Buzz Marketing: Spread Your Message by Word of Mouth
By: T.J. Tedesco
For: High Volume Printing
Published: April, 2001

Some companies get talked about a lot. (Shouldn’t yours?) They put in equipment, make great hires and win new accounts. (So do you.) Your customers and prospects mention them; suppliers mention them; and their names always seem to come up at industry functions. (They don’t print better than anyone else.) What makes these companies hot? Why are they on the tip of everyone’s tongue? (Psst … buzz marketing.)

Step outside of our industry for a moment. What products and services are hot right now? Which ones have a buzz about them? How about the Palm Pilot? Regardless of your comfort level with handheld devices, most business people would be hard pressed to plead ignorance of the palmification of America. Even if you personally aren’t pecking or graffitiing away, aren’t you at least somewhat interested in why so many people are organizing their lives on the Palm?

How many Palm advertisements have you seen? Until recently, not many. The folks at Palm Inc. at first didn’t seem to do a lot of mass marketing; or if they did, much of it missed me. Instead, they did the smart thing with their good product: They relied on word of mouth marketing to create a nationwide “buzz.” It worked on me. Last year, one of my clients chided me for being a Palm laggard. Tired of the abuse, I broke down and got one just before my drupa 2000 trip. By the end of the transatlantic flight, I was hooked. We quickly converted an industry friend and are working on another right now. By the time you read this, I fully expect this Iowan to have taken the Palm plunge.

Let’s turn our attention to a different kind of product. If you have kids, were you asked for a bike last year? Probably not. The riding product with the buzz (and a noticeable lack of advertising until late summer) was the “Razor” scooter. Every kid had to have one. My kids lobbied and finally convinced me of their severe deprivation. (If only we adults were as good salespeople.) A week later, they hit the jackpot when their Aunt Melina sent them two more scooters out of the blue, bringing their total to four. The roots of this nationwide craze started simply enough. The Sharper Image ordered 4,000 scooters from an obscure Chinese manufacturer, put it in their catalog and the rest is buzz history.

Creating The Buzz
How do you get the buzz going? (No, you don’t chug a few beers.) First, your product/service has to be good. Darn good. If you’re struggling to meet your commitments or suffering from communication or quality lapses, the only buzz you’re going to generate is negative. (If this sounds like you, clean up your business act before worrying about anything like buzz marketing.)

Now, assume your products and services are good. You say what you do, do what you say and have a gaggle of loyal customers that value your organization as a vital part of their business. Now it’s time to spread the word and create a buzz to get you to the next sales level. Focus on change and hone in on niche markets. Word of mouth travels fast for those who provide good service, meet their obligations and carve out a clear area of expertise. In the graphic arts industry, buzz is a byproduct of bailing customers out of jams, providing “impossible” solutions and being a reliable services provider. Companies that do things in different and better ways are rewarded. Build on these differences and hear the buzz grow.

Reality alert: If you spend too much out-of-pocket promotional money, your efforts will look like just another marketing campaign. Heavy advertising doesn’t create powerful word of mouth information flow. Instead, act like a guerrilla by taking advantage of no cost publicity vehicles, regardless of the size of your marketing budget. Give talks at industry functions, write and publish informative articles in pertinent trade publications and be diligent about sending out press releases on subjects like new equipment, changing capabilities, industry awards won, key new employees etc. Create customer advisory groups. Give lots of plant tours and host educational seminars for your customers and prospects. These are the types of casual activities that start, “Psst … did you hear what XYZ Co. is doing?”

Focus. Specialize.
It doesn’t matter if you focus on manufacturing companies, academic institutions, health clubs, financial services companies or any other type of business. As long as you choose long term, viable industries, stick with them. If I were a print salesman today, would I focus on the travel agents, mom & pop hardware stores or independent office supply companies? No – they’re threatened industries. But so many others are ripe for growth and need printing partners that understand their business needs.

Say you print for colleges and universities. Focus on this segment. Call other institutions of higher learning and let them know that you are a specialist in their field. Send them articles you’ve written. Invite them to talks you’re giving. If an industry buzz precedes you, you will get an audience.

Product Buzz
Another route to buzz success is through product specialization. But, first a word of caution. Offering 6/C full size sheetfed expertise is a yawner. So is being a web printer or an on demand print specialist. These approaches are nothing more than selling time on equipment. Product specialization means being a solutions expert in products like direct mail, annual reports, menus, lightweight pharmaceutical instruction sheets or bibles.

Take direct mail for example. Direct mail project managers need printing partners to help them navigate the ever-changing, choppy waters of the United States Postal Service (USPS). They need design ideas, postal contacts and list brokers. They need a highly qualified print resource to serve as an information clearinghouse. Isn’t there value in being the resource that direct mailers turn to when they need information? Wouldn’t you like to be the one whom designers call for advice? Wouldn’t it be great to know the postal impact of changing a traditional self-mailer to an odd-sized iron-cross folded piece held with together with ez-release glue?

Buzz Happens
Once I was asked to open a new geographic territory for a 6/C full-size sheetfed commercial printer. At first, I grabbed any job I could without regard to niche creation. Eventually, I observed a notable lack of synergy between my highly fragmented customers in the hyper-competitive Washington DC print market. Word of mouth progress was slow and unsolicited referrals were nearly non-existent.

My company’s product capabilities were average and job turnaround times poor. Since two predecessors had failed to open this market before me, I realized I had to do something else if I were to experience different results. I stumbled on a few jobs for mid-sized associations and rejoiced that our slow proofing turnaround times weren’t an obstacle to writing more business. These new clients just wanted me to say what I do, do what I say and make it stick. The light bulb went off – this I could do. I then focused on becoming an “association” printer, which made perfect sense in Washington’s large association market. I gave a few industry talks and the buzz began. Within months, my sales doubled.

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Providing valuable information and peace of mind is of paramount importance. In our detail oriented and fluid graphic arts industry, there are definitely opportunities for print salespeople to differentiate themselves by offering expertise and reliable service. Regardless of your company’s capabilities, if you and your sales force specialize and get the word out right, you will create a buzz. You will win more business.

T.J. Tedesco is a “hands-on” marketing, sales, coaching and training consultant to the post press industry. He is the author of Binding, Finishing & Mailing: The Final Word, and Win Top-of-Mind Positioning, both published by GATFPress and available at Amazon.com. T.J. can be reached at (301) 294-9900 or tj@growsales.com.