21 tips to viral marketing success

8/12/2019 21 Tips to Viral Marketing Success

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21 Tips To Viral Marketing Success!

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 What Is Viral Marketing?.................................4

Chapter 2 Why Should I Use Viral Marketing?...................6

Chapter Viral Marketing Costs.....................................!

Chapter 4 21 Viral Marketing "ips.................................11

Chapter # $etting Started............................................%

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Chapter 1 - What Is Viral Marketing?

&ou are pro'a'ly (ondering (hy you should use )iral *arketing to dri)e tra++i, toyour (e'site. &ou ha)e pro'a'ly already heard a'out )iral *arketing and So- (hat

is )iral *arketing- and (hy should you ,are? Is this ust another +ad that (ill soon

+ade a(ay?

In short- )iral *arketing in)ol)es getting other people to (illingly spread your

*essage +or you. /eople (ho like (hat you ha)e done tell other people- and the

*essage spreads +ro* person to person like a )irus. When that happens- it is

re+erred to as your *essage 0going )iral.

It relies hea)ily on (ord o+ *outh ad)ertising so*eone sees or reads (hat you ha)e

to o++er and tells a ,ouple o+ their +riends. "heir +riends see or read your *essage

and they tell a ,ouple o+ their +riends- and they tell a ,ouple o+ their +riends- and so

on. "he nu*'er o+ people (ho are a(are o+ you and your *essage in,reases

e3ponentially. "he *ore people hear a'out your site- the +aster your tra++i, gro(s.

o( large (ill it gro(? "here is really no (ay to tell. "he only real li*it to the

a*ount o+ tra++i, possi'le is ho( *any people your site host ,an handle.

5ust think a'out ho( ui,kly it ,ould spread. I+ one person sa( your *essage and

told 2 people- (ho told 2 people- (ho told 2 people- and it ,ontinued- your *essage

(ould )ery ui,kly 'e in +ront o+ thousands o+ people. I+ ea,h person ust told t(o

other people- it ,ould gro( )ery ui,kly. 7e*e*'er that old sha*poo ,o**er,ial?

0I told t(o +riends- and they told t(o +riends and so on8

9o( ust i*agine i+ you started (ith 1:: people spreading your *essage- or 1-:::

people. &ou ,an see that it doesn;t take long 'e+ore hundreds o+ thousands- or e)en

*illions o+ people are a(are o+ (ho you are- and 'etter still- are )isiting your (e'

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site and 'uying your produ,ts or ser)i,es.

Viral *arketing e++e,ti)ely taps into pre> that spreads a,ross the internet- and tra++i, +loods to your

site to see (hat the 'u>> is a'out. n,e they are there- i+ they like (hat they see-

they pass the in+or*ation along- and the 'u>> ,ontinues to gro(.

Word o+ *outh *arketing is 'y +ar the *ost e++e,ti)e (ay to get (ord out a'out

your site. /eople (ill listen to others that they already kno( and trust *u,h *ore

readily than they (ill listen to you. "hese people do not kno( you- so (hy should

they trust (hat you are telling the*? @+ter all- you *ight 'e likely to say anything

in order to *ake a sale. o(e)er- they (ill listen to a +riend or +a*ily *e*'er-

espe,ially i+ the person spreading the (ord does not ha)e anything to gain 'y telling

the*. It is ust a +riend passing along a great deal they +ound- or so*e use+ul or

interesting in+or*ation.

+


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Chapter 2 - Why Should I Use Viral

Marketing?

&ou *ay 'e thinking that )iral *arketing te,hniues are only +or the *aor players

(ith 'ig 'udgets- and that it ,an not (ork +or s*all 'usinesses (ith s*all 'udgets.

I+ that is your thinking- I ,an assure you- you are (rong. &ou *ight not 'e a'le to

a++ord to produ,e the highly polished ads like the 'ig ,o*panies- 'ut there are still a

lot o+ opportunities +or su,,ess. @ny 'usiness or indi)idual (ith a *essage to get out

or a ser)i,e or produ,t to sell ,an 'ene+it +ro* a (ell ,ra+ted *arketing ,a*paign.

"here are se)eral reasons that you should 'e using )iral tra++i, generation te,hniues

to 'uild your 'usiness and attra,t ,usto*ers to your (e'site.

It is a fast effe!ti"e #ay to dri"e traffi! to your site$

Aike I *entioned a'o)e- on,e the (ord starts to spread- it ,an spread )ery ui,kly-

and there is really no li*it to ho( *any people ,an hear your *essage. =e,ause

your *essage o+ten ,o*es to so*eone +ro* a person they already kno(- it has

*ore ,redi'ility than i+ the *essage sho(ed up unin)ited in an e*ail +ro* so*eone

they do not kno(.

n,e the *essage starts to spread it pi,ks up si>e and speed as it goes- like a

sno('all rolling do(n a hill. &ou *ay start out thinking that your e++orts (ere not

)ery e++e,ti)e- then one *orning you open your e*ail to +ind it +ull o+ ne( orders.

When it (orks- it ,an (ork )ery +ast.

