Passionate Users

August 31, 2006 | Leave a Comment

This is a must read for people wanting customers to buzz about them. It is about user manuals and why we stop selling the customer after they buy.

I found it through Seth. Thanks.

Seth’s comment is that Marketers should write the user manuals. I think that employees should be trained to think like marketers. (Or like the customer, for that matter.)

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Blog 

Back to School Marketing

August 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment

How can a local university help you with your marketing? Here are 6 tips.

  • Be part of the curriculum - I have never met this prof, but he uses us as one of his blogging examples and has students monitor our blog.
  • Continuing Education - I speak at least twice a year at the local university and help people studying entrepreneurship learn about how to be more successful.
  • Course Guest - Professors that teach marketing, business administration and technology have all invited me in for presentations on what we do in the “real” world.
  • Career Fair - Career fairs are a great place to show off your company a bit and maybe find your next employee.
  • Organizations - I have been invited to participate in events with several organizations that are business oriented and run by students.
  • Interns - Don’t overlook finding an intern to help you do your buzz marketing. One part time person that does nothing but create buzz on the web can really help your business grow.

Remember that universities and colleges want to help their students succeed. Most will be eager to have you participate on campus. If you contact one person and they are not interested, try some others. This is not something where there is one person in charge of managing these kinds of opportunities.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Buzzoodle, Word of Mouth Marketing, Blog 

Clarity – Get What You Want

August 29, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Please read this post all the way to the end.

If you want to get people to take action, you have to give them clear direction. Does the person understand exactly what you want and do they know the steps to completion? If you make assumptions, you can be sure that you will not get what you want and you will all feel more frustrated.

For years I dreaded working with print shops. They always seemed to think that their customers should already be certified design specialists that knew everything about how a file should be prepared.

If the experience of working with you is frustrating or makes the new client uneasy, they will probably not come back.

Please help me illustrate this point by posting a comment on this blog post. Describe the worse example you have experienced where a vendor was not clear and created a negative impression because they were hard to work with.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Blog 

Guy Kawasaki - Cleveland

August 28, 2006 | Leave a Comment

If you are in NE Ohio come see Guy Kawasaki speak on September 6th.

Buzzoodle will also be showcased at this event as an innovative company in the region.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Buzzoodle, Blog 

Do you have anything new to say?

August 28, 2006 | Leave a Comment

I was reading another very popular blog a week or two ago and it said they never publish the same idea twice. Always new stuff, it claimed.

Obviously your blog will not have repeat visitors if you do not add new and interesting ideas. However, can anyone really say that each blog post is completely new? The whole idea of a blog is that it is a continuum of thoughts and ideas.

The same goes for being an expert. If you are developing yourself as an expert in a particular field, do not be afraid to repeat your message, but in a new way. I have probably written about the buzz you can create by following up with old contacts 10 times, but never in the same way and I am sure you have not read them all.

If I did today’s post on Brain Surgery it would be new. But it would not be effective. The real key is to be able to take your old content and make it new through adding different viewpoints, uses or examples. Begin by looking through your old posts and seeing which ones are popular. Since you wrote that post, you probably have new experiences and insight. Now write the same post with a different angle and add the new insight.

Even the people that read your older post will probably appreciate the refresher. We rarely read something once and immediately act upon it.

Posted by Buzzoodle Ron | Filed Under Blog 

Exit Interview Questions

August 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Can Exit Interview Questions help you create buzz?

If you do not conduct an exit interview when one of your staff quits, you should start. Not only is it an excellent source of information on how to improve your business, but it is also an excellent way to maintain an advocate that might create buzz about you. Of course, this post only counts for people that are leaving on good terms.

There are a lot of exit interview question sites out there that can provide you with excellent basic exit interview questions you can use. I wanted to come up with some additional questions that are often overlooked during the exit interview.

What do you consider your biggest success story during your time with us?
This can be used to build your database of success stories and it helps you hone in on what the exit interviewee liked best.

Would you like us to keep in touch with you?
I stress to people that are leaving on good terms that we respect their decision and if I can ever help them in any way down the road, I am willing to do that. If they have been willing to contribute to our success, then I should be willing to contribute to their career success.

What do you know about our referral program?
Make sure anyone leaving your organization knows about your policies on referrals and on referring job candidates. All of our former employees can get a sizable commission on anyone they refer to us.

Are you willing to continue to create a bit of buzz about us in your spare time?
If you already encourage employees to create buzz on a regular basis, be sure to ask the employee to continue to do so and email you every any time they create some buzz, just to let you know.

With these questions added to your other exit interview questions, you will be able to build a stronger relationship as people leave that will help you create more buzz in the future.

