Buzz Builder

Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Helps Charities Selling Conference Registration on EBay

The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA)  is putting its money where its mouth is.  It is trying to raise $20,000 for charity by auctioning 20 passes to its  Word of Mouth Basic Training Conference conference on eBay with 100% of proceeds going to various charities including the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. To learn more about how to buy conference admission via EBay, check out this link.  The Conference will take place on January 19-20 in Orlando, Florida, and I hope to see you there.

Special $100 Discount for Word of Mouth Basic Training Conference

If you are interested in building your business with buzz and have been thinking about going to the Word of Mouth Basic Training Conference that the Word of Mouth Marketing Organization  (WOMMA) will hold in Orlando, Florida from January 19-20, 2006,  now is your chance to sign up and save off the conference fee just because you're a reader of this blog. When you fill out the online registration form, fill in "patricksentme" in the discount code section and you'll save $100 off the regular conference fee.

This is the first conference on buzz marketing that really focuses on valuable "how-to" lessons for creating buzz rather than theories about buzz. The lists of speakers and attendees are truly impressive. If you plan on going, please let me know. I look forward to meeting readers of this blog in Orlando.

If you are interested in building your business with buzz and have been thinking about going to the Word of Mouth Basic Training Conference that the Word of Mouth Marketing Organization  (WOMMA) will hold in Orlando, Florida from January 19-20, 2006,  now is your chance to sign up and save off the conference fee just because you're a reader of this blog. When you fill out the online registration form, fill in "patricksentme" in the discount code section and you'll save $100 off the regular conference fee.

This is the first conference on buzz marketing that really focuses on valuable "how-to" lessons for creating buzz rather than theories about buzz. The lists of speakers and attendees are truly impressive. If you plan on going, please let me know. I look forward to meeting readers of this blog in Orlando.

TiVo & DVRs threaten effectiveness of television advertising

I joined the TiVolution last week, and I will never go back to watching television without a high-quality digital video recorder (DVR) like TiVo. As a member of the 7 percent of the nation's 110 million homes  with DVRs, I'm enthusiastic about being able to watch my favorite television programs when I want. And, to the chagrin of companies trying to build buzz with television advertising, I have joined the ranks of 92% of all DVR users who skip advertising according to the Forrester Group's most recent study.

Television networks, advertisers, and advertising agencies are justifiably scared. According to David Poltrack, head of ratings research for CBS, the number of DVR users is expected to grow to 39% of all viewers by 2010. It's no wonder that the researchers from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN, and WB took the unusual step of holding a joint press conference in November to present numbers minimizing the impact of DVRs on advertising-watching habits.

Yet, coverage of this press conference, such as this article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, demonstrates that DVRs have already diminished the power of television advertising and will continue to do so at a fast rate. Advertisers and advertising agencies are flocking to join the newly-formed Word of Mouth Marketing Association since they desperately need to find new and more effective ways to build buzz.

Holiday Networking & Egg Nog

Has a friend or significant other invited you to a holiday party that you dreaded since you don't know many of the people who will be attending? Instead of blaming bad egg nog for a last minute illness, think about the party as an opportunity to meet interesting new people while enjoying good food and drinks. With a positive frame of mind, you're more likely to have fun and who knows who you'll meet. So far, this holiday season I've talked to a lot of interesting new people at holiday parties, two of whom proved to be excellent business contacts. What's better than closing out the old year and ringing in the new one while making new personal and business connections?

Enjoy the holidays and this great creamy egg nog recipe from my favorite cooking website, All Recipes. The buzz about this website in the cooking community is great because it provides the opportunity for people to rate recipes and read what others have to say about dishes before making them.

Tell People About Your Positive Press

The real power of PR is its residual value. My friend and savvy entrepreneur Mike Biddle, founder and CEO of  MBA Polymers, (the world's most advanced recycler of plastics used in durable goods), understand that positive press should be leveraged.

Today, I received an email from Mike that his company was selected as a World Economic Forum “Tech Pioneer”. The winners for 2006 were announced this week and some, like MBA, were featured in Time Magazine this week. Mike sent me and many other friends, clients, and prospects this article in an attractive PDF format. A few times a year, I receive an email from Mike mentioning his positive press with links or attachments.

Sure, we all know that Mike has a great company. But, by making sure that we see his positive press, he can rest assured that he is maximizing its power.

