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Viral marketing is a term that we’ve heard a lot about especially in recent times when it comes to internet marketing, however what exactly is viral marketing?

Let’s look first as to what is meant by a virus. A virus is something that is spread very quickly and is nearly unstoppable. When you combine this concept with marketing, which is letting people know more about your product or service you get a very powerful means of getting your brand known.

So what is a viral marketing campaign?

In order for something to be viral it must spread across the internet quickly and become known. When talking about the power of viralness, we should refer to videos that have become popular online. For example a video of one of Susan Boyle had over 1 million plus views in a number of days. Susan Boyle was a contestant on a reality talent show. The video got mass appeal by people spreading the word via email, forums, news postings etc. suddenly even the main stream media were picking up on the story of this video with over a million views. Another example is the Numa Numa video or the evolution of dance – just google these and you will see how popular they are.

Another prime example and probably one of the best known was the mystery surrounding the Blair Witch Project. This was a low budget film that grossed in millions mainly thru word of mouth and mystery. Was it real? Was it just a film? No one really knew but many went to the cinema to find out.

Getting a viral campaign right.

This can be the tricky part, as the internet population will be your ally when it comes to a viral campaign, however you as a marketer have to be clever. If you create a campaign and it’s too blatant an advertising/marketing ploy the campaign can flop or there can be a huge backlash. This has happened on many occasions. The idea is to do something that is funny, has potential to be sent onto friends.

Examples would include ads that are too “hot” for TV, i.e. they might not get past the exacting standards, outtakes from TV shows or movies. Something that gets people talking is essential for viral marketing, it has to be something out of the ordinary, something different.

Do I have to spend lots of money producing videos etc?

Not really. It can be something quite simple like a good quality free report that you encourage people to download and share. It might not reach a mass audience, however if it is good information it will be shared and you will have your brand exposed to more people.

The key is that it must be something that is useful and in the case of a report, have a perceived economic value. For example a self development report. A report on 10 reasons why the bank are not giving you enough interest.
If you have the budget you could create a flash based game. You could set up a free service on the internet (look at twitter or Facebook). How about an iPhone application?

What is the purpose of your campaign?

Like any marketing device you have to answer the one basic question – what do I want to get out of this campaign? More profits? More brand recognition? A list of subscribers? What ever it is you must be clear on what your outcome is. Once you know what is the outcome you must make sure you target your campaign to the right audience.

If your target market is 30 somethings there is no point in creating a viral application on Bebo – perhaps Facebook is more appropriate.

In sum viral marketing is a fantastic tool if your campaign is created correctly.

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