I got an email the other day from a contact at GotVMail, a company that offers a Virtual Phone System designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses, providing me with a link to this new viral message. I wasn’t sure what to expect- but he had taken the time to write me a personalized email (yes, my name was in the body), so I thought I’d take the time to watch his video. This is what I was shown:

Now, at first I wasn’t sure what this was going to be advertising? I saw from the start that the video in its entirety was only 37 seconds long. I wondered how it was going to relate talking about dying bear’s hair to the company. I got my answer 26 seconds into the clip. I have to say that I was disappointed with how it was brought into the discussion.

They didn’t do a terrible job- but when i think about that ad i’m going to think of grizzly and polar bears, not the company GotVMail. If the product related to the story just a little bit more, I’m sure it would help me to remember the company when talking to others about the video itself.

What do you think? Are you going to remember the bears, or the company?

Word of mouth marketing is often overlooked in the world of internet marketing, as it is not technically “e-marketing,” and not “new,” so to speak. However, in today’s world of social media, instant messenger, and mobile phones, word of mouth marketing is more alive than ever. It’s becoming more and more of a better and more effective way to market and advertise your product or service.

Viral vs. Word of Mouth Marketing

Let’s take a minute to differentiate word of mouth marketing from viral marketing, as these are a few terms that some people sometimes get mixed up, or even use interchangeably. They overlap drastically, and are defined much differently by various professionals.

For example, Seth Godin, in his blog post “Is viral marketing the same as word of mouth?” says that:

“word of mouth is a decaying function. A marketer does something and a consumer tells five or ten friends. And that’s it.”

Viral marketing, according to Godin, takes the phenomenon a step further:

“A marketer does something and then a consumer tells five or ten people. Then then they tell five or ten people. And it repeats. And grows and grows. Like a virus spreading through a population.”

Dave Balter, founder of both the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and BzzAgent (which we will talk about later) looks at “viral marketing” from a different perspective in an interview with Guy Kawasaki:

“Viral marketing is typically reserved for programs where the advertising is talked about as opposed to the product itself. A good example are viral videos, where the humor trumps the brand, ala Cadbury Schweppes drumming gorilla video—humorous partly due to the Phil Collins soundtrack, of course—and the parodies which followed.

Word of mouth is the actual sharing of an opinion about a product or service between consumers. Your viral marketing only works if it gets people talking about the product itself. If it doesn’t, you might create some laughter and awareness, but there won’t be a change in sales.”

Although both Godin and Balter do an excellent job of defining their individual takes on these two terms, I have a slightly different way of looking at them.

Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth marketing takes place mostly offline (although it can take place online). A marketer does something to impress an individual, and tells a few friends (through instant messenger, telephone, social network messages, or in person) about it.

Those people sometimes will pass on the message to some more friends. This third group may or many not pass on the message. Eventually, the message dies off. It’s basically a downward funnel. The message begins large and trickles down. This can be seen in the image provided (Click for larger view).

It is important to note that individuals could tell either nobody, one person, or multiple people, through instant messenger conversations, emails, group meetings, or any other communication medium. The conversations are usually on the small scale. Instead of announcing the news to a crowd of 50+, you are having a conversation about it with one or a few individuals.

Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing works in the opposite way. A marketer once again does something to impress an individual- whether it be a great viral video, or an extreme customer experience, and that individual goes forward to announce it to larger crowds, generally, rather than have a conversation with a few individuals.

Some mediums that are generally used in viral marketing include blogs, mass / group emails, forums, instant messenger, social networks, etc. It is more of a transfer from one person to a large group of people. Each one of the individuals in that group will continue to pass on the message to either another group of people or to one person.

In viral marketing, the message begins small and grows as more people, “announce,” or “shout” the message to larger groups of people. This can be seen in the diagram provided (click for larger view). The conversations usually taking place here are more one person talking to a large group of people, rather than a one on one conversation. More of the online mediums, such as YouTube, are used to promote a lot of the viral marketing materials out there.

It’s also important to point out that a Viral Marketing Campaign is more purposeful- it’s designed to attract attention and spread, where as word of mouth marketing is more, “accidental.” If an individual experiences an incredible customer service experience, they will share it- this is word of mouth. An example of something that’s typically viral is a video designed specifically to be viral.

