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ISBN 9781591841104 Published Nov. 2005
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Posted June 16, 2008 4:15 a.m. by 800-ceo-read
In Book Reviews - 800 CEO Read Blog
Dave Balter seems to love proving people wrong. People thought he was crazy when he created one of the first word of mouth media companies, BzzAgent. But, through his work, he has proven that people are not only willing, but actually want to be involved in learning about brands and products, and helping spread the word about them, if engaged with and listened to.
Dave is being looked at askance once again, people wondering if he's finally lost it. The reason this time is the release of his new book, entitled The Word of Mouth Manual: Volume II. In an rather unorthodox move, he has decided to self-publish it. He didn't have to self-publish it--his last book, The Grapevine, was published by Portfolio and did well. He also doesn't have to release a free eBook of the material, something a publisher would never let him do, but he is.
After reading the eBook--reading how word of mouth marketing is the Grateful Dead to viral marketing's Falco ("Rock Me Amadeus") for example--you'll want to buy the physical edition. Only a few thousand are being printed, so it's sure to be a collector's item, and each book comes with an original piece of artwork by their artist in residence, Seth B. Minkin.
If you'd like more material to start you off, Dave has previously written a ChangeThis manifesto, and Todd interviewed him after the release of his first book. If you're interested in why he decided to self-publish, he has written a very well reasoned post on the topic.
Here's the direct link to the PDF edition of The Word of Mouth Manual:
http://www.800ceoread.com/wommvii
Bzzz...
Posted Sept. 14, 2007 3:54 a.m. by kate
In Marketing - 800 CEO Read Blog
Last night Jon and I listened to a speech from Malcolm Faulds of BzzAgent -- the company founded by Dave Balter, author of Grapevine. I'm still fascinated by what BzzAgent is doing.
Dave created BzzAgent to harness the power of word-of-mouth. Both the agents and the marketers benefit from it. The marketers have The agents get to try the latest and greatest products and tell their friends about them.
The company assumes that, on average, every agent will tell 12 people about the product/service; those 12 people then turn around and tell four other folks. Back in 2005 there were 75,000 BzzAgents. Malcolm said they're up to 310,000 now. The price varies by project. An estimate for a 10-week project with 1,000 agents that includes shipping is $70,000.
I wish I was a better BzzAgent. Then, perhaps, I would have had a shot at trying out a new car:
When the new VW Passats were unveiled, BzzAgent worked with VW dealers to arrange a 48-hour test drive for a handful of agents. Of the original 6302 agents invited to participate, 1167 scheduled test drives and 1071 completed a test drive. In the end, 375 Passats were sold/leased.
What I always find interesting is how other ideas (often found in books) are implemented in strategies. For example, BzzAgent uses Reichheld's NPS. And for phone polling they work with Jonathan and Edward's company.
Oh, and if you're looking for WOM books, see BzzAgent's Resources.
Jack Covert Selects: Grapevine
Posted Nov. 8, 2005 4:36 a.m. by jack
Grapevine: The New Art of Word-of-Mouth Marketing by David Balter, John Butman, Portfolio, 288 Pages, $24.95 Hardcover, November 2005, ISBN 1591841100
I am always asking people what music they are listening to. I am a big music guy and am constantly looking for new stuff. I've found some of my favorite music through suggestions. That is a perfect example of the power of word-of-mouth.
"Grapevine" is a perfect example of a book about word-of-mouth marketing. The book is written by Dave Balter, the founder of BzzAgent. His company has a legion of volunteers who like getting cool stuff and then go out and tell others about it. His book shares his experiences and multiple case studies.
Here are a few of the points I took away. First is his chapter called The Myth of the Influentials where he lays out that it is not the buzzers or early adopters that make the difference. It is the folks who are slightly above average in their loyalty to a product or service. The other key point is the importance of embracing negativity. Some BzzAgent campaigns have found problems with quality and levels of service. Dave's point is that if you listen to what people are saying you can adjust and enjoy even more success.
I am going to engage in some word-of-mouth marketing now and recommend you pick up a copy of "Grapevine". Let's get the buzz started.
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Dave Balter/Grapvine Interview
Posted Oct. 31, 2005 12:04 p.m. by todd-sattersten
In Audio - 800 CEO Read Blog
A few weeks ago, I had a great conversation with Dave Balter, founder of BzzAgent and author of Grapevine: The New Art of Word of Mouth Marketing. We covered everything form why influentials are not as important as people think to why negative feedback can be just as important as positive.
We talk about Butterfly Economics by Paul Omerod at the beginning of the podcast.
mp3, 38:50, 26.7MB
