subject: Viral Marketing - Spreading Far And Wide [print this page] Viral marketing is a relatively new concept in the world of business promotion. It tries to replicate the buzz factor that usually occurs unexpectedly. No one knows for sure why one thing takes off while another flops. However, everyone is aware of the profound effect that cult followings have on sales. The best thing about this process, which usually happens organically, is that its popularity feeds into itself. A few people find out about something and then tell their friends, who end up telling even more people. This can happen virtually overnight and what was unknown one day has a tremendous fan base the next.
The internet has created an atmosphere that is very conducive to this type of spreading popularity. The reason for this is that the web makes it unbelievably easy to share information with many people very quickly. Within just a few seconds, the YouTube video that had you in stitches is being viewed by several of your closest friends. Much like a medical or computer virus, its effects reach far and wide without any specific, linear pattern. It can literally take over. As viral marketing has this same widespread effect, just imagine what it can do for increasing the visibility of your business.
The main problem with employing this strategy is that this kind of popularity usually happens randomly. Luckily, there are several ways to recreate this atmosphere. People love to uncover the undiscovered. It is the reason that little hideaways are so popular. Knowing something that not everyone else has already heard about makes people feel like they have a secret. This secret is then shared with their friends, whom are now part of the exclusive group. By sharing the information with their closest friends, people do not realize they are promoting it far beyond their own group. However, it is this shroud of secrecy that makes viral marketing so effective.
To keep this same exclusive feeling, the video or information that you are marketing is best kept anonymous. It does not even need to be about the specific product, but can just be an entertaining or controversial posting that gets people talking. By doing this, people feel like they have stumbled upon a "find" and begin to share it with a select few, who then pass it to another exclusive group. Once enough buzz has been created, the actual product can be revealed. By this point, there has been so much free promotion, that any nominal cost in setting up your viral marketing is far outweighed by your sales.
