O maybe I should name this, how you can’t create buzz through social media?

The idea is this, today I was discussing with a friend an approach taken by a firm to promote its apparent social cause on Twitter. I would have named it but I don’t want it to sound as if I am constantly against this company and its digital marketing efforts.

Anyway this is the case: the brand has a deadline based promotion. It hasn’t taken any effort till now to build a community or let’s say a strong community on social media. And now within a certain span of time it has to build buzz, so naturally social media – the shining star, the in thing, the highlight of the night has to be part of the picture.

This is where the script goes wrong. The company/agency tries to incite influencers through a canned statement used repeatedly to build mileage and buzz for what they plan to do. And it just seems, and I was not alone a timid approach done for the sake of doing and a public relations disaster than a well intentioned campaign. In fact, if there was any live brand measurement index the company would see itself cuddling with single digit numbers.

This post, based on my small understanding and on what I have read and learned through the past 3 years on the social media circle, goes out to the brand, its agency and many other brands perhaps who want to build buzz or the cooler word of mouth through social media.

First Step:

Don’t jump into a pool where others are swimming and make an unnecessary splash. You might be a big man a big name, but if it is the first time you’re swimming, spend more time learning it than throwing water around.

Translation: While everyone welcomes brands on social media, that itself is not reason enough to build buzz. Narrow down your primary target on social media, and then build relationship with them. Talk, ask, learn understand in the initial days.

But Maneesh we need buzz!

Of course you do. But you need to give before you get.. oh wait we haven’t done that part yet. Alright, so what should companies do if they want to build WOM on Twitter and if it is the first time they are thinking of using the platform?

Answer: You need to do something that everyone will talk about. Don’t start a trending topic.. become one.

Next question – what exactly should a brand do?

These things came to my mind - Shock and Awe:

Shock users, surprise them. Do something awesome or inspiring that make them wonder how did you do this. Three simple steps to Shock and Awe:

1. Innovative use of a medium, or taking a unique approach to a problem. Remember the Microsoft hate march they took out on the web a few months back.
2. Or by doing something offline. A very simple example is that of Aircel doing that little stunt on Milan Subway. It was an instant Twitter hit without even being planned. Or if your idea is to ruin your brand reputation go post posters on paintings done by living citizens of a metro.
3. You can also pluck emotional strings of a certain community and pluck it hard enough that it echoes around other communities too. Again remember the Microsoft hate march that they took out on the web a few months ago, I am not a designer but I am still talking about the website.

Of course, all this can be avoided if you would just invest time in building a community around your brand. Loyalists who will do the talking for you and show you the way around. But we haven’t, and in all probability we wont because hey I like seeing the ripples I make when I jump and splash around.

Alright, I have put forth my points on buzz creation through social media. Itis not a guiding post, and I don’t think I have shared any pearls of wisdom other than perhaps stating the obvious. Also, being part of the system, providing services that asks for such unreasonable favours even I may end up smudging these above lines. And for all I may know, I maybe wrong,maybe buzz can be created on a social platform without ever having invested any time and resource in it.

However, to my mind it seems an unfair and an ignorant demand, and the hope that this post carries is that of letting brand custodians know that they’re doing more harm to their brand in their hasty quest. What are your thoughts – am I right or wrong here? And what your thoughts on how to create buzz through social media?

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