Ask 10 people to define buzz and you’ll get seven different answers.
Three people will say, “I know it when I see it.”
It’s easy to quantify a YouTube video by the number of views.
It’s straightforward to quantify a blog through the underlying analytics.
But how do you quantify buzz for a company, especially one in the B2B space?
Here’s a thought that gets horseshoe-close.
It’s called Google.
Using the timeframe function in the search engine (below graphic), you can measure the number of hits by quarter, which starts to give you a feel for the buzz factor.
![google search custom date range](https://hawebpage.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/1-3.jpg)
True, this doesn’t touch on the qualitative side, but given how much due diligence takes place online, it’s not a bad starting point.
Applying the theory to our client, SuVolta, you can see how the numbers played out in 2011.
![suvolta google hits](https://hawebpage.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/chart2-3.jpg)
SuVolta officially came out of stealth mode in June 2011, so you would expect a modest profile in Q1 2011. From the June launch forward, you’d like to see a decent spike, which occurs between Q2 and Q4 (Q3 was a catch-your-breath quarter).
Given SuVolta sits in a somewhat esoteric space – technology for constructing the transistors that make up chips – I’d say these numbers show a certain level of buzz.
I recognize the approach falls short of rigorous research. Obviously, the universe of hits will contain a lot of junk and, short of going through each and every one, it’s tough to calculate the percent of good stuff.
Still, I think the technique has possibilities.
And on the qualitative side, you can apply the eye test; i.e., does it look like a company on the move?
Here’s the page one of the Google search results for Q1 2011
![analyzing buzz with google](https://hawebpage.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2-2.jpg)
Again, the company was still in stealth, so a fairly humdrum stream.
Here’s the page one of the Google search results for Q4 of the same year:
![using google to calculate corporate buzz](https://hawebpage.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3-2.jpg)
With publications ranging from Reuters to VentureBeat to EE Times, it passes the eye test.
I’d welcome hearing your thoughts.
In the meantime, I’ll keep experimenting.
Comments
B2B Marketing News » Weekly Reads for March 19, 2012
[…] Quantifying The Intangible Quality Called Buzz by Lou Hoffman Ask 10 people to define buzz and you’ll get seven different answers. But how do you quantify buzz for a company, especially one in the B2B space? […]
Todd Quinn
Lou, for this informal research you can use Google Trends follow the trend of a word/phrase. http://www.google.com/trends/?q=SuVolta+
Lou Hoffman
Thanks Todd.
Good hearing from you and appreciate the call out to Google Trends.
I agree it’s a useful tool.