What is buzz marketing?
Buzz marketing also usable in online marketing, is a viral marketing strategy that leverages word-of-mouth to boost a campaign or product, aiming to increase awareness, sales, and profits by fostering conversations among consumers and boosting online traffic.
A good example of buzz marketing would be if a company promoted its product through a show or stunt in which consumers could try the product and share their experiences in everyday conversation or online. Astroturfing is another term for buzz marketing.
Online buzz marketing
The majority of online buzz marketing is driven by “influencers.” These are early adopters of a product who are eager to share their opinions and initiate conversations about it. As social media influencers on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, these individuals typically have established online presence and large followings. They have a great deal of influence and power over their followers.
Influencers’ opinions are more easily noticed and can have a positive impact on product awareness and sales. Marketers hope to enlist the help of these influencers in order to generate buzz for their products. Some marketers specifically target people known as connectors. They are well-known personalities and celebrities who can provide a product with instant credibility and exposure. Marketers seeking a significant increase in awareness will look for connectors.
How does buzz marketing work?
Buzz marketing relies heavily on social media marketing. Facebook and Twitter are two of the most popular social media platforms where businesses try to maintain a presence. Companies can use these and other social media sites to do the following:
interact with customers – solicit feedback – resolve issues or concerns – promote products and services
Cultivating a rich set of shareable content and building a strong following on these sites allows businesses to reach out to current and potential customers. These methods also enable a real-time dialogue in which customers feel valued and informed.
Other online buzz marketing strategies
The following are some other online buzz marketing strategies:
Recruiting influential bloggers to generate buzz. In exchange for a written mention of the product, companies frequently allow bloggers or media outlets to test it ahead of its release.
Using website forums to foster conversation or to answer frequently asked questions.
Establishing customer communities that link fan clubs, message boards, and other groups. Podcasting is one medium that works well with this strategy. Podcasts frequently combine an influential host with an already established community of followers and supplementary web content.
How buzz marketing differs
Buzz marketing differs from traditional outbound marketing and mass marketing tactics such as television, radio, and print advertising. Companies use outbound marketing to reach as many people as possible in the hope that a few will become interested.
More than broadcast messaging, buzz marketing relies on the power of one-on-one personal messages. It is assumed that word-of-mouth marketing carries more weight with consumers because it is perceived as unbiased, coming from people they trust rather than from the company directly.
Challenges of buzz marketing
Maintaining the element of surprise as part of the marketing strategy is one of the challenges of buzz marketing. Tweeting absurd, snarky quips from a corporate Twitter account, for example, takes Twitter users by surprise because that is not what they are used to seeing from that account.
Marketers must use buzz marketing sparingly as consumers become more adept at identifying it. This evolution is comparable to early forms of online marketing, such as pop-up and banner ads, which some audiences now find annoying. They do, however, continue to play a role in marketing, but they must be used creatively to be effective.
The risk with Buzz marketing
Companies that use buzz marketing risk being unable to connect their campaigns to the brand or product itself. It’s pointless to create content that gets people talking if they don’t associate it with the company that created it.
Examples of buzz marketing
Companies that create online videos centered on something humorous, controversial, unusual, or outrageous are examples of buzz marketing. They hope to create a buzz around the video by sharing it on social media and increasing views on websites like YouTube. Then, businesses will try to take advantage of the content’s popularity by advertising the product on social media. They may do this by encouraging users to download more content to increase customer engagement or by coming up with a hashtag in the hopes of becoming a “trending topic.”
Buzz marketing is a strategy used to increase brand awareness and attract customers. Examples include the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Dell on campus, Super Bowl commercials, and Wendy’s. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge promoted awareness of ALS, while Dell on campus engaged students through meaningful conversations. Super Bowl commercials, like Old Spice’s, used meme-friendly content to engage audiences. Wendy’s used Twitter to engage with its followers, generating over 10,000 follower requests in a 36-hour period. The company also created a character in Fortnight to signal its avoidance of frozen beef.
Different types of buzz marketing?
Every buzz marketing strategy concentrates on a distinct catalyst to get people talking. Six approaches can be taken when launching a buzz marketing campaign, according to Mark Hughes, who is credited with creating the phrase. Hughes suggests concentrating on the subsequent strategies:
-Taboo
Controversial topics can generate buzz, but they also raise risks of negative reactions, as seen in Coca-Cola’s 2014 It’s Beautiful Super Bowl advertisement, where the song was criticized for its English-only sentiment.
-Outrageous
Another way to generate interest is to surprise the audience. BlendTec’s YouTube campaign, Will It Blend?, is an example of an outrageous approach. It shows a man in a lab coat blending various items (action figures, Amazon Echo, Apple iPhone) to obliterate them.
-Hilarious
People laugh and talk when they see humorous advertisements. Allstate Mayhem commercials, for example, feature Mayhem Man destroying people’s personal property to demonstrate why someone should buy Allstate insurance.
-Secret
Secrets in marketing can generate buzz by presenting exclusive information. The phrase “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but …” is a common example. Facebook’s initial launch introduced FOMO and excitement by requiring personal invitations to join, highlighting the power of this tactic.
-Remarkable
Chrysler’s Imported from Detroit marketing campaign aimed to inspire the “buy American” sentiment and overcome hardships, exceeding expectations and demonstrating its values.
-Unusual
This is when a brand frames its product or service as distinct or one-of-a-kind. When Apple released the iPad in 2012, it was positioned as a new product unlike anything else on the market.
Best practices for creating a buzz marketing campaign
Part of the reason buzz marketing works so well is that people in social situations are seen as more reliable than businesses promoting their goods. When someone talks about a good or service, it seems like they are recommending it rather than trying to sell it.
The following are some best practices for buzz marketing success:
To effectively launch a digital marketing campaign, it’s crucial to understand the target audience’s interests, triggers, and boundaries. Develop a strategy that appeals to the audience’s profile, and use triggers that stir reactions without offending or turning away members. Build anticipation by stimulating customer curiosity before the product launch, encourage early adopters by rewarding positive responses, and embrace influencer marketing for large audiences. Monitor campaign success using key performance indicators like brand mentions and followers, and use sentiment analysis tools to understand customer reactions.
