This week media, bloggers and influencers from across the country received invitations to an Apple event in San Francisco that they strongly hinted would be the premier of the highly anticipated iPhone 5. Social media has already erupted with discussion of what the new iPhone will feature, what will be revealed at the Apple event on the 12, and Apple fans and media are eager to see what happens next Wednesday.
Apple has long been unbeatable in the areas of marketing and advertising, and provides a beautiful example of the effectiveness of buzz marketing. The brand employs several basic, easily-replicated and cheap that you can use at your company.
Obviously you need to put out a great product to create a loyal following, but, simply providing a great product isn’t enough to generate a following. What Apple has done to become so successful is master buzz marketing. Before any of their products come out, Apple reaches out to bloggers, the press – every influencer they can get their hands on. These people talking about the upcoming product and what it might do creates a lot of online dialogue surrounding the brand.
Graph by Alerti
It’s also important to look at the way Apple chooses to talk about their products. You won’t see Apple going on and on about the technical specifics of their devices – most people won’t understand, and the ones who do can easily find that information. Instead, Apple chooses to use a more personal, human approach: they talk about their custoers’ lives, and how their lives can be made easier and better with the newest product from Apple. They paint a picture of a world that customers want to be a part of. This is an easy technique to employ – advertise your product in a way that is less technical, more personal.
After building up anticipation and buzz about their upcoming product that will allegedly revolutionize your live, Apple throws an event to premier said product. While Apple’s budget for these events is, undoubtedly, quite large, an event to introduce your new product is something you can do on any budget. Don’t just do a press release, show people how great your product is. Spread some enthusiasm. The day following Apple’s mysterious event invitations going out, in which the premier of the iPhone 5 was hinted at, online discussion of Apple exploded.
Graph by Alerti
Even with a small budget, the techniques that have helped make Apple the success story they are today are easily replicated at your business. It’s important to be original – don’t try to be Apple – but, their marketing and PR tactics are unbeatable and worth integrating into your marketing, social media and PR plans.
Read more: 10 Genius Marketing Tactics Apple Uses to Beat Its Competitors