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It !an be "ery ine%pensi"e$

n,e the (ord starts to spread- there is not *u,h additional ,ost. "he 'iggest ,ost

you (ill +a,e is paying +or all the additional tra++i, to your site. @ll o+ the ,ost and

e++ort o+ spreading the (ord a'out (hat you ha)e to o++er is taken ,are o+ 'y the

people spreading the (ord. More than likely- the 'iggest e3pense (ill 'e the up+ront

set up or produ,tion ,osts. Bepending on (hi,h te,hniue you de,ide to use. @+ter

that initial e3pense- the ,ost re*aining ,osts are no*inal.

It !an help shield you fro& negati"e !o&&ents

ne thing to re*e*'er is that a negati)e *essage ,an go )iral- too. Un+ortunately-

you are not going to 'e a'le to please e)eryone. I+ you do enough 'usiness-

e)entually you are going to ha)e so*eone (ho is unhappy (ith you and your

'usiness. It only takes one ,usto*er that is dissatis+ied to put a shado( o+ dou't in

your ,usto*er;s *inds a'out (hether they should do 'usiness (ith you or not.

n,e that dou't is there- it is hard to re*o)e it. I+ people are not happy (ith the

ser)i,e they re,ei)ed- they are *ore likely to tell people a'out it than i+ they are

happy ,usto*ers.

@s unhappy ,usto*ers start spreading negati)e *essages a'out you- the (ord (ill

start to spread- and there is not *u,h you ,an do to stop it. "he *ore it spreads-

the *ore untrust(orthy your 'usiness appears. @ll you ,an do is ha)e enough o+ a

'u++er in pla,e that the negati)e *essages do not o)erpo(er the positi)e *essages.

I+ your *essage goes )iral- not only (ill is send a +lood o+ tra++i, to your site- 'ut

other sites (ill link to you- and your site (ill rank higher in the sear,h engines. &our

na*e (ill also appear on other high ranking sites. I+ a negati)e *essage does start

to go around- it (ill ha)e a *u,h harder ti*e getting out- 'e,ause your positi)e

*essage is already so highly ranked that the negati)e *essages ,an not +ind their

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(ay to the top o+ the sear,h engine listings.

It !an find hidden !usto&ers$

Bespite the ti*e and *oney you spend trying to narro(ly de+ine your ,usto*ers-

+iguring out (ho they are- and *ore i*portantly- (here they are- there (ill al(ays

'e people that you ha)e *issed. n,e your *essage goes )iral- there is no telling

(here it (ill end up- or (ho (ill see it. =e,ause o+ the (idespread ,o)erage that ,an

o,,ur- people that you had not e)en ,onsidered to 'e your ,usto*ers (ill get a

,han,e to see your *essage. "hey (ill de,ide (hether they are potential ,usto*ers

or not.

@s (ord ,ontinues to spread a'out (hat you are o++ering- you do not ha)e to (orry

a'out +inding all the possi'le ni,hes your ,usto*ers *ight 'e hiding. &ou do not

ha)e to go +ind the*- they (ill +ind you.


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Chapter ' - Viral Marketing Costs

"he ,ost o+ )iral *arketing really depends on the type o+ *arketing ,a*paign you

de,ide to use. With the 21 Viral "ra++i, $eneration "e,hniues listed 'elo(- there

are *any that are +ree- or )ery lo( ,ost. So*e *ay ,ost a little *ore to produ,e

and get started- (hile others ,ould 'e,o*e uite e3pensi)e. o( *u,h you spend is

entirely up to you and the ho( you (ant to use the di++erent *ethods.

ne o+ the greatest things a'out )iral tra++i, generation is- on,e you get the initial

*essage out- it really doesn;t ,ost you any *ore on,e it goes )iral. &our ,usto*ers

'ear all o+ the ti*e and e3pense o+ spreading the (ord. @ll you ha)e to do is 'e

prepared to handle the tra++i, (hen it ,o*es. Bepending on your (e'site hosting

ser)i,e- there *ay 'e so*e ,osts +or additional 'and(idth as *ore ,usto*ers +lood

your site- 'ut i+ your sales in,rease 'e,ause o+ the tra++i, it is (orth the additional

,ost.

(o# !an I &ake &y &essage go Viral?

"his is an o+ten asked uestion- and there has 'een a lot o+ ti*e and *oney spent to

+ind the ans(er. "he truth is- there is no guaranteed (ay to *ake your *essage go

)iral. "here are so*e things you ,an do to in,rease the ,han,es that it (ill take o++-

'ut you ,an not 0*ake it happen.

Su,,ess+ul )iral tra++i, generation is part skill- part ,reati)ity- part ti*ing and

,ir,u*stan,es- and part lu,k. &ou *ay try do>ens o+ things (ith no real su,,ess-

and then strike gold in a ,o*pletely une3pe,ted pla,e.

"here is a uote that says 0Au,k is (hat happens (hen preparation *eets

opportunity. I+ you ,ontinue to *arket your site- and ,ontinue to lay the

ground(ork +or su,,ess- you greatly in,rease the odds that you (ill 'e 0lu,ky. or

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so*e sites it takes a long ti*e to 'e,o*e an o)ernight su,,ess.

