Viral Email Marketing: The Secret to Word-of-Mouth Advertising Online

Would you like to learn how to make your marketing message take on a life of its own and spread like wildfire… for free?

In this issue, as you may have guessed from the title, we will be discussing viral marketing. This is a unique breakthrough component that can be added to just about any online campaign to get it to spread far beyond the limits of traditional marketing messages. You can save money and increase your results and did I mention it can be done for free?

What is viral marketing?

The term viral marketing has come to refer to advertising campaigns that utilize their audience to spread the marketing message. It’s called viral marketing because it utilizes people as the “hosts” to carry the message in much the same way that a virus works. The idea (to carry the metaphor further) is to make your message “contagious” so it infects others that your company may not yet have come in direct contact with.

Time for an example…

I’m sure you are all familiar with Hotmail (now MSN Hotmail). Well, this company was an outstanding example of how viral marketing can work. They did hardly any marketing to start.

Instead they gave away free email accounts to anyone who wished to sign up. The only catch was each email message they sent from their Hotmail account was accompanied with a little notice in the footer telling people how they could get their own free Hotmail account and a hyperlink to click on. That’s it!

It worked like magic. Their user base exploded as people who used this email system continued to spread the word whenever they would email a friend or business associate. The rest is history.

4 Keys to Going Viral…

#1 You Must Reward The Messengers

People are interested in doing things that benefit them. Without a reward they will likely ignore your request. Offer a reward or “bounty” for spreading the message and helping to market your products and services to friends, family, and coworkers who might benefit.

#2 The Reward Must Be Immediate (Or Nearly Immediate)

People don’t like to wait. Offer something you can deliver on quickly. A free informational report that appeals to your target audience, a discount or a free upgrade of their service can work very well. The need for the reward to provide instant gratification is key.

That’s why reports, software and discounts work so well as incentives. They can be transmitted over the Internet with little waiting.

#3 Extend The Reward To Everyone — Even Those Referred

The true magic of viral marketing is when you receive a customer who was referred by a friend, who was referred by a friend, who was referred by a friend…

If the first person is the only one to be incentivized to pass the message along, invite friends, etc.. it will not go very far. You must extend the reward to those who were referred also.

#4 Make The Messenger’s Job Easy!

With Hotmail the action was very easy. In fact, the messenger didn’t need to do a thing! By simply using the service they spread the word. Most other services and messages will require a little more effort on behalf of the user to get the reward, but it can still work quite effectively.

There are many ways to employ viral marketing. In my book, Killer Email Marketing, I go into further detail and give real life examples. Be creative. Promote your reward everywhere: on your home page, in your postal mailings, in your emails, at your tradeshow booth and in your newsletters. Your message will infect more people. The media dollars you spend will also stretch further as you allow people with industry friends and contacts to help you spread your message.

Source by Jason Lexell

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