I don't think that I'm alone in saying that I love free things. We can all identify with the feeling that comes with getting something without tapping into our wallets. But what if you could get things for "free" that would only cost you a few minutes out of your day? You might remember that our book mentioned a particular website called BzzAgent, which relies on the groundswell in order to create marketing momentum through social media and personal blogs. BzzAgent sends you a product kit, you answer some survey questions about the brand prior to and after you get the product, and with a few suggested hashtags, you post to your social media accounts promoting the item(s) that you have received. Easy enough right?
When a friend told me about this site a few years ago, I blew it off. Nothing in life is free. That holds true here, but in this case the only currency they expect of you time, a bit of effort and an honest opinion. As I previously stated...I'm a sucker for free things...so I signed up.
Fast forward to this past week when after a year long hiatus, I got a little nudge from BzzAgent asking if I wanted to try a new toothpaste. Since the timing of the invitation was coincidental I decided to reserve my spot in the campaign.
So, how does BzzAgent model their consumer involvement? according the other diagram below, the concentrate on four key areas: Targeting & Engaging, Stimulating, Generating, and Reaching & Influencing. Sound familiar? Its basically the key groundswell strategies that we have all become familiar with.
So, what comes next? You've just gotten your brand new tube of toothpaste or bag of coffee. How do you call upon the powers bestowed upon you by the groundswell? Buzz about it. Tell the world.
Everytime you complete a post on social media, you increase your own personal Bzzscore - the number that increases the likelihood that you'll be called on for more campaigns. I have a bad habit of getting bored with these things. As you can see, I'm was pretty surprised that they recently tried to draw me back in to this.
The important thing to reflect on is that the groundswell exists for us to participate in it whether we realize we are or not. You don't need a fancy number to determine your ability or a free tube of toothpaste to participate. BzzAgent is one example of how you can be rewarded for taking an active roll in the promotion of products, but you've probably been doing it for a long time without compensation. Like, literally any time you've posted a picture of your dinner at a restaurant, you've been playing the type of game that BzzAgent has created a business around.
There is no reason to wait for an invitation - go out and claim a piece of the groundswell for yourself.
I avoid doing any marketing for free, but I am also aware that the instant I have my phone on me, I become a great source of data. I wonder if you are asking us that we should try and claim payment for the services we provide to companies in the normal course of our day? This would be awesome, because Google owes me a big check. I think everyone should ask for a discount next time you are at a restaurant. Sir, I would like to take a picture and post about how delicious the food here is, but first are you able to apply a 20% discount to my balance, thanks much? I may try that just for the fun of.
ReplyDeleteI love your writing, it is engaging, concise and to the point.
Meaghan, I really enjoyed reading your blog post! like you, I like free stuff too. I however, have never signed up for something like this. But you're right even if I haven't signed up for it, it still exists. You're so right though, I do so much free advertising when I post pictures of food. BzzAgent was pretty smart to make a business out of it. So yes people get free stuff, but they advertise and word of mouth is so much more valuable to the company providing the free product than the cost of the free product.
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