Viral Marketing - An Article, Some Advice

by Tim Ireland

What Is Viral Marketing?

You've probably already decided that you want it, but do you know what it is? For a start, Viral Marketing isn't a thing; it describes a process, philosophy and effect. If you have a picture in your mind of an exciting object or offer that is intended to spread like wildfire across the web, then what you're really thinking of is a viral agent.

OK, What Is A Viral Agent?

A viral agent is an item, article or experience intended to initiate a dual positive reaction. Reaction 1 involves the recipient forwarding the item, article or experience to an associate. Reaction 2 is the recipient buying into your message (this can involve anything from exposing them to your name to attracting them to your website).

The former reaction/referral relies a lot on the quality of the viral agent and its cultural appeal. It also helps if the agent comes fully armed with a transfer mechanism (e.g. 'send to a friend') or at the very least is configured in such a way as to make it easy to send via the most popular digital communications mechanism, email.

By far the best way to get the full benefits of this effect is to offer a viral agent that is hosted, in that the viral agent is held and shown at a specific URL (as opposed to an attachment approach). Why is this important? Well, A viral 'happening' (man) that involves a link to the core URL has a very positive impact on search engine performance, due to increased link popularity.

Successful link-sharing via weblogs can produce these benefits immediately, as Google indexes many weblogs daily. Being smart enough to work desirable generic search terms into a generated referral link and/or the creative makes this effect even more pronounced, as Google not only looks at who links to you, but also the words people use when they do so.

Of course, not everybody is going to forward it and/or link to it. Some may not see, or appreciate, the appeal of the agent. Others just may not have any friends. But, once you reach a point where recipients above a certain number forward the agent, you achieve what makes Viral Marketing so appealing in ROI terms - exponential audience growth.

However, without carefully focused creative at least half of the audience you reach will be potentially worthless. If your sales message is intended for grocery shoppers in the UK, what do you care if it's seen by over a million college kids in the United States? Even if you're counting primarily on the SEO advantages of improved link popularity, you have to keep in mind that Google often presents the most popular page of any given website just under the main page when people search for a specific site by name. This means that you (at the very least) shouldn't try to release a viral agent/mechanism that isn't entirely in keeping with your brand.

Reaching Your Target Audience

This is why your viral agent needs to be carefully woven from your central sales message and tailored to your target audience. Without this focus, you could very well end up with a bunch of traffic that you just don't want (and before you say "So what?" ask yourself what that extra strain on your servers is going to cost you).

Similarly, if you do reach your target audience, you need to ensure that the transition to your site and/or sales message is a smooth and effective one.

Selling Your Sales Message

The ideal end result that you want is for your viral agent to reach your target market and be an ideal introduction to your sales message (or at

Finally we get to the guts of the matter. Even if your creative is right on the money and cleverly conveys the core benefits of a relationship with your company, you have to honestly ask yourself: what are these benefits, does the viral agent and/or target site display them effectively and are they substantial enough to build a relationship on?

Rule No. 1 - It Starts With the Product
Rule No. 2 - See Rule No. 1

If the product isn't worth getting excited about, then the effort will be wasted - no matter how novel the referral mechanism is. This is why it's so important to get the product and/or your website right in the first place.

If all of these considerations have been addressed, then the majority of exposures to your viral agent will mark the start of a happy relationship. It is the maintenance of this association that is at the core of successful marketing. Gearing it in such a way that existing customers voluntarily help to convey your sales message and secure conversions on your behalf; this is Viral Marketing.

Click here to go back to the Viral Marketing section.

Excerpts from this article may be quoted in part and included on your website when coupled with a link to the following URL : http://www.bloggerheads.com/business/viral_marketing_advice.asp