But these are only guidelines- there could be a customer service experience that goes viral (Vincent Ferrari’s AOL Cancellation Audio).

As you can see, word of mouth and viral marketing are two very similar types of marketing that could very much overlap at some times, as they do.

Measuring Word of Mouth Marketing

After describing the nature of word of mouth and viral marketing, it might be questionable as to how this type of thing can be measured, and added into our total marketing mix so we can find out its ROI as compared to other marketing mediums, as well as to better track our overall marketing effectiveness.

Well today’s answer is BzzAgent. In Dave Balter’s own words:

“BzzAgent is a word-of-mouth media company. We have nearly 450,000 volunteers who learn about products and services through our network and share them with their friends in an open, natural way… Do you like tasty food or cool cleaning products? Sign up for our network and you may get into a campaign for Back to Nature Nuts or a new plug-in air freshener, and we’ll send you out some samples to try, and then you share your opinion however you’d like!”

This is how it works.

1. A company works through BzzAgent to begin creating “buzz” about their product through the volunteer buzz agents.

2. Eligible buzz agents are invited to the company’s “campaign,” which usually consists of some method of trying out the company’s product or service and some general information about the company.

3. The agents then try the product or service, and begin spreading the word to other individuals naturally, usually as it comes up in conversation. The agent then reports this conversation, or “buzz” about the product to BzzAgent in a few paragraphs.

4.The report is read by a real human, and an individualized response and “thank you,” is sent to the agent by a BzzAgent employee.

5. The reports are shared with the company, which act as the measurement!

More on Word of Mouth Marketing

Dave Balter wrote an incredible, 119 page Word of Mouth Manual: Volume II book, that is available for you to download from a variety of quality marketing bloggers.

You can also purchase your own, physical copy here if you’re like me and like to educate yourself while enjoying the sunshine. But hurry! Only a few thousand copies were made and few remain.

I’ve read this book from front to back. Balter’s writing style is easy to read, the words are larger than usual, and the content is intriguing. If you’re interested in word of mouth marketing, this is something you can check out. And why not? It’s FREE!

You can find out more about this book and where you can download it by visiting the BzzAgent page promoting this book.

What are your thoughts?

What do you think about word of mouth marketing and viral marketing- do you disagree with my definitions, agree? Please share your comments and opinions so we can continue this conversation!

Becoming a freelancer is a huge decision. You need to be ready to take the perks that come along with working independently, as well as the disadvantages that you may also suffer. Only you will know when you are truly ready to take the plunge, but as a newcomer to the Freelance game, I can share my experiences with you and hopefully give you some guidance in the process.

When Should You Quit?

If you currently have a 8-5 full time job, complete with a reasonable salary, excellent health benefits, stock options, and a 401k all set up and growing, you may find it hard to walk away from safety and towards the deep, unpredictable abyss that is freelancing. For this reason, the individual needs to be truly prepared and committed to his decision.

However, the plunge into freelancing can provide you with a more flexible, more profitable, and more enjoyable career that can be well worth giving up any benefits and feelings of security that your current job gives you.

Suggestions for Freelance Preparations

So, when should you quit your job and start freelancing? I have a few suggestions.

• Keep a Fund Reserve: Although many suggest that it is not needed, I think you should have at least 6 months of your monthly living expenses saved up just in case. Now this could mean saving for a few months before you quit your job, or taking out a loan, or borrowing from friends or family. If you have a great business idea, or have always wanted to own your own business or work from your home, then you should take the risk. However, it doesn’t hurt to have your reserve fund just in case it takes you a little longer to start profiting from your experience and abilities.

• Keep an Emergency Fund: If you only have enough money for a basic health insurance plan, then you want to have an emergency fund for any unforeseen bills you may have to pay for, whether it be ambulance bills, or simply several doctors visits.

• Purchase an appropriate health insurance plan that covers you and your family. I would suggest finding one that does not cover small doctor visits’ bills, but will cover you or a member of your family gets into a serious accident or requires a few nights in the hospital. Opt for paying $50 doctors visits bills instead of a $10,000 hospital bill.