Once you have some ex employees on your list, start using it and really keeping in touch. Make your email to them personal and let them know about your successes, your job openings, your new clients and big news. Few companies do this, and it is easy to do.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Employee Advocates, Blog 

Debunking 5 Buzz Marketing Myths

August 23, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Myth 1: Buzz Marketing is not ethical

Any broad marketing category may be ethical or unethical depending on the truthfulness of the message and the means for delivering the message. If you create a powerful, truthful story that highlights your best points and everyone starts talking about it, you actually have one of the most highly ethical forms of marketing. How many other marketing types can have sincerity and permission to interrupt someone’s day?

Myth 2: Buzz Marketing takes a big budget

Most things in life are easier if you have a big budget. Buzz marketing can benefit from a budget, but it can also be very successful with no budget. People that lack money are forced to be more creative, and buzz marketing is more effective as a grass roots, highly creative effort. If you want to blow a big budget, buy a Super Bowl ad.

Myth 3: Buzz Marketing requires street teams

Many people think that buzz marketing requires street teams. Groups of people that run around talking about stuff on busses, in bars or in stores. They talk loudly enough to be overheard and try to get noticed. When I started Buzzoodle, I got contacted by many people that did this, offering their services. That is not a proper Buzz Marketing tactic. Buzz Marketing is far more effective by training your existing advocates, such as your employees, in ways to create buzz on a regular basis.

Myth 4: Buzz Marketing is a fad

The name Buzz Marketing may be a fad. The techniques and the strategies will stand the test of time. In fact, because of technology, there are constantly new ways to create some buzz and generate word of mouth. Buzz Marketing techniques that involve ongoing buzz creation are becoming more relevant and more essential all the time.

Myth 5: Buzz Marketing requires a blog

Blogs are a great marketing tool. They help you create buzz, generate sales leads and get speaking engagements. However, blogging is not essential for Buzz Marketing. It all depends on your goals. If you are focused in a particular city, you may find that more off-line buzz strategies will help you create buzz. Some people rely more on eNewsletters than blogs.

One of the reasons blogging seems synonymous with buzz and word of mouth marketing is because many marketing agencies use blogs to see what people are buzzing about. That does not mean you have to have a blog to create a buzz.

These 5 Buzz Marketing Myths may be stopping you from getting started. Do not be intimidated by buzz marketing. A few minutes a day can lead to big buzz down the road, but you will never get their unless you start walking.

Posted by Buzzoodle Ron | Filed Under Blog 

Making Money with Blogs

August 23, 2006 | Leave a Comment

If you have not figured it out yet, Blogs are a good marketing tool. Blogs can also make you money.

If you want to be see how much money a blog can make you, read this cnn article.

Thanks to Dan Barker of Barker Software & Consulting for pointing it out to me.

Before you think you are going to get rich with your blog, consider some things.

  • It takes a while to build an audience, unless you are Guy Kawasaki.
  • Millions of blogs are being created. The good thing is most will fizzle.
  • You have to enjoy writing every day, or pay someone else to.
  • While their are free blog sites, you should pay for one. I have been trapped here at blogger for a long time because I do not have the time to migrate.

Making a little money with blogs is not hard. Generating leads and speaking engagements with your blog is not hard. It does take time and you should keep in mind that the people in those articles are the exception. Start your blog because you love to write, you are passionate about the topic and you want to be seen as an expert on your topic in your industry. You might be making money with your blog in a year, but have realistic expectations in the beginning.

Posted by Buzzoodle Ron | Filed Under Blog 

Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing - Author’s Pricing

August 22, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Special Discounts on Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing. Be one of the first 100 people to sign up before September 30th, 2006 and you will be able to purchase Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing at author’s cost. I will let you know by email when I get the first shipment and will personally send them out.

Sign up for Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing and be the first to know the 57 word of mouth marketing challenges that can make your organization the one everyone is talking about.

- Because many people are requesting multiple copies for their staff, I am limiting it to one copy at cost per company, please.

Posted by Buzzoodle Ron | Filed Under Blog 

Snakes on a Bandwagon

August 21, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Does your story have the trappings of a bandwagon? One filled with snakes?

Considering this is a buzz marketing blog, you may have noticed the absence of any mention of snakes on a plane. Lots of buzz. Some huge names in word of mouth marketing seem to have converted their blogs to speaking of nothing else.

I, however, don’t like to jump on the bandwagon and pretend it is more than a movie. Don’t get me wrong, it is great that so many people have gotten behind it and felt like they could participate in the story. It is fun. A small group of people decided it would be fun to make a big deal about the movie, and it worked. Other people joined in and eventually the buzz was big.

Let’s forget about snakes, bandwagons, and Mr. Jackson for a minute.

Have you considered that there are people right around where you live that, if they decided to passionately promote you, could start a huge buzz on your behalf?

What is important to remember is that they will not do it because you want them to or need them too. They might do it because they can, if it seems fun.

Do you have a great story that will make it easy for people to get on your bandwagon and make you successful just for the fun of it?

Posted by Buzzoodle Ron | Filed Under Blog 

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