The term “viral marketing” means a method of online advertising in which advertisement is transmitted from one person to another without the direct intervention of one doing promotion. The name is given comparing to how viruses spread by email, multiplied on many levels.
Here is an example of viral marketing: e-booka. Offer a free e-book with valuable information in a related field with the promoted site, that includes advertisements and links in as many web pages. It will be passed from one user to another and generate traffic on a long time.
List the e-books in specialized directories and search engines.
Another example: realize charts on various topics.
Viral marketing allows you to exponentially increase your online visibility by simply using the existing network of clients and newsletter subscribers. It works like a giant machine givinf references word of mouth. Just like a virus, words can spread easily from one person to many others, so that could convince your customers to recommend to family and friends causing a company’s impressive growth in popularity.
Where it comes from the power of the system?
First of all, it increase business visibility exponentially. It is said that the “word of mouth is leading electronic commerce”. This means that Internet users are rather inclined to believe what their friends and relatives tell them about their experiences on purchases they made rather than the online advertising. According to the “Opinion Research Corporation International” the typical Internet consumer tells 12 other people about his experiences of shopping online. The same source states that an average consumer recommend a favorite film from 8.6 persons in his entourage and a good restaurant only to 6.1 people. The situation indicates without doubt the power of spreading of “snowball” of this system.
These recommendations also gives a much higher reliability than other methods of promotion. A person who has heard about your company’s services from a third party that is already using it inclined to trust. A friend or a relative has more weight than any demonstration of power or greatness.
Say you want to order pizza. There are many companies on the Internet that make home deliveries but which one to choose? So just remember that your friend recently bought pizza on site X and was very excited to receive it in record time. You visit the site and see that resembles any other, has nothing in addition to other local distributors of pizza. Yet you buy from there because your friend recommended you. In fact he is the one who made the sale.
Word of mouth about the place inspires credibility and make such a sale process to be completed more easily!
Amazon.com also knows and uses this strategy successfully. You certainly noticed how much encourages visitors to send their gifts through electronic cards for different occasions or relatives and friends. With each referral you make, Amazon.com will add his card.
Does not have to be a giant Internet to use viral marketing. Think for a moment … You have never found in any mail chain letter? Or a joke ever cared for a friend? Or a funny animation that you amused?
How many times have you forwarded email which you are interested, information or things that have amused? It is a natural temptation to share pleasant or useful experiences with loved ones. Benefits are what cause us to send forth these messages… So the benefits are those that confer power to viral marketing!
Here lies the secret, if you want people talking about your product or service that you offer, it is imperative that they have a benefit in one way or another. Users of such companies that use viral marketing are not bothered by the fact that they advertise simply using them, as long as they are happy with the services provided for free.
So if you want to transform your available customer and subscribers base into a viral marketing machine, you must create a situation where both sides win – a “win-win situation”. An affiliate program, a contest, gifts (free software, electronic books or an article that contains information of value) and so on …
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