• Have a plan- don’t step into your future blindly. Develop an action plan and strategy. How are you going to differentiate yourself from those companies or individuals offering the same services / products you are?

• Don’t be afraid to spend a small amount of marketing dollars: people can’t discover how wonderful you and your products are until they know about you. Spend a few hundred dollars to advertise / market yourself in both online and offline areas. To achieve the highest ROI, find some areas that fit your niche. For example, if you are a nutritionist that will provide customized menus and recipes for individuals, search for some quality nutrition / diet / health blogs and purchase an ad in their sidebar.

Any other Freelancing Suggestions?

Does anybody else have any advice for taking the freelancer plunge? Feel free to leave them in the comments section. Disagree with any of my suggestions? Please refute them!

___ ___ ___

This post was inspired by Freelance Folder’s Birthday Contest, in which we were challenged to share our most helpful freelancing advice.

We’ve been talking about different colored laptops lately, and I saw an ad on TV and decided to share it in case you haven’t seen it yet. I mentioned that Sony VAIOs have had colored laptops for some time now, but now Dell is offering (or beginning to advertise the fact that they carry) different colored laptops, including Pink and Orange.

I love the ad and how they positioned the product with the song “Colors,” by Kara Willey. They position the product as an extension of your personality, or the way you feel from day to day. Check it out!

What do you think of this ad?

…or colored laptops in general? Is the ad effective? Do you like the different color variations being offered?

A few months ago, I introduced a survey asking individuals what they thought was the best technique: In-House our Outsourcing Email Marketing? Today, I come back with the results of my mini survey, and a brief analysis.

The Participants

There were a total of 18 participants who started the survey, all of which answered each of the 4 questions. The participants’ responses to their areas of marketing expertise are outlined below. Individuals were allowed to select more than one expertise.

• eMail Marketing (9)
• Research (6)
• Print Media (6)
• Social Marketing (10)
• Internet Marketing Strategy (1)
• Organic SEO (1)

Their current situation in regards to email marketing varied- some used in-house, some outsourced, and some did not currently participate in email marketing.

60% Outsource their Email Marketing

The Question

The main question that was being asked was, ideally, would the participant prefer an in-house email marketing campaign manager, outsourcing your entire email marketing management, or doing a little of both.

The Answer

The survey showed that 50% of those polled would prefer to keep their email marketing in-house, and hire an email marketing campaign manager to handle the design and execution full time.

• Twenty-two percent would have preferred outsourcing their entire email campaign management to an outside company or specialist,
• while 11% wanted a little of both: outsourcing some larger campaigns and managing the smaller ones themselves.
• The remaining 16% polled said that they simply did not use email marketing and did not have a preference.

Analysis

This being my first survey offered to my readers, and not considering how it was to be analyzed, the design of the survey was not ideal, and could have been drastically improved. Also important to point out, there was only 18 individuals that completed the survey.

However, I believe the overall result of the survey accurately portrays what many marketing managers would feel. Ideally, they would like an email marketing expert employed by them full time to completely manage their email marketing campaign. This situation has many advantages over outsourcing, including:

• More power over what is included in your campaigns
• Saving money- you will not have to hire an agency at a ridiculously hourly fee
• Consistent branding- your email marketing specialist will know your company and its goals, resulting in a better portrayal of your company through the messages.
• Better communication- there will be less chance of misunderstanding between the company and the email marketing management company.
• Correction of mistakes immediately- if there is a last minute change that needs to be made to an email, you’ll be able to easily make it, instead of having to worry about if you’ll be able to contact your email marketing management company at an odd hour, or even during normal business hours.

What do you think? Do you agree with these results?

A few weeks ago I wrote a post asking my readers what they thought about the relationship between computer color and the level of professionalism you portray. The post, Professionalism and Computer Color, got quite a few comments with some great insight. I decided it would be wise to wrap up this debate with a recap of some of the comments, and some final thoughts.

From the beginning, I thought that actions spoke louder than the color of your laptop cover, but I’ve heard of others thinking the practice of “prettying” up your computer was viewed as unprofessional- so I sought further opinion. After looking at the array of comments, there seemed to be a pretty good mix of those who thought fun laptops were unprofessional, and those who did not think the two variables were related.

