7 Viral Marketing Tools
What is “viral marketing?” According to entrepreneur, writer, speaker and agent of change, Seth Godin, it “is an idea that spreads-and an idea that while it is spreading actually helps market your business or cause.” An excellent example of viral marketing is the “Will It Blend” campaign by Blendtec http://www.willitblend.com/ The Company’s video “Will It Blend? iPhone” received 8,756,795 views on YouTube.
What tools can you use for a viral marketing campaign?
- E-mail: In a recent marketing survey 80% of respondents indicated that when they want to share information, links, etc with others they send it via email. If you craft an email with a clear concise message chances are your subscribers will forward the email to others.
- Newsletters: Produce a newsletter with informative and relevant content. Subscribers who find it beneficial will forward it to others. When a subscriber forwards an email or a newsletter your brand is being exposed to a larger audience.
- Blogging: Post topical and slightly controversial points of view to engage readers. Get your blog subscribers thinking and commenting. Allow social sharing. When a blog reader can save your post to Digg, Delicious, etc. they are sharing it with their followers on those social sites. This extends your brand’s reach.
- Chat Rooms: Hosting a chat area on your website encourages live interaction between readers. They will invite their friends to chat with them. This generates traffic to your website. You can host events in the chat room. Schedule a speaker, demo, etc. at a specific date and time. Invite people to attend. They can invite their friends to attend with them. This generates interest in your brand.
- Social Sharing Script: Have you visited a website or read a blog post and at the end of the post you see a button “share?” If you click on it a pop of multiple social networks appear. Clicking on one of the icons allows you to share the link with your friends in that network. The social sharing script makes it very easy for viewers to share your content. This is an easy to set up viral marketing tool.
- Video Clips: People love video. Create a clever and humorous video under three minutes long and place the video on your site. Visitors to your site who love it will pass it on to their friends.
- Flash Games: This suggestion is asking you to think outside the box and stretch your viral marketing skills. The Facebook community has really embraced the flash game medium. They love a casual game that has elements of skill, chance, and competitiveness. A game that encourages them to invite their friends exposes your brand to a larger audience. Sponsoring flash games can be a large expense. Consider this with the potential residual sales and long term income. Flash games could be a vital part of your viral marketing campaign.
