Definition of Viral Marketing

Definition of Viral Marketing

Before going into a lot of words, please read what Wikipedia says the definition of viral marketing is;

=====BEGIN QUOTE=====

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The buzzwords viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet.[1] Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages. The basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable.

The goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to identify individuals with high Social Networking Potential (SNP) and create Viral Messages that appeal to this segment of the population and have a high probability of being passed along.

The term "viral marketing" has also been used pejoratively to refer to stealth marketing campaigns—the unscrupulous use of astroturfing on-line combined with undermarket advertising in shopping centers to create the impression of spontaneous word of mouth enthusiasm.[2]

=====END QUOTE=====

Now that we understand the definition of viral marketing is, what important things do we need to keep in mind if we want to use it in our small business marketing?

Basically there are 3 main things;

1) The topic must be "Buzz Worthy". What does this mean? Well it must be a subject that people will talk about. When we think about it, there are many products that had some serious BUZZ that helped sales. iPod would be an example, popular movies are another, like Titanic, Jurassic Park or even Star Wars. On one of my other pages, recall how we talked about the latest Batman movie. Another way to look at it is "word of mouth". You want a topic people will talk about and help you spread it like wildfire.

2) The next thing you want is it must be of some useful value. If people are going to talk about it then it needs to be something they are looking for or really want or like. People seek information, they want to be "in the know". So find it and give it to them. Most, if not all people are interested in only one thing. They want to know "what's in it for me"? So it can be something that makes them laugh, or touches the heart, perhaps a spiritual thought or better yet how to make or save money. If it has no useful value, it will not spread or become viral.

3) The last thing you want is an easy advertising method. Basically it needs to be self-advertising. It has to be easy to pass around or it will die a quick death. Again, a great example is Hotmail. Remember how easy that was. It was nothing more than a tag line at the bottom of each and every e-mail inviting people to get their own FREE e-mail account. People will not help it become viral if there are any hoops to jump through. It has to be something people see, get involved and spread the word without giving it much thought! They immediately think, "hey this is cool" let me tell my friends about this.

Now that you know the definition of viral marketing, you can use this strategy to get people talking about your business in a positive way. Word of mouth advertising is a very powerful promotional method.