Before we get to Viral Marketing 202 I'll give you the basics for Viral Marketing 101.
1. Get a free product or website where you can insert your links.
2. Give away or sell the product or website with your links.
3. Let others give away or sell the product or website with your links.
Now that we all know the basics of viral marketing we can begin.
I recently asked my subscribers if they were doing some form of viral marketing and the results were dismal. There were so few votes that I immediately thought no one was doing it and they were afraid to admit it.
Then I offered a fantastic sale and offered a viral product as the bonus just for checking out the sales page. Imagine my surprise when the offered branding option for this viral product outsold the sale product.
The results of this sale told me that my subscribers are doing viral marketing but ... not as effectively as they could.
Since you didn't get the product from my last sale, EZ Download Page Generator, or maybe you have it but haven't had time to read the manual yet let me tell you that there's a lot more to viral marketing than just branding an eBook or a site and giving it away. Inserting your links into something and then giving it away is the simplest form of viral marketing.
Without going into all the gory details that are included in the manual purchased by my lucky subscribers, I will tell you that to use viral marketing to it's full extent, you have to combine it with up-sales, bonuses, eCourses and everything else related to internet marketing.
Example:
When I offered my last sale I also offered a bonus just for visiting the sales site. The bonus was my branded copy of a viral product that site visitors could give away. Of course I offered an up-sell to those who wanted the bonus - the chance to brand it themselves. By offering a bonus for visiting the sales page I was able to get my branded copy to many and start my viral marketing. By using an up-sell I was able make a few sales from those who wanted to give it away with their links included. (Viral marketing and money - great combination!)
I also included a bonus to those who purchased the product. Again, this bonus was a branded viral product with give away rights. The branding rights for this product are also available but they don't have to be purchased. Instead, the branding rights come as an free affiliate tool. If the receiver doesn't join the affiliate program and just gives away the eBook I again have some viral marketing in place.
If the receiver joins the affiliate program they get free branding rights to the bonus. Why would I want someone to sign up for a affiliate program and have the same viral tool I have? Simple, this is a member's only affiliate program. That means they have to become a paid member to become an affiliate and I get part of their monthly membership dues.
The product bonus has the potential for viral marketing and residual income - another good combination.
This example from my last sale is still a simple form of viral marketing but it is much more effective that just offering a free e-book or promoting a free viral marketing site. To get a complete description of how to use viral marketing to it's full extent you need to read the manual included withEZ Download Page Generator. The manual alone is worth the price and the tool works great.
Now here's a question for you.
Do you know what very important element was left out of my sales example? I'll give you a clue. It's something you should be doing in all your marketing.
Now your wondering, if it's so important why didn't I do it?
I didn't tell my readers in this article. I made them wait a week for the answer.
About The Author
Susan Carroll owner of http://www.friendswhocare.us has formed a global community of online business people through her weekly newsletter.
To get the answer to "What's The 1 Thing You Should Be Doing In All Your Marketing?" visit her site http://friendswhocare.us/join.htm.
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.
A viral marketing virus acts similar to a biological virus. But, the big difference between a viral marketing virus and a cold or flu virus is that people willingly pass the marketing message on. The biological virus attaches itself to everything it comes in contact with, spreading from person to person either by touch, or air.
A Viral marketing strategy is typically low cost or even free to implement it. Most people are amazed at the effectiveness of viral marketing due to its exponential growth. One sure form of viral marketing is referral marketing. Referral marketing happens when one person refers or tells another person about your product or service. As easy as asking your friend who is a good Doctor, and your friend refers you to a physician. How does someone refer their friends to a website?
Introducing - A Free Script Called A Tell - A - Friend Script
A Tell A Friend Script is an easy to install script, its just a cut and past into your web page? Your website visitors than can easily send email message to their friends, sharing with them great information and tools they have found.
A tell a friend script offers basic features that makes it easy for your visitors to insert their name, their email address and their friends', email address, and name. Enabling your website visitors friends to send email from your website is not considered spam, because the email came from a friend they know and trust. An added attraction to Tell A Friend Script email Spam filters do not consider the email from the friend to be Spam, and is therefore not filtered.
Where and When to Use Tell A Friend Scripts
Viral Marketing is used by all of the largest companies on the Internet. If Viral Marketing specifically Tell A Friend scripts were not successful they would not be seen on the majority of the largest websites. You ask, where do you put these scripts. Refer a friend, or tell a friend scripts must be put on every page on your website. With the exception of secured Web pages such as download pages, and interior pages of membership sites.
You can also put Tell A Friend scripts on your bloggs, and html newsletters, or ezines. You can also make you text email ads, and newsletters Viral by placing a text message in your emails and articles encouraging the readers to send this message to their friends if they like it. Hotmail did this for years on the Bottom of their email, encouraging people to sign up for free email service.
"If you enjoy our newsletter do you think a friend might also benefit from it, please send this to a friend."
or
"Please help us share our message with others by telling a friend. It's easy, just click here."
That's why it is absolutely critical to include a "Tell-A-Friend" form on your site. If someone likes your site, you want to be sure that you've made it easy and convenient for them to tell their friends.
Functionality and Visibility
Ideally, you should make your Tell A Friend as Visible as possible, and as easy to use. Visibility is necessary put your Tell A Friend on the top and bottom of your pages, in your navigation of your pages, on your Confidentiality pages.
Basic Do's and Don'ts
Do's Do make it easy to find. Do make it easy to use. Do make it convenient.
Don'ts Don't consider the sender an enrollee to your opt in list. Don't consider the receiver an enrollee to your op tin list. Don't hide your Tell A Friend.
Conclusion
Viral Marketing can bring a tremendous amount of traffic to your website. It only takes a little effort on your part to benefit tremendously from a Tell A Friend Script.
