The Techniques Of Viral Marketing On The Internet

The advent of the internet has given new impetus to viral marketing. Just a decade ago, such a message would have spread only in the physical vicinity of the originator. Today, with blogs and mailing lists, a message can hit hundreds of like-minded users in no time.

Blogs Offer Great Viral Marketing Opportunities

Just spend a few minutes on the explosion blogging has seen. There are literally millions of blogs on the Internet. Many are genuine travel diaries and journals. An equally large number relate to groups that are very concerned about some issues. But there are many that are only thinly disguised viral marketing efforts. Look at the blogs that relate to the ongoing presidential primaries. Sure, some are genuine efforts at discussing the politics, the process and the candidates, but a huge number are promotional in nature and are simply out to market their candidate.

What stops you from setting up such a viral marketing campaign? Many major drug companies do it all the time. You have a blog discussing a complex medical condition. They provide a lot of useful information on it, which ensures that the blog rates high in search engines. People flock to it and while they are exposed to ads that are clearly defined, they are also exposed to subtle viral marketing. For example, if a person said he was greatly helped by medicine X or hospital Y, and you felt he was genuine, how would it affect you?

Handle E-Mail Listings With Care

Let us now move from blogs to promotional e-mail listings. If you were to run a viral marketing campaign you could offer a person a discount if he refers friends. You can even make sure that junk contacts are avoided by offering an incentive on every sale that occurs as a result. This will ensure that you will get those references that are likely to buy certain goods or a service.

Viral marketing must not go overboard. Even if a person has been referred to you, it is up to you to enlist him or her. The e-mail you send must not be pushy or overly aggressive. Clearly state the reason for the mail, how you obtained the referral and what the person stands to gain by participating in your program. Offer a way to allow the person to say no. And if he says no, do not bother him again.

Finally, it is extremely important that the result of every referral and every mail must be tracked. Too many viral marketing efforts, when starting out small tend to ignore this point and feel that automatic tracking methods will be required when they expand beyond a certain size. Nothing could be further from the truth. You must put in place a tracking system with the very first mail that you send.

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