by Joyce Kuras
According to marketingterms.com, “viral marketing is a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message.”
This type of marketing depends upon passionate individuals – passing on your marketing message, increasing its potential of exposure and influence within seconds. Like a virus, its ripple effect is passed on quickly, infecting hundreds and possibly thousands, in a relatively short space of time.
Of course, there was a time the expression “word of mouth” was sort of the same thing. In a way, viral marketing is the Internet parallel, since most of us will be blogging, emailing, using SMS and Skype, to share and announce our latest and most exciting discoveries of products, resources, and specials. With just the multiplicity of email, a company’s ROI can skyrocket within a matter of weeks. With all this potential and power at our fingertips, we need to make our campaigns as effective as possible.
Viral Market Strategies: Here are some effective components to include in your next Viral Marketing Campaign:
1. Free is good:
Free has a powerful pull, but free should never represent poor quality. The free approach draws people in, after that; there are more opportunities for a sale, according to Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, E-commerce Consultant.
2. Easily transmitted:
As a virus spreads quickly and rapidly from person to person in the right conditions, you need create and use the fastest and most seamless vehicle that will spread your message without delay. Using email marketing campaigns to your targeted lists will help expedite that process.
3. Backlinks and Affiliates:
Network with different affiliates. Get your links, ads and logos out there. The more back links pointing to your site, the greater importance your site is deemed by the search engines, thus, giving you a higher standing in the Search Engine Results Pages known as the SERPs.
4. Evoke Reactions:
Your message needs to be a catalyst of emotions and opinions from your audience, piquing their interest and curiosity to read further, and know more. Why not do something unexpected or different. Catching people off guard with the unexpected is great marketing.
5. Market the Social Internet Communities:
The more accessible information can be shared, the more rapidly it will be spread. submit your news on the social networking and bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon and Digg. They have established niche communities. Find yours. Submit articles, make comments on other stories, be seen, be heard, and be out there!
Have you signed up with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or LinkedIn? What are you waiting for? With thousands of people registering per day, it would be foolish to pass up such a lucrative marketplace.
The tables have turned with the evolution of the Internet. The power has shifted from the marketer to the consumer. Within a matter of seconds, their opinions and voice are spread rapidly throughout the world by one single email.
So don’t be a viral marketing casualty as Laura Lake reminds us to:
1. Mean what you say and say what you mean.
2. Stand behind your product or service.
3. Under promise and over deliver … always!
About the Author
Hi, My name is Joyce Kuras. I am presently freelancing as an SEO content writer while I finish a MARCOM certification. I love researching new ideas and concepts. I learn as I go.
