Viral Marketing - Marketing - Viral Marketing

If youre not utilizing the power of viral marketing, you may be missing out on a very effective new tool. This form of Internet-based marketing relies on the use of blogs, seemingly amateur Web sites like YouTube, and grassroots media campaigns to generate widespread word of mouth interest and buzz for a new product or service. A typical viral marketing campaign aims at generating media coverage via unusual, stories, funny video clips, interactive advertising games, images, and text. These are then passed from user to user at an extremely rapid, exponential (viral) pace, often reaching hundreds of thousands or millions of people for far less cost than would be possible using traditional marketing tools.

Due to its ability to generate extremely a high, rapid response rate for a relatively low cost compared to traditional marketing methods such as direct mail, viral marketing is a very popular and powerful medium. This quick guide will help you create your companys viral marketing campaign.

Give away products or servicesIn the world of viral marketing, its usually a good idea to give away something for nothing. Most successful viral marketing campaigns provide a free product or service to attract attention. Giveaways could include a complimentary brochure or software program with limited functionality, or a free button or pin. A discount on a service or product may generate interest, but free typically accomplishes the task faster and draws more people.

Make it Easy to Pass along Your MessageLike actual viruses, a viral marketing message spreads fast when its easy to transmit.The medium that carries your marketing message must be easy to transfer and replicate.Use e-mail, a special Web link, or graphic, or provide a free software download. Viral marketing works because its so simple and inexpensive, so use a digital format to make copying easy. Also, viral marketing is most effective when the message is short and direct.

Make Sure Your Mail Servers Are ReadyIf youre using e-mail as the core of your viral marketing strategy, you must ensure that your mail servers have enough capacity to handle exponentially larger amounts of traffic.So its a good idea to plan ahead for easy and rapid addition of mail servers. This will put you in a good position to manage the campaign. You must build scalability into your viral model.

Utilize Existing Communication NetworksMost people are social and develop a close circle of friends, family, and associates. A person's broader network may consist of hundreds or thousands of people, depending upon his or her job or social status. People on the Internet develop networks of relationships, consisting of circles of people with whom they regularly communicate. So its important to leverage such things as popular Web sites that draw large volumes of traffic or permission-based e-mail lists that potentially can reach millions of people simultaneously.

Concluding ThoughtsI hope that you enjoyed this article and that it will help you supercharge your marketing effort, leading to increased sales. Thanks for reading!