"Yes marketers," says Christina Kerley (aka CK), "you absolutely want people talking up (or, buzzing over) your brands. And you really want them saying great things. But you want the buzz you've worked so hard for to lead somewhere."

Too often, she argues at her blog, we consider buzz-generation to be the final destination, not the road that moves us from a strategy to an ROI-oriented goal like:

• Creating awareness with the right customers
• Encouraging them to buy or repurchase your brand
• Prompting referrals to those who will also make a purchase
• Increasing the perceived value of your brand

To do this, your buzz should:

• Resonate with your target audience. You don't have to be all things to everyone who uses the Internet. "A $99,000 piece of construction equipment does not need to resonate with a teenage boy," she says, "but a $.99 mp3 does."
• Make a lasting impact on them. What have you really achieved if your day of buzz is quickly superseded by another company's buzzworthy effort?

The Po!nt: "Remember," says CK, "you're looking for maximum impact, not maximum impressions. Less noise, more signal. You want to increase earnings not just eyeballs."

Source: CK's Blog. Click here for the complete post.

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