The world as it should be

Buzz is the answer. The question: what is the better way to market something to younger age cohorts, buzz or paid advertising?

In today’s Wall Street Journal (10-16-10), Jonah Lehrer discusses a study of 180,000 people interviewed about movies. The study was done to try to understand the pre-release buzz about a movie (The Sixth Sense) and how it worked.

Turns out 21% is the tipping point for movies. Once the buzz reached this many Americans, a successful box-office run was virtually assured.

The key point for me from the study was that there was almost no relationship between who was in the movie or how much was spent on ads and the pre-release buzz. In other words, waiting for buzz to happen naturally or trying to kick-start it with advertising simply won’t work.

Still, it’s clear that the old model of buying ads will not guarantee buzz. Because young folks don’t pay much attention to traditional media and their ads, social networking is the way to go. You have to create your own buzz.

If you are not in the game, you can’t win it. Get started with social media campaigns. Today.

Ever since AdAge’s Simon Dumenco said the press release was dead about a month ago, people have been weighing in with their opinions. Being the Slow Thinker that I am (more crockpot and less microwave), it has taken me awhile to decide what I think.

I think it is. Or it is about to be. Or rather, it should be. Here’s why.

1. Its very name is an anachronism: the “press” was more or less invented by Johan Gutenberg in the late 1400s, and indeed it was basically a grape press for making wine. (Thus, the natural connection between journalists and booze.) News release or information release might be the better choice of words.

2. The press as we know it is dying, or at least is gravely ill, so the parasitic PR industry that lives off it — as it is currently structured — will go along with it. The whole idea of releasing information by sending a piece of paper via snail mail to a member of the print media is such an out-of-date thought that it’s almost cute. Pre-emptive nostalgia.

3. The idea that the best way to mold public opinion is to send that piece of paper again is woefully out of date. The game has always been one of “tricking” the news media by writing the press release so it emulates a news story — whether by writing or video. That way the PR message gets to the public without being edited: it meets the editor’s technical structure. With social media’s direct connect with customers, this isn’t necessary. Companies can control the conversation directly, leaving the MSM out of it.

4. The press release will be replaced by the “social network release.” This can be done through any number of social media, but the main point is that it won’t be mediated, as with the press release. It will be words, images, and video over multiple channels. Controlling the message and guiding the conversations people have about you will be better than ever.

5. Most companies will still need a specialist to handle this aspect of their public-messaging work, unless you want to do it yourself. With the right person — either inside your company or an outside consultant — you will be more successful than in the past with press releases because you are in control, not the media.

Let’s plan a funeral.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

“Social media is still so new,” [Jason] Sadler [of I Wear Your Shirt] says. “You might spend a ton of money for someone with a ton of followers or fans, and then get absolutely nothing–it may just be a flash in the pan. You’ll realize that you dropped $100,000 on something that doesn’t last, and just gets lost in the mix. Nissan is not really taking that chance, because it’s not costing them much at all.”

This an excellent point.

Social media is a new and different way of getting your marketing message to your customers and potential customers. Paying lots of money to buy space or time for your messages and/or spending cash to get celebrity posts or tweets is so last century.

If you want to do things the old-fashioned way, or if you like to spend money needlessly, then that’s the way to go.

If you want to get a conversation going about your company, and if you want to control the buzz online, then get to work on your social media. If you can’t or don’t want to do it yourself, hire someone.

I wouldn’t wait another minute.

For more, see this Fast Company article.

If you have a business, you know people are going to talk about you. People will share their experiences with you and your customer service. Sometimes it will be good and sometimes not. That’s just the way it is.

Today, this conversation among customers happens online. This means that customers are more likely to be heard, and you get to eavesdrop, if you will, and enter into the discussion. This is especially important if negative information is being shared.

Monitoring the online conversation is one of the many things a good social media manager can do for you. If there is some negative feedback — and there are always some people who feel wronged in their dealings with you — you can intervene and make sure your story is being told as well.

Sometimes you can take the negative feedback and use it to improve your product, service or system. If it is positive, you can use that information as well in support of your overall marketing message.

The main point is that social media allow you to join conversations that normally would have taken place without you. Wouldn’t you rather be a part of the buzz?

I think we can all agree by now that social media are here to stay. After all, Facebook has surpassed Google in activity and Twitter users are way up at more than 145 million. As we move into the social age of media, it is clear that a good marketing program is going to rely less on advertising and more on the buzz and conversations that take place through social media outlets.

This relatively new area of expertise requires that businesses bring someone on board who is savvy in all the mores and folkways, the ins and outs of the field. It is more about keeping people in a conversation about you than it is about buying space or time and sharing your message that way.

Having a strategy for your social media efforts is critical, and thus, who you hire — whether an employee or an outside consultant — becomes very important.

A business needs to find someone good and then give him or her time to build relationships. This isn’t going to happen in a few weeks or even a month or two. There isn’t a magic formula that will shorten the process. You are building a community, not a web site.

Also, be sure to give the person your complete support and give him or her access to top management. Social media truly is a 24/7 kind of job so don’t force the person into a 9-5 schedule. They need scheduling flexibility if you want the job done right.

If you hire an outside consultant to do the work, make sure you are comfortable with his or her brand, with his or her reputation because it is about to become yours, too.

That being said, it probably makes sense to ease into it by hiring someone a few hours a day to take care of the most important social media activities. Find out I can help you build your community.