=y presenting your *essage in a use+ul- uniue or entertaining (ay- it en,ourages

people to spread the (ord. It reuires ,reating a *essage (ith a (ide appeal- and

has a high potential o+ getting passed along. n,e it 'egins- there is no telling

(here it (ill go- ho( +ar it (ill spread- or (ho it (ill rea,h.

I+ you happen to 'e one o+ the +ortunate ones (ho ha)e se)eral *essages going

)iral- you ,ould easily rea,h *illions o+ people. It does not happen +or e)eryone- 'ut

it ,ould happen +or you.

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Chapter ) - 21 Viral Marketing Tips

ere are 21 )iral *arketing tips that you ,an use to 'ring tra++i, to your (e'site.

Whether there is a +lood or a tri,kle really depends on your a'ility to gi)e your

)isitors so*ething they ,an use or enoy. It is i*portant to re*e*'er that your

,usto*ers are not stupid. "hey (ill kno( (hether (hat you are o++ering is

so*ething they (ant- or i+ it is a ,heap ad)ertising ploy. I+ it is- they (ill pass the

(ord along. I+ it is not use+ul- they (ill lea)e your site and say nothing to others

a'out you.

"he key to all o+ these te,hniues is to gi)e so*ething that adds to the user;s

e3perien,e. "his ,an 'e 'y o++ering use+ul in+or*ation- telling the* a'out so*ething

ne( and e3,iting- or so*ething that is entertaining or hu*orous- 'ut the key is to

*ake it the highest uality possi'le.

With so *u,h in+or*ation on the internet that is ust a ,li,k a(ay- (hat you are

o++ering has to 'e uniue. "his ,an *ean 'eing ,o*pletely ne(- or it ,ould *ean

looking at so*ething old +ro* a di++erent and uniue point o+ )ie(. I+ your *essage

does not tou,h the* in so*e (ay- your *essage (ill not go )iral. &ou *ay still get

so*e tra++i, out o+ it- 'ut that tra++i, (ill ,o*e the old +ashioned (ay- through hard

(ork- sear,h engine opti*i>ation- and daily on


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o( did ot*ail *ake any *oney o++ o+ +ree a,,ounts? "hey did it 'y o++ering

pre*iu* ser)i,es to their ,usto*ers su,h as additional storage spa,e- and the a'ility

to send e*ails (ithout any ad)ertising atta,hed.

ot*ail 'e,a*e su,,ess+ul enough that in 1!!%- less than 2 years a+ter it (as

,reated- it 'oasted o)er G *illion users and (as pur,hased 'y Mi,roso+t. It is still

one o+ the top (e' 'ased e*ail ser)i,es in the (orld.

While you *ay not 'e a'le to a,hie)e the sa*e a*ount o+ 'u>> that ot*ail (as

a'le to generate- it does de*onstrate the po(er o+ getting your *essage out 'e

atta,hing it to so*ething that people are (illing to share (ith their +riends- +a*ily-

and ,o


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Tip ' - ,et . /eferral

@n added t(ist to the idea o+ gi)ing so*ething a(ay +or +ree to your ,usto*ers is to

reuire the* to re+er so*eone to you in e3,hange +or (hat you are gi)ing a(ay.

Si*ply pro)ide a spa,e (here they ,an enter the e*ail address o+ one or *ore

people that they ha)e to +ill out 'e+ore re,ei)ing the ite* you are o++ering. "his is

espe,ially e++e,ti)e (hen your +ree ite* is so*ething the person ,an do(nload

instantly.

"his te,hniue not only puts your *essage in +ront o+ the eyes o+ potential

,usto*ers- it also helps you 'uild your o(n *ailing list. &ou ,an send an e*ail the

people that (ere re+erred saying 0&our +riend Ena*eF sa( this- and (ould like to

share it (ith you. =y ha)ing the a'ility to use the +riend;s na*e- it helps to esta'lish

your ,redi'ility. "his (ill de,rease the possi'ility o+ person re,ei)ing the in)itation

tagging your *essage as spa*.

Aike *any o+ the te,hniues listed- this (ill only (ork i+ your )isitor thinks (hat you

are o++ering is o+ enough )alue to *ake it (orth gi)ing you in+or*ation a'out a

+riend or +a*ily *e*'er. riendships are 'uilt on trust- and *ost people (ill not 'e

(illing to risk that trust on a (orthless gadget.

Bo not e3pe,t in instant +lood (ith this *ethod. It usually starts as *ore o+ a

tri,kle- 'ut that tri,kle in,reases the longer it +lo(s. )er ti*e- the re+errals (ill add

up. I+ ea,h person that takes ad)antage o+ your +ree o++er re+ers t(o or *ore

+riends- it (ill not take long to ha)e uite a list o+ potential ,usto*ers- all at no

additional ,ost.

Tip ) - Use Video

Unless you ha)e 'een li)ing in a ,a)e- you ha)e heard o+ &ou "u'e. I+ you spend

any ti*e online- it is hard not to ha)e heard o+ it. Millions o+ people e)ery day )ie(

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)ideo ,lips that are stored in the &ou"u'e li'rary. &ou"u'e and $oogle Videos take

ad)antage o+ the +a,t that people are no( spending *ore ti*e in re,reational

internet sur+ing than in (at,hing tele)ision. It is another e3a*ple o+ not only ho(

people (ant to 'e entertained- 'ut also that people (ant ,hoi,es. "he pu'li, has

gotten used to 'eing a'le to ,hoose the entertain*ent they (ant- and not 'e +or,ed

to take (hat is pushed at the*.