All in all, it seems like the majority of commenters believe that there are more important things that will determine your professional level, and that laptop color is not a huge determining factor. However, the color of your laptop does say something about you! So if you choose a color, choose a color that suits you.

I’d also like to point out an alternative to the solid colored laptop- keyboard skinds! Change keyboard color depending on your mood! You can check them out for MacBooks here or for the MacBook Air here. You can also check out the colored Notebook Sleeves, or carrying cases for your laptop!

Also- this post inspired Bill Sodeman, a fellow blogger to write a follow-up post talking more about how colorful your laptop should be. Be sure to check it out!

Unusual Laptop Color = Portraying unProfessionalism

Pinny Cohen Says:

white or black…nothing in between.

Jerry G Says:

First, it depends on your industry. Even then, you’re better off with more conservative colors. It’s not about who you are, it’s about who your customer wants you to be. The color of your computer should be a non-issue, so don’t make it into one with a computer that screams who-knows-what to your clients.

sciencebase Says:

In the same way that the original Windows XP color scheme makes your PC look like a Fisher-Price toy, having a fluffy pink laptop with orange spots would be perceived as not quite a professional machine.

Danny Lucas Says:

In the past, being flamboyant in the laptop game was likely done with the choice of carrying case color. New options to trumpet and bump it arise with VAIO. Caution is in order. The business world is pretty staid. You may have more moxie, but when you take your laptop on business calls, YOU represent your business, not you….

Color your hair; leave your VAIO alone.

Professionalism and Laptop Color are Not Correlated

Richard Callaby Says:

I think that “professionalism” is how one conducts business from day to day. It is not the color of their laptop or even their hair. We as a culture are way to focused on the external as ways to determine the inner person. I know I have been judged based upon my appearance many times, sometimes good and other times not so good. Either way i did not feel that it was right for a “professional” to do this ….

So no I do not think that the color of the laptop you are carrying around is a very important factor in determining professionalism ….

Miguel Wickert Says:

Okay, I have a black HP, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with the notebook displayed above. I guess if also depends on your company or co-workers? Personally, choose whatever color you like! Lastly, it’s not the color of your notebook that matters but the creditability and quality of both your production and word.

Wingnut Says:

I suppose it really matters about the business you’re in… My laptop is white but clients rarely, if ever, see that… I go to business meetings in jeans and a tee shirt…If you’re good at what you do you can pretty much do whatever you want

Kyle James Says:

It’s a laptop… why does it matter? I’d be more worried about an unprofessional background image or a cluttered desktop on the computer than the color of a laptop. As business becomes more and more personal and all about building relationships wouldn’t this help people better understand YOU?

Fumi Says:

Love sees no color. Go for it!

Vivienne Quek Says:

If we want to stand tall like an elegant crane amongst the chuckling chicken, we have to been seen and heard above the din. Folks in the creative industry probably can get away with pink lappy with orange pokka dots.

Mixed Emotions

Erie BlogWatch Says:

It seems to me that a lot would depend on what line of work you are in. For example, a distinctive splash of color on a laptop case could be a desirable attribute in your (e.g., Erica’s) area of endeavor which is creative & marketing & image oriented and by its very nature embraces a certain amount of irreverence.

On the other hand, if you worked in a job which required projecting a more staid serious image to clients and among associates… then —like clothing— basic grey or black suit with a white shirt is probably the safest way to go.

Truth be told, in most cases I’m not sure it really matters one way or another so live it up ! Life is short.

Sierra Says:

Depends and depends… If your work environment has some strict unwritten rules and you you want progress in that environment, you have to follow those laws and get the dark-blue laptop with you, leaving the Hello Kitty-branded at home. (or just be yourself and quit.)

Cody McKibben Says:

I think if you’re in any sort of creative field like myself, in web design, it can’t hurt. For creatives like designers, developers, artists, freelancers, etc., custom skins and engraving are becoming the norm …

If you’re going into investment banking, you might want to stick to black or grey…

Btb Sales Training Says:

Ideally you could have two laptops lol, one for either type of client.

Thanks for everyone’s comments!

Marc over at OneMan’sGoal is offering to register your domain name, set up your blog and host it for you for 6 months- all for FREE.

