article. If your article is accepted you agree to purchase 100 books at $6 each. You may give the books away, sell them to recoup your investment, send them to prospects to show them the elite company you are in, etc. If there are changes or someone else has a the same or similar topic you will be notified and given an opportunity to submit a new topic or correct the existing article. Once accepted, we will take all the articles and have them edited to ensure they fit the guidelines and send them back to you for review. When we complete the book you will receive your 100 books. Out first run is planned at 10,000 to 15,000 copies. Of course you are not limited to 100 copies. If you want to purchase more let me know and we will give you a price. As the publisher this book, and author of two of my own books, I plan to bring a voice to subjects that benefit others. Your contribution will allow business owners to achieve a greater understanding of business and business marketing. Let me tell you more about the other marketing experts have joined me in this book. We have seven highly skilled and very accomplished authors who have joined us so far. They include: Join Dr. Tony Alessandra, author of The Platinum Rule and 14 other books on sales and marketing, Rick Barrera, the best selling author of OverPromise and OverDeliver, Terry Brock, a genus in relationship marketing, David Garfinkel, a world famous marketing copyrighter, Dr. Pete Johnson, an internationally acclaimed expert on Competitive Strategic Marketing, Bob Scheinfeld, author of The Invisible Path to Success and The 11th Element, and Thomas Winninger, the author of the best selling books MarketQuake, Price Wars, Full Price and Sell Easy and his just published book BULLSEYE! - What Market Leaders are doing to consistently HIT the BULLSEYE! They have teamed up me, Ron Finklestein, Small Business Success Expert and author of Celebrating Success! Fourteen Ways to Create a Successful Company, to provide this unique and one of a kind solution. This is not self publishing. We are different in that we already have a contract with New York Publishing House. As a contributing author you would be able to state that you are published with some of the biggest names in the industry. We will get this book on Amazon and Barns and Noble. We are negotiating with several different book marketing companies to promote the book and gain the widest possible distribution. What's in to for you? There's the obvious advantage for the contributors that they are now published authors. Many of the authors speak about the topic, and having a book is a great way to establish credibility. There is the benefit of cross promotion between the authors, and of course, the book will be a very effective marketing tool and a useful gift for current and past clients. Being a published author and having a book to your credit...

• Establishes your credibility as an expert. Potential clients will be more inclined to work with you knowing you are a published author.
• With your credibility, you will be able to increase your fees.
• A published book raises your influence and prestige like no other marketing tool.
• Your book becomes a magnet to attracting clients.
• Having a book creates new opportunities, including speaking engagements.
• Of course, your name is listed on the back cover.

The short bio will be included at the end of your chapter to give you credit for your contribution and position you as an expert in your particular brand of marketing.

When you indicate an interest in becoming a contributing author, I will set up a phone call to discuss your ideas and direction of writing. When you let me know you have decided to participate, I will email you a contract for your review. Contributing authors will be completely confirmed only with receipt of deposit and signed agreement.

The spaces have been filling. If you want to contribute a chapter, Press the link below and fill in the required information and we will contact you within 24 hours of receiving your information. I recommend that you respond now, and let me know you want to do it.

http://www.yourbusinesscoach.net/marketing-anthology-registration.html

This is an exciting opportunity for all of the contributing authors to have a product to sell. Joining give you the opportunity to reach audiences you might never reach on your own. If you know of any other marketing experts who might be interested in participating as a contributing author, please let me know their name and email address. I'll send them this letter, and tell them you recommended them.

If you have additional questions email me at ron@yourbusinesscoach.net or just click on this link http://www.akris.net/marketing-anthology-registration.html and enter the required information.

Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing - Coming Fall 2006

The Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing Book

Put Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing in the hands of every employee in your organization and watch the world start talking about you.

Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing contains clear steps to creating buzz online and off. Most of the buzz marketing challenges can be done by anyone and many can be done in 5 minutes or less.

This book is a quick read with clear steps to building buzz for individuals and organizations.

Add your name to our waiting list if you are interested in developing a clear buzz marketing strategy that gets the people in your organization working together towards bigger success. You will be notified as soon as Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing is available for preorder.

Sign Up Here

I am perfect

It is nice to be me because I am absolutely perfect. One of the many qualities that make me perfect is my ability to forgive the people around me for being less than perfect. It is a tough world for people that don't forgive others for their lack of perfection, just as it is a tough world for people who do not look in the mirror and smile. If you want to create some buzz you have to build relationships. You have to be confident in who you are, and you have to accept the fact that EVERYONE will eventually do something that makes you mad, annoyed or upset. Accept that fact that you are the only person in the world that is perfect. You are the only person you are always going to agree with. When you build honest, forgiving relationships you will have more advocates and friends. Who turned this thing into a damn self help blog! I have to go have a talk with myself.

A baby among blogs

Congratulations to Dan Tudor. He and his wife just had a son. Dan has an excellent blog on landing the deal. My favorite thing about blogging has been the great people I have gotten to know. Dan has been fun, frank and active in promoting others as well as himself. I have not gotten to know people in the social networking sites like I have via blogging. Stop by and tell him congratulations.