How To Use Buzz Marketing To Grow

What Is Buzz Marketing?

Buzz marketing is using unusual and buzz-worthy content to increase word-of-mouth.

The name says it all—buzz marketing revolves around consumer conversation.

To understand buzz marketing, you should first familiarize yourself with buzz and word-of-mouth.

Buzz is what starts conversations.

It is the trigger that leads to word-of-mouth marketing.

Word-of-mouth (WOM) occurs when consumers talk about a brand to others.

It is a form of organic marketing.

92% of consumers worldwide trust opinions from friends and family over any advertisement.

This finding supports the fact that WOM is a legitimate advertising technique.

Positive WOM can significantly boost a brand’s image.

A study shows that there are six driving factors of word-of-mouth.

These six principles are social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories.

Who Uses Buzz Marketing?

A wide variety of brands use buzz marketing.

No particular market or product category is exempt from this strategy.

Integrating these factors into your marketing plan can increase buzz and word-of-mouth.

How Does Buzz Marketing Work?

You can measure the success of buzz marketing by evaluating your brand awareness.

Are consumers buzzing about your brand?

Is your campaign reaching all potential customers?

Buzz marketing amplifies your message.

It uses factors such as shock value or emotions to increase WOM.

Buzz marketing increases positive word-of-mouth and brand awareness.

It also helps your brand reach a wider audience than other marketing strategies.

What Are the Different Kinds of Buzz Marketing?

There are several types of buzz marketing techniques.

Each technique can generate word-of-mouth around your brand in different ways.

Marketing strategy depends on memorability.

You must focus on creating a vested interest in your new product or brand.

Attention-grabbers can range from using influencers to using taboo and shock value.

1. Campaigning

A campaign should grab mass attention.

It should also act as an opportunity to provide important product information.

They should revolve around current trends and encourage consumers to join the excitement.

Although digital campaigns are more common, in-person campaigns have their benefits.

This tactic is especially useful when looking to attract localized attention.

Start the buzz by letting your friends and family know about your campaign.

Every person is an invaluable resource in supporting your campaign.

Traditional marketing techniques are bringing campaigns to libraries, coffee shops, and networking events.

Different events appeal to different demographics.

2. Online Campaigning

The bulk of modern marketing revolves around viral marketing.

In the digital age, you must build a strong social media platform to inform and promote your brand.

One of the most common viral marketing techniques is guerrilla marketing.

Guerrilla marketing is a low-cost, creative marketing strategy that helps garner attention fast.

Another way to solidify your social media is to have many platforms.

You should also brush up on your video editing, blogging, and copywriting skills.

3. Influencer or Blogger

An influencer marketing campaign allows you to gain access to expand your audience.

According to Rasmussen University, influencers are a trustworthy source for customers.

They have reach and credibility beyond the average user.

Share your products with influencers to gain the attention of their audience.

Use a trusted online source for your advertisements to encourage a positive buzz.

The same applies to well-known bloggers.

Glossier, for example, integrates micro-influencers for engagement and brand awareness.

Micro-influencers are users with about 10,000 to 50,000 followers.

When relatable people represent your brand, it appears more welcoming and trustworthy.

4. Creating Demand

Using the scarcity principle is a strategy that plays on high demand and low supply.

Luxury brands often use this strategy.

A study by Arizona State University shows how scarcity can be persuading.

Labeling a product as scarce can also add value to it.

A brand can create demand by producing limited quantities.

You can also host flash sales or make limited edition products.

Following the current trends and making a time-specific product can increase word-of-mouth.

Labeling a product as “exclusive” increases the urgency to buy.

This creates a buzz amongst both those who own it and those who want to own it.

5. Using Taboos

Taboo is something that society views as immoral or unacceptable.

Using shock factor gets people talking.

It does not matter what the topic is or if it is positive or negative.

Using controversial issues will encourage conversation about the ad and the brand.

Controversy creates conversation.

It is crucial to be careful with taboo, as the wrong approach negatively reflects your brand.

6. Using the Unusual or Amazing

Using unique or amazing content is another form of buzz marketing that plays on a shock factor.

It captures the consumers’ attention when they see something that isn’t part of the usual.

Brands that create unique innovations, such as Apple, use this method.

Examples of Buzz Marketing

Because examples make everything easier to understand, here are some brands you can take inspiration from.