I+ you are ,reati)e enough- or ,utting edge- or (a,ky enough- you ,ould ui,kly 'e

the ne3t hot )ideo. "he )ideos that ha)e the *ost ,han,e o+ going )iral are ones

that deal (ith ,urrent e)ents- espe,ially i+ you ,an 'eat the *aor ne(s outlets-

)ideos dealing (ith 'usiness issues- and hu*orous )ideos.

Ste)en Col'ert (as a great e3a*ple o+ this (hen ,lips o+ his Co*edy Central sho(-

"he Col'ert 7eport- (ere released on &ou"u'e. Bespite the o'e,tions o+ the

Co*edy Central net(ork- (hen the sho( (as still ne(- Col'ert allo(ed ,lips +ro* his

sho( to 'e posted on &ou"u'e. Within a short period o+ ti*e his ,lips (ent )iral-

and )ie(ership o+ "he Col'ert 7eport soared.

I+ you de,ide this is a *ethod you (ant to use- *ake sure you ha)e a +resh idea-

and not a rehash o+ so*ething that has already *ade the rounds. &ou don;t neednet(ork uality euip*ent to produ,e a de,ent )ideo. While you do (ant de,ent

uality produ,tion- the 'iggest key is great ,ontent.

Make your )ideo- and at the end o+ the ,lip pla,e a # se,ond pro*otional slide

(ith the U7A +or your (e'site so )ie(ers ,an look +or *ore use+ul in+or*ation. Make

sure the landing page you send the* to *at,hes the tone o+ the )ideo. I+ the )ideo

you use is uirky and hu*orous- and the landing page is serious and all 'usiness-

your )isitors (ill only stay +or a +e( se,onds 'e+ore lea)ing +or *ore entertaining

sites.

n,e your )ideo is produ,ed- and looks the (ay you (ant it to- upload your )ideo

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onto &ou"u'e and $oogle Videos. "hese sites o++er ser)i,es that allo( (e'site

o(ners and users o+ so,ial net(ork sites like MySpa,e to pla,e )ideo )ie(ers on

their site. I+ your )ideo goes )iral- not only (ill potential ,usto*ers 'e a'le to see

your )ideo on the host site- 'ut also on all o+ the personal sites that pi,k it up. "he

a*ount o+ tra++i, that ,ould +lood to your site is huge.

Tip 0 - Write .n -ook

a)e you noti,ed the nu*'er o+ sites that o++er +ree e


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esta'lishes your ,redi'ility. /eople gi)e *ore ,reden,e to a pu'lished 0e3pert than

they do to so*eone (ho has not (ritten a 'ook- e)en i+ the 'ook is )ery short. &ou

'egin to 'uild na*e re,ognition- and (hen people see your na*e asso,iated (ith

so*ething in the +uture- they (ill 'e *ore likely to ,he,k it out.

Internet *arketer Ba)id Meer*an S,ott used this su,,ess+ully (hen he released an

e'ook titled The New Rules of PR. e posted a link to the 'ook on his 'log- and sent

link 'y e*ail to +riends and ,olleagues. Within days his e'ook had 'een

do(nloaded o)er 1-::: ti*es. @t that point it ,aught the attention o+ a ,ouple o+

internet *arketing gurus (ho talked a'out it on their o(n 'logs. In the days

+ollo(ing those 'logs S,ott;s e'ook had 'een do(nloaded o)er 1#-::: ti*es.

"o date- the e'ook has 'een do(nloaded o)er 6:-::: ti*es- and it has resulted in a

,ontinuing +lo( o+ tra++i,- and se)eral speaking arrange*ents. e is no( ,onsidered

an e3pert in the +ield o+ internet *arketing- largely 'e,ause o+ his e'ook.

Bo a sear,h +or e'ook ,o*pilers to +ind a progra* to ,reate your e'ook- or +ind a

progra* that (ill allo( you to sa)e a do,u*ent as a /B. Whi,he)er progra* you

de,ide to use- *ake sure it allo(s you to in,lude a,ti)e- ,li,ka'le links. I+ the personreading the e'ook has to ,opy and paste the link into a 'ro(ser- *any o+ the* (ill

not. Make it as easy as possi'le +or the* to get to your site.

@lso- *ake sure the progra* you use (ill not let anyone ,hange the in+or*ation in

your e'ook. "here are less than honest people (ho (ill re*o)e re+eren,es to you

and the links to your site- and in,lude their o(n in+or*ation into your e'ook. Many

progra*s (ill allo( you to sa+eguard your in+or*ation- so take ad)antage o+ the*.

Tip 3 - Create . log

+ all the te,hniues I ha)e listed- 'logging is the *ost (ork to keep up (ith. It is

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also pro'a'ly the slo(est gro(ing *ethod on the list. In order +or one o+ your 'log

posts to go )iral- people ha)e to kno( your 'log e3ists. With so *any uality 'logs

already in e3isten,e- it *ay take so*e ti*e to get your 'log noti,ed. It reuires

persisten,e.