Secrets for creating holiday buzz

"Laptops were being thrown 20 feet in the air and people were collapsing on each other to grab them." - CNNMoney.com, 11/25/05, reporting on a scuffle at a Florida Wal-Mart

"Forget day trading, the best way to make a buck this holiday season may be to flip your Xbox 360." - The Associated Press, 11/22/05, on this year's must-have gift

This year, Christmas decorations began to appear in stores around Halloween and carols were playing on the radio by Thanksgiving. And shortly thereafter, the media began its predictable coverage of the holiday season: retail sales statistics, this year's "must-have" gifts, and accounts of bizarre shopping frenzies - interspersed with the occasional feel-good story to convince us that the holiday spirit is still alive.

As the season swings into full gear, we decided to revisit and update a newsletter topic of the past: holiday buzz. If you are trying to generate attention for your business, this time of the year can be especially challenging. December is a notoriously difficult time to break through the clutter. In fact, most holiday stories and gift-guides were assembled months ago. Unless you began pitching yourself in early July, your chances of garnering media coverage this month are slim.

This doesn't mean you have to adopt a "bah-humbug" attitude at the end of the year. On the contrary, holidays are a terrific opportunity to get buzz for yourself or your business, but it pays to think beyond the obvious. One excellent strategy is to make your stories seasonal and, if possible, relate them to lower- profile holidays. For example:

• Was there an item that flew off your shelves unexpectedly this December? You may have an unreported trend on your hands. Repackage it as the hot item for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day.
• Do you sell housewares? Are you an organizational expert? The best time to pitch your story is in early January, when editors across the country are compiling their spring cleaning guides. Provide people with news they can use, instead of a straight product pitch, and your chances of coverage are excellent.
• Is yours an experiential-based business? Do you teach clients a new sport or skill? Travel and lifestyle outlets are already searching for unique spring break activities and destinations.
• Do you run a "green," or eco-friendly, organization? Elaborate on the challenges and benefits and offer your story as strategic advice for other business owners. Send your story to the media in time for Earth Day or Arbor Day.
• Are you a CPA bombarded with last-minute, end-of- the-year tax questions? Turn your answers into a handy tip sheet to help consumers plan ahead for next year. Distribute it to the media a few weeks before April 15th.

There is no holiday or event too small if you have a good story. Remember, it's not the best story that gets told, but rather the story that is told best.

To illustrate, we convinced a restaurant critic to write about a small, family-run Ethiopian restaurant with a humorous pitch tied to Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year. His curiosity piqued, the critic visited the restaurant and wrote a favorable review (click here to read) which increased business significantly.

Similarly, we helped Bison Brewing Company run a successful campaign tied to the 229th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Daniel Del Grande, owner and head brewer, created Bison Original Hard Ice Tea as the only commercially brewed sparkling alcoholic beverage that combines whole tea leaves and natural ingredients. He urged people to bring in a plain old tea bag on the 229th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party as a way to protest "the tyranny of weak tea." In exchange, they received a free pint. The pitch was timely, fun, and different. Most important, it scored great media coverage.

Best wishes for a "buzz worthy" 2006!

BzzAgent Wisely Requires Volunteer Disclosure

Buzz marketing firm BzzAgent has recently decided that all new BzzAgent volunteers confirm that they've read and will adhere to the company's code of conduct. That code requires participants to "make certain others are aware" that they've volunteered to be part of a buzz marketing effort. Until now, BzzAgent has received some bad buzz in the media about their tactics being deceptive. This move will certainly help the company on the PR front. Additionally, it will likely increase the effectiveness of it volunteers according to a recent Northeastern University study. To learn more, read this interesting article on ClickZ News.

Word of Mouth Basic Training Conference in Orlando, Florida in January 2006

If you are interested in building your business with buzz, don't miss the Word of Mouth Basic Training Conference that the Word of Mouth Marketing Organization  (WOMMA) will hold in Orlando, Florida from January 19-20, 2006. This is the first conference on buzz marketing that really focuses on valuable "how-to" lessons for creating buzz rather than theories about buzz. The lists of speakers and attendees are truly impressive. If you plan on going, please let me know. I look forward to meeting readers of this blog in Orlando.

Also, it's well worth the time to read the Wombat Blog, the WOMMA's new blog with lots of interesting entries on a variety of buzz-related topics.