thebuzzforge is a boutique marketing agency specializing in Social Media Marketing, interactive and local marketing including web sites supported with forum and chat word of mouth advertising, traditional media keying on brand and relationship building and stealth campaigns targeted at highly specific audiences.

A few general thoughts before we get started.

About your web site:
While a web site is perhaps not absolutely essential for a business to prosper today it is quickly becoming so. Even for local businesses a web site is becoming an important part of the marketing mix.

Consider that a 2004 Kelsey Gorup-BizRate.com study found that more than 74% of respondents said that they conduct local searches and that 20% of ALL SEARCHES were local. That’s a huge number and it’s from 2004!

Today Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines are quickly replacing the printed yellow pages. The various search engines local search elements allows greater targeting for city and neighborhood businesses.

In addition to local searches your ability to address questions and display virtually an unlimited number of products and services on your site allows you to focus on brand building in traditional media. Utilize your web site in all your marketing allowing your potential customers to get to know you.

Remember, people prefer the familiar, if you web site gives them a map and directions, pictures of your entrance (is it welcoming?), and employees, you are one step closer to increasing your business.

About your traditional advertising:
You’re probably wasting your money.

Sorry, but over the past 30+ years I’ve seen more crappy ads run on the radio, in the news paper, on cable and broadcast TV, billboards, on restaurant place mats you name it, that make no since to last me a life time. The sad thing is early in my life I sold and wrote many of them. It seems that the tradition continues.

Face it, if you have your radio rep write your ad it’s probably gong to suck. If you have your local newspaper guy lay out your ad it will probably suck. Even if your local TV or cable company produces your ad they are in a position where they, and most other copywriters, producers, have to crank out dozens of ads at a time and they fall back on generic, bland and bad.

And, they were probably not very well educated in writing or production in the beginning. Oh, they may be good at running the equipment, adding a few effects and creating sparkle but is that what your customer needs?

Few ads done today in any media take the perspective of the end user, your customer, in mind. Fewer still understand the mental mechanics involved when someone sees or hears your ad. What makes them pay attention or tune you out?

Ask your rep, copy writer, designer or producer what the last book they read on marketing was. Better yet, what was the last book they read and why. (I’ll explain the reason for this in a buzzforge newsletter installment but you can ask if you’re interested)