=e+ore you de,ide to 'egin 'logging- *ake sure you are interested enough in the

topi, to (rite a'out it on an al*ost daily 'asis. or a 'log to 'e e++e,ti)e- you need

to post at least # arti,les a (eek. While the posts do not need to 'e long- they

should at least ,ontain the ele*ents that any te,hniue needs to go )iral a uniue

point o+ )ie( on a su'e,t- in+or*ational- entertaining- and +resh.

9ot only do you need to 'e ,onsistent in posting ne( in+or*ation- you also need to

(ork at *arketing your 'log. "here are se)eral easy (ays to start getting other

people to pay attention to your 'log. Start 'y +inding other popular 'logs that ,o)er

a si*ilar su'e,t as you ,o)er. Aea)e insight+ul ,o**ents on their 'log. When you

lea)e a ,o**ent- you ,an in,lude a link 'a,k to your o(n site. I+ so*e reads your

,o**ent and like (hat you ha)e to say- they *ay head o)er to your site to see

(hat else you ha)e to o++er. I+ the 'log you lea)e a ,o**ent on is )ery popular-

this ,ould dri)e a +air a*ount o+ tra++i, to your site.

@nother *ethod o+ getting your 'log noti,e is to (rite a post on your 'log

,o**enting on so*ething you read on so*eone else;s 'log. &ou add a link in your

post pointing 'a,k to the 'log you *entioned. In 'log language this is re+erred to as

a 0tra,k'a,k. When you put the U7A o+ the other 'log in the tra,k'a,k se,tion o+

your 'logging progra* it sends a *essage to the 'log you are linking to in+or*ing

the* that you *entioned the* in your 'log. "hey ,o*e and read (hat you said-

and i+ they like it- they *ay (rite so*ething on their 'log a'out your post. "heir

)ie(ers ,an also ,li,k the link- (hi,h (ill dri)e tra++i, to your 'log.

It is )ery easy to get started 'logging i+ that is an area you are interested in. "here

are se)eral good online 'log ser)i,es that (ill allo( you to set up a 'log +or +ree.

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So*e o+ these ser)i,es- like =logger.,o*- e)en allo( you to set up @dSense

ad)ertising on your 'log- (hi,h (ill let you earn a little e3tra in,o*e (ith your 'log.

I+ you (ould rather ha)e the 'log lo,ated as part o+ your o(n (e'site- progra*s like

Word/ress are )ery easy to set up and use. "he 'est part is- it is +ree to use.

I+ you (rite good 'log posts- and ,an e++e,ti)ely *arket your 'log- your readership

(ill gro(. "he *ore readers you ha)e- the greater the ,han,es o+ one o+ your posts

going )iral. "he key to su,,ess is uality *aterial that is +resh- and holds the

readers attention. &ou ,an not get a(ay (ith re,y,ling (hat you read on so*eone

else;s 'log.

When )isitors ,o*e to your 'log- *ake sure you gi)e the* a ,o*pelling reason to

go to the *ain part o+ your site to look around. I+ your 'log 'e,o*es popular- this

*ethod ,ould dri)e a +lood o+ tra++i, to your site that (ill ,ontinue on an al*ost daily

'asis.

Tip 4 - Use So!ial ook&ark Sites

So*ething that has really +lourished in re,ent years is the popularity o+ so,ial

'ook*ark sites like Bigg- Stu*'le Upon- and del.i,o.us. "hese sites allo( users to

sear,h- set 'ook*arks- organi>e- read- and rate anything on the internet. I+

so*ething you ha)e (ritten is posted to one o+ these sites- other readers get a

,han,e to )ote on (hether or not they like it. I+ so*eone thinks it is good- and

(orth sharing- they ,an )ote +or it. "he *ore people )ote +or it- the higher up in the

rankings it *o)es. "he higher it goes- *ore people see it. "he *ore people see it-

the *ore opportunities there are +or so*eone else to )ote on it- (hi,h helps it to

rank e)en higher.

"he good part +or you is- e)en i+ a reader doesn;t )ote on your arti,le- they still

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'asis. I+ they are interested in your topi,- the (ill return to your site to get updates.

=oth uses o+ 7SS are designed to keep your ,usto*ers ,o*ing 'a,k. "he *ore

o+ten they ,o*e 'a,k and get ne(- use+ul- or entertaining *aterial- the *ore likely

they are o+ spreading the (ord to their +riends and +a*ily- and that is the +irst step o+

going )iral.

Tip 6 - ,i"e 7thers Their Chan!e To Spout 7ff 7n 8our Site

@nother great (ay to spread the (ord a'out your 'usiness is to pro)ide +ree ,ontent

to other (e'sites and 'logs. D)eryone (ants +resh- (ell (ritten ,ontent +or their

(e'site. ortunately +or you- not e)eryone has the ti*e or the a'ility to do it

the*sel)es. With the e)er in,reasing nu*'er o+ (e'sites and 'logs on the internet-

there is an ongoing de*and +or arti,le (riters and guest 'loggers. "hat;s (here you

,o*e in.

