Buzz marketing

Electronic word of mouth

Goals:

• Develop the visibility
• Improve the notoriety
• Increase sales
• Communicate quickly

The concept

New media, new way of buying, consuming and informing, the surge web has also changed the way companies communicate.

The possibilities offered by the internet channel have radically changed the challenges of communication. Targeted communication, tracking, personalized offer, mass communication on the internet is increasingly under attack. Buzz marketing is one of those new marketing techniques that is developing on the web.

We could define buzz marketing as a means of communication which aims to make people talk about a good or a service. Buzz marketing is a derivative of a phenomenon as old as the world: word of mouth.

We also speak of viral marketing but often wrongly, it only represents part of the buzz marketing campaign. Viral marketing is the mechanism for inviting and recommending to friends, relatives, acquaintances.

How to do?

The important notion to remember in buzz marketing is the involvement of the Internet user and its importance in the dissemination of the message.

The principle of buzz marketing is to quickly publicize a product, concept or information with the help of Internet users. From receiver, the Internet user becomes actor / channel of communication dissemination.

To make your buzz marketing campaign a success:

One of the fundamental notions is that the buzz marketing campaign can only very rarely be satisfied with itself, it must be part of a global communication plan. Indeed, the traditional channels are not to be banned but they must complement each other.

Buzz marketing is akin to a boom on the internet, a boom that many Internet users take up and circulate. To make people want to circulate information, we must first and foremost create:

• envy, desire, curiosity or fun on the Internet
• the desire to spread the message to his network.

The message must reach the Internet user so that he speaks about it and for that, it is necessary to be always more creative, more imaginative and more original to differentiate oneself and to give envy to the Internet user.

The current trend is that the buzz on the internet keeps increasing in volume and the less good among them do not resist this competition. This is why we must always and always redouble creativity. The more creative you are, the more your campaign will have success!

Also provide the means to share, recommend and send your content, leaving it available to everyone! You have to keep in mind that it is the Internet user who will take care of the distribution, help him!

To accelerate this launch by Internet users, it is also recommended to call on opinion leaders and influential people. These people have the right to be listened to and to be recognized for their point of view. It is recommended to surround yourself with this type of relay. Communication with these leaders must be done as simply as possible, with transparency and in all honesty. It is still necessary to know them, the community of bloggers is essential at this level.

Advantages and limitations

Buzz marketing is characterized by two major advantages: the cost of an operation and the speed of content propagation. Recourse to Internet users considerably reduces the costs of a campaign because they themselves become the vectors of transmission. The speed of propagation can then be extremely fast but the buzz can also not take off or fall very quickly.

The use of buzz marketing can also entail some risks. Always keep in mind that you do not control the chain of dissemination of information. Once the buzz starts, you will be reduced to the rank of spectator and simple actor. This is why it is necessary to check every element of your operation before launching it. It is important to note that a buzz can be positive and thus meet all your expectations, but it can also be negative. Keep in mind that Internet users and opinion leaders will communicate freely about your product or your business. Make sure your product is a good product, otherwise the penalty can be quick on the web. Another limit of buzz marketing is to calculate its real impact. The impact is measured on criteria such as traffic generated or brand awareness, and not on a conversion rate.

Summary

The objective of a buzz marketing campaign is to improve the visibility of the brand on the internet, to promote a new product, while being integrated into a multi-channel communication strategy.

Buzz marketing actions can also be coupled with street marketing operations on local targets (wild posters, stickers, misappropriation of street furniture, etc.). This field visibility proves to be paid for by a search for originality on the theme of buzz, especially since these operations remain much less expensive than traditional communication campaigns. However, never forget that the buzz marketing can get out of hand and not reach the discount effect.

Source: 7 stratégies e-marketing illustrées, within the framework of the Etoile Project, a European INTERREG 3A project financing with the support of the ERDF. License CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 FR. Independent translation and adaptation by Nicolae Sfetcu