Small business marketers have counted on word-of-mouth advertising since long before the internet and the advent of popular phrases like viral marketing. But, as Chief Marketer you know you always need to be on the lookout for new ways to boost this important customer-centered marketing technique.

Emanuel Rosen has penned a great book on the subject: The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word-of-Mouth Advertising.

Rosen breaks his book into three parts:

• How Buzz Spreads
• Success in the Networks
• Stimulating Buzz

In this first of our two review articles on this work we focus on the first two sections. In these two parts Rosen sketches his philosophy of how word of mouth works, and tells us, as marketers, the two critical components for succeeding in buzz.

Let's start with Rosen's definition of buzz. "Buzz is all the word of mouth about a brand. It's the aggregate of all person-to-person communication about a particular product, service or company at any point in time." (p.7) This is a useful way to define buzz, and Rosen stays true to this designation throughout his book.

Next, Rosen introduces us to the concept of the "invisible network" (pp. 8 &9). He urges us to imagine all the people on the planet, connected to each other within a variety of different networks. Contained inside these networks are people who Rosen describes as "hubs" or "people who are especially well positioned to transmit information."

As a small business marketer you, of course, need to reach these critical hubs so they, in turn, can pass on the buzz about your company. Chapter Four, Network Hubs, probes these people in depth. In The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell speaks in terms of Mavens and Connectors. Rosen speaks of Expert Hubs (similar to Gladwell's "Mavens"); and Social Hubs (similar to Gladwell's "Connectors"). There is actually an example of one individual common to both books. As a small business marketer, it isn't so important to try and determine which of these authors' nomenclature is more correct as simply to notice the similarities and differences between the two categories of "hub" and then adjust our marketing toward both types.

If you look at the last paragraph on p. 53, Rosen clearly tells us that we need to talk to both types. This is why it is so important for small business marketers to listen to the types of questions customers are asking--then make sure the company marketing material addresses these questions. For a quick review of helping customers spot the mavens, see our earlier article on the subject.

Next, it's important to mention Rosen's overview of The Diffusion of Innovation. This model is often mentioned only in passing by marketers. If you've read Harry Beckwith's The Invisible Touch, you may recall he gives us some insight into the bell- shaped curve in relation to buyers of services as opposed to products .

Rosen supplies us brief glimpses into the history of the development and evolution of the diffusion of innovation theory in marketing over the past five decades (pp. 23, 56, 81, 94-96). By doing so, he enables us to grasp a more complete picture of word-of-mouth and general advertising, and how the concept of word-of-mouth has matured during this time. Rosen helps us to learn which among the five groups on that bell-shaped curve to target to effectively promote buzz. Rosen supplies a key insight on p. 23: "even though a person adopts "early" in terms of the overall market, he or she may be late in his or her own network." (Italics mine.) Here, again, the smart marketer realizes the importance of reaching multiple networks. Indeed, this is a key sub-them of Rosen's.

Rosen's chapter on Network Hubs helps us to analyze who to look for and, importantly, where they may be. These certainly aren't always obvious.

Those of you who are active in marketing your own company through keyword or affiliate programs can definitely benefit from Rosen. In the five years since his book was written, the entire Internet Advertising industry has evolved tremendously. All of the theory and tactics Rosen espouses are very viable today as a marketing primer. Remember, most of us in small business marketing have to survive by our wits more than our coffers, and so it is vital that we leverage everything we have, whenever possible.

In part two, Rosen identifies two keys for "Success in the Networks". Essentially, you need a good product, one that is "contagious" and then you need to do whatever you can to actively accelerate "natural contagion". Much earlier, on p. 25, Rosen charts the kinds of products that people will talk about. Rosen lists a stellar example of a product that, try as a marketer might, simply won't generate buzz: Paper Clips. This is a product that is simply too utilitarian and commonplace. His listing of criteria that make a product interesting to talk about is also most useful. Plus it reinforces the fact that services, being invisible, are much harder to get people to talk about. (Again, this echoes Beckwith.)

Next up: Part Two of our Review--and some practical suggestions on generating buzz marketing.

Remember: Brand (who you are) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + People (customers and employees) = Marketing Success.

2006 Marketing Hawks