8020Info Capsule - Viral Marketing

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Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is a recent term for an old concept: Referrals about your business that are passed on by satisfied customers. The new twist is that companies don't just leave it to serendipity but try to spark such word-of-mouth, notably through taking advantage of the Internet, where it is easy and now commonplace to pass along interesting items to colleagues and friends. Like a virus, such marketing can spread exponentially through networks otherwise invisible to the company, as customers become enthusiastic advocates.

Hotmail.com, for example, gained 12 million subscribers in one year, partly through the implicit referrals offered by the tag line promoting its service at the end of each e-mail sent by users. Scope mouthwash developed an animated, e-mail "kiss" that individuals could – and did – send on to friends. Green.Travel.com invites visitors to pass its newsletter on to friends and as an incentive enters them in a draw for a backpack. Several companies have offered incentives to users in return for passing along the product to their friends.

Three Elements of the Viral Dynamic

In The Tipping Point, journalist Malcolm Gladwell sets out three characteristics of epidemics that can be applied to viral marketing. First, according to what he calls the Law of The Few, social epidemics are driven by a handful of exceptional people. Second, the message or product you are trying to pass along must be memorable –or, as he calls it, sticky. Finally, context is also vital in spreading messages. A fascinating article in a magazine won't be spread as quickly amongst friends as the same article on a Web site.

An effective viral marketing strategy often gives away products or services – or some promotional proxy for them. It provides for effortless transfer to others, smoothing the way for the word-of-mouth to happen. Since viral marketing can pump up demand, you need the ability to handle the extra work that might come along.

Appeal to Human Motivation

Clever viral marketing programs take advantage of common human motivations, such as greed, the desire to be cool, the hunger to be popular, and the desire for love. They utilize existing communication networks that individuals have and the resources those people (or companies) have – like a virus, piggybacking on other hosts to spread.

Viral marketing can be as simple as telling people about your new Web site (or other innovations) in a tag line on your own e-mail or putting enough reminders on your Web site about passing information on to others that it becomes second nature.

Driven by Creativity

The place to begin is with brainstorming. Viral marketing requires creativity. Gather others together, and play around with some ideas. At the same time, don't forget the obvious. What other sites can you get links from? What new information can you send your customers that is likely to be of interest to friends – and that they will pass on, with your name attached? Do you have alliances with other businesses that can pass along coupons for your product or service? Can you give your customers a coupon for a friend?

The serendipity of viral marketing takes foresight and planning. However, it can pay off, in exponential growth.

If you would like more information or assistance with viral marketing for your organization, please contact us.