Generate Sales with Buzz Marketing

There’s an excellent new book out by Mark Hughes called BuzzMarketing: get people to talk about your stuff. It describes a variety of different methods for generating buzz around products, with stories from corporate successes (like Apple’s 1984 ad, the Britney Spears buzz machine, and how Miller Lite invented the light beer category). One of the secrets Hughes describes is ‘how to capture media attention.’ To develop media buzz, he suggests that marketers ask 5 key questions about their products and stories.

“ * Is there a David-and-Goliath story here? (Be honest.)
* Is there something unusual or outrageous here? (Be honest.)
* Is there a dramatic story or controversy here? (Be honest.)
* Is there a celebrity angle here? (Be honest.)
* Is this really a story that’s already hot in the news? (Again, be honest.) “

These questions should be asked by big businesses as well as small. One little article in even a small media market can turn up all kinds of business opportunities. You can drive traffic to your Web site or merely develop a contact in the media that’s available for future stories. You may also develop other business relationships (like with suppliers or potential partners) that help you source goods.

Start thinking about uniqueness and drama, and you’ll no doubt discover some excellent selling angles – and maybe some good media generation ideas.

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