Solutions

BUZZnotes . . . archives

Understanding Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing—It doesn't sound nice. But a well-run viral marketing campaign can be nice to your bottom line. Originating from the self-replicating process of both computer and human viruses, viral marketing promotions make use of social networks to increase brand awareness and, ultimately, product sales through voluntary word-of-mouth, which offers a chance at exponential growth and influence. Back in the days of classic Madison Avenue, this was called creating a buzz. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, we called it a "grassroots campaign." Whatever you want to call it, if viral really turns you off, the popularity of these relatively low-cost promotions has increased at the same time that other marketing channels have increased in cost and decreased in response rates.

In implementing viral marketing campaigns, marketers identify their target demographic and create messages that appeal to this segment and that have a high probability of being passed along to members of those consumers' social networks. These messages may take the form of video clips on YouTube or MySpace, free online games, brandable software, and even text messages.

Among marketing professionals, it is widely acknowledged that the first truly successful online viral campaign was Microsoft's Hotmail, one of the first free web-based e-mail services. Microsoft's strategy was simple and very effective:
1. Give away free e-mail addresses and services.
2. Attach a tagline to the bottom of every outgoing message, "Get your private, free e-mail at www.hotmail.com"
3. Then let others do your work for you! People e-mail their own networks of friends and business associates using their Hotmail accounts. These contacts see the message, sign up for their own accounts, and continue the message on its way into more and more social networks.

Few viral campaigns work as well as Microsoft's. But some work astonishingly well and contain if not all, then most, of the following elements:
1. Free products or services
2. Effortless transfer of enthusiasm to others in a social network
3. Accomodates small audiences and very large ones
4. Uses common consumer behavior and motivation
5. Involves existing communication networks (word-of-mouth, Internet, etc.)
6. Takes advantage of others' resources. Use consumers' time and effort to spread the word to their contact lists, use pre-existing affiliate programs on other websites (don't create your own), let others embed your clips, games or messages on their sites, in their e-mail or even on their clothes, publish on MySpace, Facebook and other social networks (you don't need to host your own).

Unlike Microsoft's Hotmail campaign, which continues to this day and has been replicated by other free e-mail services, most campaigns need a 7th element: innovativeness. Successful viral campaigns need to capture the attention of an easily bored, ADD population. To do this, you need to be fresh and new—and follow up immediately with sequels.

Recent examples of exceptional viral marketing are BarackObama.com and MoveOn.org's 2008 presidential election campaigns. Watch how BarackObama.com utilized many of the elements of an effective viral campaign:
1. Headquarters invested in a website and some amazing databases and churned out the message through e-mails and text messages and then let the commonpeople like you and me do the work (taking advantage of other's resources).
2. Free product or service? Well, yes, all the product did cost money (and actually, some of it didn't show up for months). But the free service they gave out was the feeling that each individual, albeit perhaps small, donation actually counted. And here's the success of this viral campaign: all those tiny donations added up to create strength and success in numbers. You do not need to be a Democrat to appreciate the beauty of this. In fact, even conservative Republicans seem to respect the economics of this campaign.
3. The Obama viral campaign did accomodate both small and large audiences. From "house parties" to stadiums, the message and campaign had something for everyone.
4. Effortless transfer of enthusiasm: with scripted letters, e-mails to forward, even individual subscriber accounts and personal fundraising thermometers, Obama made it easy and exciting for his followers to send messages to their social networks and beyond (to newspapers, magazines, and other mainstream media that the campaign felt needed to hear from we, the people).
5. Did Obama's team appeal to standard consumer behavior? You sure bet they did. Americans are consumers, and Obama provided consumables. From stickers and magnets (usually sold in packs of more than 1) to baseball caps and t-shirts, you could buy almost anything with an Obama (and later, Obama/Biden) logo on it. Most importantly, the campaign appealed to our deep-down desire to care again and to be respected. For the first time in more than two generations—and perhaps ever—they appealed to and gave respect to the individual voter. And they never stereo-typed us with Joe the Plumber or Joe Six-Pack.
6. Finally, were they innovative? Perhaps not for a standard Pepsi or Kodak. But for a political campaign, this was one of the most innovative national campaigns since the televised Kennedy-Nixon debates.

With a initial investment in time, ideas, talk, follow-up and generally creating an initial buzz with the right people, a viral marketing campaign can really make it big—and bring your product or service along on its coattails.

Feel free to copy this article and send it to all your friends and relatives. Just be sure to tell everyone where it came from (www.carolineandrewmarketing.com)! See, viral marketing can be as easy as that!

BUZZnotes discusses the latest trends in web, print and viral marketing and offers free tips on easy marketing and PR techniques to employ at your small or mid-sized company. Many newsletters will carry exclusive discounts on Caroline Andrew & Associates, LLC services, from free designs to free program assessments! Register Now for Your Free Electronic Newsletter!