When someone hears the term “Viral Marketing” they usually have bad connotations. It really has nothing to do with viruses though. The term viral is used to denote the way this marketing technique works. Viruses don’t multiply, they replicate. If you use the same principles with your marketing and combine them with the wonderful connectivity of the internet the potential is nearly endless. In the right conditions your business contacts will blossom like a rose.
The secret is simple. You need to create an environment in which your marketing messages with pass to others, who will pass them on to still others until your business growth is exponential. Viral marketing on the internet is very similar to word of mouth advertising in more traditional businesses.
One of the best examples of viral marketing can be traced back to the first free email services, like MSN´s Hotmail. The service gives away free email addresses and at the bottom of every message sent places a tag advertising the service to everyone who reads the message. Soon, as networks of contacts were built, more and more people were answering those messages and signing up for the service. Throw a stone into a lake and watch the ripples grow and spread. All of the big email services use this proven technique now and it has grown to immense proportions.
There are a number of characteristics that need to be a part of your strategy. Not all marketing will work as effectively as MSN´s did. Different products or services may require different slants. There are a few basic principles that need to be present though.
* You should be able to offer a free service or product. This is the draw. Give away a door prize and your customers will come to take advantage. Once they are on your site you can easily present your product or service.
* Make it easy for the customer to want to pass on your message or the idea of your free offering to their friends and contacts.
* Understand your niche. What do they want? Know what the usual motivations and behaviors of your target group are and exploit them to your advantage.
* Make the best use of existing communication resources. Email, Twitter, FaceBook and all of the different social networking sites are excellent resources because of their potential for networking.
* Use things like affiliate services, free articles, blogs and news releases to draw attention across the spectrum or your business.
Viral internet marketing can make a business wildly successful in a very short time if you utilize all of the resources that the internet has available. One of the hottest newer trends, mentioned above, is affiliate marketing. You can link your site to many of the larger sites, big virtual storefronts, and every one who clicks on those sites have an opportunity to link from there to your site. You will, of course be returning the favor by posting a link to the other business on your homepage but the number of clicks generated will be well worth the space.
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