Buzz marketing, social marketing and internet viral marketing are all terms that are frequently bandied about in today’s Web 2.0 world. But what do they really mean? Is the definition of viral marketing, the definition of buzz marketing and the definition of social marketing the same? Let’s take a look at each of these.

Definition of viral marketing

The term “computer virus” was coined to describe a harmful computer program that replicates itself to spread from computer to computer, much like a real human virus. Viral marketing is a similar concept. It is an online idea, whether it be a game, a site or a message, that becomes popular due to being passed from person to person, normally very quickly. Often time internet viral marketing happens unintentionally. A viral marketing example is that a person finds a previously unknown website and sends the URL to 5 of their friends. Those friends, in turn send the URL to 5 of their friends. And so on after that.

Definition of buzz marketing

Buzz marketing can be related to internet viral marketing. It is sometimes used to help launch a viral marketing campaign and sometimes happens after an idea goes viral. Buzz marketing is when a concept appears online in key influential locations. For example, a popular blogger may talk about a previously unknown website. This in turn causes several other bloggers to talk about the site as well.

Definition of social marketing

Social marketing is more of a collective marketing. Rather than an idea being passed along, as you would find with internet viral marketing or buzz marketing, it is gathered together in a central location, typically a social media site like Digg, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us or YouTube. An idea is submitted to these places and then additional actions are done by others to cause it to be elevated in the public view. In the case of Digg or StumbleUpon, a webpage is submitted and then others vote on the merit of that webpage on the Digg or StumbleUpon website. The more votes a webpage gets, the more visible the wepage is to other users of the service. Similarly, on Del.icio.us, the more times a URL is saved by members on the Del.icio.us site, the more visible it is to other members. On YouTube, the more times a video is viewed, the more visible it is to other viewers.

Now that you know the definition of viral marketing, the definition of buzz marketing and the definition of social marketing, you can use these different concepts to build on one another. In the Web 2.0 world, these three closely related forms of marketing can be combined to create a power packed yet affordable online marketing campaign.

Great question!

Buzz or Internet viral marketing is a highly effectively form of word of mouth advertising that makes people excited or enthusiastic about information received – in a format that makes it easy for them to spontaneously pass the info along.

Traditionally, companies wishing to advertise bought space in magazines, on billboards, on television and radio and so forth. Then, as the Internet became a predominant source of information, forward-thinking companies began buying banner ads and space on web pages to tout their products and services. Then, with the advent of pay per click advertising, even more options opened up for advertisers.

Buzz marketing, though, is different from all of these types of advertising, which makes it all the more intriguing.

In buzz marketing, individuals or companies create something unique and interesting – perhaps a YouTube video or a quirky interactive quiz. Whatever format is chosen, it is generally set up to feel like a one-on-one conversation with the viewer rather than a heavy promotion piece. As people see this video, quiz or offbeat information, they begin talking about it and forwarding it to friends, family and business colleagues.

Buzz marketing / Internet viral marketing is unpredictable in format.

Your Internet viral marketing campaign can be positive or negative in its messaging and often contains images or words that are startling and unexpected. Quirky or humorous attempts in Internet viral marketing campaigns can be quite successful.

It’s important to identify online influencers – or people with knowledge, authority and contacts – to ensure that they can participate in your viral marketing campaign.

Restricting the piece of information used as buzz to a few key people in an industry or online space can be an effective technique. Everyone likes to be the first person “in the know” and, if you carefully choose who will be in the know first with your buzz, you may quickly find your viral marketing campaign being discussed in influential blogs, online forums and emails. This attention can translate into significantly higher traffic to your web site, along with increased conversions, sales and return on investment.

Hope this answers your two questions: “what is buzz marketing” and “what is viral marketing.” Here’s a question for you: what will be the next successful viral marketing campaign?

Share your thoughts below!

This is an interesting question, but for our readers, we have to take a step back and define a few things before we answer it in this online social network article.

What are online social network medias and SMS?

SMS stands for Short Message Service. It is a fancy way of saying cell phone texting.

Online social network medias are sites where people can gather and connect with one another online. Facebook and MySpace are the most common examples, but there are now 100s of social networking sites out there.

What is the value of internet social networking sites and SMS?

The internet, the ever evolving technology that it is, has brought many forms of communication vehicles to the world. E-mail, forums, blogging and video are among them. The value of internet social networking sites is that it brings yet one more kind of communication to internet users, which makes it easier to connect with other users.

Cell phones have also changed the world. 10 years ago, it was nearly unheard of for a person a carry their own personal cell phone. Today, nearly everyone does. SMS allows cell phone users to send short messages to other cell phone users. Information and ideas can be communicated quickly without wasting time on the formalities phones require (like saying “hello” and “goodbye”).

Will online social network medias and SMS marginalize email?

