6 Buzz Marketing Principles for Successful Internet Marketing

Buzz marketing is a technique which focuses on word-of-mouth communication or the potential of people to speak about the activities of a brand or it’s campaigns, either through conversations among themselves, critics or through large scale discussions on social media platforms or groups. The goal of buzz marketing is not only to make people aware about a brand but also to get people talking about it. There are few principles through which buzz can be generated for brands and if brands make use of such techniques, then they can surely perform better than others. For buzz marketing, brands need to offer people something to talk about that will generate buzz constantly and consistently. Mark Hughes, the author of the book named Buzz Marketing unlocks the key to six basic principles of Buzz Marketing which can make brands successful and get people talking about them:

1. Taboo marketing:

Taboo refers to selling what people would rather not talk about or even controversial marketing. Brands unleash topics that give people a chance to talk about, debate or argue. This definitely creates a buzz but brands need to be careful to not do this too often otherwise the impact can be negative. Example: ‘Go Daddy’ recently created an ad of an Israeli fashion model, Bar Refaeli kissing an IT person. It was a controversial ad that spread like a fire and got people talking. It drove more attention and engagement than most other ads.

2. Unusual or Unique marketing:

Here, the goal for a brand should be to create content and strategize the positioning of its product. A brand has to perform something unique and different that has not been tried by others before so that people start talking about it. Example: Ian Klein developed a dating website called OverweightDate.com for people who were overweight and looking for a dating partner. The news about this website was spread via word of mouth, online advertisements, flyers and usage of strong keywords. But by itself, a dating site for overweight people is a topic worth talking about.

3. Remarkable marketing:

The next way to stay ahead of competition is to do things in a remarkable manner. A brand should aim to create content and marketing strategies for a product or service of extremely upgraded and high quality. People tend to talk about things that are remarkable and extraordinary. Example: Usually most ecommerce brands provide 15-30 day “Return Policy”. But Zappos, an online brand came up with a “365 day Return Policy” and provided outstanding customer service that stood out and compelled people to talk about their brand.

4. Outrageous marketing:

Creating buzz is not a difficult task. But creating buzz with the appropriate content marketing strategy relevant to the brand is a major concern to look into. So while outrageous, the content should be related to the brand in order to truly generate awareness. Example: ‘Blendtec’, a brand whose product is a blender, created a series of youtube videos showing different objects like iphones, marbles, balls turning into smoothies. This turned into a talking point and also kept a strong connection with the brand since the videos indirectly showed how strong the blenders are.

5. Hilarious marketing:

Creating good quality content that spreads like wildfire and gets people talking, is not as easy as making random viral videos. These videos or articles have to be funny and engaging while maintaining a strong relation with the brand. Example: Jeff Gordon and Pepsi Max came together to produce videos which shows Jeff Gordon taking a salesman and a journalist on a high-speed car ride. The message that Pepsi Max wants to convey is that it is a diet cola in disguise of a regular looking cola. Toyota, created a funny ‘Swagger Wagon’ video which shows children and parents rapping together inside a minivan. This video received over 10 million views and through this video Toyota Sienna portrayed that their minivans are cool and unique unlike others.

6. Secretive marketing:

Businesses can generate even more buzz by revealing or keeping secrets. Revealing a secret involves letting a few people in on your secret. One of the ways a brand can use this formula is by revealing their behind-the-scenes experience to loyal consumers, which may create some credibility for the brand. The other way is to provide a sneak-peak of an upcoming product to a select group of influential people and making them a part of the campaign. To keep a secret means to let the masses know that something new is arriving but not providing the exact details. Example: During the initial launch of Gmail, Google had decided to send invites to few people who could download and use their Gmail app. This developed curiosity around email-services because not all people could not download the app or use it. Here, Google was successful in creating a situation where people could not wait to be invited to use the app. This feeling of restlessness made people talk about it, thereby generating more buzz and inquisitiveness. Apple usually provides a hint of their new launch but does not let out all its details until its launch. This creates some kind of hype, develops interest and gets people talking about it when the product is finally released. For a productive and powerful buzz marketing campaign that will lead to a successful digital marketing campaign, at least two or more of the above principles should be combined and instilled in a single campaign. The content should be exciting and interesting so that it can generate buzz automatically. Buzz marketing is a great tool to create awareness, build excitement, invite opinions, drive traffic and increase sales for a brand. There are also some tips on buzz marketing that should be kept in mind during a buzz marketing campaign.

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