Bad name isn't it…. Marketing? No, I'm just kidding, I really mean the "virus". Mention the virus and one often thinks of infections, illnesses and diseases - or smart among us, computers are corrupt. But viral marketing is not a bad thing or a bad thing, viral marketing is good! What is Viral Marketing? As the name suggests, it is a way of spreading your marketing message from person to person, as if the flu virus is being transmitted. You transmit the virus, say 5 friends / colleagues / family members, each of which transmits the virus to 5 (5 × 5 = 25), and then spreads it to 5 others (25 × 5 = 125) so that after 5 levels -8 only, you reach an amazing number of 1,953,125. An ancient example of viral marketing is Hotmail.com, one of the free web-based email services. The strategy is simple: 1. Provide free email addresses and services, 2. Attach a simple tag below to every user email message sent: “Get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com” and, 3. Then you go back to when people send an "email" to a network of friends and colleagues, 4. They do not see the message, 5. Subscribe to their free email service, and 6. They continue the message through their regular spread. -increasing the circles of friends and colleagues What makes marketing 'Viral'? The virus marketing program usually has some or all of the following basic features: 1. Provides free product or service 2. Simplify the message to others, 3. Allows easy growth from the smallest to the largest 4. Uses common motives and behaviors 5. Uses existing communication networks 6. Uses the services of others Let's look at each of these in turn. 1. Provides a free product or service The word "free" is a very attractive marketing term. Many viral advertising campaigns offer a product or service to get people interested. Free email service, free software, free information etc. Then, if you care, if you have their trust, sell them something. They hit the sales pitch first, they probably won't be interested. 2. Simplify the message to others Viral marketing works the best online because fast communication has become easier and cheaper. Your marketing message should be simple to convey without losing its effectiveness. To make it easier and shorter, remember the example of Hotmail, "Get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com." 3. Allows easy growth from the smallest to the largest For rapid growth, the necessary infrastructure must be in place. Leading viral marketing uses the services of others. This was the only weakness in the Hotmail, model, the service needed its own mail servers. It's not a problem with Microsoft services behind your back, but for people just like you and me, it's best to plan to spread the word using other apps, see number 6. 4. Uses common motives and behaviors What motivates people to use certain products or services on the web, and to recommend this to their friends? Product performance, of course, but more than that - the desire for popularity, which is thought to be cool etc. Greed is also motivating, which is why the power of the word 'free' is so strong! 5. Uses existing communication networks Most people have about 5 to 12 people in their immediate network of friends, family and colleagues. On the Internet, almost everyone has email addresses in the contact list, and favorite websites are stored in their web browser. Apply this fact in your marketing campaign. For example, if you are offering a free product, ask the recipient to provide the email addresses of others who might be interested. 6. Uses the services of others to get your message from other people's emails and other websites, thus using their own resources, not yours. And once your campaign is strong enough, sit down while your customers do the marketing for you. Conclusion Selling a virus is very cheap, in fact if you go to the right places it can be free. Considering that, with the huge potential benefits, your marketing campaign should catch the marketing bug with the virus! How does Viral Marketing work for you? Find it here: www.gosurf.ws
(Raheem Khan)
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