BEYOND BUZZ
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BEYOND BUZZ The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth Marketing
LO I S K E L LY
American Management Association New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City San Francisco • Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D.C.
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[email protected] Web site: www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales To view all AMACOM titles go to: www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Various names used by companies to distinguish their software and other products can be claimed as trademarks. AMACOM uses such names throughout this book for editorial purposes only, with no intention of trademark violation. All such software or product names are in initial capital letters or ALL CAPITAL letters. Individual companies should be contacted for complete information regarding trademarks and registration. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kelly, Lois 1955Beyond buzz : the next generation of word-of-mouth marketing / Lois Kelly. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-10: 0-8144-7383-0 (hardcover) ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-7383-2 (hardcover) 1. Communication in marketing. 2. Marketing. I. Title. HF5415.123.K45 2007 658.8—dc22 2006036160 © 2007 Lois Kelly All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
“The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it.” —Edward R. Murrow
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Contents
Introduction
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1. Enough with the marketing blah blah blah—let’s talk about something interesting
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• People should like talking about your company • Lights out in San Francisco: Lessons from a blackout • To provoke conversations, have something interesting to talk about • Obstacles to conversational marketing • Why conversational marketing matters • Three steps for real, relevant, and repeatable conversations
2. Make meaning, not buzz
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• Overwhelmed and desperately seeking meaning • Meaning helps make sense of information • Four