I think the fact that online social network medias and SMS coexist and that the question was asked about both types of communication speaks volumes to answer this question as similar questions were asked about email and phones many years ago. It is a bit ironic that we are being asked now if a phone service will marginalize email. Email did not marginalize the phone, nor will social media and the phone marginalize email.

It is a misconception of social networking and SMS to think that it can replace email, the same as it was a misconception of email to think it could replace the phone. Each kind of communication serves a distinct and varied purpose.

You can think of social networking sites as a party, SMS as a run to the coffee shop and email like a dinner date. Neither one can replace the other, but it is nice that we have these numerous ways to socialize with friends, family and peers.

The value of internet social networking sites is that they can gather together large groups of your social connections in a more relaxed setting. SMS allows you to quickly get to the point, perhaps with small details attached. Email allows for more in-depth discussion and conveyance of additional materials to support the discussion.

Don’t let the misconception of social networking becoming the end of the evolution of the web fool you. I can guarantee that someday I will be asked to write another online social network article about whether social media is being marginalized. There are many, many more innovations in store for us in the coming years. We are not pushing out any one form of communication over another. We are simply expanding the number of ways we can communicate.

These days, taking the time to watch YouTube videos online has become a standard part of the average internet users day. Over 60 million people visit YouTube.com each month just to watch a YouTube video. Don’t you think that you should try to get a few of those eyeballs looking at your site?

YouTube is more than kids lip synching. It is a new form of online marketing – internet video marketing.

Even before Google bought YouTube, it had become a mega giant in the internet world. Google saw the future and bought YouTube. Shortly thereafter, Google launched their Universal Search. Universal Search combined the ability to search for local information, videos, and websites. Google has essentially made YouTube a significant part of the search results.

This means that your company can rank in the search results with either your website or a YouTube video. Video marketing is not complicated or hard. Let’s take a look at what you need.

You may already have something you can use for video marketing.

At a basic level, internet video marketing is simply having a video. Does your company have a commercial it has produced? How about a video presentation of a key officer? Maybe a fun flash piece that you have on your site, or even one you use to have on your site that you no longer use? All of these can be easily converted into a video for YouTube. Convert these files into the acceptable files for YouTube (.WMV, .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG) and you have an instant YouTube video.

Creating a new YouTube video for internet video marketing.

If you do not have video laying around that you can use, making your own video is not hard. You need a video camera, editing software and optional tripod. Shoot video of something about your company. Even better, shoot video of something that has to do with your target keywords. If you are a candy company who wants to rank for “Chocolate Covered Strawberries”, shoot video about how your company makes chocolate covered strawberries. You only need a few minutes of video.

Most cameras now come with editing software, although you can find free video editing software online. Use the video editing software to add opening and closing credits (be sure to put your company name and web address).

Upload the video to YouTube with your keywords in the title of the video. Make sure to optimize your video description as well. Voila! You now have a YouTube video that can help you with internet video marketing and increases your chances of ranking in Google’s Universal Search.

Have you tried internet video marketing? If so, tell us about it. If not, don’t you think it is time for people to watch YouTube videos online about your company?

What are web 2.0 sites?
On web 2.0 sites, a visitor can leave new content and new media (such as video or podcasts) and respond to previously posted content and media. These are sites where not only does the site talk to the visitor through content and media, but where the visitor can talk back. This user-generated content is then presented to other visitors to improve the experience for everyone on the site.

What are social networking websites?
The web 2.0 evolution is mostly made up of online social networks. These are sites where not only can the visitor generate the content, but they can connect with other visitors who are also generating content. This is where the “friend” component comes in. Many times, on online social networks, a visitor can connect to others by listing them as a friend.

What are some examples of web 2.0 sites? Social networking websites?
Web 2.0 sites websites can take many forms. Sites like Wikipedia, StumbleUpon, Digg and Pandora are collaborative examples of the web 2.0 evolution. These sites draw on the knowledge, opinions and behaviors of the community to create something better for the community.

• Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that visitors can edit and add to so that future readers can enjoy the information.
• StumbleUpon allows users to vote on websites so that other users may randomly visit the highest ranking sites.
• Digg allows visitors to submit and vote on news and information so that other visitors can easily find what is deemed the best information.
• Pandora allows you to vote on music so that other visitors who fit your “musical genome” profile can listen to new music that they are almost guaranteed to love.

Social networking websites allow users to create their own information and then actively seek others to share that information. Online social networks like this include MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn and Twitter. All of these online social networks allow visitors to create their own page and then connect with others who will receive regular updates when the pages change.

• MySpace is geared towards a younger crowd,
• FaceBook a more mature group, and
• Linkedin for business networking while
• Twitter is a micro version of a blog.

As intimidating as the web 2.0 evolution may seem, it is actually something exciting to watch. Tapping into social networking websites can create significant opportunities for your site. Tell us what your experiences with web 2.0 sites have been so far!