Just as there are magical things that can ignite a buzz frenzy, there are also things that can make people turn off right away and stop listening to your message. Here is a list of some things to avoid, and feel free to add other buzz killers in the comments.

1) We are a small company….
2) We just started out….
3) We do [tech mumbo jumbo]
4) Blame others, worst of all your customers, for problems
5) Make sexist or racist jokes [You would think this is obvious, but I have heard one of each in the last week.]
6) Fail to let your audience participate in the conversation
7) Assume other people care as much as you do Tear something apart without posing a solution

It really comes down to two things: Have confidence and be sensitive to others.

Via Church of the Customer,

Amazon is going to be allowing customer built information about each product through a wiki.

1) Fantastic and I am looking forward to seeing it. Since people can do it on thousands of websites and blogs anyway, why not make it part of your site!

2) What a great buzz opportunity to give good, thoughtful reviews about business books and such. Also, I am sure it will spawn a mini industry of people that will design Amazon Wiki material for products.

This post makes a good follow up if you read the last one, about Buzzoodle as a more ethical form of Buzz Marketing.

I met with someone today that took what we have known about our approach and went a step farther. She pointed out that by using the Buzzoodle approach for training employees to have a more positive outlook and spread more buzz and word of mouth, the HR department would stop being seen as a cost center and could take on a major role as a profit center.

In fact, we often find ourselves working more with employees at staff meetings than with a companies marketing department, although both are important to the success of the effort.

This is fairly revolutionary in corporate thinking. Those people in charge of health care plans could soon find themselves in charge of the most influential part of the marketing plan as well. And to me that makes sense. An organization is only as good as it’s people, and HR is in charge of finding great people and making them greater.

Why is Buzzoodle the most powerful and ethical form of Buzz Marketing?

Disclosure.

If I am a paid marketer creating buzz for your company, I am required by current ethical standards to disclose you are paying me to create buzz. Now consider how those rules impact family, friends and employees.

• I work for Buzzoodle and it is the most innovative company in the world. (Disclosed and passionate)
• My son started a company called Buzzoodle and he has all kinds of big clients. (Disclosed and non-threatening)
• I was just at a buddies house this weekend and he was telling me all about his cool new business, Buzzoodle. (Sincere word of mouth)
• I used to work for a company called Buzzoodle and it was so fun and innovative. (Watch it spread over time)

The Buzzoodle philosophy is to build these more legitimate broadcast centers and empower them. It is not a quick fix you can just throw money at, but it is the strategy that will have the best returns in the long run.

With all this talk of Buzz Marketers exploiting children and generally ruining the world, I thought I would take a moment to discuss how I am using buzz with kids.

I have an eight year old daughter who was just recognized by the chamber the other night because she is working to get her own business off the ground.

Lemon aid stand? Paper route? No, that would just not do.

New manufacturing and distribution company that will create innovative products? Two months ago I heard people saying it was not possible, now we have people lining up to help get it going.

Keep an eye out and I will let you know more about it as she gets closer to her release date.

If you want to create some buzz with Buzz Marketing, the first thing you need to do is step outside of your good idea and think about how it appeals to others.

• Would a stranger be intrigued after seeing it or hearing about it in 30 seconds?
• Does it solve a problem many people would recognize?
• Would someone feel like they had to have it?
• Would someone want to tell friends?
• What is the cool factor?

I bring this up today because I heard about a group trying to get people to come to their Gala for a music school for kids. They asked their members to create word of mouth, which is the right idea, but why would anyone beyond the members want to attend? They have to give people compelling stories they can repeat. They have to make it easy with things they can hand out to people they talk to.

Asking for members to create word of mouth is a good start, but unless you provide good tools [easy stories to repeat] you cannot expect less interested people to work very hard at creating excitement and buzz on your behalf.

Blogging works, and it is habitual. So much so that once you have one you need more. Here is some info about Blog #2 from David Lorenzo.

If you have not checked out Career Intensity yet, please do. I have read an advanced copy of this book and it is excellent for those people that want to build a career instead of just work a job.

One chapter is on how to build buzz on yourself. How can I not like that.

Selling is Dead Authors asked me to participate in naming their eNewsletter, which is going to be packed full of innovative sales advice. Their book is very good and talks about how to sell to people that are not in the buying mode, instead of people who are in the buying mode, by creating dissatisfaction with the status quo. While brilliant, I am a little worried that eventually the whole world will be unhappy and buying lots of stuff because of their book.

In the interest of full disclosure, they are not paying us and at best we both enjoy this kind of thing and creating a little buzz back and forth.

Anonymous
SALEutions
SELLer’s Edge

Greg Swan
Goliath’s Bible – Chapter X (each week you increase the number, number the subcategories as “verses”)
Tales from the Grave
Willy Loman Report

Dustin Staiger
http://www.thepeoplebrand.com/blog

The Selling GraveMarker
Old Sales Graveyard
The Sales Death Certificate
Selling: DOA (Dead On Arrival)
The Selling Obit
-Sales Obituary
-The Sales Obit
Epitaphs of Selling
Cause of Death: Selling

Russel Perry
Sales Buffet is Dead
“A Right Angle”

Now the trick for me is to come up with the nominees. I like memorable, but not too gimmicky. I also don’t like the obvious as much as the fresh and clear.

One interesting note here is that the authors were thinking about Sales Buffet themselves, so Russel should get nominated for being right in there with them.

• Sales Buffet
• Selling: DOA – (I like short and sweet.)
• SALEutions – (A bit of a gimmick, but says what it is in a clear way.)

Thanks to everyone that participated, and now Anita Campbell is going to be taking over to run a public election so that you get to pick which one wins. These three nominees will run against one that Sogistics picks.

David Lorenzo and I seem to be trading references here, but he has an excellent short post with some facts in it. Did you know so many small businesses are blogging and buzzing about suppliers and bad service?

Becoming a student of buzz has some big advantages:

1) Understanding what makes a product or company buzzworthy changes your perspective on opportunities.
2) Taking advantage of buzz opportunities will help you advance your career while helping your organization grow.
3) Creating buzz about yourself and your skills makes you more marketable.
4) Somehow, things just seem easier to achieve when you understand word of mouth and buzz.
5) You understand how to influence others and are more keenly aware of how your surroundings influence you.
6) You are aware of the fact that one person’s opinion can be very valuable but people do spread buzz for ulterior motives sometimes.

We live in a time where people are saying that the public is immune to traditional advertising. They are aware on some level that something is an ad and they can tune it out. Why not seize the chance to become a student of buzz and understand influence? Chances are you are already doing it at some level without realizing it.