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View Full Version : That buzz thing?



mr.ro
11-02-2008, 01:18 AM
what have yall used to create buzz for your compaines online that didnt really cost that much. im really just starting to move in the online direction with my stuff and i have been using craigslist but I find that is not working well and im trying to work with other companies that i think could benefit from me and vice versa on a spot on their web page. I wanted to know of anything else that im missing out on or could be doing to improve sales coming from online.

my business I have been getting all my clients from the "real world" and im paying for my site that is not really pulling its weight. im a one man band so I can go and buy huge ad words and the like due to my budget now.

KristineS
11-02-2008, 10:44 AM
It really depends on what the company is. Finding forums that are geared toward people who might use your product and/or service is one idea. Finding bloggers who write about subjects that would be applicable to your product or service and asking them for a review is another idea. Writing some articles for free for online or print magazines that are geared toward your customer base can also be helpful.

mr.ro
11-02-2008, 01:38 PM
Thanks kristines yeah I will have to go on the hunt for bloggers who can do reviews of my products, I'm not the best at writing but if I want this guess I'm going to have to get on the ball writing stuff. Maybe I can start a blog of some sort as well thanks for the ideas

vangogh
11-03-2008, 09:27 PM
One thing about approaching bloggers to review your products is that it helps to have formed a relationship with them of some sort prior to asking. You have to have an answer to "what's in it for them" before they're likely to write a review.

The first thing I would suggest for promoting the site is to create a signature here on the forum (and any others where you post) and make sure your signature links back to your site. You have to tell people about the site before they'll visit so wherever you have an opportunity to link back to your site, link back to your site.

Find bloggers in your industry and get to know them by leaving comments on their blog. Write comments for them that ask questions and add to the discussion started in the post. If you do that consistently with a few bloggers it becomes easy to email them and have them open the email and reply.

Join social communities online that deal with your topic. Get to know the people there and network with them like you would offline.

If you add a link in your signature we can take a look at your site and let you know if there are things you could do to improve the site.

greenoak
11-04-2008, 08:34 AM
the most commented thing on my site probably is my freebie....the paint recipe....its about them and its real and useful..... i want to try for more of that ...people come in and thank me for it....
they love all the pictures of the inventory too...i hear about that, and how they like to come and just prowl around the site....like they do at the store...ann

mr.ro
11-04-2008, 11:48 AM
wow cant believe i forgot to put my signature in here, some of you may have seen my site in the old forum. Im going to put that in there now.

vangogh
thanks for that info it makes sense to develop a relationship with bloggers by commenting on their post, and doing it often. I was thinking how to start a relationship with a blogger from nothing and that fits the bill perfect. and I will have to find other forums that deal with my industry as well.

greenoak
i like how on your site you incorporated your customers on some of the pages. I need to work on that as well. and the pictures of your inventory is a great idea for your company as well. thanks for the insight.

vangogh
11-04-2008, 01:42 PM
When it comes to building relationships think first about what you can do for the other person, which is why commenting on their blog makes sense. You give your time to help their blog. In time though you'll find they'll be much easier to approach.

And don't forget your signature.

mr.ro
11-05-2008, 11:54 PM
yeah I really do think it is important to think about what I can do for the other person rather than think just about what I will gain out of this. it seems that the forum does add my signature to my old post oh well its on my new ones now.

vangogh
11-06-2008, 12:32 AM
Yeah, I'm not sure why it doesn't add them to the old posts. I'll have to poke around on the backend and see if I can figure out why and then fix it.

Edit: I found the fix. You're old posts should now be showing your signature.

Aaron Hats
11-07-2008, 10:12 AM
I think the buzz that gets generated for some products today happens more by accident than intentionally. If it was easy to reproduce then everyone would be able to create that buzz for their company.

Patrysha
11-07-2008, 10:26 AM
For some products it is indeed accidental, but for others it is very intentional and a great deal of planning and market research is involved in getting the buzz going.