=y pro)iding +ree ,ontent +or so*eone else to use- they get use+ul in+or*ation on

their (e'site- you get your na*e out- and they pay the *arketing ,osts. It is a (ine- there is not )ery *u,h ,ost

in)ol)ed in this te,hniue. "here are (e'sites and 'logs that are in the 'usiness o+

telling others a'out ,ontests that other people are running. "hey (ill do your

*arketing +or you. @ll you ha)e to do is ,onta,t these sites and let the* kno( a'out

your ,ontest. I+ it;s (orth *entioning they (ill tell their su's,ri'ers. I+ the ,ontest

is good enough or ,reati)e enough- it *ay ,at,h the attention o+ a 'logger (ho (ill

spread the (ord to others. "he 'etter the pri>e pa,kage- the +aster and +arther it

(ill spread.

@ good (ay to take ad)antage o+ this te,hniue is to ha)e a repeating ,ontest- or a

series o+ ,ontests. "his *ethod (ill keep ,usto*ers returning to your site. 9ot only

(ill they return to sign up +or the ne( ,ontest- 'ut they (ill also ,he,k 'a,k

periodi,ally to see (hat the ne3t ,ontest is- and (hen it 'egins.

Tip 12 - Make it easy for "isitors to refer others

a)e you noti,ed the nu*'er o+ (e'sites that in,lude a 'utton that lets you tell

others a'out the site you are )isiting? "hey are 'e,o*ing *ore popular- 'e,ause

site o(ners ha)e learned that i+ you (ant your )isitors to do so*ething +or you- you

2,


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kno( and trust- not +ro* you. "he e*ail (ill not get stopped 'y the re,ipients spa*

+ilter- and there is a )ery good ,han,e they (ill open it and read (hat it says

Aike the pre)ious *ethod- it *ay not send a +lood o+ tra++i, your (ay- 'ut the tra++i,

that does ,o*e is there 'e,ause so*eone they trusted told the* to ,he,k it out.

"hey ,o*e to your site in a *u,h *ore re,epti)e state o+ *ind- and *ore open to

,onsidering your *essage. "hey are there +or a purpose- not ust so*eone (ho is

(andering through.

Tip 10 - 7ffer -Cards

So,ial net(orks ha)e 'e,o*e an e3tre*ely popular (ay +or people to stay in tou,h

(ith ea,h other. I+ you ha)e not 'een to MySpa,e or a,e'ook- it is (orth a look

around. While a lot o+ the pu'li,ity these sites ha)e gotten is 'e,ause o+ the teens

and ,ollege students that use the*- 'usinesses ha)e dis,o)ered they are a use+ul

(ay to 'uild their net(orks as (ell.

So*e o+ the sites are )ery 'are


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graphi,- they (ill ,li,k on it to see (hat other ee that ,hi*p (ith di++erent ,lothing- glasses- hats-

and 'a,kgrounds. Users also had the option o+ (riting or re,ording their o(n

*essage- and e)en had a te3t to spee,h +un,tions that allo(ed the ,hi*p to deli)er

your *essage. @s an e3tra 'onus- (hen you *o)e your *ouse around the s,reen-

the ,hi*p +ollo(s your *o)e*ent.

Within *onths o+ laun,hing- o)er 14 *illion *onk


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ki,ker is that Career=uilder spent no *oney in *arketing this ser)i,e. In the +irst

(eek Career=uilder sent out 1-#:: *onk


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e*ail or an instant *essaging progra*- and *ay'e e)en set up ,hat roo*s (here

they ,an engage in a,ti)e dis,ussions. @s the host o+ the +oru* you ,ould help

ans(er any uestions- (hi,h (ill help to +urther esta'lish you as an e3pert in your

+ield. &ou (ould also help *oderate dis,ussions- and share ne( and interesting

in+or*ation.

Dn,ourage your users to parti,ipate. $i)e the* the a'ility to share ideas and to

esta'lish the*sel)es as e3perts. Make it a sa+e- +riendly en)iron*ent (here they

,an share their opinions E(ithin reasonF. I+ your ,o**unity stays a,ti)e- it (ill

,ontinue to gro(- and so*e o+ the ,o**unity *e*'ers (ill 'e,o*e ,usto*ers.

&ou ,an +ind so*e )ery good +oru* progra*s that are a)aila'le +or +ree. Bo(nload

the progra* and upload it to your (e' host and you are up and running. Many o+

the (e' host ,o*panies ha)e so+t(are as part o+ their hosting pa,kages geared

to(ard 'uilding ,o**unities on your site. "hey *ake it )ery easy to set up +oru*s-

,hat roo*s- guest 'ooks and *ore.

=uilding a ,o**unity in this (ay (ill 'ring people that are interested in your line o+

'usiness to your (e'site. n,e they are there- it is easy +or the* to look around at

(hat you ha)e to o++er the*. =e,ause they are already interested- it is *u,h *orelikely that they (ill take ad)antage o+ (hat your 'usiness o++ers.

