December 17th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Companies have long desired to create a buzz about themselves and develop ways to spread their message around in a quick and inexpensive way. Enter, Viral marketing. The Internet answer to creating product or company buzz.
Viral marketing is aptly named because when employed successfully promotional content for a company is spread about the Internet like a virus. People hear this term tossed around often on the news, on the Internet and in everyday conversation but many have little to no knowledge of what it actually means. Viral marketing campaigns use existing social networking sites like, You Tube and Myspace to increase their brand awareness. Companies create a discreetly promotional marketing medium such as, a video, a game, a brandable software program, an image or occasionally even a text message and they encourage users to pass it on.
Initially, viral marketing was practiced by free web based e-mail companies. Hotmail was the first company to use a viral marketing campaign. They placed a link at the bottom of all the outgoing messages from their users to encourage the recipients of those e-mails to create their own account. This tactic did not originally have a name, but it was quite effective and many other companies began using similar methods for getting the word out about their business.
There are many keys strategies to creating an effective viral marketing promotion. However, there are six principle elements that any viral marketing promotion should have if it has any chance at success. Companies that wish to succeed in viral marketing must start by creating a product or service they are giving away, such as the aforementioned items. The viral marketing campaign also needs to be easily transferable so that users can easily pass it on. Companies that wish to start a viral marketing campaign must be prepared for that campaign to scale from very small to very large. For instance, if you set up a website that users will ultimately join after the viral marketing campaign that website must be able to handle the traffic created. It is pointless to increase your traffic or user base if you cannot properly serve or accommodate a large volume of people.
A successful viral marketing campaign must also capitalize on common behaviors and desires. People want to be cool, funny, rich and loved. Many successful viral marketing campaigns have been successful as direct result of giving people the perception or ability to achieve one of these things. For instance, if you create a hilarious viral video as a marketing tool people may pass it around, in the hope of being the one who introduced it to others.
Finally, a viral marketing campaign should always take advantage of others’ resources. Many companies accomplish this by affiliating themselves with another company to gain the ability to place a graphic, link or text on that companies website. Not only does this create exposure, but when done properly it saves your resources for other purposes.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I know, that term Viral sounds quite nasty. It sounds like some sort of computer virus; and we all know the dangers of those, don’t we? Companies like Norton Anti-virus have made their fortunes keeping viruses away from our computers. But no, in this case, the term viral is a good thing.
A viral video is the cutting edge of Internet communication. It means that you create a video, send it out via e-mail and postings on sites like YouTube, MySpace, Google Video etc. and thus generate interest in what it is you’re trying to sell. Websites like these get literally thousands of hits a day; people viewing the videos.
A well-done video, something that interests people and really catches their eye can spread just like a virus, hence the name. People tell others about it, the video gets more viewings, and can even end up being mentioned on the national news! Think about that level of interest in your firm; think of the potential income it can generate.
If you have a new company or an old one, you always have the same problem getting customers. Even a Fortune 500 firm is always looking to expand and increase revenue. With a viral video, you have the potential to generate a huge amount of interest in you and your company, and do it for very little money.
It doesn’t matter if you are trying to get a job, sell your latest novel, get clients for your firm or introduce a new product or service. The point is, today we live in a very visual society. Look at the young people today; they use computer and the Internet like the yellow pages and telephone once dominated the scene.
So, a good first step is to do a search online and see what sorts of companies are out there to a video package. You can get something as simple as one video, and then they’ll post it to the various websites. If you can do your own editing, you can save some money. If not, there are plenty of sites that will do that for you.
Or, if you want something bigger, you can get as many as five, ten or even twenty videos created; and the company will take care of all producing, editing, and then submitting it to the websites. A video about your firm could be on forty different sites. Think about the interest that could generate. If several thousand people see your videos and that’s being very conservative, and only one percent of them become customers, you’ll cover the cost of your investment, and make a little extra.
Of course, then there’s the continuing income. Think about it; those videos will be out there, on the Internet, generating more interest in you and your company. Over time, that could amount to a huge boost to your overall sales.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:00 am
Companies have long desired to create a buzz about themselves and develop ways to spread their message around in a quick and inexpensive way. Enter, Viral marketing the Internet answer to creating product or company buzz. Viral marketing is aptly named because when employed successfully promotional content for a company is spread about the Internet like a virus. People hear this term tossed around often on the news, on the Internet and in everyday conversation but many have little to no knowledge of what it actually means.
Viral marketing campaigns use existing social networking sites like, You Tube and Myspace to increase their brand awareness. Companies create a discreetly promotional marketing medium such as, a video, a game, a brandable software program, an image or occasionally even a text message and they encourage users to pass it on.
Initially, viral marketing was practiced by free web based e-mail companies. Hotmail was the first company to use a viral marketing campaign. They placed a link at the bottom of all the outgoing messages from their users to encourage the recipients of those e-mails to create their own account. This tactic did not originally have a name, but it was quite effective and many other companies began using similar methods for getting the word out about their business.
