How to create a buzz
(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY Navigating the Internet is a lot like running an obstacle course full of stuff you don't want to step in, if you know what I mean. It's always been that way to some extent but the blogosphere, content mills, and social media made it so much worse.
Once in a great while, however, you come across something that makes it all worthwhile. An article that really resonates. A blogger who writes the way you think. A whacky video that makes your day. A product you never knew existed that makes your life so much easier.
When the same thing has the same effect on lots of people, it creates a buzz. And maybe, just maybe, it goes viral.
Buzz is a very big deal. Innovators dream about it. The media lives for it. It's the holy grail of every internet startup. Corporate America pays big bucks to advertising and PR agencies in a never-ending quest for viral customer traction. And yes, I've managed to pull it off once or twice.
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Now, nobody knows for sure what will work. There are loads of variables including timing and luck. Sometimes it just happens when you're not even trying. But if buzz is what you're after, and pretty much all of us are, here's how to create it. And how not to.
Dig deep -- inside yourself. If it appeals to you, that's a really good start. We're all a focus group of one and sometimes, we're the right one. That worked out pretty well for Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.
Get emotional. People don't connect with facts, figures, data or logic. They connect with emotion. That's why people remember stories -- they resonate on an emotional level. Who do you want to connect with? Speak to them.
Solve a problem. The internet wasn't supposed to be big. It was created so U.S. defense agencies could securely connect their computers and share information. RIM's founders didn't envision a massive new smartphone market. They created the BlackBerry so people could email anywhere. Just try to solve one problem, not all of them.
Think small. If you think big, try too hard to go big, forget it. That's not how it works. Focus on a niche -- the bulls-eye -- whether it's your target audience, customer, problem to solve, whatever.
Slay Goliath. Everyone loves a David versus Goliath story -- when the underdog wins.
Close the loop. The biggest mistake people make with this sort of thing is they don't think "What if it works?" Make sure you make it easy for people to actually get whatever it is you're selling, connect with you, whatever's appropriate for the situation. If you don't plan for success, it can backfire, especially if it's a promotion of some sort that gets an overwhelming customer response. Make sure you close the loop.
Don't scam, sham or spam. Remember the "slalom course" at the beginning of the article? There's a staggering amount of BS being pushed out there. It boggles the mind. You'd swear some of these scammers are really CEOs, professors or professionals with bona fide credentials. Don't be one of them. Sure, you may fool people for a while, but Karma's a bitch. Just ask former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson.
Image courtesy of Flickr user jodieodell