Viral Marketing

“They tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and they tell two friends.”

This is the basic premise of viral marketing. Online marketing campaigns or promotions that go “viral” when they mimic the behavior of a common cold virus. This means that they exploit the natural, interactive behavior of their hosts to spread.

The interconnected nature of online communities enables a similar spreading of marketing messages through the Internet. If your marketing message informs, entertains, provokes, or otherwise attracts attention online, its recipients can easily forward it to their friends. This amplification of your promotions can happen quickly and inexpensively leading to massive attention and website traffic for the sponsoring company or website.

To take advantage of this “word of mouth on steroids” potential of online marketing, your promotion needs to offer incentives to its targeted recipients. The incentives should be geared to encouraging them to take the action that you and your products most desire. Usually, this means offering your audience a chance to look smart, well-informed, or clever by forwarding your marketing messages to their friends and colleagues.

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Latest blogosphere posts tagged “Viral Marketing”

• Viral marketing – literally

  
  Start Up Blog — Authority: 125
  I’m not sure if this is viral marketing or cruelty to insects… How else could your startup be promoted by living things other than humans?
  10 hours ago

• Zhu Zhu Pets in Stock, Better Hurry

  
  Blippitt.com — Authority: 591
  The 2009 holiday toy season is kicking into full gear, and no toy is hotter this year than Zhu Zhu Pets. Zhu Zhu Pets are revolutionary new "pets" that dont require any parental supervision. They are essentially battery-operated hamsters that zip around in play sets at will. Their movements are incredibly ...
  13 hours ago

• Traveling Just Got Easier with Free Wi-Fi

  
  iePlexus — Authority: 134
  Just a few weeks ago, we told you about how Google has teamed up with Virgin America to offer free wi-fi for passengers this holiday season.  While the wi-fi is officially free as of Tuesday morning, Google and Yahoo both have announced this morning that they will be offering more free wi-fi in places ...
  14 hours ago

• Elf Yourself Returns for 2009 With Easy Twitter and Facebook Sharing

  
  Mashable! — Authority: 883
  Way back in 2006, OfficeMax introduced Elf Yourself to the world, and it’s been a viral hit ever since. Last year alone, 35 million of virtual greeting cards were sent out. The site, which lets you affix your head (or even your boss’s head) to a dancing elf body is back again, and this year, in addition to ...
  1 day ago

• Viral Marketing Webinar for MLSP Members and Guests

  
  Colin Klinkert Dot Com — Authority: 108
  Today I’m glad to announce that I will be participating in this week’s MLM Lead System Pro Webinar. I will be joining top internet marketers Brian Fanale, Norbert Orlewicz, Todd Schlomer and the rest of their team for what I’m sure will be a great occasion for you to learn more about viral marketing as well as ...
  1 day ago

• Viral Video Marketing, Why Is It So Effective? Part 1

  
  Learn Free Internet Marketing Learn Free Internet Marketing Strategies using Video, Articles, Social Networking, Social Media, Web 2.0, Blogs, Affiliate Marketing — Authority: 459
  www.themanicmarketer.com ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The majority of online marketers have used viral video marketing to get where they are today. You name the guru, they’ve done it, by creating a significant amount of hype about a product, using YouTube marketing, or some of the other free video ...
  1 day ago

• Say Cheese, Ottawa! Social Media Hits the Capital!

  
  The Daily Breakthrough — Authority: 116
  Call me a geek, but it truly warms my heart to see people using social media in unique ways to generate mass awareness. It warms my heart even more to know its being embraced by our very own city hall! The City of Ottawa is running their first major social media campaign/contest called: Picture it downtown . ...
  1 day ago

• Online elf craze is back, with added social networking goodness (Revolution)

  
  Stompernet SEO Course — Authority: 163
  LONDON - US retailer OfficeMax is reviving its much-loved Elf Yourself Christmas viral marketing game, this time with added social networking functions letting users share their creations on Twitter and Facebook.
  1 day ago

• Holiday Search Marketing? Youd Better Be!