Well, okay, so its not completely free- though you don’t have to pay for it. It’s more of an exchange. You will write three blog posts for him, and he’ll host your blog for FREE. But, if you can write, but aren’t real tech saavy with setting up a self hosted blog, or don’t have the money to pay for domain registration and hosting right now- this could be for you.

There doesn’t even seem to be as to how many people can take advantage of this offer.

If this might interest you, can check out Marc’s original post on this offer here. Good Luck and have fun!

After commenting slightly multiple times on how Twitter can be a great marketing tool, I’ve finally taken the plunge and signed up to try it out. I’ve always been a little bit skeptical of exactly how useful it can be in the marketing sense, so now I’ll finally get to try it out myself!

Since I’m involved in so many other types of social media, it will be interesting to find how relevant it will be to me- and how often I’ll end up using it.

If you’re at all interested in eMarketing and the different types of new media, or if you’re interested in knowing what I’m doing from time to time, follow me on Twitter to stay updated!

I’ll be sure to keep you informed on the success rates I achieve with Twitter, and how it compares to the types of social media I’ve used before.

Happy Independence Day!

I originally planned to celebrate today by providing you with links to all of the cool July 4th Blog posts, complete with free images and unique news. But, it looks like the majority of bloggers have taken the day off.

So, instead, I decided to introduce you to BlingEasy in a fun way. BlingEasy! was brought to my attention by a post by Shoemoney, in which he uploaded a few pictures of himself and “blinged” them. I did the same.

Feel free to visit BlingEasy.com in order to upload your own photo and bling it out with all of their animations. It’s very easy, and a great way to have a little fun. Enjoy, and Happy 4th of July, everybody!

My first involvement in social media came my Sophomore year of college when I finally joined Facebook, although I was skeptical the year before, calling the network “stalker net.” It was around this time that Facebook was growing rapidly, becoming an extremely effective way for college students to meet eachother while at university, and keep in touch upon graduation.

That was in 2005. Facebook has come a long way since then- becoming a vital social marketing tool for many companies, along with many other social media mediums. I’ve put together a list of some social media tools and how they can be used for marketing purposes. Enjoy!

Facebook:

Where it all started (for me). Start your own group and begin building members. Create your own company and begin gaining fans to notify of your new products or services. Create an application that is fun, functional, and advertises your brand. Or, if you are your own brand, create your own profile and begin adding your friends, and networking with potential clients.

For more information on Facebook Marketing, be sure to check out “I’m on Facebook– Now What,” a book that’s on my reading list, written by Jason Alba and Jesse Stay. This book explains the different parts of Facebook and how to get the most out of Facebook. It helps you learn how to use Facebook to further your career, business, or job.

Blogging:

There are endless marketing possibilities in blogging, so long as you play by the rules. Blogging is essentially your own publication- you are free to market yourself as often as you would like. The key is to maintain a balance between relevant quality content for your visitors and marketing yourself. Remember that the content you provide will help to add to your reputation and build you up as a thought leader and expert in your field. Blogs also give you the forum necessary to address and clear up any controversy or attacks on your company.

Podcasting or Videocasting:

Provide your viewers / listeners with some useful information and content, once again building yourself or your company as the expert in your field. You can also feature some new or popular products either as a podcasting series (if it’s interesting enough), or as a feature in each episode.

RSS Feeds:

Get creative! Some think that RSS feeds can only be applied to your blog- updating your regular readers when there is a new post. RSS feeds can reach much further than that- think of adding a feed to your product page to notify customers of new products or services being offered. Or use RSS feeds to deliver your email newsletters to those that wish to receive the content in a reader. Offering a choice will greatly increase the perceived value of you and your brand.

Twitter:

Several companies have began to use Twitter’s 140 available characters in each ‘tweet’ to market their brands and companies, as well as reach their customers on a more personal level. Twitter can be used to inform “fans” or followers of upcoming products, special events or promotions, addressing controversy or bad publicity, and any other company announcements. For more information on how to use Twitter to better market yourself, visit the PandemicBlog post Twitter Marketing by Bernardo Sosa.

So, how do you use social media to market your company, its products, or yourself? Please share with us!

This post was written as an entry in An Island Life’s first ever group writing project.