Viral marketing is a term that has gained something of a reputation recently as social marketing has won over the world of Web-based business. Briefly, it's a way of advertising that encourages individuals to pass on the message. When this "spreading the word" is done in a pro-active fashion, it has the opportunity to develop exponentially and reach a massive audience, just as a disease may spread at the time of a serious epidemic.
Many marketers try to come up with a viral marketing plan, or they attempt to make their venture "go viral", but this can only be achieved if you pay attention to some of the vital components that must be there for success.
To start with, you must have a product or service that is saleable and scalable. It's possible to create a "buzz" around just about anything, as can be seen from examples in the current media. For example, who would've thought that millions of people would log onto a computer and jump to a particular webpage so that they could see a webcam streaming a bunch of cute puppies sleeping in their bed? Nevertheless, in real marketing terms you must start off with a product or service that can generate some excitement.
Many individuals believe that one of the most effective ways to start a viral marketing strategy is to start off with something that's free. The word "free" is naturally among the most potent in our vernacular, and is usually guaranteed to attract interest to some degree. Consider giving something away for free in the knowledge that should your marketing campaign become effective, you will have the attention of large numbers of people to whom you may promote and potentially sell other products.
Whatever you're selling, you need to be able to sell large numbers of it. The ability to scale easily from small to very large is essential, as is your transmission method. You must plan ahead of time if you're serious about creating a viral marketing campaign - and remember, scalability is very important. If you can't keep pace with the demand, you'll have lost your initiative.
If you really want to create a buzz about your product or service, it should have a certain element of "coolness" to it. What sets it apart - what is its unique selling proposition? Find something to create that spark, and you may also be able to feed off some current trends to help you. Consider researching "google trends" online - it's a brilliant asset for finding out what's hot, what might even be on fire or what's not.
Your viral marketing project should be able to utilise existing communication networks. Networking is very hot these days, and social networking within the Internet world even more so. Put your message concisely into the right networks to reach your target. If you really want something to go viral, you should try and take advantage of another network's network. Construct great press releases and sew a seed in that particular area, for example.
Whatever product or service you're using to initiate a viral marketing campaign, you must make sure that you have correctly implemented your back end operation. It's no good giving something away for free or at reduced cost - creating a great viral marketing explosion, if it doesn't lead you to significantly increase the sales of your keynote product or service. Many people have successfully initiated viral marketing exposure, but haven't really benefited from it, as they didn't have a clear overall strategy in place!
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Michelle Dale is Chief Executive of Virtual Miss Friday, an adept and highly-proficient
Virtual Assistant Service which works closely with enterprising people who really want to succeed in their chosen field. If you'd like to learn more about online business building success strategies that are tailored to your needs, check out the Campaign for FREE Virtual Assistance right away!
