by Amy Lowe

Created on: July 25, 2008

Do you enjoy being the first among your friends to try new products? Do your friends and family come to you for advice when buying products? If so, you may be an ideal candidate to become a BzzAgent!

BzzAgent is a word-of-mouth marketing website that utilizes grassroots campaigns to spread positive "Bzz" about various products. Companies pay BzzAgent a fee and provide them with products they want sampled and reviewed by "Agents". Products can range from books to food to small appliances. There is no fee to join BzzAgent, though some campaigns do charge a nominal fee for a higher-priced item, though the fee is always considerably cheaper than purchasing it at retail and often is at cost (for example, I was recently offered a campaign for a video game system and games for much cheaper than retail).

BzzAgent selects participants based on profiles and short surveys filled out on their site. When an Agent meets the criteria set forth by the participating company, they receive an email inviting them to join a campaign. Time is of the essence when receiving these emails as there is typically a limited amount of spots that need to be filled.

Once you have been selected for a campaign and you have chosen to join it, you will receive a Bzz Kit in the mail within the next several weeks. The kit will contain your Bzz Guide, a manual with information on the product you will be Bzzing and unique features of the product, the actual product itself and the BzzAgent Code of Conduct featuring the guidelines by which you must Bzz.

All BzzAgents must follow the Code of Conduct when Bzzing, including letting anyone you Bzz know that you are a BzzAgent. It is up to you to create the Bzz and the opportunity to Bzz your friends, family and anyone else you can. Every time you Bzz someone, whether you give them a free sample, coupon, or just tell them about the product, you should report your Bzz on the Bzz Agent website. These reports are crucial to your success as an Agent and must be detailed. Your Bzz will be reviewed and you will receive credits according to the detail of your report, number of people Bzz'd and quality of your report & Bzz.

By reporting your Bzz, you not only get points (which can be transferred to MyPoints), but you also get your status level up, making you more likely to be offered other campaigns in the future as well as earlier invites to campaigns as your level increases.

At the end of the campaign you will receive a post-campaign poll. This poll is also quite important and if you neglect to take it, you will lose points.

BzzAgent is an innovative program that has been exciting and fun for me. If you enjoy learning about new products and telling others about them, you can be the first to try brand-new-to-market products and services!

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