{"id":228,"date":"2010-02-19T11:10:54","date_gmt":"2010-02-19T15:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mymarketingguide.com\/srufo\/?p=228"},"modified":"2010-02-19T11:10:54","modified_gmt":"2010-02-19T15:10:54","slug":"go-ahead-bug-your-customers-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/2010\/02\/19\/go-ahead-bug-your-customers-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Go Ahead, Bug Your Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a Viral Campaign?<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you ever visited a website and found an article, a coupon, a special offer, or something else that impressed you so much that you immediately sent an email to a friend about it?\u00a0 If you have, you\u2019ve experienced \u201cviral marketing\u201d.<\/p>\n

Viral marketing is a term to describe a low cost, highly effective way to “bug your customers\u201d by marketing your products or services using the Internet.\u00a0 This \u201cword of mouse\u201d method is like a bug or flu virus in humans.\u00a0 Instead of replicating and propagating itself by human contact, it does so by computer contact (in a good way).\u00a0 One minute nobody\u2019s heard of it, next minute, it\u2019s everywhere.\u00a0 Viral marketing is so effective because it lets you capitalize on referrals from an unbiased third party\u2014your consumer!\u00a0 Let just one of your customers catch your \u201cmarketing bug\u201d and they will happily spread it to everyone they know.<\/p>\n

As you know, the power of a positive testimonial from a reliable source will add credibility to your organization.\u00a0 Putting various viral marketing methods in place will give you a tremendous opportunity to help guide and influence people\u2019s buying decisions without the use of costly advertising.<\/p>\n

So what then is a viral campaign? <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a specific marketing promotion that focuses on something you do, NOT on who you are.\u00a0 It is also not something malicious or under-handed.\u00a0 Viral marketing is used by reputable companies trying to promote reputable products.\u00a0 A viral campaign does not use spam or programs that force people to see or do things they do not want.<\/p>\n

Instead, a viral campaign is something that is so cool, so exciting, or so creative that it gets people so excited; they can\u2019t wait to share it with others.\u00a0 It\u2019s subtle, not forceful.\u00a0 It\u2019s uncontrollable.\u00a0 The exposure you get from this MAY raise sales or otherwise help your company name recognition, but that\u2019s actually the by-product.\u00a0 That\u2019s why it\u2019s so effective if done correctly!<\/p>\n

With a good viral campaign, people feel compelled to spread your word.\u00a0 They can\u2019t help themselves (just like sneezing when you pass a virus around).\u00a0 The heart of a viral campaign is the content.\u00a0 People don\u2019t spread what you say or do because they love you, they spread it because they can\u2019t help but adore your content.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget!\u00a0 They are not evangelists serving you, they are self-serving.<\/p>\n

So, you better create a “bug” that sticks around.\u00a0 All successful viral campaigns appeal to any one (or all three) of these basic human motivators: entertainment, greed, or charity.\u00a0 Develop a theme around one of those and you may be able to create a full blown epidemic of sales.<\/p>\n

What Makes Viral Marketing so cool?<\/span><\/p>\n

People (read consumers) hate ads.\u00a0 They will do anything to avoid them.\u00a0 So, if you want to find a way to appeal to your consumers without offending and without spending huge dollars (another viral marketing perk) than going \u201cviral\u201d is something you should consider.<\/p>\n

Despite (or perhaps because of) viral marketing still being relatively new, most people are confused about what viral ads are, how they work, what they should cost (loads of confusion there), how to measure results, etc.\u00a0 It is still evolving.\u00a0 However, there are three common forms being used:<\/p>\n

1. Word of Mouth such as \u201cTell a Friend,\u201d \u201cSend this coupon to a friend,\u201d or \u201cRecommend this to a friend\u201d.<\/p>\n

2. Pass-It-On, where we receive an article, cool tool, funny video and then pass it on through email to a friend, family member, or associate.<\/p>\n

3. Product or Service Based, where a free tool is used online and that tool includes an embedded marketing message, like Hotmail.<\/p>\n

Word of Mouth<\/span><\/p>\n

A good word-of-mouth viral marketing strategy enables a visitor to your website or a recipient of your email to share your site or email content with others with just a click of a button or link.<\/p>\n

