18 Super Secret Tips for Generating Buzz - SuperConf 2011

Editor's Notes

1. Use your computers, phones, turn them on high, that is the world we live in todayTweet and my name is @dh
2. Entrepreneurs can change the world video
3. Press releases are good for some SEO value and nothing else anymoreEditors just say no, it is there job to say no all day long
4. “Traditional marketing has companies speak to many to reach one. Today we speak to one to reach many.”
5. Not saying not to use paid marketing, but should do bothThose that say never do paid marketing are losing an opportunity
6. No agency needed (they have nothing special, you can build better relationships)No sexy or cool productNo big budgets
7. We started with agency, traditional in house PR, fancy NYC agency, in house, and now currentIt works and is scalable, 2 full-time people now but any founder can and should do it
8. 45 mentions – 2007/2009360+ mentions – 2009/present
9. Logos of top news outlets
10. Your target market seeing you everywhere they lookExample: On the same day see in WSJ, Jason F. using for office hours, FreshBooks hosting an event in our office, AppSumo having a deal, influential tweet
11. Authentic and can be both personal and profession but be yourselfPeople buy things, not companiesMake an emotional connectionStory: I thank customers on Twitter all the time, not automated, not every customer, but if at computer and see it in TweetDeck, I do it
12. Drop everything and say yesWhen the press wants something say yes and figure it out after thatMakes them want to work with you again, their deadline became your deadlineStory: Boston Herald contacted and wanted picture taken same day for article, just said yes and looked at schedule laterStory: 5000 campaign told JK willing to fly anywhere if on camera with news, just say yes and flight book later
13. We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speakHow often does a reporter hear “will you write about my company” not “what are you currently working on”Truly listening is best compliment or level or respect possible and creates a bond
14. Read the blogs, magazines, newspapers where you want to meNeed to be able to talk to anyone, know one thing about a lot of stuffHackerNews,Reddit, Digg, see what people find interestingRead comments on the blog, see what others thought or questions they have
15. Find common ground, know what interests them, what they write/communicate aboutAppeal to their ego, bloggers love thatUse in first 2 sentences in email or call to highlight connectionEasy information
16. Don’t only pitch or sell, listen and helpMake an intro, give a source lead, give your opinionStory: Very early users of BuzzStream, had feedback and suggestion, founder called and created feature, before we were even payingStory: Social Fresh conference called attendees when they signed up to see what they wanted from a conference, no one does that, imagine the feeling and then info they got
17. Job is to get to front page/section or most visited story, help do thatDon’t do their job by writing the story for them, need things to write about not written for themSales based approach, hire a sales guy not a PR personPickup the phone and talk with themSame can be done with photographers
18. Give influencers credit for what they have done, written, accomplishedRelationships can take a long time, have patienceYou have to actually care about people otherwise it will be fake, same is true if you hireStory: Fast Company relationship was built over a year period after helping the reporting a number of times, now get a few articles a year
19. True win-win, value to everyone involved, makes a customer for life, how many vendors get press for a customerEvangelists for lifeStory: AP, gave customers once, he reached back out for another source, then a year later he wrote about usStory: Chargify customer Ryan wrote an blog post about how he used Chargify, we promoted his blog post so he would get more traffic
20. Handwritten notes and a authentic connectionNo one gets real mail anymoreNO ask, just a thank you or you liked something they wroteCustomers, bloggers, reporters, any influencerWorks at work and at homeStory: WSJ, thank you note saying liked an article written, turned into a story for us
21. Customers, people with small followings, partnersEven haters or people that complain about what you doSmall conferences and barcamps so importantUser generated content like videos and pictures
22. Even just one customer is a start
23. Keep a list of evangelists on TwitterSomeone asks about company, industry, recommendation or comparison, reply saying talk to these 3 customersResult is prospect hears from a customer, not you and customers get acknowledgement and start working for youReturn the favor when you can
24. None of this works unless you are memorable and differentStand out from the crowd/noiseTake a risk, not everything works but stay true to your brandStory: Chargify at TC50 and cow balls, would have gotten people talking but was too far and not with our brand
25. - Chargify mascot almost getting arrested
26. Air New ZealandNothing to Hide campaign with painted people
27. Air New ZealandCEO in the back handing bag
28. - Kia Gangster Hamsters
29. Cannot engage online, it is a place to find and connect with interesting peoplePick up the phone, grab a coffee, reach out when you are in their townStory: Homestars in Canada, 4+ months to transfer their number in cause of their old carrier, were not happy, had beers with them when traveling and built a relationship that made up for the wait
30. Make intros for anyone that can find value with each otherCustomers to customers, people you know or meet, anyoneIntros are NOT sales leads, everPeople will remember you for making that valuable introductionStory: Natural running store customer and customer starting a company making new natural running shoe
31. Connect offline and let your customers meet each otherMargin additional cost if you add to other travel, airfare and hotel paidNothing fancy, just drinks and light foodStolen from Mike and FreshBooks
32. $5 Starbucks card in a handwritten noteSubstitute if you cannot connect offlineNot expensive but memorableNever ask for anythingStory: Stephanie sent to active Twitter evangelist, got email a few weeks later saying how memorable it was to get real mail and the coffee was a bonus
33. A book that you find valuable with a handwritten noteAsk them to pass the book on when they are done, showing you want the value to continueStolen from Allan and LessEverythingStory: Got book from Tim F. (4 Hour Body), no note, not even saying who from, did not care or remember
34. Lots out there, find what works for youAlways write short emails that are too the point, you have 2 sentences to get them to read the rest
35. Meltwateris expensive all about the same, but it is not to be used for spam and sending emails, just info
36. New Dork video