Viral Marketing 101

Viral Marketing 101 © Chris Bloor

Today I'd like to show you five common elements in a viral marketing strategy. Viral marketing is electronic word of mouth and gives a big boost to any marketing plan when it works.

1.  Freebies. Everyone loves getting something for free. Free information, free software, free graphics, free e-mail programs, etc. can all attract attention. If it's free, it's easy for a person to forward it to a friend and then the word of mouth starts to spread. You can't give away something useless, however, if you want viral marketing to work for you. Make sure it's useful to the consumer.

2.  Easy to transmit. Your marketing message must be easy to transmit. This is why the internet is so useful. You can transmit anything (software, reports, graphics, etc.) very easily. Much easier than telling them they can get your free product by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope.

3. Scalability. You need to prepare in advance for the possibility of your free product becoming very popular. Make sure your servers and mail servers are up to the task. Also make sure your website is well-equipped to handle a surge in traffic. The design and graphics should be up to date and you should have a mailing list in place so that people can sign up.

4. Understand human psychology. As a marketer you need to know what motivates people. In thinking about your product, you should think about what people's fears are and what would motivate people to buy. Tap into basic human emotions such as greed, pride and the desire to be cool. People have a longing to be accepted and to be told what to do.

5. Use social networks. Even with the proliferation of social networking sites, social scientists say that people usually have a close network of 8-12 friends. Their broader network of acquaintances (ranging from store clerks, neighbors, classmates, co-workers and more) can be in the hundreds. It's now easier than ever for people to remain in touch with their acquaintances thanks to Facebook and other similar sites. People are communicating with more people now. For instance, when you drive past a college campus it's unusual to see someone NOT talking on a cell phone. When people are excited about something it's very easy for them to mention it on their Facebook page.

You don't have to work in isolation when you are preparing a viral marketing campaign.

• Send press releases to the local newspapers and let the paper give you exposure.
• If you are an author, give free copies of your book to reviewers. 
• Approach a local talk show or an online radio program.
• Speak for free at a local event or attend a Chamber of Commerce meeting and do some networking face to face.
• List your product with an affiliate and let affiliates mention your product to their mailing list.
• Or you can aim higher and try to get the attention of Oprah or another prominent television show host.

As you can see, there are many ways to kick start viral marketing campaign. So think viral the next time you are coming up with a marketing plan.