Message 8
Buzz
The Nature of Buzz
Buzz is the sum of all comments about a certain product/rvice that are exchanged among people at any given time. It is a phenomenon that has been dubbed "explosive lf-generating demand."
Buzz is not about elegant advertising or glitz. It's about what happens in the invisible networks -- the interpersonal networks of people associated to the organization that creates the buzz.
The interpersonal networks of customers are of vital importance for an organization becau:
- The clutter of messages in traditional promotion outlets can hardly make customers hear an organization's message.
- The abundance of information available for free has made customers sceptical.
- The avalanche of communication means has made customers' inter-connection easier than ever.
The role buzz can have on business depends on:
六味地黄丸副作用1. The nature of the product/rvice.
2. The people that an organization is trying to reach.
3. The people's connectivity.
4. The strategies that are ud in the industry.
Network Hubs
Buzz depends on Network Hubs. The are the individuals who communicate with more people about a certain product/rvice than
the average person does. Tho are the people who rearchers traditionally refer to as "opinion leaders."
Network Hubs can be:
Regular Hubs, i.e. regular people who rve as sources of
information and influence others in a certain product/rvice category.
Mega Hubs, i.e. celebrities, analysts, politicians etc who rve as
sources of information and influence thousands of others who listen to
their message via the mass media.
Expert Hubs, i.e. people who are listened to becau of what they
know.
Social Hubs, i.e. people who are listened to becau of their social
centrality.
Network Hubs are A.C.T.I.V.E. They are:
- A head in the adoption of innovation curb. They are either
innovators or early adopters.
-
C onnected.
- T ravellers.
- I nformation-hungry.
- V ocal.
- E xpod to the media more than others are.
Principles and Implications in social networks that affect Buzz
Most social networks are invisible
Marketers can hardly e the links of social networks. Marketing
activities in the social networks can be invisible as well. Therefore, an
organization that focus on social networks can stealthy gain market
share under the radar screen of competitors.
Similar people tend to link
The bigger the similarity of an organization to its stakeholders the more the stakeholders link to it and to each other.
Similar people tend to form clusters
The more an organization's product/rvice becomes the standard
within a cluster, the more difficult competition becomes for
制作幻灯片competitors. Members of the same cluster reinforce the standard as
they communicate to each other.
Information can get trapped in clusters
It is important to identify the gaps between different clusters and to
find ways to spread a message to members of them.
莴笋怎么炒Network Hubs are shortcuts for linking
An organization can deliberately create shortcuts to link with people by
using people -- inside or outside it -- who are Network Hubs.
Weak ties can be surprisingly strong
Since people tend to form clusters with similar people who, most likely,
will be expod to the same sources of information, it is important to
u Network Hubs that are outside clusters in order to bring in fresh
data.
The Internet can create zillions of links
Since it is easier to maintain numerous links online rather than off-line,
Buzz's "economy of scale" can have exponential growth online rather
than off-line.
The Internet can create unpredictable links
An organization can never know how people in one market category
are linked to people in other categories. Therefore, a message in the
Internet that is directed to one group can easily find its way to another.
How Buzz spreads
The flow of information about a product/rvice cannot be parated from the quality of the product/rvice itlf. The best Buzz comes from attributes inherent in the product/rvice.
Contagious products/rvices, i.e. tho that can inherently accelerate the spread of Buzz, are:
- Products/rvices that evoke an emotional respon.
- Products/rvices that have a visual impact.
煅龙骨怎么种葱- Products/rvices that leave traces.
- Products/rvices the u of which is proportioned to the number of
people who are using them.
升职申请书怎么写- Products/rvices that are compatible to current trends and beliefs.
- Products/rvices that "do the rest" -- they reinforce the perceptions of
simplicity and usability in consumers' minds.
Buzz spreads becau of:
Energy: passion, time, and money put behind a product/rvice.
Credibility: Buzz travels smoothly through channels built on trust. The best Buzz comes from third parties -- not the organization that is the subject of Buzz.
There's hardly any magic prescription for widespread and fast Buzz. However, you should consider that:
- People tend to be receptive to news about products/rvices that they
think they might want to buy.
- Members of a certain cluster tend to adjust their behavior according to
the adoption threshold of the cluster, i.e. how many people in the cluster
have already bought a product/rvice.
