Let’s Get Buzzy

The Buzz.

What is it? How does it work? And more to the point, how can I make it work for me?

There has been a quiet revolution occuring in the land of marketing for sometime now. Seth Godin, the influential American entrepreneur and author has long advocated that the power shift is changing. In a marketplace where customers and consumers have more power than ever before, isn’t it time that businesses showed a little more respect when it comes to talking to their customers? According to Godin, this means no spam, no deceit, and no breaking of promises.

Sounds easy enough. But wait, there’s more. Aside from respecting our customers, the products and services we offer our customers need to be ‘remarkable’ and in order to cut through the plethora of marketing messgages in numerous channels.

One of Godin’s key concepts is that of ‘permission marketing’, where businesses are providing their customers with marketing messages that are “anticipated, personal and relevant”. Those ideas need to be all about the ‘buzz’ in order for them to be impactful.

So the answer is clear. Respect your customers, and provide them with a remarkable product or service, and they will reward you by helping with your chosen buzz, and telling their friends, families, colleagues and peers. Product or service, the essence of the buzz is the same.

And when he’s not focussing on his own particular brand of the buzz, in his spare time Godin also launched the community website Squidoo. Respect to a man who know’s how to buzz.