Web Reviews

"Buzzing" About Products

Indianapolis, IN - December 14, 2005

“If the thought of a group of hired guns roaming the streets touting products in exchange for rewards makes you a little uncomfortable, you're not alone.”

- Jim Cota

A few years ago, writer Malcolm Gladwell released a stunning book called "The Tipping Point" that set the marketing world – and the bestseller lists – buzzing. Gladwell's book examined that magical moment when a fad, product, or company "tips" from being just another offering to being the hottest possible commodity. Using several real examples, he dissected the methods used to generate the "got to have it" desire that quickly spread like a virus from a core group of people to the rest of us. The key ingredient in all of the success stories was "word-of-mouth."

Word-of-mouth is a term long used to describe the method of transferring information about your products or services from one person to another. New terms crop up from time to time, like viral marketing, referral marketing, and lately even "buzz", but it all comes down to the same basic principle: getting people to talk about you. Over the years, I've worked with a lot of small business owners who relied on word-of-mouth to spread the news about their companies. The tactic is both powerful and lacking.

It's a powerful concept in it's truest form, because the people doing the talking are often considered to be knowledgeable about the subject, and the people doing the listening trust their opinion. For instance, in my family, I'm often the first person consulted about computer issues, internet topics, and gadgets. I trust other people to know about other topics. Nice, right?

To put this to work for your business, however, can be difficult. First, you need to count on your customers to talk about you to other people. Then, they need to be perceived as having some level of knowledge about the topic and be able to provide trusted opinions. But the biggest problem with word-of-mouth is that it takes too long. Now an entire industry is cropping up to fill this need and accelerate the process.

One leader in the field is BzzAgent, which works by recruiting people (primarily teens) to sign up to be agents. The agents are given sample products and guides to help them create buzz. After learning about the product (and, hopefully, using it) the agents form their own opinions and begin spreading the word through various activities. Once they report on the activity, they're awarded points that can be redeemed for a variety of things like CD's.

If the thought of a group of hired guns roaming the streets touting products in exchange for rewards makes you a little uncomfortable, you're not alone. The Word of Mouth Marketing Association tried to address this concern at its first conference, writing and adopting a voluntary ethics code. Though the code isn't perfect, it's at least a step in the direction of legitimacy for an industry in its infancy. But next time someone you don't know starts singing the praises of a product, proceed with caution. They might just be working up to a free CD.