About The Author
Duncan Judson is owner and webmaster of The Viral Source www.theviralsource.com. Join The Viral Source Page Update and Notification and Goodies Super List at http://www.theviralsource.com/jvsignupform.html ! Duncan believes in helping others to be successful, and building solid multiple streams of income using viral techniques.
Butterfly Effect And Internet Marketing by: Ivan Kelly
In Ray Bradbury's short story "A Sound of Thunder", a group of people travel millions of years into the past to hunt dinosaurs. One of them accidentally steps on and kills a butterfly, which dramatically alters the future.
This idea was also taken up in a movie called "The Butterfly Effect", starring Aston Kutcher, about a young man who managed to travel to his past and, by altering earlier events, changed outcomes in his future, including some that were unforeseen.
The butterfly effect has its roots in chaos theory, where a small event can have a ripple effect and bring about possible dramatic changes - the fluttering of a butterfly's wings possibly forestalling a monsoon that would have devestated an island.
Successful internet marketing is the result of many such "trivial" events at work.
But which ones will prove to be significant and how do we sustain, and even build, the momentum which is generated?
One proven technique is known a viral marketing, which adopts a strategy that encourages many people to pass on a marketing message to others. It makes use of multiplication to "explode" the distribution of the message by willing participants.
Hotmail used this method to get established. When the two founders set up their free email system, all the messages that were sent by subscribers had a text message at the bottom which identified Hotmail as the origin. People would send emails to their friends, who would be tempted to set up hotmail accounts and send emails to their friends...
Within 24 months, Hotmail had 22 million subscribers, eventually selling out to Microsoft for about $400 million.
The viral marketing method is:
a. Cheap. Most approaches take just a little time to set up and then others promote your business for you.
b. It has the potential to reach a large audience by geometrical progression, limited only by the enthusiasm of the participants.
c. It can be effectively combined with other forms of promotion.
d. It's also possible to sell other products than the one you originally targeted. For instance, if you are selling garden products, those interested in flowers could also be interested in a catalogue that contains material on lawns, trees, landscaping, garden tools, etc.
e. A viral product is fairly easy to create. It includes ebooks, articles, branded software, audio and videos, free reports, or even the first three chapters of your ebook.
f. A quality product that users are willing to pass on to others is accompanied by an implied recommendation. They are effectively building your reputation.
Special Considerations:
1. Whatever the product is that you use, it should be of significant value and free - or of very low cost in relation to its perceived value. But usually it is free and easy to pass on.
2. Make it easy for people to pass on by using buttons, active links, tell-a-friend windows, etc. Many products also combine very well with an affiliate program when the affiliate receives some extra benefit from promoting the viral message. For instance, by being able to brand an ebook the affiliate gains credit when a reader buys through a branded link.
3. Buttons and links are not interchangeable. Many email facilities do not handle HTML well, especially those that are web-based. Codes can be easily corrupted. Use active links in emails and save buttons for web pages.
4. Be sure your message includes a clear call to action. There should be no doubt about what you intend recipients to do.
5. The INCENTIVE should be clear to those you want to act.
6. Offer clear instructions so that recipients know HOW to act.
7. The action you require should be simple and obvious. Don't complicate it or confuse the reader, such as by adding numerous links.
Viral Marketing is but one of many techniques that together have a cumulative effect in attracting customers and subscribers to your business - in attracting targeted visitors to your website. Momentum is gained by aiming every element of the overall strategy at developing the relationship with your visitors. The momentum builds as it succeeds in identifying YOU as one of the white hats - someone who can be trusted to provide value and a solution.
Design your strategy in such a way that there is a positive flow-on effect into the future rather than one which diminishes after the initial zeal and enthusiasm which launched your product.
Focus on delivering benefits to your visitors and making it easy for them to collect. And don't step on the butterflies.
About The Author
Copyright, Ivan Kelly.
Ivan Kelly managed a Direct Mail business with extensive mailing lists for ten years and has designed and promoted many websites. He also provides quality free courses on a variety of internet marketing subjects. A list of these free courses is available at: http://www.WebStartAdvisor.com
Climb Aboard the Boat to Success
By Denise Hall (c) 2005
Viral Marketing is the fastest way to generate more traffic, sales and opt-in list members. It works in a way similar to viruses that cause the common cold, spreading from one person to another very quickly. Yet many Internet marketers don't use Viral Marketing techniques, and, as a result, they're missing the boat to bigger and better profits.
Definition of Viral Marketing: a method that causes people to pass on your marketing message to others.
As an Internet marketer, you must "brand" yourself among prospects in your target market. Just as a virus can be passed from person to person, so can your marketing message. And, like a good joke, gossip or a rumor, it spreads like wildfire.
Creating a free e-book or report, for example, to offer your website visitors or ezine subscribers keeps your name or product in front of them. How? By including links to your website or affiliate programs within the e-book.
And by giving them an incentive to pass along your report to others, you'll create a turbo-charged Viral Marketing machine. Simply allowing them to brand the e-book with their name and website URL will get the ball rolling.
You don't have to create your own e-book, though. There are plenty of good ones available. Just be sure the information is something your website visitors are interested in and you'll see how quickly your traffic will increase because your link is in front of them as they read it.
That's just one Viral Marketing method. There are many, and successful marketers use several of them combined in order to maximize the effects. In fact, it's how most of them became successful.
For more techniques to help get you going, claim your free copy of Viral Marketing Made Easy:
Don't miss the boat to success... start your own marketing virus and reap the rewards.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Denise Hall is the owner of Home Business on a Budget which specializes in tools and resources for your home business needs. Visit http://www.home-business-on-a-budget.com today. Free weekly articles, money-saving tips and resources: http://www.home-business-on-a-budget.com/subscribe.htm
This article may be reprinted in its entirety with this resource box included.