  
  The NMS Blog — Authority: 145
  Tips for using PPC, retargeting, e-mail marketing, and viral marketing to help boost holiday sales. …Source:Holiday Search Marketing? Youd Better Be!Holiday Search Marketing? Youd Better Be!Share and Enjoy: Holiday Search Marketing? Youd Better Be!
  1 day ago

• Droid Annoyances, The Honeymoon is Over

  
  Specialty Marketing — Authority: 146
  Today was my second day with the Droid phone, my first full day. We’re getting to know each other, and like any relationship, time brings out the annoyances. There actually aren’t many so far, but here we go… The Hardware The droid phone is a little clunkier than the iPhone More here: Droid Annoyances, The ...
  2 days ago

• 18 VIDEOS: Idiots Guide To Internet Marketing With, SEO, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, RSS Feeds and More….

  
  Nick's Traffic Tricks — Authority: 121
  Introduction Below are 18 short videos taken from a seminar where Jeff Johnson spoke. In these videos he gives some incredible content. After watching the videos I had a couple pages of notes on how to get more traffic to my websites. I hope you enjoy the videos as much as I did! Part 1 WPvideo 1.10 ...
  2 days ago

• The Mad Hatter Needs Your Help, Follow Him for Treasure!

  
  FirstShowing.net — Authority: 695
  Im really digging the social/viral marketing Disney is doing for Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland . When the first trailer debuted in July , they used Facebook to build lots of early buzz. Now theyre using Facebook again to debut another new series of posters (as far as we know). The Mad Hatter has posted a ...
  2 days ago

• More Website Traffic from a Smile

  
  YourTrafficStarterBlog.com — Authority: 121
  I thought just about anyone would enjoy this… Watch this video and see how your smile will get you more website traffic (this video is GREAT! – You Are Great!).. Thanks to Tellman Knudson for pointing out this video to me. Though this is a dramatization, the effect you have on your customers by presenting ...
  2 days ago

• The Authentic Jobs “no retweet necessary” contest

  
  Wisdump — Authority: 114
  There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with using social media like Twitter and Facebook to get people to participate in contests, but Cameron Moll’s nickname for the recent Authentic Jobs contest does raise an interesting point. You won’t win through frivolous activities such as retweeting, posting a ...
  2 days ago

• Strategy First, Then Tactics

  
  Word of Mouth Marketing | Viral, Search, Blog, and Social Media Marketing — Authority: 98
  (The following is an excerpt from the Introduction of the upcoming book Marketing From the Navel: How to Become a Company Worth Talking About and Arm Customers to Spread the Word ) I have a favorite saying by the famed war strategist, Sun Tzu, that says, “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. ...
  2 days ago

• Glitch Turned Into Powerful Marketing

  
  Internet Marketing Strategies - slymarketing — Authority: 121
  It’s time to bring to the surface, once again, a wonderful marketing story. It’s a story with two sides. One is true, the other is not. I still don’t know which one is true. Either way, it ended up as really powerful marketing. Let me first tell you the story, how it has been told to me, and what most people ...
  2 days ago

• Search Marketing Is Easier Than You Think

  
  Search Engine Optimization — Authority: 145
  by Mike MoranImage by cbcastro via FlickrNot long ago, I spoke to a group of local chemical manufacturers on Internet marketing. (You can download my slides on “How the Web Changes the Old Marketing Rules.”) After the talk, I sat next to an veteran business owner at dinner, someone who clearly appreciated the talk ...
  2 days ago

• THE SUBSERVIENT CHICKEN

  
  MoneyBlog — Authority: 145
  Created for Miami Advertising Agency Crispin Porter as well as Bogusky by The Barbarian Group, a Subservient Chicken is a viral selling graduation of Burger King’s line of duck sandwiches. The debate is formed on a web site which facilities a chairman in a duck costume. The actress performs a far-reaching operation ...
  2 days ago

• B2B Marketers Do It, Too

  
  Internet Marketing Hints And Tips — Authority: 122
  They employ viral marketing by e-mail as a marketing tool… what did you think I meant? Viral marketing can work well for B2B providers, as long as the following is true: 1.    The product or service delivers value for the sender, in addition to, the receiver. 2.    The offer has to be deliverable. You do not ...
  2 days ago

• Kane + Lynch + Dog + Asian Restaurant = Viral

  
  PlayStation LifeStyle — Authority: 591
  Ready for another round of carnage? Kane and Lynch: Dead Men was released back in 2007 to moderate reception. Publisher Eidos believes the series has enough merit to warrant a sequel, Kane & Lynch: Dog Days. A video recently surfaced that appears to be a weird viral, and is almost beyond description. ...
  2 days ago

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