Amazon.com is a great example of a company that is using viral marketing throughout their website.\u00a0 When you browse the products, you\u2019ll notice invitations to \u201cTell a Friend\u201d about this product.\u00a0 Providing this automatic and easy to use feature, results in increased sales for Amazon products.\u00a0 Yup, it\u2019s that easy.<\/p>\n

How can you do this?\u00a0 Here are 8 tips to effectively use this strategy on your website:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Use tools that encourage people to visit your website more often such as coupons, newsletters, e-specials, contests, and fresh content.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Do things that are unique and grab attention.\u00a0 I.e. cool button or graphic.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Provide a call to action by telling visitors what you want them to do.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Give clear instructions on how to participate; make it simple, intuitive, and easy.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Offer an incentive to encourage them to do what you want them to do: \u201cTell a friend and be included in a drawing for \u2026\u201d
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Leverage, leverage, leverage!\u00a0 \u201cTell five friends and get a free \u2026\u201d
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Have your privacy policy posted.\u00a0 Most people won\u2019t consider giving out an email unless they know what you plan to do with it.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Make sure whatever technology you use works.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing worse than offering something you can\u2019t deliver on.<\/p>\n

Pass-It-On Marketing<\/span><\/p>\n

We all love to share a funny story, cool resource, or great deal.\u00a0 When we find one, we usually send an email or \u201cforward\u201d it on to friends, family, or people we work with.\u00a0 This old \u201cthey tell two friends and they in turn tell two friends\u201d method is very effective online because of the ease and simplicity of reaching large groups of people.<\/p>\n

Pass-It-On marketing can take many forms.\u00a0 Including:<\/span>
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Articles<\/span>-writing articles that can be distributed as content for newsletters or other websites.\u00a0 The article should contain links to your website and include information on you, your company, and your website.\u00a0 See myMarketingGuide.com<\/a> for samples.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 Fun videos or clips<\/span>-nothing seems to spread faster on the web.\u00a0 Fun to produce, but not a sure thing for results.\u00a0 Worth noting\u2014you\u2019ll need extra help with this campaign\u2014unlike games, email, and music which have long established pass-along tendencies, video is harder to spread the word about.\u00a0 You may need to supplement this with paid advertising to make it successful.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Free software or templates-<\/span>doing something your target market will be interested in, and will find handy and helpful.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Online Games or Quizzes<\/span>-spread like wild fire.\u00a0 Develop your own game or buy the rights to one.\u00a0 Unlike common myths, the demographic that loves games and quizzes the most are\u2026adult women.\u00a0 Many marketers report game interaction time of up to 20 minutes per play.\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot of time for your brand to hover friendly-like in the background as a sponsor.\u00a0 I.e. Murder mystery game for forensic scientists sponsored by a forensic tools maker.<\/p>\n

Just make sure, whatever you choose, do it well.\u00a0 For this type of viral marketing to be successful, you have to start with great content that the recipients will WANT to share with others.<\/p>\n

Product or Service Based Viral Marketing<\/span><\/p>\n

MSN.com was the true leader of service based viral marketing with its Hotmail service.\u00a0 Hotmail is a free email service that is provided by MSN.com and is used by millions of people around the world.<\/p>\n

How did they use a free email account as a viral technique?\u00a0 They added a tagline to every email message sent through their system.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve ever received a Hotmail email message, you\u2019ll notice a line of text at the bottom, \u201cJoin the world\u2019s largest email service with MSN Hotmail\u2026\u201d\u00a0 That message results in hundreds of new accounts each day on the Hotmail website.\u00a0 This innovative and inexpensive technique creates massive exposure for MSN.com and the other products and services offered on their website.\u00a0 Now that\u2019s viral marketing at its finest!<\/p>\n

Do you have a viral technique you\u2019d like to share?
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is a Viral Campaign? Have you ever visited a website and found an article, a coupon, a special offer, or something else that impressed you so much that you immediately sent an email to a friend about it?\u00a0 If you have, you\u2019ve experienced \u201cviral marketing\u201d. Viral marketing is a term to describe a low … Continue reading Go Ahead, Bug Your Customers<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[100,25,99],"class_list":["post-228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news_to_use","tag-viral-campaign","tag-viral-marketing","tag-word-of-mouth-marketing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228\/revisions\/230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxtconcepts.com\/srufo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}