Super Bowl Commercials

Super Bowl commercials are notorious for generating national buzz.

No matter who you are, you are likely talking about the commercials.  

Old Spice Ads

The surplus of advertisements in today’s world has led to ad burnout.

Particularly, ad burnout is the decrease in an ad’s effectiveness as its frequency increases.

Memes are a refreshing, non-aggressive way to familiarize consumers with your brand.

Advertising doesn’t always have to be forceful, branded content.

Limor Shifman analyzed what made memes go viral in her book, Memes in Digital Culture.

The humor and shock factor in memes improves reach and organic engagement.

Consumers don’t want advertisements, they want funny, relatable content.

Creating funny content that is “meme-worthy” increased word-of-mouth.

Memes helped make Old Spice’s brand more shareable and well-known.

Memes are an increasingly popular aspect of marketing, especially among Millenials and Gen-Z.

Old Spice is famous for its humorous and meme-worthy content.

One of its most prominent campaigns was “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.”

Apple Marketing

Apple plays on its unusual, innovative, and modern products to create conversation.

Apple uses Unique Selling Propositions (USP) to stand out from competitors.  

In 2019, Apple hired a Buzz Marketing Manager to amp up its buzz marketing techniques.

The BMM handles creating constant, compelling content.

Honest Coca-Cola Commercial

The Honest Coca-Cola Commercial addressed the obesity epidemic in our nation.

The brand was honest about the risks of consuming its products.

Although viewed as an unorthodox approach, it created a mass amount of buzz.

Several media outlets featured Coca-Cola, including social media and television.

How to Go About Buzz Marketing

Taking the right approach to buzz marketing can lead to a mass increase in word-of-mouth.

But this tricky strategy can backfire massively if you aren’t careful.

1. Understand Your Target Audience

The first step in any advertising strategy is to define your target audience.

Your target audience is who you are trying to reach with your advertisement.

Knowing and understanding who you are targeting can help you tailor a plan to best reach them.

Different demographics respond better to different things.

If you are targeting a younger demographic, you should appeal to their interests.

They will likely respond better to taboo than an older audience would.

2. Tease an Ad Campaign

Create excitement by dropping hints about your upcoming campaign.

Sometimes, all it takes to create buzz is leaving some mystery.

3. Create a Hashtag

Hashtags are a valuable tool to boost online reach and engagement.

They can help you reach audiences you otherwise would not have had access to.

Using a unique hashtag that other brands do not saturate can help you stand out.

4. Try Video Marketing

Most customers find videos extremely useful for making decisions and generally understanding a product.

A short, straightforward video can be more engaging than any other form of social media post or advertisement.

5. Reach Out to Influencers

Influencers help to establish a brand’s image because of how they dominate social media.

Is Buzz Marketing Ethical?

Buzz marketing, like all marketing, can be ethical or unethical.

It depends on how you’re using it and who you’re appealing to.

Buzz marketing isn’t any more or less insidious than other forms of advertisement.

It’s merely a way to get your brand’s foot in the door.

Is Buzz Marketing Worth It?

Buzz marketing is an integral part of brand advertising.

Still, there are also downsides to this strategy.

Pros of Buzz Marketing

• Buzz marketing tends to lead to increased word-of-mouth marketing.
• You can increase brand awareness and make your brand more trustworthy to consumers.
• Associating your brand with humor makes your brand a household topic, not just an ad.

Cons of Buzz Marketing

• You cannot control reactions. The wrong strategy can lead to negative buzz.
• Your success solely depends on consumer action: what are they saying, and what will they do about it?

Wrapping Up

Buzz marketing is a strategy designed to create buzz and encourage word-of-mouth marketing.

It is highly customer-involved.

The impact of buzz marketing depends on consumer reactions.

They determine whether your marketing is a success story or a missed opportunity

Several firms have proven buzz marketing to be an effective form of marketing.

Several studies have concluded that consumers primarily trust opinions from family and friends.

If done correctly, buzz marketing can help increase organic engagement and reach.

There are several types of buzz marketing.

Certain tactics will appeal to certain demographics more than others.

You must know your audience before you attempt to advertise to them.

Using the wrong form of buzz marketing is risky and can lead to negative WOM.

Buzz marketing can boost your marketing and get consumers talking about your brand.

A successful buzz marketing campaign results in more awareness of your brand’s image.

This allows you to maintain a consistent marketing tactic and creates loyal customers.