There are many keys strategies to creating an effective viral marketing promotion. However, there are six principle elements that any viral marketing promotion should have if it has any chance at success. Companies that wish to succeed in viral marketing must start by creating a product or service they are giving away, such as the aforementioned items. The viral marketing campaign also needs to be easily transferable so that users can easily pass it on.
Companies that wish to start a viral marketing campaign must be prepared for that campaign to scale from very small to very large. For instances, if you set up a website that users will ultimately join after the viral marketing campaign that website must be able to handle the traffic created. It is pointless to increase your traffic or user base if you cannot properly serve or accommodate a large volume of people.
A successful viral marketing campaign must also capitalize on common behaviors and desires. People want to be cool, funny, rich and loved. Many successful viral marketing campaigns have been successful as direct result of giving people the perception or ability to achieve one of these things. For instance, if you create a hilarious viral video as a marketing tool people may pass it around, in the hope at being the one who introduced it to others.
Finally, a viral marketing campaign should always take advantage of others’ resources. Many companies accomplish this by affiliating themselves with another company to gain the ability to place a graphic, link or text on that companies website. Not only does this create exposure, but when done properly it saves your resources for other purposes.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:00 am
In the beginning, e-mail was the one and only way to carry out a viral marketing campaign. Since that day long ago, viral marketing has gone from a marketing strategy to an art form and there are many ways to accomplish the objective of creating a successful viral marketing campaign. Seven of those ways are:
1. E-mail: It was first but it is still around and still used. It is, however, getting a little harder to use as more and more government restrictions are placed on it. Still … it does work.
2. Newsletters: This is an extension of e-mail but it a very effective tool. If you include enough timely and valuable information, a good newsletter can drive up the number of visits to your website.
3. Blogging: Providing the tools on your website to enable bloggers to interact with one another is a terrific way to get the message about your product or service out there and being talked about. Bloggers always have their ears to the ground for new products and services.
4. Chat Rooms: A chat room on your website can, and does, encourage interaction among your customers and that can’t be a bad thing. Also, you can use the chat room to schedule special events like having an expert available to answer questions on a given day at a given time.
5. Tell-a-friend Script: If you add this with a statement saying that e-mail addresses supplied will never be shared with third parties, you can increase your potential customer list greatly.
6. Video Clips: Including cool video clips on your website will keep the interest up and increase traffic.
7. Flash Games: Although they are a little costly to start, they are an extremely effective tool to get your viral marketing campaign going. Once they are launched, they require nothing more from you.
Visit our web sites for more in-depth information on the tools to make these, and other, viral marketing techniques a reality.
And here’s a BONUS – compound your success by using forums to do viral marketing. Here are some things that are required.
Do Your Homework: Prior to joining any forum, you must do some research.
1. Join relevant forums that are in some way related to the promotion’s primary sales market. For example, someone involved with a health related product, many types of forums could apply … everything from holistic medicine to stay-at-home moms.
2. Choose popular forums. There is no point in wasting your time and energy on forums that few members and few posts. Page raking and the amount of active members are two good ways to check for this.
3. Choose forums that allow sig tags. If it’s possible read the rules before joining and pay attention to them. Your time is important, too. It is better to find out that a forum doesn’t allow posts with sig tags before you go to the time and trouble of joining.
After You Have Joined: OK … you have chosen two or three forums that meet your requirements … now what?
1. Keep your sig tag short and update it regularly. The ideal thing is to limit yourself to one link, preferably to your main website.
2. Never create posts that are nothing more than an advertisement. This all but a universal rule and only displays the marketers lack of experience if he does so. At best this kind of post will be deleted by the monitors … at worst, it is grounds for being banned.
3. Work the room. Be an active member on the forum. Plan to spend at least an hour each day there and take the time to get to know the users. Take the time to introduce yourself with intelligent questions depending upon the forum’s topic.
As a marketer becomes a regular member, they will hopefully develop a good reputation and without saying a word about their promotion, those who are interested in their product will approach them.
October 21st, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Using Video marketing to promote your online business is getting easier by the day. The major advantage is that the visuals require lesser reading and leaves a more lasting impact on the viewer. You can now comfortably embed the videos into your e-mail, newsletters or even place them on your website. Here are three major attributes to make a great success out of your video marketing campaign:
1. Consistency and Patience
Consistency and patience are among the major attributes for a successful video marketing exercise. Your objective is to provide videos which people like and will come back repeatedly for the newer ones. You should also get your videos uploaded to the maximum number of sites. Make sure however, that the site does not demand exclusivity.
2. Make them unique
The best way to succeed in any marketing exercise is to study competition from close quarters. Look at the way your top competitor has gone about their video marketing program. Understand the techniques they have employed. Your creative talent, the titles, the content and the general appeal when combined harmoniously will make the best video.
3. Use effective tags
Using appropriate and effective tags is important to make your videos work towards success in your video marketing effort. Do a thorough research to understand hot keywords connected with your business and tag your creations with those keywords. A better approach would be to do the keyword research first and then create the video around the best of the keywords.
Get started using videos for your marketing campaigns now!
Fabian Tan is a well-known Internet Marketing expert and the author of the popular 45-page Report:
“Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!”
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