Tip 14 - Use ree .rti!le Sites :ike ;ines and .sso!iated Content

I *entioned earlier that people are *ore likely to listen to so*eone that they

,onsider to 'e an e3pert. Why ,an;t that e3pert 'e you? I+ you kno( enough a'out

a topi, to 'uild a 'usiness around it- you are an e3pert. @ll it takes is a little

*arketing to ,on)in,e others that you are an e3pert.

ne *ethod o+ esta'lishing yoursel+ as an e3pert and gaining so*e e3posure +or

yoursel+ and your 'usiness is to (rite arti,les +or e>ine arti,les and asso,iated

)1


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,ontent. &ou (rite an arti,le relating to your 'usiness- and then post it to one o+ the

online pu'lishing ser)i,es. When people read your arti,le- they see your na*e- and

assu*e you kno( (hat you are talking a'out. "he *ore di++erent pla,es you ,an get

your na*e and the na*e o+ your 'usiness- the 'etter that ,han,es are that people

(ill 'egin to re*e*'er you. )er ti*e (ith *ultiple e3posures you 'egin to 'uild

'rand re,ognition.

"here are t(o di++erent (ays online arti,le pu'lishers let you get your na*e out.

So*e sites- like e>inearti,les.,o*- let you put a short 1


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residual in,o*e to you. Many o+ these sites o++er re)enue sharing that (ill gi)e you

a s*all portion o+ the ad)ertising that the arti,le generates. "he a*ount you get per

arti,le usually is not )ery *u,h- 'ut enough arti,les o)er ti*e ,an add up.

Tip 15 - Use &ployees

"he 'est ad)o,ates you ha)e +or your 'usiness are already on your payroll. &our

e*ployees already ha)e a )ested interest in getting the (ord out a'out your

,o*pany. I+ you su,,eed- they get to keep their o's- 'ut i+ you +ail- they *ay +ind

the*sel)es une*ployed.

&our e*ployees kno( your 'usiness like no one else does. "hey ,an dis,uss the ins

and outs o+ your 'usiness- and tell others (hy your produ,t or ser)i,e is superior to

the ,o*petition. Dnthusiasti, e*ployees (ill spread the (ord to +a*ily- +riends- and

,olleagues a'out your ,o*pany- and you do not e)en ha)e to pay the* anything

e3tra to do it. It is part o+ their nor*al ,on)ersation (ith people.

=a,k in the early days o+ the ,o*puter industry- I=M ruled the (orld o+ te,hnology.

@ lot o+ ,o*puter ,o*panies (ere trying to get their legs under the*- 'ut I=M (asthe king. ne o+ the reasons I=M (as a'le to ,ontinually (ithstand the e)er

in,reasing ,o*petition (as that they understood the po(er their e*ployees had to

*arket the ,o*pany. "hey had a ready *ade *arketing tea* *ade up o+

engineers- se,retaries- a,,ountants- and progra**ers. =y harnessing that po(er

they (ere a'le to 'uild a stellar reputation in the ,o*puter industry.

ro* the day they (ere +irst hired- I=M e*ployees (ere taught ho( to 'e ad)o,ates

+or the ,o*pany. "hey (ere trained in the ,o*pany;s )alues- and (ere sho(n the

uality o+ the produ,ts they (ere helping to 'uild. "hey 'ought into I=M;s ,orporate

,ulture- and they- in turn- shared (hat they kne( (ith anyone (ho (ould listen.

"he te,hnology (orld heard the *essage so o+ten- and +ro* so *any di++erent

))


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people- that they ne)er uestioned the +a,t that I=M (as the 'est.

"he key to su,,ess is your a'ility to asse*'le a loyal dedi,ated (ork+or,e. I+ you

,an do that- then you ha)e the potential to tap into so*e o+ that po(er as (ell.

"urn your e*ployees into a *arketing tea* and let the* spread the (ord a'out ho(

great your ,o*pany is. I+ they truly 'elie)e it- their enthusias* (ill 'e,o*e

in+e,tious. /eople (ill 'elie)e (hat your e*ployees say- 'e,ause it is o')ious that

your e*ployees 'elie)e it the*sel)es.

Tip 16 - Use .ffiliates

I+ you ha)e ne)er thought a'out using an a++iliate progra* to sell your produ,ts- you

*ight (ant to ,onsider it. "here are thousands o+ people on the internet that (ant

to 'e a'le to tap into the online sales- 'ut they do not ha)e a produ,t to sell. I+ you

allo( the* to sell your produ,t- you ,an ha)e an unli*ited a*ount o+ sales people

*arketing your produ,t on a ,o**ission only 'asis.

"he easiest (ay to set it up is to use one o+ the a++iliate *arketing sites like

Cli,k=ank or /aydot. "here are se)eral progra*s around- so you (ill ha)e to do a

little 'it o+ resear,h to +ind one that is appropriate +or your produ,t. or instan,e-Cli,k=ank spe,iali>es in digital produ,ts. I+ you are selling an e


35/39

*akes sure the ,orre,t sales person gets their ,o**ission.