Only the market can decide what is truly buzzworthy enough to go viral - and that's why it can be difficult to predict. But it's not difficult to achieve if you know your target market and can accurately get inside their mind to identify what they are likely to find sparks their imagination enough to pass it on. It is not something that is limited to the lucky or the privileged few...but it is work and so (as with all marketing investments) takes either time or money to bring to fruition.

vangogh
11-07-2008, 11:51 AM
I agree completely Patrysha. I do think at times the buzz isn't planned for, but more often than not it is planned for. And while you can't always predict what the market will find buzzworthy and what they'll make viral, you can still understand why it generally happens and help your message to become more likely to go viral.

I think too many forget to bake viral components into the product itself and instead try to tack on a few things at the end. Marketing in general starts with the development of your products and services. It's not something to apply after.

Aaron Hats
11-07-2008, 11:59 AM
If all it took was good marketing and $$ then why isn't there a dozen "Tickle Me Elmo" crazes every Christmas instead of one or two? Yes, you can plan for it but it doesn't mean it's going to happen.

vangogh
11-07-2008, 01:35 PM
By planning I don't think it's an automatic your product will go viral, but I think by planning you can increase your chances that your message or product will go viral. While you probably can't force it to happen, there are patterns and reasons why one message goes viral and another doesn't. The more you understand the reasons something goes viral the more you can build that into your product and subsequent marketing to increase your chances.

For example the easier you make it for your message to spread the more likely it will spread. A classic example is hotmail. At the bottom of every email sent through hotmail there was a message saying the email was sent through hotmail with a link to where you could sign up. The simple act of using the product also spread the message making it more likely people would then sign up for a hotmail account and continue to spread the word about it.

Patrysha
11-07-2008, 02:25 PM
If all it took was good marketing and $$ then why isn't there a dozen "Tickle Me Elmo" crazes every Christmas instead of one or two? Yes, you can plan for it but it doesn't mean it's going to happen.

There are a few reasons. First of all, it's not just about marketing or the amount of $$ invested into the project. In fact, some of the best (most effective) buzz campaigns have intentionally used low budget tactics to get the ball rolling.

There are only one or two "blockbusters" in any given season, because that's all there is room for in the collective minds of the marketplace. If everything was a blockbuster, it would lose all meaning (kind of like those never-ending furniture store sales). Only one is going to achieve primacy and get the most attention in any given market. Tickle Me Elmo was huge and got headlines which sent buyers into even more of a frenzy, but the real sought after toy that year was Buzz Lightyear.

That being said, I don't think I'd advise any client to go with buzz marketing as a sole tactic. That would be foolish. Not only are buzz techniques unpredictable, the period of time that they take hold for seems to be getting shorter and shorter...

Watchdog
11-09-2008, 08:54 PM
This is my first post here..I hope I'm not hijacking anyones discussion, but I have started a site for a particular industry I spent many years being involved..there was a gap to fill in a national trade magazine that needed articles on pattern development. My site was gaining popularity in what we do - and I was approached by the editor of this particular magazine asking me if I wanted to put together a small article on any pattern that I thought might be of interest to the industry..I accepted. That was in 2003. I still contribute several times a year and my site grows daily and so does our ad revenue.

So what's this got to do with "Buzz"? there are many ways using the unmarketing approach to creating buzz, but it helps if your an expert in the field you're wanting the buzz for and writing articles (mine average 1200 words and I typically include about 5 high-res images...the buzz crosses 25,000 shops every month and online in their web site. I recently worked out a nice deal to include a 1/6 page display ad that runs every month whether we contribute that month or not. This is thousands of dollars of free advertising, more importantly you become known as an expert in your field and it just gets better.

Write your articles with the reader in mind...write them often and give them more then they expect from you..

Total cost for the buzz... 0.00 (zip) about 8 hours a month for the writing and now includes free natioanl advertising.

vangogh
11-10-2008, 11:35 AM
Not a bad way to generate some buzz. There really are a number of things you can do and essentially give away to create interest and buzz. I think sometimes it's hard to see how giving away your hard work can be beneficial, but when it's seen in the larger context there can be great advantages.

No worries about hijacking the thread. I think it's still on topic.

KristineS
11-10-2008, 12:50 PM
Writing articles can be a great way to generate buzz. Only you can determine the cost effectiveness of that particular method for you, but it can be a great way to get noticed and get your name out there.