“Buzz” is not a system.
As Seth Godin notes, re new company Buzzoodle (Tag line: “Creating buzz just got easy.”): I think they’re about to discover that people don’t do it for the rewards… and that the rewards can actually get in the way of finding the right people. Yep, and I bet the employees over at GM (or AT&T or any of the other companies that systematically “reduce headcount”) are just rearing to go “create buzz” for their employers, in addition to all their other job responsibilities. (hmmm…this is where that infamous old catch-all on job descriptions - “and other duties as assigned” comes in handy.)
I’m sure there are good, creative, smart people at Buzzoodle, but…this just flat bothers me, on many different levels. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes.
From Buzzoodle’s site: …“While it never seems like a training system, it challenges each person in your organization or business to complete challenges. These challenges are geared towards building buzz and word of mouth for the organization and for getting the users to reach outside of their comfort zone and talk to people. After using Buzzoodle for a while, promoting an organization will be second nature for all employees.”
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June 24th, 2005 at 8:21 pm
In your hometown - your neighborhood - everyone knows the best place to go to eat on a special occasion. How did this become common knowledge? Did this place advertise? In most small towns advertising probably isn’t practical (beyond placing an ad in the local church newsletter). In most neighborhoods a restaurant earns a reputation through interpersonal communication A.K.A. word of mouth. The Smiths go there for Sally’s birthday and they have a great experience. They tell the Browns and the Jones. These folks go there and they enjoy it. They tell two other families each, and they return. The next thing you know the local bistro is tougher to get into then Tavern on The Green.
Today we are all connected via forums such as this one. I write a rant on viral marketing from my tiny apartment on the East Side of New York City. A tailor in
Des Moines, Iowa reads it and agrees with my thoughts. He tells three of his customers about what he read and they read my blog. One of them is a CEO and he brings it up at his next staff meeting. Before you know it, I’m on a plane to the Midwest to give a presentation on the next generation of marketing – business blogs.
My point: The train is leaving the station. Get on board.
You have e-mail. Your friends have e-mail. Start a newsletter. Get permission to e-mail it to friends and clients. Ask people to pass it on if they find it helpful. The next thing you know, everyone’s talking about you and your idea. You become the local “hot spotâ€? for your product or service in your world neighborhood.
If you’ve got a business and you’ve got something valuable to say, start telling the neighbors. Knock on some doors electronically. Before you know it your neighborhood starts growing each and every day. As long as you provide value, people will continue to come back.
June 25th, 2005 at 8:11 am
David - excellent points (sounds like some of my “rants”). That neighborhood bistro also most certainly did not mandate that its employees had to meet a “challenge” to create buzz for it.
We all live in a virtual world - which is both tremendously exciting and full of opportunities. Personally, I think the train is already a ways down the track - and the technology “don’t get its” are going to have to do some running to get on board. I still know business folks who “don’t have time to blog” and “don’t like to use email.”
June 26th, 2005 at 9:02 am
Hi Mary.
The key with buzzoodle is to slowly create a more connected workforce. If my employees go from closet programmers to industry experts over the course of a year or two, it benefits them and me. (Although I will not be able to afford them any more)
Some people embrace it quickly and others will ignore it. Each company must assess how to use it. They key is just to create good, repeatable stories and encourage your employees in a fun and non-threatening way to braodcast it when possible. Some of my staff try to do it once a week, others once a day.
The point I try to make with people is this: The success of a company is the responsibility of every person getting a paycheck. If one email a week or meeting one person new a week and saying you like your job because xyz is too much, you should look for another job.
That may be harsh and not practical for some places, but in my world it is true.
June 26th, 2005 at 3:17 pm
Ron,
I completely agree with your point re “success of a company is the responsiblity of every person getting a paycheck.” Everybody should be doing marketing…and everybody should be a customer service person. The “gotchas” are: 1. Human behavior; 2. Corporate culture. You can mandate behavior - but true changes comes from people’s beliefs. If it’s a lousy company, Buzzoodle isn’t going to be much help. Just another “flavor of the month” management mandate.
Here’s the good part - if you really are committed to supporting your “closet programmers” to become industry experts, you’re also providing a great work environment, promoting and encouraging learning and risk taking. So even if they leave you - your company has a reputation as a cool place to work….which in turn can mean more loyal customers (with the right culture and service processes.)
Best of luck.
June 26th, 2005 at 8:23 pm
Mary & Ron,
I found something on Business Pundit tonight that is related to this discussion. In his post tonight, Rob talks about the relationship of individuals to the overall network of business decisions.
I think this has particular relevence in communications. I threw up a quick post and links in my blog. (It’s all too long to recount in the comment box).
Here is the link to Business Pundit: http://www.businesspundit.com/archives/002110.html
You can find my thoughts in my blog by clicking on my name. Thanks for the good discussion.
Best,
Dave
June 26th, 2005 at 8:28 pm
Sorry.
I botched the link (and some of the spelling).
http://dlorenzo.blogs.com/daves_blog/2005/06/the_power_of_th.html
June 27th, 2005 at 11:53 am
Mary.
I would like nothing better than to see them become industry experts and leave me on great terms. I enjoy being linked to interesting people.
As for the corporate culture, our site seems to be taken too literally. You can ask people to do WOM and you can give them a system that encourages them and tries to make it fun, but if your company is depressing or your product is terrible, it is not going to work.
I actually do coaching with our bigger clients, where we identify the high energy people in the company and do a pilot with them first. If they are having fun and the organization is getting results, we start rolling it out to other groups. (That have already heard how much fun it is.)
Also, you do not need everyone to use it successfully. If 5% of your staff embrace it, it will make a huge difference on your visibility and results.
Nice blog, btw.
June 28th, 2005 at 2:33 pm
David - thanks for the link.
Ron - food for thought - if we’re taking the site too literally - you should write the same sort of explanations you’re doing in this blog. I’d also see it as a “marketing system” versus training or employee rewards…just thoughts from the cyber peanut gallery.
Good luck!
July 26th, 2005 at 5:38 am
For the “buzz marketing”, the best initiative may be the simplest, as the blog de la franchise” shows it with the case of Monceau Fleurs:
http://blogfranchise.blogspot.com