"here are pros and ,ons to using an a++iliate progra* to sell your produ,ts. n the

plus side- you ha)e a *oti)ated sales +or,e that a,ti)ely *arkets your produ,t on

the internet. "hey do the (ork- and take on all the e3pense o+ getting your *essage

out to your ,usto*ers. With a sales +or,e o+ a hundred or e)en a thousand people- it

does not take )ery long to rea,h a )ery (ide range o+ potential ,usto*ers. D)en i+

people do not ,li,k the link to go to your site- it still helps in,rease your na*e

re,ognition.

n the negati)e side- (hile it does not ,ost you *u,h in ter*s o+ out o+ po,ket

e3penses- there is signi+i,ant ,ost in)ol)ed. In order to ,on)in,e so*eone to 'ear all

o+ the e3penses o+ *arketing your produ,t- there has to 'e a*ple ,o*pensation +or

the*. Co**ission rates o+ #: per,ent o+ the sale pri,e are not un,o**on +or digital

produ,ts. "he rates +or tangi'le ite*s are lo(er- 'ut they are still high enough to

*ake it (orth your a++iliate *arketers ti*e and e++ort. "he high ,o**ission rates

(ill signi+i,antly lo(er the a*ount o+ pro+it you *ake on ea,h sale. &ou ,an *ake

up +or this de,reased pro+it (ith in,reased )olu*e- 'ut you ha)e to keep a ,lose eye

on your ,osts to *ake sure you do not lose *oney on the transa,tion.

Tip 29 - Use ree *ress /elease Sites

Aike *any (e'sites- ne(spapers need ,ontent. @ lot o+ ne(spapers- espe,ially

s*aller lo,al ne(spapers- ha)e a hard ti*e ,o*ing up (ith enough +resh ,ontent to

+ill all o+ the spa,e they ha)e. With li*ited 'udgets- they do not ha)e the sta++

needed to ,o*e up (ith +resh *aterial e)ery day. "his ,reates a great opportunity

+or you.

While papers are not ust going to gi)e you +ree ad)ertising- they (ill allo( you to

(rite an arti,le a'out so*ething that your 'usinesses is doing- espe,ially i+ it

in)ol)es a ser)i,e or a ,o**unity e)ent. "he ne(spapers understand that they are

)+


36/39

allo(ing you to ad)ertise in e3,hange +or the +ree ,ontent- 'ut it ,an not 'e 'latant

ad)ertising.

@ll you ha)e to do is (rite the arti,le- *aking sure you *ention your 'usinesses

na*e- and list your (e' address so they ,an get *ore in+or*ation. &ou ust ha)e to

*ake sure the pie,e is (ell (ritten- and that your 'usiness is doing so*ething (orth

telling people a'out.

9ot only does this get the na*e o+ your 'usiness out to the ,o**unity- 'ut it also

helps enhan,e your reputation. D)en (ithout kno(ing you- people (ill *ake a

udg*ent on (hether they like you- and ,an trust you. =y 'uilding a positi)e

reputation as so*eone (ho is a,ti)e in the ,o**unity- it *akes it easier +or the* to

like you- and 'y e3tension- your 'usiness.

"here are o)er : +ree sites that (ill pu'lish your press releases +or your online. Bo

a $oogle sear,h +or +ree press releases and you (ill get (hat you need.

Tip 21 - Use 7ffline Marketing

=elie)e it or not- there are still people out there that do not get all o+ therein+or*ation online. "hey use the internet +or 'usiness or e*ail- and o,,asionally (ill

shop online- 'ut i+ you (ant to rea,h the* you (ill ha)e to do it o++line.

"here are a lot o+ (ays to *ake people a(are o+ you o++line. So*e are 'etter than

others- depending on your 'usiness- 'ut they all share a ,o**on purpose (ith the

online te,hniues get your 'usinesses na*e +ront o+ as *any people as you ,an- as

o+ten as you ,an. Sales people use the ter*- 0It;s a nu*'ers ga*e. I+ *ore people

get e3posed to your *essage- *ore people (ill go to your site. More people at your

site (ill *ean *ore sales.

ro* pens to ,alendars to ne,kties- ,o*pany na*es- logos- and (e' sites appear

),


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e)ery(here. So*e ,o*panies ha)e 'uilt a strong enough 'rand that people (ill pay

to (ear their logo. Coke and MHM;s are ust t(o o+ *any ,orporate 'rands that

people proudly display.

"here is a s*all sporting goods store I kno( o+ that prints and gi)es a(ay hundreds

o+ shirts e)ery year. @nyone e)en re*otely in)ol)e in lo,al sports has at least one

shirt +or* this store. @t any ,asual e)ent in to(n at least one person (ill sho( up

(ith a shirt 'earing that stores na*e and logo. I ha)e seen pi,tures +ro* as +ar

a(ay as the Bo*ini,an 7epu'li, (earing one o+ those shirts. @nyone ne( in to(n or

+ro* any o+ the surrounding to(ns ui,kly learns (here to go +or their sporting

goods.

@ ui,k sear,h online (ill gi)e you a (ide range o+ ,o*panies to ,hose +ro* that

spe,iali>e on pro)iding pro*otional *aterials. "here is a (ide range o+ uality-

pri,e- and produ,ts to ,hoose +ro*- so depending on your 'udget- you should 'e

a'le to +ind so*ething that *at,hes (ith (hat you (ant to a,,o*plish.

)-


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Chapter 0 - ,et Started

21 tips to viral marketing success

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