SMALL BUSINESS: Creating buzz about your biz

Want to get people talking about your business? It won't happen by accident.

Creating buzz doesn't have to cost a lot of money, but it does take time and commitment. And it requires building enough enthusiasm around your product or service that people will want to "talk up" your business, experts say.

"It's all about creating positive conversations and getting people talking about you," says Wendy Kenney, author of "Build Buzz for Your Biz" (23 Kazoos Publishing, $15.95) and president of 23 Kazoos Llc, a marketing agency in Mesa, Ariz. "The goal in buzz marketing is to create visibility and credibility so people are attracted to you and your company."

With that said, here are some buzz-making strategies to consider:

Create a giveaway. Freebies can be a great way to create goodwill, garner free publicity and land new customers, Kenney says. For example, she represents an Arizona barbecue restaurant that holds a customer appreciation day each year, giving away about 6,000 meals to customers. The event draws publicity, and the restaurant breaks even within two months as a result of the new business generated, Kenney notes.

Build community or support a cause.Align yourself with a charity or cause that your target audience relates to, suggests Tara Tollefson of The Buzz Company in St. Joseph, Minn., which specializes in client relations research and word-of-mouth marketing. Be more than just a name on a sponsor list; for example, if it's an event, have a physical presence and interact with your audience, she says.

Host insiders' events. Hold a special event and invite your top customers, Tollefson suggests. Don't make it a sales event, but rather use it as an opportunity to ask them for feedback, she notes. Then use some of the best suggestions to improve the customer experience.

Create a happening.That's what Prime Restaurant in Huntington is doing this summer by kicking off Monday movie nights, where patrons can enjoy popcorn, cocktails, barbecue and, of course, a movie at an outdoor theater set up behind the cabana bar, says co-owner Michael Bohlsen, who has four other eateries. Prime will hand out complimentary movie night cocktail tickets (that mimic a real movie ticket) on Friday nights at the beginning of the season, which runs May 31 to Sept. 6, to generate excitement, Bohlsen says. "It gets people talking," he says, noting Prime also has planned some special events, including a night of food and fashion with local boutiques on June 8 and a Ferrari and Azimut Yachts display and fashion show on July 14 - both benefiting Island Harvest, a local hunger relief organization.

Harness the power of online video.Kevin Kelly of BigBuzz Communications in Melville says he's created a lot of buzz with an online television show he launched last September called the BuzzBubble (thebuzzbubble.com). It features a 10-minute weekly interview with a different advertising leader. "We have close to 40,000 viewers," Kelly says.

Position yourself as an educator or thought leader. Provide useful, interesting and relevant information, adds Kelly, via a blog, class or the like. Matthew Lewis of Lewis Wellness Consulting, who is also clinical director of the Creating Wellness Center of Commack, does this with healthy-shopping tours and cooking classes he presents at Whole Foods in Lake Grove. "It builds credibility and creates buzz," he says.

Form a strategic alliance. Are there buzzworthy events or promotions you can do with other local businesses? For instance, Lewis also has teamed up with The Water Store in Commack to hold healthy-cooking demonstrations and tastings there twice a month, which Whole Foods helps sponsor. "The cooking classes are the best things we've done in terms of PR," Lewis says.

More buzzworthy ideas:

Start your own networking group.

Start a blog.

Hold a contest.