The 6 Pillars of Viral Marketing

Viral marketing may sound like an offensive term. This virus is not as deadly as it sounds! An excellent way to increase visibility, viral marketing requires the right environment to grow and can replicate it self several times not only increasing in power but also effectively increases link popularity to your site.

Viral Marketing Defined

Viral marketing is described as a strategy that encourages every individual user to share a marketing message with others thereby creating a huge potential for enormous growth in the influence and exposure of the marketing message. Just like viruses, these marketing strategies are known for being able to take advantage of the rapid multiplication process to spread the message to millions of people world-wide.

In the real world, viral marketing is often referred to as “leveraging the media,” “word-of-mouth,” “networking,” and “creating publicity.” However in the virtual world, this marketing strategy is simply known as viral marketing. One of the best known examples of viral marketing is Hotmail.com.

The marketing strategy used by Hotmail.com was immensely successful while being simple:

1.      Distribute free email addresses and different services

2.      Attach a simple message at the bottom of every email message sent - "Get your private, free email at hotmail.com"

3.      As people begin to email their network of friends

4.      They read the message and sign up for their own free email account and then

5.      Spread the message to their friends etc and market the email service free of cost!

The ripple effect, perhaps describes a carefully designed and executed viral marketing strategy the best.

Key Principles of a Viral Marketing Strategy

It’s an accepted fact that some viral marketing strategies are more effective than others and even few work as successfully as the Hotmail.com viral marketing plan. So, here I am listing the six top pillars that you may include in your viral marketing plan. It is not necessary for your strategy to include ALL these principles, but the more you can include the more powerful results can be expected. For a highly successful viral marketing strategy include:

1.      Giving away services or products for free

2.      Provide for a seamless transfer to users (think RSS feeds)

3.      Ability to increase in size

4.      Successfully exploit common human behaviors

5.      Utilize the available communication channels

6.      Use resources of other people with advantage

Now let’s visit each of these principles in brief:

1. Giving away services or products for free

The term “free” is perhaps the most powerful expression in a successful marketer’s dictionary. Viral marketing usually takes help of this and products or services are used to attract attention. Whether it’s free email account, or free information, or even free basic software programs, it’s all about giving to sell. This also means lots of eyeballs and eyeballs mean conversion and revenue for you. Besides this, eyeballs ensure more email addresses, and ecommerce opportunities.

2.      Provide for a seamless transfer to users

Easy to transmit, viral marketing programs target unsuspecting users. The medium to carry the marketing message should be effective in transferring and replicating. It could be websites, graphics, emails, RSS feeds or software downloads. And viral marketing is hugely successful over the Internet as this medium has immense opportunities and is easy and inexpensive. The marketing message should be succinct, and non-degradable. Think: "Get your private, free email at hotmail.com." Clearly a compelling and short message that works beautifully!

1. Ability to increase in size

In order to increase exponentially in size, the marketing message’s transmission has to have the ability to scale up rapidly without any weakness. Remember, in order to achieve scalability, you must be able to plan in advance and be ready to add fuel as required.

1. Successfully exploit common human behaviors

A successful viral marketing program is one that can take advantage of common human behaviors. And nothing drives humans as greed does. A clever viral marketing plan will use this to leverage its product and convert it into a popular, loved and highly desired one. When your marketing strategy uses universal motivations as targets for transmission, your plan is bound to be successful.

1. Utilize the available communication channels

Humans are sociable. Almost every person has at least 8-12 people in their close circuit including friends, colleagues and family. The power of human networks is undeniable and very strong. Your plan should be able to exploit these social networks and watch as your message multiplies rapidly.

1. Use resources of other people with advantage

Clever and creative viral marketing plan will use other people’s resources to spread the word. Affiliate marketing programs use other people’s websites to place text links or graphic links. And therefore, you relay your message effectively while someone else’s resources get depleted.

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