- Every member of a certain cluster who decides to try a product/rvice
ultimately performs his/her own quality-control test and bad on the
results decides whether to engage in "word of mouth."
- The higher the risk that is inherent in the product/rvice the slower the adoption of a new product/rvice. The slower the adoption of a
product/rvice the more difficult the spread of Buzz.
- Buzz about a product/rvice never spreads according only to the two-
step flow model, i.e. from the organization to the mass media and the
mega-hubs and from the mass media and the mega-hubs to the people.
- In relation to the spread of Buzz, the most common traps that an
organization can fall in are:
(1) Believe that creating and spreading Buzz is all about Network
Hubs.
(2) Believe that Network Hubs is all about going after an elite group
of some influencers instead of going after a broad group of less
visible but numerous opinion leaders.
- When you stimulate Buzz you rai expectations. The spread of Buzz
心灵的空虚
depends on the balance between people's expectations and an
organization's ability to exceed them. Never overpromi and
underdeliver.
Dealing with Network Hubs
There are ways in which an organization can identify and deal with Network Hubs. The goal should be to identify and deal with as many of them as possible. An organization could:
-- Let Network Hubs identify themlves. The opinion leaders would come to the organization eking information.
-- Identify categories of Network Hubs. Identify opinion leaders who by
virtue of their occupation or positioning in the market have higher than
average ties with an organization's target audience.
-- Spot Network Hubs in the field. Look for socially active individuals who connect people and transmit information among them.
-- Identify Network Hubs through surveys. Ask people in your target
audience to name them who they turn to for information about specific
topics.
When you have identified some Network Hubs, then you should:
-- Target Network Hubs first -- they should be the first to know your
message.
-- Give Network Hubs enough ammunition -- feed them with sufficient
factual information.
-- Stimulate Network Hubs to teach others -- bring them in public online
and off-line fora wherein they can generate discussion.
-- Mind that you do not abu your relationship with Network Hubs.
-- Engage in eding with your Network Hubs -- make your Network Hubs cognizant of the full experience of your product/rvice and spread this
单核细胞高
experience to others through your Network Hubs.
- Seeding goes beyond traditional channels of dismination.
- Seeding involves putting the product/rvice in the hands of
people.
- Seeding requires the elimination of the price barrier.
- Seeding works well with active listening.
-- Engage in viral marketing with your Network Hubs -- create a structure that will allow your Network Hubs and your target audience to interact
with your organization and with each other. The organization's website is an ideal place for interaction when it rembles more a café rather than a subway station. People rush through subway stations while they love to
mingle in cafés.
Misconceptions & reality about Buzz
Only outrageous or edgy products are buzz-worthy
Today consumers can have access to an unthinkable of just ten years
ago wealth of information that pertains to products/rvices. An
organization can u this fact in order to generate Buzz through information that refers to products/rvices that were not buzz-worthy ten years ago.
Managers can asss buzz-worthiness by using two criteria:
-Products ripe in buzz are unique in some respect.
-Products with great buzz potential are usually highly visible. An organization can create visibility for its products/rvices by creating forums, such as Internet chat groups, wherein people can exchange information about products/rvices.
Buzz just happens
Buzz does not just happen but rather is the result of carefully managed marketing programs.
Some of the most powerful tactics for creating and sustaining Buzz are: -Seed the vanguard, i.e. ed the opinion leaders.
-Exploit people's tendency to want what they -- or others -- do not have.
-Make u of celebrities, movie and television endorments
-Tap the power of lists.
-Engage in grassroots communication with early adopters who try to covert other people.
The best Buzz-starters are your best customers
The best influencers might come from a counterculture. Finding the best influencers is not possible through marketing techniques that focus solely on what individual consumers think about a
product/rvice and not on how consumers influence one another about a product/rvice.
To profit from Buzz you must act first and fast
Most organizations do not have the right systems or process in place to act first and fast in relation
to Buzz. In order to profit from it, organizations need to develop an alternative t of practices for tuning into Buzz.
Organizations can tune in by:
-Employing "cool hunters," i.e. individuals who specialize in knowing what's in vogue.
-Setting up chat site in the Internet, thus establishing an efficient
