If you’ve ever been to YouTube, a discussion board, or have been part of an email list, you may already have been part of a viral marketing campaign without knowing it. Viral Marketing is simply the spreading of a marketing campaign/message via online social networks. When executed well, viral marketing can be a useful tool for a business with a relatively small marketing budget.
Here are some viral campaign tactics to get you started--
Discussion Forums. Do a little research online and I’m sure you’ll unearth a forum around your product/service, industry, or target market. This is a great way to personally reach out and communicate directly to your target market. Use the forum as a way to understand your market, and share your own expertise or knowledge directly with the public. Forums should not be used as a way to launch a campaign or directly sell a product.
Check out Listservs such as YahooGroups. They have virtually every subject or interest group known to man on their roster. Think about what would be most relevant to your customers or service/product and look up the group online. One caveat, though--what you have to say should be informative or relevant to the group and not merely a sales pitch.
Technically, what viral marketing does is use “word of mouth” to spread your message. But with the Internet, the "word" can spread far, far beyond the reach of your own voice!
For a more in-depth read on viral marketing refer to Jennifer Laycocks’ 10-part post on viral marketing.
Very interesting/. I have only recently heard about Viral marketing and it's potential for Internet advertising and marketing success. I'm interested in getting involved but I feel that I need more research before I make a decidion.